Ashes of the Fallen

Extending my arms outwards with palms open, I quickly yelled out, "Chain Lightning!" In a flash I saw the four intertwined bolts of lightning surge forth and nearly instantaneously explode in a shower of sparks. The four miniature bolts had hit the goblin in the center of his chest and as he was paralyzed from the sudden electricity coursing through his veins, each individual bolt arced off and bounced to a nearby goblin.

The four goblins behind him were each hit with one of the four bolts and started to convulse as well while taking a quarter of the damage compared to the initial target. As all five goblins stood temporarily paralyzed I high-tailed it out of the room without a moment to lose, hastily retreating to the safety zone behind my little dwarf tank. It was only a few seconds of running, with a stop on a dime to turn around to prepare for the oncoming wave.

Starting another full chanted verse for a [Lightning Bolt], I needed to time it with the goblins currently rushing through that narrow passageway that connected the rooms. Since [Lightning Bolt] was a straight-line skill shot, I only needed to aim properly and didn't require a target in line of sight to cast beforehand. Five seconds was more than adequate for those goblins to catch up, anyways.

As the first [Outcast Minor Goblin] turned the corner, I had just finished my cast and let it fly. The lightning bolt flashed out of my open palm and connected straight with the goblin as it fell to the floor, twitching slightly with its face in the dirt.

It died before it even hit the ground.

That, was the power of lightning magic.

High cost yet high reward, perfect for small skirmishes and one on one battles.

Of course I had already dropped twenty-two percent of my mana in two casts, but that was the last thing on my mind. Starting up another [Lightning Bolt] with the intent to capitalize on the chaining bonus which ramped up damage by ten percent per, up to fifty percent in total, I looked on with eager eyes.

No longer did I have to be the one getting stabbed and sliced at, receiving excessive pain in order to tank a bunch of mobs.

This was something I could get used to.

Yeah, this may just be my calling.

Not more than three seconds had passed before the remaining four goblins appeared in front of us, with the dwarf using his [Call to Challenge], an Area of Effect taunt to pick up the loose mobs. The goblins couldn't resist the direct challenge and blindly swarmed the poor man, energetic and enraged from the taunt.

As the goblins wildly attacked the dwarf, he was steadfast with his defense, keeping his shield high and in front, easily deflecting the oncoming blows of the lower level goblins. The tank had no issue controlling the four of them and made me rethink my stance on tanking without a shield.

It all looked too easy for him.

I certainly took the harder path.

Looking over to my left was the Frost mage, who had nearly completed his full chanted verse [Frost Bolt], while to my right the Holy priest was starting a chanted [Holy Light] to heal the dwarf. The three of us stood in a line and it was kind of a neat sight. Three people chanting away with glowing hands.

It was something you wouldn't see in real life.

Witnessing it in a party setting made for an interesting experience, too.

There was also an archer somewhere about, but no one cared about him.

He shot his bow, like they all do.

Thwack, thwack.

And as I finished my thought, the first [Frost Bolt] left the mage's hands as a cold light-blue ball of ice shot out at an incredible speed, leaving a trail of crystalizing ice fluttering to the ground in its wake. Following the bolt as it impacted into the nearest minor goblin, an explosion of white mist enveloped the target, shrouding it entirely in a thin layer of frost.

It was a spectacular sight to behold, and it was the first time I had seen it in person. But, it wasn't a heavy hitter and the minor goblin although slowed, was still quite alive and well.

Well, not for long.

Completing my second [Lightning Bolt], the frosty minor goblin nearly instantly slumped to the floor as electricity discharged from its body and into the ground below. A second later, and the dwarf was engulfed in that warming golden light that restored him to full health with ease.

Ten seconds had passed since I pulled, and the third minor goblin fell to the archer's volleys leaving only the two [Outcast Goblins] still standing. Three [Frost Bolts] and two [Lightning Bolts] later, and we were down to one.

Repeating the process, the fight was over in less than forty seconds.

These fights took well over a minute with the [Liberated Souls] group that was composed of a rogue and two archers. Having two offensive casters certainly warranted some respect, for this type of pacing was definitely easier for everyone involved.

The only issue… was our mana consumption.

Well, mainly my mana consumption.