Chapter 84: The King’s Debut

Icefall glared at the masked Knight leaning against a tree, his posture the picture of casual indifference. That stupid rabbit mask. He knew. He knew the Ironwood Treant had evolved into something she and her sister couldn’t handle, and he was just standing there, doing nothing.

What made her blood boil was the faint, knowing smirk on his lips. It was the look of a man waiting for a train wreck he’d predicted, a smug, petty satisfaction that made her want to march over and knock his teeth in.

She wanted to yell for him to get over here, but her pride strangled the words in her throat. She’d just finished snubbing the Cleric who was with him. In her entire life, she’d never once asked for help.

As the Treant’s aura swelled, so did her panic, and her resentment for the Knight crystallized into a cold, hard knot in her stomach. Fine. If she was going down, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her beg.

It was completely irrational, but in that moment, she pinned their entire predicament on the infuriatingly passive Knight.

The evolution was complete. The creature had doubled in size, its bark hardening into a shell of plated armor. A crown of jagged leaves sprouted from its head like a grotesque sun hat, and four new, whip-like branches sprouted from its trunk, making it look like some monstrous, upright spider.

The newly-christened Ironwood King let out a ground-shaking roar. The protective Earthen Aura and Verdant Light that had shielded it finally dissipated, but the damage numbers that popped up from their spells were pathetic; their attack power had been halved.

Stung and furious, the King lashed out with its six branches, the air cracking around them. It ignored Icefall and charged straight for Firebrand, intent on making the one who had stung it the most pay the ultimate price.

“Firebrand, disengage! Now!” Icefall shouted, casting her Icefall spell to slow the monster. It was useless. The spell shattered against its armored hide without so much as leaving a frost. The thing was faster, too, closing the distance with her sister with terrifying speed.

Icefall saw Firebrand start to run and tried a Water Blade, a desperate attempt to pull aggro. But the monster was either single-minded or had gotten smarter; it completely ignored the provocation, its focus locked on the fleeing Firebrand.

“Sister, stay back! It’s too strong!”

Firebrand was just as furious at the spectator Knight. What kind of man just stands there and watches? The sight of his stupid, smirking face made her see red.

So, as she ran, she deliberately angled her flight toward him. If he wanted a show, he could have a front-row seat. She secretly hoped the King would be powerful enough to splatter the annoying bastard across the clearing.

But the Cleric, FreshwindElara, was standing there, slightly in front of him. Firebrand felt a genuine liking for the kind-hearted woman and couldn’t bear the thought of her getting caught in the blast. “Look out!” she yelled, a warning meant solely for the Cleric.

If Marcus had known the sisters found him utterly repulsive, he might have actually wept. Why, with the same time, place, and circumstances, was the gulf of perception between them so vast?

“Hang on, I’m coming!” FreshwindElara called out.

“Stone, now!” the she commanded, her voice sharp as she expertly showered the fleeing Firebrand with a cascade of support spells: Defense Boost, Power Surge, a quick Heal, and Elemental Resistance.

’Oh, for the love of… Neither of them actually asked for help. Why are we getting involved? They’ll probably accuse us of kill-stealing.’

Marcus’s eyes fell on Icefall, her face as cold and expressionless as a frozen lake. It reminded him of another icy woman he’d known, and a sudden, perverse impulse surged through him. He wanted to get a rise out of her, to see that frosty composure finally crack.

“Looks like you’re in a bit of a bind, ladies,” he called out to Icefall and Firebrand, not moving a muscle. “Need a hero?”

As expected, his words lit a fuse.

“You bastard! No! Get lost!” Firebrand shrieked, too enraged to even look at him as she ran. This guy was a piece of work. She wanted to kick that stupid smile right off his face.

The unflappable Icefall lived up to her name. She was clearly furious, but all she offered was a sharp frown, refusing to even grant him a glance.

And then there was the third woman, his normally sweet-natured Cleric, FreshwindElara.

“Stonehaven, if you don’t move your ass right now, I’m going to tank it myself!”

He was genuinely surprised to see Elara so worked up. She stamped her foot in frustration, her usual serene face now set in an adorable, furious pout. The look was a killing blow.

“Hurry… it’s almost on us!”

He had a retort ready for Firebrand, but Elara’s pout was a command he couldn’t ignore. He sighed, drew his sword, and raised his shield. Buffs flared around him, and he charged.

A Gold-tier monster; his favorite. He pegged its power to be about on par with that evolved Werewolf, Cabaro, from the Black Rock Spire. This would be a walk in the park.

His Insight skill had already laid the creature bare the moment it evolved: The Ironwood King.

Ironwood King: Level 30 Gold-tier. Health: 8000. Evolved from an Ironwood Treant filled with a violent, murderous aura. Its abilities are extraordinary, and its lifelong dream is to evolve into an Arcane-Beast.

Skills:

Dark Radiance: Automatic Health Regeneration. Recovery Speed: 100 HP per second.

Arboreal Whip: Transforms its tree-like arm into a vine, attacking the target three times in succession, with a chance to knock down.

Head-Shake Dance: Twists its head and shoots out the leaves on its crown to attack enemies. Attack range is all around its body, effective within three meters.

’Evolve into an Arcane-Beast? Now that would be a sight. Let’s see if we can’t encourage that.’

“He’s fast!” Firebrand gasped in spite of herself.

The infuriating Knight had been a good seven or eight paces behind his Cleric, but after her scolding, he shot forward like a bolt, overtaking her in the blink of an eye. Even a high-agility Assassin would be hard-pressed to match that speed.

“Damn, I should have brought up loot distribution first. If this thing drops something good, this is going to be a mess.”

Before Firebrand could even finish the thought, she heard his muttered complaint. Her rage, already at a boiling point, exploded. The sheer, unmitigated gall of this man!

She skidded to a halt, ignoring the monster thundering behind her, and hurled a Meteor spell directly at the Knight as he passed. In that moment, she genuinely wanted to reduce the despicable man to a stain on the grass.

[System Notification]: Stonehaven, you have been attacked by the Fire Sorcerer Firebrand. You may now legally retaliate.

[System Notification]: Stonehaven, you have been attacked by the Cleric FreshwindElara. You may now legally retaliate. (Team members can also engage in mutual PK, which is considered a sparring or competitive type of PK. Players who die in this manner only lose twenty gold coins, preventing players from using it to return to town. Of course, there is no loss for dying in the Arena. Team members in combat status do not take damage from friendly PK.)

“Stonehaven, are you trying to get yourself killed?” FreshwindElara snapped, unable to stop herself from giving him a sharp tap on the shoulder with her staff, her pout returning in full force.

Her expression made it clear that one more word would result in a very undignified ear-pinching.

’Wow, ganged up on by my own party. And here I am, putting my life on the line for everyone. This is the thanks I get? And Elara, ditching me for these girls? I see how it is. Still… damn, she’s cute when she’s mad.’

Marcus didn’t have time to voice his grievances. The Ironwood King was upon them, its branches coiling back to strike at Firebrand. He fell into a combat stance, shield raised, ready to step into the line of fire and play the part of the tank.

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