I suppose a bright and cheerful dungeon would be a misnomer of sorts, anyways.
Walking forth, the priest actually slipped on some moss and fell to his ass, earning him a kick and a laugh from the dwarf. No words were said though. The situation was oddly serious, even if there were only trash groups ahead.
Exiting the tunnel pass and entering the large opening with its domed ceiling that curiously showcased our dancing shadows as the flames moved to and fro, we came to a halt as we stared on. Before us squat a group of goblins, not unlike the previous goblins we had seen. But in the fashion of increasing difficulty, the group of goblins had made a substitution with their members.
The prior groups had been made up of two [Outcast Goblins] and three [Outcast Minor Goblins], and now that had been reversed. There were three [Outcast Goblins] now along with two [Minor Goblins]. Suffice to say, the difficulty ramped up rather quickly from only a moment before.
Also in consideration was the adjustment in level.
These goblins ranged from level 38-40 opposed to the level 35-37s on the first floor, while the minor goblins were now level 28-30 over the previous level 25-27. Yeah, they were now slightly more experienced, more skillful, did a bit more damage, could take a bit more damage, and probably moved slightly faster as well.
Hell, I was still only level 31.
For a beginner dungeon, they really upped the difficulty from the first floor.
At least, that's what I thought until we actually pulled.
Throwing out a [Chain Lightning] and following with our duo chain combo of alternating [Lightning Bolts] and [Frost Bolts], we made quick work of the goblins to the point where it was almost silly. In theory we were expecting some resistance, or at least I was, but in practice it only took another ten seconds per group.
The second floor wasn't that fresh after all.
Oh well.
It didn't take more than twenty-five minutes for us to reach the end of the second floor and to come face to face with the mini-boss and his entourage. Instead of the two [Goblins] and two [Minor Goblins] standing by the [Goblin Guard's] side, there were four [Outcast Goblins]. Going by the fact that the prior trash had upgraded in a similar fashion, it seemed rather inconsequential to me but the group wasn't as positive or anywhere near as confident as they were a minute ago.
"So this boss is actually kinda difficult," said the dwarf while stretching his arms out. "Basically, I can't tank all five at the same time, so it'll take some creative mixing."
"Huh?" I said immediately. I was at a loss as to what creative mixing was supposed to mean, and didn't quite follow. My best guess was that he meant we needed to change strategy. If that was the case, it didn't seem like a big deal.
I really couldn't understand the sudden loss of confidence they shared.
The dwarf looked over at me and sighed slightly. "Been 'ere twice, killed the boss once," said the dwarf. "The way we got it to work last time, was the archer pulled goblins off me and they killed them as quickly as they could. Peel fast enough, and we're good. Too slow, and I die, we lose."
"Eh I think we can do better than that," I stated clearly and without hesitation. "I figure us two mages can get a good jump on the group and then we'll fall back and pull the goblins to the room we were just in. I'll immobilize one and pick another off you to off-tank when I can. As long as we rotate quickly enough, I can hold my own without heals against one or two without issue."
The dwarf just stared at me silently as he mulled it over in his head. I didn't have much reason to brag or to overstate my ability, so I felt my reply was perfectly within reason. Though to be fair, I did have a few relatively strong spells.
They just had to put a little faith in me, was all.
"Ye going to use that lightning tether thing ye used on the last guard?" he asked, ending his momentary silence. "It seemed to stun it fer a few seconds last time."
A smile broke out on my face before I realized it.
This little dwarf picked up on everything.
He was right after all, the way my [Arc Lightning] worked was as a single-target channel that applied a constant one-second stun every second. Unless the target had a high resistance, they would simply die in place… or be immobilized until I ran out of mana, the latter of which being more likely in most situations.
"Yeah, I can't use it for long but I can interrupt a guard for a short while," I answered. I briefly tried it on the last mini-boss and found that the stun didn't apply more than three times; it seems bosses were given resistances in-case a player tried to do that. You couldn't really fault the developers for that.
It was a necessary handicap for the sake of game balance.
"Right, do that then," he said with a bit of enthusiasm. "This fight is already hard enough but if ye can get them low and take one off of me every few seconds… I think we can manage."
Having figured out our plan of attack, we fell back to the far edge of the previous room and settled into our positions for the upcoming fight. With everything ready to go, I had the frost mage follow me back down the narrow passageway that led to the mini-boss of the second floor. Turning the corner and gauging the distance between us, the five goblins continued to munch on cooked rodent as they appeared oblivious to our presence.
Nodding at the mage, I began the process.
As I started to harness the power of electricity between my hands, I whispered my chant in order to increase the power of the spell. "Through power, darkness turns to light, render all to ash," I said softly, holding at the end as I waited for the mage to finish his chant. The mage to my left had started to whisper his own three verse version as he gathered a small amount of cold light-blue frost and formed it into a compact ball. With white gas floating about as if it were dry ice, the subliming effect of the frost was an interesting touch that distracted me for a moment.
Though the instant he finished his chant, I recaptured my focus and aimed at the goblin closest to my position. Without any further hesitation, I thrust my arms out with open palms and yelled out, "Chain Lightning!"
As the four lightning bolts left my hands and entwined into a larger bolt, the air cackled and cracked as the room was engulfed in light. Simultaneously, the mage mirrored my move and called out, "Frost Bolt!" as the bolt of ice flew through the air at a slower pace. With its trail of frost fluttering in its wake, the flakes of ice reflected the lightning with a beautiful crystalline light display.
The entwined lightning bolts hit their singular target and nearly instantly split off and bounced onto the other four hapless goblins that stood nearby. Writhing in pain, the goblins clutched their heads in desperation as some fell to their knees, but I didn't see any of it. I had already turned around and started my hasty retreat the second the spell left my fingertips.
As I ran, I just imagined it all in my head.
It was more fun that way, anyway.
Turning the corner after exiting the passageway, I continued to sprint to the far edge of the room where the party had set up prior. Eight seconds had already passed due to the long run as the mage finally caught up with me, and I immediately began chanting once again. Two seconds had passed as the first goblin came around the corner and into my line of sight, right on time as I nearly finished my chant. Holding the spell for a second longer, I waited as the second goblin appeared a bit behind the first.
Targeting the closest goblin despite the fact that it wasn't the one I initially hit earlier, I decided to go with what the situation gave me. The third, fourth, and fifth goblin soon appeared as they spit and cursed my existence while blindly charging forth.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the dwarf getting itchy as he wanted to taunt immediately. That wasn't the plan though, and he held his ground to the side of me for fear of getting hit by my spell.