Tactician Healer

Blue and purple flashed over the walls and stone of the tunnel chamber as we kept trying to chip away at the behemoth. Green bars of health slid down and back up as Derik fought to keep everyone healthy. Small ticks came whenever an attack landed, but it truly wasn’t enough. Without an enemy health bar, signs of our damage came to me from how much their HP was affected by each attack. It looked grim.

Once more I tried to look for any sort of signs of a weakness or trick. I doubted that it had a naturally hard hide or I felt that Denica wouldn’t have sent us in. There was something we weren’t seeing.

Yet before I could answer my question, the horned monster apparently had enough of us dodging its lightning attack. The two large horns on its back glowed, one red and the other green. I could only guess and put up a barrier on Denica, not certain what to expect. Rather than targeting her, two pillars, a flame and a wind erupted surrounding Eri’Sol and me.

Tiny blades carved from the biting gales around me tried to bleed me as an inferno roasted over her armor and skin. I howled in pain as the attack dug into me. Seconds passed before it released me, knocking me on my ass. My lungs heaved, stretching my chest as my heart slammed around like it was a soccer ball being dribbled.

Forcing myself to focus, I could see it depleted most of my HP and even Eri’Sol’s. That wasn’t something we could take again. My hand reached back for the last potion I had to top myself off as Derik covered her needs. A barrier for Denica gave him the seconds to spare focus. For a man with swords and melee, he really had to dedicate to healing in this fight. We were completely on the back foot.

We needed to find the answer! What was I missing?

Again flames and wind engulfed two of us, though Renold and Derik this time. It was just lashing out at random. The beast wanted us down. We had survived too long for its liking. The feeling was mutual. As Derik recovered them and I flung more Rays out praying any little damage helped heal Denica a little, I shouted over the huge tail between us. “Did you notice anything with that attack? Anything to avoid it?”

Grunts came from the side before an answer. “Stings like Helsa, but it doesn’t look like it can be shaken.”

“Damn…” This was so much of a burden for Derik. I felt completely useless in this fight. I really was proving to be the Cursed Healer. I was going to be their death because I didn’t have a heal!

Each moment I saw our health ticking lower. A barrier thrown around between Rays with prayers and curses to my class. Derik had to be a rain cloud of sweat at this point.

Then the fire wind combo hit Eri’Sol and I once more. During the attack in my shock, she pushed me away. It followed me stumbling back. ‘Why did she do that?’ I raced with confusion and questions as I pulled myself back. I stared at her. Was she attempting to get me out of harm or testing? Something was wrong.

Her right arm wasn’t slashed up by the wind. I jumped back over to her. The eureka moment came to me.

Between thoughts, I felt a surge of warmth and a red glow in my vision, Derik covered my health.

Eri’Sol blocked a strike from the tail, throwing it back and panting heavily. She looked over at me. “Did that help you solve it?” I was right, she was testing something.

“Yes! I think the two elements cancel each other if they are too close! Your arm doesn’t look burned up or even cut by the attack. That has to be it!” Relaying the new information to the rest of the party, we only had to wait for the next chance to test it out. It wasn’t hitting us all repeatedly. So for insurance I wasted three casts to barrier the other three of Denica’s party, if I was wrong.

Painful seconds ticked by with more blood spraying over the ground from Denica holding out. She had the most visible injuries, nearly looking ready to collapse dead. And we all mirrored that feeling, even if our bodies didn’t look at bruises and thrashed. Burns, char and cuts did us little favors.

But the moment finally came when the horns glowed once more. Derik and Ferin this time and they bravely made the test. It was awkward of them. Mentally in my head, I pictured two people with no collision clipping through each other like in a game, but that wasn’t reality. They just had to stay as close as could work while still trying to fight, but they prioritized sparing damage as it came in.

Flames and wind drew up around them. For a moment, I thought I failed them until an orange spark snapped the two attacks out of existence. I sighed with relief and then groaned as my lungs hated that. A terse cheer came from the other side before they resumed the fight.

I allowed myself a small smile, but the deep groan from Denica pulled me back. Her HP was getting dangerously low and not going back up as quickly. We still had to win, not just survive! ‘What the hell am I missing? C’mon, you’ve stared at fights for years, use those eyes for something helpful!’

Sparks flashed light through the chamber. It happened again. That hadn’t been the first time I saw it react to our attacks hitting it. Staring at the horns closer as they flashed, I found a faint thread that sparkled through the air above it. It almost looked like hair blowing in the wind, but I could follow it. Above there was a soft purple glow, something of magic origin. ‘That had to be it! The tells make sense!’

I looked around to see the arrangement of everyone. ‘This could work.’

“Renold! Are you in a position to use your little trick?”

“Minoru?”

“Can you do it?” I commanded, there wasn’t time for questions in this situation.

“Yes!”

“Then prepare it! Eri, I want you to use your weakness ability, but focus it all on the horns! Can you get them focused?”

“I’ll make it happen!” She nodded with resolve. There was a clear sign that I was asking her to do something that she didn’t even know was possible. But I was glad for her can-do energy.

The blood vines jumped up and Eri’Sol strained, almost sounding like she was in pain. But they lunged up on the monster's face spreading, then turned back fighting until they grasped the horns. And Renold didn’t even need an order understanding my intent even if he didn’t follow the reason. With his dagger and scythe combo he erupted out of the shadows of the hair of the beast with a near void like form that slashed out. “Shadow Fang!” Black and purple cut through the air in a cross striking on the red crystals shattering in a chain of explosions.

I watched waiting as Renold faded away to return to the ground. An angry roar bellowed through the chamber, actually shattering from rocks from above to rain down. Even as we danced around to not get bludgeoned I looked waiting. It didn’t look like it worked, it wasn’t enough. But a spark ran through them again as someone struck it. It started a sudden reaction that exploded its horn into powder. When I saw Eri’Sol hit it again with her sword, purple blood sprayed up from her attack. ‘Perfect, it’s all set up now!’

It was time for the next stage. I grabbed out the last two of my potions. This was for an emergency. I kept the Potion of Transmission. “Ferin! Take this and use the strongest spell that you have! Derik I’m moving Exchange, I’ll focus on keeping Denica shielded as much as I can, but please cover what I can’t! Eri, I need you one more time! Give Ferin a target!”

As I explained I moved the Exchange in path with the potion and just focused on maintaining a shield on our tank as much as I could. The shattered horn had enraged the beast. It was lashing out with new forms of flame and wind attacks now completely destroying Denica’s body. It was a miracle the woman was still standing and had health. My shields were being instantly destroyed and damage was still going through. But we just needed the one moment.

Ferin didn’t question it seeing there was a plan. Eri’Sol set up a strike zone as the staff in Ferin’s hand glowed intensely, altering the light in the whole chamber a deep indigo. It was like we were under the ocean. I heard chanting from him as this had a long cast time. Magic bubbled up around Ferin in waves as it transformed in violet water. That familiar cinnamon smell came in strong and overpowering. Beautiful roaring cascades erupted into the air as his voice became a vibrating shout that could cut through stone. “Sky Piercing Water Spear!”

On command in an instant, the water all changed shape into a massive spear ornately detailed from the tip down over the handle in ribbons and lettering of their tongue. It flew down with a size challenging that of the monster. Striking at the center cluster of crimson crystals, the spell weapon pierced through the head of the beast. At impact the indigo light that consumed the chamber snapped out, restoring us to lantern and magic.

Deep gouts of purple blood rained through the air as the spear went even further cutting straight into the earth and pinning it down. Eri’Sol lunged in to follow up glowing with her health consuming attack to cut into its neck. And I watched as Denica’s health shot straight back up to full, letting me breathe some relief.

I fell back against the earth cave with the monster finally ceasing. Renold delivered the final blow half soaked in viscera like Eri’Sol. It was over. I ignored the jingle in my ears. “We won! It’s over…finally!”