Eliona's War 2: Veiled Healer

Chapter 72

On the other side of the robot tank, Ironhide let out a sharp yell. K-792 abruptly spun back the other way to face him. Its optic lens swiveled around as well.

"Sneaky fleshbag."

A burst of staccato gunfire was accompanied by brilliant flashes, though its large metal chassis prevented the team from seeing what exactly was going on. It wasn't really necessary; the small chunks of health falling off of Ironhide's health bar was indication enough.

"Let's go!" Jack Coyote didn't charge, and he didn't run. He merely strode towards the robot tank with calm confidence, bypassing a deep crevasse filled with bubbling lava as if it was a tiny ant not worth concern.

Everyone followed suit, gathering behind the Boss while its attention was focused on Ironhide. It took about four seconds for them to realize a problem, though.

It happened when Valentin leapt forward and slammed the point of his glaive into the metal surface of K-792. Severance had seen the Knightglaive pierce through all kinds of foe before. Yet, all Valentin's powerful strike did was dent the metal.

If that was the case, Severance was pretty sure his fans wouldn't even be able to make a scratch. Just how were they supposed to hurt this thing?

"Weep for your inferiority!" K-792 shrilled, as if sensing the feeble attempt to attack it. Something boomed, and the entire world was swallowed in white-hot fire.

When it faded, Severance found himself standing on the small platform outside the dungeon, along with the rest of his team. Actually, Ironhide wasn't there, but just as he realized that, the tank in question appeared in a flash.

"Well, that was quick." Mr Snowman stated the obvious with far more cheer than necessary.

"We didn't even last three seconds," Severance muttered, and he dragged his hands down his face. He hadn't felt a thing; death had come far too quickly this time. He was incredibly grateful for that.

"Hmm," Valipn4if stroked his long beard. "Anyone see what happened?"

"Nope," YellowThere drawled. "Jack even blew up, which is kind of obsessive-combustive of him, but I won't judge."

He smiled brightly at Jack, who nearly incinerated him on the spot with the strength of his glare.

"I took barely any damage," Ironhide said thoughtfully. "The rest of you died instantly. The only difference is that you were all together."

Jack Coyote's glare lessened as he shifted his attention to his co-tank. "A proximity AOE? Then let's spread out and see what happens."

That made sense, and everyone quickly agreed. Since death had erased any buffs they might have had, Morning Glory took a moment to re-cast Protection on all of them. Then they headed in once more.

This time, K-792 was waiting for their arrival. The second Ironhide set foot in the arena, its optical lens swiveled to him.

"Puny fleshbags. You prove your lack of intelligence. Failure is all you will find."

With that, it rolled towards them. Ironhide roared and broke into a jog, circling around the Boss. That forced it to turn away from the rest of the team.

"Spread out!" Jack Coyote commanded, and the entire group did just that. The melee players created a loose semi-circle around the Boss, while the ranged players stood further back in a similar pattern.

Severance ended up off to the side, while Morning Glory took up position near the rear of the Boss. She'd be able to shield everyone from there, but Severance would be responsible for keeping Ironhide alive.