552 Prismatic Fenghuang
Chapter 552 Prismatic Fenghuang
Elena and Ren moved quickly and cautiously through the Fey Realm, aware that Russet's guards might be following them. They kept to the shadows and tried to blend in with the other fey that were moving around them. As they walked, they watched for any sign of danger and listened carefully for any sounds that might alert them to the presence of their pursuers.
They moved quickly, not daring to stop for too long in any one place, always keeping an eye out for any possible escape routes or hiding spots. The landscape around them was constantly shifting and changing, making it difficult to keep their bearings.
As they traveled, they encountered a few friendly fey who offered them some assistance and advice on how to arrive in the White Queen's territory. Elena used her magic to their advantage, creating illusions and distractions to throw off their pursuers.
Despite their efforts, they were constantly on edge, knowing that Russet's guards could be right behind them at any moment. They kept moving, staying one step ahead of their pursuers, until they were near enough to the White Queen's territory, breathless and exhausted but relieved to have made it safely.
"We're finally here," breathed Elena.
"Let's hurry and proceed with caution," Ren said. It would only be a matter of hours before he would be logged out again.
He had to make use most of his time. He didn't know if this was the [True Ending] he was hoping for. There was no one route toward different endings. There were multiple routes he could go about, but this wasn't what he had known.
He could only hope that they were on the right path.
"What's that?" Elena stopped when they heard noises.
When the two peeped to take a look, they found that it was Golden Phoenix fighting a fey beast, the Heavenly Phoenixes, [PRISMATIC FENGHUANG].
The Fey Realm was home to many virtuous beings embodying all that was good. But even among their spiritual multitudes, there were those that were beyond reproach, judgment, and corruption. Such was the case with the heavenly phoenixes: glorious celestial birds soaring the skies on wings of light, color, and flame.
"Sacred to even angels, these creatures are elusive, primal expressions of virtue. Each heavenly phoenix is a nigh-immortal being shaped by a perfect synergy of holy and elemental energies. The mere presence of one of these majestic birds is enough to redeem the most blackened heart or restore hope to a lost soul," explained the Princess.
While Ren looked at the girls who were trying their best to catch it, there were only Silvia, Pamela, Ruru, and Lucia left from the party, and Ren didn't know what had happened to Fate Alliance Guild, their partner from before.
Silvia, Pamela, Ruru, and Lucia were all trying their best to catch the bird, but it seemed to be too fast for them. Silvia was chasing after it with her arms outstretched, while Pamela was flapping her hands in a futile attempt to grab it. Ruru was leaping up and down, trying to jump high enough to catch it, and Lucia was running around in circles, trying to anticipate the bird's next move.
Ren couldn't help but chuckle at the scene, realizing that their pursuit of the bird had provided a brief moment of levity in an otherwise serious situation.
"Ruru, you need to catch it, alright?! It's the symbol of our guild!" Silvia ordered.
"I-I'm trying," Ruru cried out in tears. "But that thing is so slippery and elusive!"
"How much do we need to lower its HP for you to catch it?!" Lucia growled.
Ruru shrunk. "I-I'm sorry."
"Stop scaring her. It doesn't do anything good," lectured Pamela.
"If only she was doing her job and not getting scared every damn second, then we would have already captured that bird!"
"Stop yapping and aim at it," Silvia hollered.
"We would if it stopped moving so fast!" Lucia retorted back.
The Prismatic Fenghuang was mobile and at a high altitude. With a fly speed of 90 feet, it served as a mobile sniper.
It used [Keen Eye] to ensure it hits against ideal targets, which, when combined with its prismatic damage variety, proved difficult for the players to manage.
When shot by magical and artillery attacks from below, it used [Arcane Shield] to block any magical attempts to bring the phoenix down.
And when gravely injured, the Fenghuang positioned itself so that it didn't fall far to the ground (avoiding falling damage) in an inaccessible place. This gave the creature the best chance of surviving and soaring in the air once more.
Chances were, if a prismatic Fenghuang could see you, it could shoot you. The creature emitted furious beams of energy that inflicted a dizzying diversity of wounds. There was little Golden Phoenix could do to protect themselves, like keeping their heads down and staying behind cover.
The bird was only ditching out minuscule damage, though, and Golden Phoenix didn't seem like they wanted to kill it. They only wanted to lower its HP so that Ruru could form a bond with it which was harder than killing it at this point.
"Attacking a prismatic Fenghuang is going to hurt," the Princess said. "The creature's magical fire retaliates against any who dare to strike it, even those who do so from a "safe" distance. Attacks from a prismatic Fenghuang can leave a target wreathed in multicolored sparks, which, while beautiful, serve only to make one an easier target for the phoenix.
"The prismatic Fenghuang is weak in a melee attack, though," Elena continued. "It's getting close. That is the challenge. Once on the ground, the creature is still dangerous, but many of its advantages are significantly diminished. When greatly threatened, the creature can unleash a mighty blast of multicolored energy to devastating effect, though it can't do it often."
The Fenghuang was an artillery creature, which means range was essential to it. Its maximum engagement range was 200 meters, which it should make good use of in conjunction with its flying speed.
Flying artillery was a major problem for most parties, so the higher in the sky they kept the Fenghuang, the more difficult the encounter was.
The phoenix's [Multiattack] feature allowed it to fire a single prismatic ray attack against every target of its choice in range, up to eight creatures. This makes the Fenghuang devastating to large groups of creatures.
A big weakness for this creature was the solid cover. The Fenghuang couldn't even attack most objects or structures, and Golden Phoenix took advantage of the few objects scattered around for them to hide behind.
Ranged attacks weren't a great solution to the problem of a hard-to-reach phoenix, as its [Prismatic Plumage] feature could pile damage on quickly.
What's more, it marked its targets with [Glitterflame], whose effect was far stronger than it appeared. When a marked player was hit, the player received double damage.
"If they're planning to subdue the Phoenix, they must strike it at its wings and bring it down for good," Elena said.
"Easier said than done," Ren replied as the Fenghuang soar lively across the sky.
"What are you going to do? Are you going to help them?"
". . . No. they could handle it. Let's move on. Time is precious."
Elena was surprised. "I really thought that you would help them, given how you stared at them eagerly."
"I did not." Ren was merely in a hurry because he would be logged out at any moment. But the second he stepped his foot forward, a commotion skidded him to a stop.
Looking back, he saw Golden Phoenix fighting a new threat and that the Prismatic Fenghuang was kited before their eyes and the loots were snatched by Fate Alliance Guild.
What's more, Fate Alliance was together with Great Dynasty with Roni, Hugo and Fren.
Ren was surprised that Roni was still alive but he was more curious as to why there was a shift in allegiance.
Wasn't Golden Phoenix supposed to partner with Fate Alliance while Great Dynasty partnered with Black Lion?
Ren wondered what happened.
"Should we help?" The Princess asked when Golden Phoenix found themselves outnumbered.
Dimitri, Rayna, and two others from Fate Alliance guild reinforced Great Dynasty's numbers to seven against four.
Worst, they also KS the Prismatic Fenghuang that they tried so hard to acquire.
"You again?" Silvia hissed, frowning at Dimitri.
Dimitri grinned. "Don't be like that, Silvia. You know how this game works. Everything is a competition."
"Competition? Lucia sneered. "I thought that treachery is the only word in your dictionary."
"Dimitri's smile fell and Rayna chuckled. "It's not our fault. Black Loin has more tempting offer."
"Enough of this chitchat. If you don't want to die then hand over your valuables," Hugo said.
Lucia huffed a laugh with no mirth. "Now you're playing thieves."
"Sorry," Roni grinned. "Higher ups orders. If I were you I would hand over your items. Five potions each should suffice. We're running low in supplies and–!"
"Shut your trap Roni," snapped Hugo and Roni clamped his mouth tight, brooding over at a corner. Hugo then stared at the girls. "Just hand over them if you want to live."
"What? You're lackeys of Black Lion now?" Silvia forced a smile, sweat glistening at the side of her face.
"Lackeys?" Dimitri laughed. "We don't mind being called that way as long as we're on the winning side."
"Winning side?" Lucia raised a brow.
Hugo laughed. "Haven't you heard? Black Loin had defeated a dragon!"