Tristan

The ascent to the glassy black island practically floating in the middle of the volcano was anything but easy. The path the ten raiders were forced to follow was narrow and winding, following the core's shell as it gradually worked its way up the inside of the mountain. Jutting rocks, thin ledges, and of course the oppressive heat all seemed designed specifically to tax and weaken them.

The temperature especially seemed to hammer Tristan's allies who lacked resistance to heat, with Kitara no longer able to continue flying by the time they reached the climb's midpoint. Sophie kindly offered her shoulder, despite struggling a bit herself.

Only Tristan, Xanax, and Drannis seemed mostly untouched by their surroundings, though Manama was putting in an admirable effort to appear unruffled. Once again, Tristan was thankful for his [Heat & Fire Resistance]. His legs might feel like they were burning, but that was because the uphill hike had already taken twenty-two minutes according to his [Clock] skill, with the end clearly still a ways off yet.

"Couldn't whatever made this path have made the climb a bit more friendly?" Opie asked, panting.

"Or at least give us something to kill along the way," Cross added.

"Maybe the boredom is the enemy," Manama offered.

Laura grunted. "It's been killing me."

Manama reached into the bag slung across his back and pulled out his lyre. "If no one objects, I could sing something to help pass the time."

"Actually, that's a great idea," Chessa said. "What's that song that makes us all move faster?"

"That would be [Melo's Accelerando], and while I will gladly play it for you if you ask, I should also warn you that, without other things to occupy your mind, it will seem dreadfully repetitive. It might only serve to heighten the boredom. In the heat of battle, you don't really notice because there's so much happening around us, but here... Though I suppose if it's really needed, I could bring out my new friend."

An odd, shining card had appeared in Manama's hand.

The raid leader's voice cut through the bard's with a lightheartedness that almost sounded like he was enjoying their recent hardships. "Don't fret, my friends. This is but another of the challenges in the Mountain's End. The next shall be the Heart of the Mountain itself, which is all that remains to unlock the All Sides Lose path."

"I have been looking forward to that fight for quite a while," Xanax said.

"Oh?" Tristan asked. "Why exactly? Good loot?"

"Nothing like that, my friend. This fight, with its straightforward nature, will give me the opportunity to truly push the limits of my blade, perhaps even beyond what I managed against the Hydra."

Tristan blinked. "That sounds--"

"Bloody impressive," Cross said in clear disbelief.

Xanax nodded. "Indeed, which is what drew me to this group. It is not so common to find a group attempting All Sides Lose these days."

Tristan's curiosity was now well beyond piqued. "What's so special about this fight?"

"Well, it's really just a DPS race," Chessa answered, "plus a few gimmicks. Basically, we're all going to prepare and buff as best we can, take our positions, and since the Heart will remain entirely immobile, we'll pour out as much damage, healing, and whatever else we can as fast as we can."

"And faster is critically important," Cross emphasized, "since Drannis and I will be trying to balance debuffs, to avoid getting turned into ashy statues."

"Even if someone should get turned," Chessa added quickly, "as long as we win, they'll be fine."

"Any statues will be reverted to normal in the end," Drannis confirmed.

Tristan gulped. He only felt a little better knowing that the statue-ing process was reversible. Hopefully that detail wouldn't matter.

Without any warning at all, a sudden pitch-blackness seemed to cover a portion of Tristan's vision. It was sort of like what he'd experienced during his fight with Shadow: a feeling as though something had absorbed all the light in the immediate area. But this time, as soon as he blinked, everything was back to normal.

Well, almost everything.

Because now, perched on Manama's shoulder and rubbing against his outstretched fingers, was an odd-looking black cat. At first Tristan couldn't explain why it bothered him so much, other than looking at it sent a chill down his spine. Then he recognized how hard merely looking at the creature was. It almost felt like his eyes wanted to slide right past it, like they didn't want to get a good look at it. Its fur was so black there were no highlights, no shadows, no glistening edges. It was a void, not reflecting any light at all. Almost fluid. Tristan truly wasn't sure exactly how tall or long the cat was, other than it seemed slightly larger than most house cats he'd ever seen in Woodsedge.

The only unmistakable details about the creature were its three, vertically-slitted, amber eyes. Two were where they should have been, and a third was positioned vertically in the center of what should have been its forehead.

"What in the name of all the gods is that?!" Laura asked, jumping behind Cross and holding out a hand as if preparing a spell.

"It's the Weaver of 9 Lives, from the [Arcane Card] I got a few bosses back. She's harmless," Manama attempted to reassure them.

Tristan wasn't sure he succeeded.

At the head of the column, Drannis's cheerfulness wavered. His eyes narrowed studiously. "Perhaps in the future, friend Manama, you could consult with the raid before... summoning something that might... startle your allies so suddenly."

"I thought it would help distract us," the entertainer offered, gesturing up the rocky path, "since we've still got such a long climb ahead of us."

Opie went from openly squinting at the thing to shrugging fairly quickly. "Yeah, makes sense. It's probably fine, as long as Tristan doesn't jinx us, right? The dungeon wouldn't give us something actively bad on its own."

Tristan squinted at Opie, as he wondered if his friend had just jinxed things himself.

Kitara the fairy, however, had zoomed off her perch atop Sophie's shoulder. She glared at the cat and then its summoner, clearly ill at ease. "Just guarantee you won't let it eat me!"

Tristan noticed that Sophie was studying it nearly as intensely as the fairy, though she said nothing. Her face spoke of curiosity, not terror.

"I can try," Manama admitted, turning to the cat. "Don't eat--or harm--any of my friends, OK?"

The request earned him a lazy Mrrrow.

He looked back at Kitara apologetically. "I think I could unsummon it, if you're really bothered, but it's a long cooldown, and it might be nice for a bit? A little diversion while I play [Melo's Accelerando] and speed our travel?"

The raid leader drew attention to himself with a light cough. "I suppose that might be nice. A quickened pace will certainly be appreciated. Furthermore, as we are to face the penultimate boss next, I applaud your problem-solving and hope that it may inspire us all to give our absolute best!"

Xanax, head tilted slightly as he stared at the black spot atop Manama's shoulder, said, "I never give less than my best."

Manama strummed the opening chords of [Melo's Accelerando] on his lyre and laughed. "Of course! Our little friend here will just be a curiosity. You'll see. In the meantime, you lot keep the conversation flowing, and the music will serve as a helpful backdrop instead of a boring feature."

As the entertainer played, the cat ran ahead, and the rest of them gradually grew more and more comfortable with their newest traveling companion as they watched it bound to and fro--even Kitara. Occasionally it would leap to a shoulder, finding attentive scritches wherever it went.

Like that, they went through all the details of their strategy, which for Tristan truly was as straightforward as both Xanax and Chessa had suggested. His whole job was to get in melee position behind the boss, use his strongest abilities and combinations as often as possible, and basically just pray that they could kill the boss before either the tanks succumbed to the debuffs or the healers ran out of mana. For this, the melee group was the only one that didn't have to worry about moving at all.

It sounded suspiciously simple, but that could just be because, in the end, this fight was a race against time. Being simple and being easy were not the same.

When they eventually drew up to the flat, narrow strip of land that led out over the lava and toward the floating black battleground, Tristan felt fairly prepared. He had been consciously trying not to look at his [Clock], knowing it would only make the time pass even more slowly. Instead, he'd been occupying himself with every possible preparation he could think of. He'd double-checked his [Combat Switch] sets, making sure he could instantly swap between his [Oozebane Greatsword] for damage and the [Sanguine Challenger], just in case. He'd gone over all his equipment slots, making sure he was packing the maximum punch for this boss.

Since they'd stopped marching and were in full prep mode, he sat down and used [Repair Armor] to reshape the dents the demon general had put in his breastplate. It was fairly routine and familiar work, so it didn't take much focus. He took that time to brainstorm other ways he might help the raid during the fight. He even asked Chessa if she thought a [Signal Flare] might be useful to begin the fight.

"Definitely not," she responded. "They're just a short distraction or [Taunt], which might actually throw off the tanks' ability to keep their rotation going properly, and that's critical."

"That makes sense," he said. "I was just hoping they'd be helpful."

"It's a good idea," Chessa replied, "but against something like this, simpler is usually going to be better. We just have to hit it hard and fast."

Tristan nodded and looked toward their eventual foe. The closer he drew to the Heart of the Mountain, honestly, the more intrigued he was. It looked an awful lot like metal--forged metal. He couldn't be sure from this distance, but there were definitely sections that were much too smooth and pristine. They couldn't possibly be raw and naturally formed. He also suspected that, if they knocked off the ash and hardened lava coating it, they would see some sort of construct beneath it all. As they stopped just short of the platform, he could also just squint his eyes and make out the radiant brightness of what seemed to be molten lava at its core.

That sealed it for him. It is a construct! He couldn't wait to see what it looked like beneath all the rubble.

Once he realized that it was a golem, he started to make out the shapes that were its arms, with wicked-looking, jagged blades running their length. He didn't bother looking for legs, since he knew it would be stationary for the whole fight. A rocky lump atop its form was probably its head, though Tristan couldn't see whether it had eyes or not. It might not need any. Golems could be odd like that.

Of course, how any of that was possible, he couldn't even begin to guess. He hoped they would reveal more of the craftsmanship of whatever it was, just as a part of him couldn't wait to see what it could do.

Drannis moved to the front, edging up to where the rock turned glossy and black but not crossing the very visible line.

Drannis: Do any of us have questions on what we must do?

The raid was oddly quiet, but with the constant sizzling of flowing lava surrounding them, they'd decided to use raid chat for all communications during this fight. That way none of their extremely vital calls could get missed.

Drannis: Right then, stay vigilant! A bit of focus can go a long way.

He raised his shield and hammer, turning fully to face the Heart of the Mountain.

Drannis: Pulling in 5.

Immediately, Manama began playing [Melo's Accelerando], granting increased movespeed to the whole raid, because every second might literally count.

Drannis: 4.

At three, Tristan raised his sword.

At two, he exhaled, wrangling his excitement.

At one, he saw Xanax crack a smile and heard him whisper something only barely caught over the ambient hiss: "Ancestors, shine through my blade today."

Then the fight began.

Drannis and Cross were the first to cross the line, running forward at exactly the same time and bending left, toward where they'd eventually take their stand. It had to be far enough around the heart that the initial position for the healers and casters wouldn't be in the "frontal cone," as Chessa had explained it.

Then the ranged group would go to the far side, meaning their clockwise movements would always bring them back toward the entrance and give them the most possible space to move into, since lava would eventually cover any space they occupied. Moving toward the entrance also guaranteed them a safe path to retreat, just in case things went really wrong.

Tristan hoped the extra precautions would prove unnecessary. Still, he watched as Sophie (and Kitara), Opie, Chessa, Laura and Manama ran all the way around the glossy black floor to their "starting" positions, getting there even faster thanks to Manama's movespeed song.

Xanax and Tristan also took advantage, though they didn't have nearly as far to go. If all things went according to plan, he and Xanax wouldn't need to move a single step from these spots, which was of course why the scaleborn was positioning himself in the nearest lava flow.

It reminded Tristan of one of his favorite Opie-isms from way back in his first ever dungeon, when he'd been fighting against oozes. Opie had told Tristan, "By all means, take a bath then," and here Xanax was actually doing it!

It was strange for Tristan, but without having to worry about positioning, he could instead consider other elements of the fight more. For example, he'd noticed how--the second everyone was in place--Manama had cut off his first song and begun playing [Rally the Heroes] instead, granting the full raid 10% bonus damage.

Tristan could see that Drannis and Cross were communicating outside of raid chat, not that he could hear them, as more and more of the dwarf tank was getting covered in dark ash.

Within twenty seconds, Tristan noticed the Heart's molten core beginning to grow brighter, and the lava oozing out of it flowed faster.

Cross: Spray incoming.

Shortly after, the Heart made a loud gurgling roar, and lava erupted from its front face--as well as right under where the ranged and healers were standing. Of course, this was what they'd prepared for, and both the tank and ranged groups were already moving clockwise. It only took a handful of steps, and then everyone planted again. They left behind sections of the platform that were now totally covered by glowing hot lava... which for some magical reason didn't seem to give off enough heat to actually harm anyone, but touching it, Tristan knew, would be a different story. Those sections of the platform would remain completely off limits until the fight ended.

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Except for the pitch-black shape that darted straight into it.

Kitara: What's your cat-thing doing? Manama: It appears to be playing. Kitara: With rocks that came from a lava geyser?! Manama: Yes, apparently. Cross: Next spray in 30 seconds. Ranged, track the cooldown, and stay tight! Chessa: On it. Manama: I can't really control it. Opie: Pfft, I'm loose as a goose! Kitara, on the other hand... Drannis: Now is not the time for jests, Opie. We must all focus!

Tristan could feel the tension rising, even in raid chat, but at least the dwarf's comment seemed to calm some nerves, and slow their chatter. It allowed him to focus on pushing his damage. This was the time to use all those lessons he'd learned from Jamal and perform better than he ever had before. He used all his strongest strikes, and made sure to activate his abilities whenever they came off cooldown. Sometimes, when he wasn't careful, it felt like he was watching the seconds ticking by as much as he was watching the boss.

That process got a little more intense when the selfless entertainer began singing his second song, [Anthem of Mind]. As its opening notes overlaid and harmonized with the first song, the second buff appeared, granting the whole raid additional cooldown reduction.

Manama: Both buffs up. We're now at full power, boys and girls! Laura: Right on! Let's kill, kill, kill! Kitara: But don't get sloppy. Healer mana's going to be tight as it is, so stay out of the lava! Opie: Xanax, DO NOT LEAVE THE LAVA! Xanax: I would not dream of it!

Looking over at the scaleborn, Tristan could see the excited grin growing broader on his face, his sword a dull red. Can't wait to see how it looks fully powered-up.

Looking around the massive heart, he could see that Drannis's feet were fully encased in hardening, ash-like rock. As he understood it, this was what the first debuff stack from [Petrifying Slash] looked like, and the tanks' hardest job during this fight--other than weathering truly ridiculous damage--was to limit the number of stacks either of them took, as each slowed them by 20%.

At three stacks, the tank would still be able to move, but a 60% slow was nothing to laugh at. If they got up to four, they'd be basically locked in place, which would increase the damage they took by a lot, as they would no longer be able to escape the lava. And of course, at five stacks, they'd turn into a statue.

Complicating this even more--as if it needed more, Tristan thought--was the [Amplify Stone] debuff that each [Petrifying Slash] also applied. It lasted just longer than the cooldown of the slash... and doubled the stacks any new slash would apply.

Everything boiled down to a brutal job for the tanks. So it was good to see things starting smoothly. The first tank swap was as easy as a timely [Taunt] from Cross, who then took his first [Petrifying Slash] while allowing [Amplify Stone] to fall off Drannis, who was already moving around him to the next position. Firmly in control and smooth as silk, Cross also stepped clockwise, avoiding the lava that was already seeping toward where they'd just been.

Everything was going according to plan.

Two quick swipes came from the Heart's side as its arms pounded on Cross. They clanged off his shield with brutal-sounding impacts. Then, all too quickly, two more came at him again. It was a testament to the craftsmanship of his shield that it didn't dent or deform at all despite the constant barrage. The blows were nearly as rhythmic as Manama's songs.

The healers were keeping a nearly constant green glow around him, with perfectly timed spells landing one after another. Clearly Opie and Kitara had a rotation, too, and it was every bit as important as the tanks'.

Meanwhile, at least he and Xanax were successfully carving chunks of rubble and health off the Heart of the Mountain. That felt more than a little satisfying, no matter how daunting the task that remained clearly was. And shortly after another chunk fell to the ground, one of Chessa's arrows quickly found the new spot, as if her arrows were magically guided to the weak spots.

Somehow thirty seconds had ticked by, as Chessa announced the next lava spray just in time to precede the familiar gurgling and increased heat.

The lava was creeping toward Cross's feet now, and Tristan could see Drannis had finished moving into his next position. That meant the swap was coming soon--and everyone would have to shift again. The timing on everything was so tight.

Chessa: Spray's coming! Kitara: HoTs are up. Opie: Shield too. Chessa: Move it!

In his peripheral vision, Tristan saw the lava geysers shoot upward, and the group, including both of the healers, ran clockwise to their new spot just beyond his sight. From their planning, he knew they could move maybe five more times before they'd run out of space. Then they'd be forced to come into melee range, and then... well, he'd rather not think about that.

It won't happen. We have the damage, especially with Xanax. We can beat this thing!

A quick glance showed that the wedge the ranged had left was blanketed in lava, a glowing wasteland as far as any of them were now concerned, just like their starting positions.

But once again, the pitch black cat didn't seem to care. It began chasing after one of the glowing rocks dislodged by the geyser, though this time the cat caught its prey quickly and swatted the rock away. It rolled right toward Xanax, who didn't even seem to notice due to his focus.

The scaleborn's feet were now buried in the lava flow, his blade shining a yellow that was almost white, but the flashes of green that showed when he was being healed were fewer and farther between.

Just how hard is the Heart hitting the tanks?

The raid leader was in front of the Heart again, gritting through blow after blow.

Drannis: It's hitting three times now! Opie: Because it just passed 75% health! Kitara: Can we get the mana replenishment soon? Opie: YES PLEASE! Manama: Ten seconds left on [Anthem of Mind]. Then I can switch it for a rotation. Kitara: Thank you. Opie: I think I love you. Opie: Almost as much as Chessa. Chessa: Ignoring that. We're on pace! Keep it up! Xanax: Acknowledged. Laura: Working on it. Let me know when it's sub-30%, and I'll blow all my cooldowns. Opie: I'll try. Kind of busy. NO PROMISES!

A glowing rock bounced back into Tristan's view, with the black form of the eldritch cat zooming right after it at top speed.

Its path took it to the front of the boss--and the tanks.

Cross: What the fuck?! Drannis: Calm yourself. It was merely Manama's cat. Cross: Calm--?! I thought it was an add! I fucking taunted it!

That explained why Tristan now saw the three-eyed face looking straight up at Cross. It tilted its head slightly, and gave a curious Mrrrrow? before returning to pouncing on the lava rock as though it were a ball of yarn.

Drannis: Please tell me that I misread your last message. Cross: It looked like it was coming right for me! Drannis: What is your current [Taunt] cooldown? Cross: It's going to be really close with the next slash timer.

Tristan tried to focus more on his attack rotation, realizing that pushing damage as hard as possible was likely the best way he could help at the moment. But he was also very worried.

Chessa: Next spray soon.

Chessa's comment at least proved that raid chat was still working. Not that either Cross or Drannis responded immediately.

Drannis: Cross, are you going to be able to [Taunt] off of me? I still have [Amplify Stone]!

The music underscoring their battle suddenly shifted as Manama switched one buffing song for another.

Manama: So, replenishment is up, for now. But... are we OK? We're losing a lot of damage for this. Cross: Cooldown's nearly up. Kitara: We need that mana, Manama. Drannis: Precisely how long remains? Drannis: CROSS! Cross: I think we're fine! Cross: Using [Taunt] now.

But it was too late. As the massive construct, now half revealed with so much stone carved away, pivoted to face the half-giant, Tristan caught a glimpse of Drannis's face.

The dwarf was as red as the lava all around them, his lips moving fiercely, and though he was keeping his voice down enough that Tristan couldn't hear it over the background noise, there was no doubting the dwarf's passion.

And his marked slowness.

The dwarf was struggling to move at all despite what was clearly his best effort to get around his tanking partner. Shifting his own position slightly, Tristan could see why: the ash had risen well beyond Drannis's knees and now coated most of his body.

Drannis had taken the [Paralyzing Slash] and now had four stacks.

A glance at Cross confirmed it, as the half-giant still only had the ashen boots, his moves nearly as crisp as ever. He clearly only had one stack. At least he had the sense not to be pleased about it. Whatever he was saying to Drannis, it quickly devolved into something Tristan found he could lip-read: a long string of very common curses.

Drannis: Might we get the movespeed song please? Manama: Wait, what? I just switched to replenishment! Chessa: Drannis, what's going on? Kitara: And why are you still taking damage? Cross: It was that damn cat! Opie: We kind of need the mana... Drannis: As soon as possible, please, Manama! Manama: Alright, then. [Melo's Accelerando], coming up. Manama: Sorry about the cat. What did it do? Opie: Drannis, are you standing in the lava? Drannis: I am moving as fast as I can.

There was a moment of quiet in the raid chat as everyone processed what Drannis had said, no doubt coming to the same conclusion Tristan had made earlier.

Opie: Oh, you've got to be freaking kidding me! Cross: We're handling it! Drannis: We're trying to handle it, Cross. Trying! But even so, we will likely need additional help. Can anyone else [Taunt]? Sophie: I can switch out Poof for Mister Biggs. Opie: Heart at 50%! No time to slack. Tristan: No, Sophie. Push damage. I can handle this. Tristan: I don't exactly have [Taunt], but my [Minor Rune: Attention!] should work.

He linked it so the others could see exactly what he meant.

[Minor Rune: Attention!] A small shield orbits around you. Activation gives +1 Stealth to party members and -1 Stealth to yourself for 30 seconds, increases your armor by 25% for 5 seconds, and makes a nifty sound! Cooldown: 90 seconds.

Drannis: What is--? Yes, possibly. It may just suffice! But I'm pretty sure we can't [Taunt] with Stealth active. Tristan: Is that going to be an issue? Drannis: I do not believe it should. Kitara: I've never seen that rune before. Tristan: Yeah, I actually created it. It's original. Sophie: And then you named it 'Attention!'? Tristan: I thought it fit. Sophie: Gods. This is payback from our talk about aggro, isn't it? Manama: As someone whose very path thrives on being the center of attention, I thoroughly approve of such a name. Opie: Hey, I love it, too. Hooray! BUT CAN WE PLEASE ADDRESS HOW WE'RE GOING TO SURVIVE THIS?! Cross: Fuck! Four-hit strings now. They bloody hurt! Drannis: At least you have but one stack. Try moving with your body practically petrified! Chessa: Well, at least we're on a great pace? Kitara: I've got you, Cross. Though I think karma's trying to make me a liar. Chessa: Next spray soon! Ranged, move it over. Drannis, will you be in position? Drannis: Unlikely. I've only just passed Cross. Cross: I'm taking the next stack. I still only have one, after all. Drannis: And what then? Tristan, can you go after him, so we won't both be at four? Cross: I'll be fine. You just keep moving. Sophie: You're sure you don't want Mister Biggs? Chessa: Stay with Poof for now. We can race this. I think we can race this. Chessa: And we've got Tristan.

For a moment, the lighting shifted to a brighter and more intense red as a geyser erupted behind Tristan again. At the same time, a powerful [Paralyzing Slash] crashed into Cross.

The only positive was just how quickly the color of the fresh lava was outshone by the sword of the scaleborn beside him. It was beaming like the sun.

No, there was another positive: Tristan couldn't see the eldritch cat anywhere. Hopefully that meant Manama unsummoned it.

Tristan: I'm ready when you need me. Cross: I'm going to take the next one. Drannis: You cannot and shall not! Drannis: Tristan? Tristan: Yeah, I've got this.

He switched out his [Oozebane Greatsword] for the better tanking alternative, and immediately felt the subtle shift as his damage dropped, converting instead into the slightly refreshing heals from his [Minor Rune: Siphoning].

And there, circling around him, was now the golden shield of force.

Tristan: Just tell me when to activate it. Chessa: Still got twenty-four seconds. Xanax: I should warn you that my sword's buff is already nearing what I had at the end of the Hydra fight. Manama: Well that explains the blinding light. Kitara: Good. The faster this ends the better! Drannis: If Xanax pulls aggro from Tristan, I will [Taunt] as soon as [Attention!] wears off. Cross: No, I'll [Taunt]. It was my mistake, and one more stack makes you a doorstop! Xanax: I also should be able to take a hit. Manama: And I can use my short-duration mitigation ability: [Clashing Chords]. Chessa: Fifteen seconds. Drannis: Fine, do it, both of you, with Cross on standby! Chessa: TEN seconds!

Tristan was already moving into position, skipping around the lava as best he could to find a spot right beside the tanks.

Tristan: I'm ready. Opie: Damn right you are! Screw Manama--even I'm going to sing about you after this! Chessa: Five. Chessa: Four. Chessa: Three. Opie: 30% Chessa: Two! Chessa: ONE!

Tristan slammed his sword into the shield of force, activating his [Minor Rune: Attention!], and the Heart of the Mountain immediately swung around to face him as all his friends began to slightly fade away.

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