“Combo time,” Kaiden said to the rest of the group. “We’re gonna blow this asshole away. Titus,” he said, pointing to the big man. “Shield Link with me, then block any attacks you can – but stay alive!”
“Will do my best,” he said, then charged into the melee, joining Thorne and Moran where they were exchanging blows. He slipped in next to Thorne and together they fought as one, Titus blocking and Thorne attacking. It wasn’t long before charge was flooding into Kaiden from the attacks hitting Titus’ shield.
“Zelda,” Kaiden said next. “Hit Moran with a Paralyzing Shot when you see me going in.”
She nodded.
“After you hit him with that, get into Sniper Mode and start charging the biggest attack you’ve got.”
“I’d love to,” she grunted, still firing at Moran.
“Thorne,” Kaiden said last, turning his attention to the beleaguered power warden. She’d been doing the bulk of the fighting against Moran and it didn’t look like she had much more to give.
“Stay alive,” Kaiden said simply. “We’re going to need your DPS to pull this off. Just… stay alive.”
She nodded by way of response and eased off her attack, pivoting to lash out only when Moran took swings at Titus.
Having been caught in the middle of the assault for so long up until now, the warden hierarch was bleeding damage left and right. Fifty-four percent health left. But Thorne and Titus had been taking a beating as well. Thorne was in the red again at twelve percent health, Titus holding for the moment at thirty percent. Even Zelda seemed to have weathered an assault, down to fifty-five percent from the rather high total she’d been at earlier. Not much health left across the team, but Kaiden had been given fifty percent when he’d been resurrected.
And his charge bar was brimming thanks to Titus.
Ability: Lightspeed
Ability: Dual Wielding
“Thorne, get his attention!”
She roared and made a show of winding up for a Gravity Sledge. Moran raised his shield.
“Zelda, hit him!”
Ability: Improved Paralyzing Shot
Fires an electric blast that confuses the electrical impulses in the target’s muscles, deals 110% base damage and slows target’s movement by 60% for 10 seconds.
It caught Moran in the side while he was busy with Thorne. And then Kaiden darted forward. Lightspeed carried him with unnatural swiftness and he was on the slowed warden hierarch in the blink of an eye. Lightspeed against a slowed target wasn’t quite fair, and the disparity was made all the greater as Kaiden landed a critical hit and his Chrono Sledge further debuffed Moran’s speed.
Critical hit!
+25% damage (Kneecapped)
+5% damage (Chrono Sledge ability, extra damage on crits)
Moran is slowed by 30% for 2 seconds
Critical hit!
+25% damage (Kneecapped)
+5% damage (Chrono Sledge ability, extra damage on crits)
Moran is slowed by 30% for 2 seconds
The text flashed twice, once for each hammer, and Kaiden’s charge bar jumped by twenty. Moran grunted as his health dropped from the attack, but Kaiden was far from done. Next, he brought both hammers around in wide, arcing swings, then smashed them together on either side of Moran’s head.
Critical hit!
+50% damage (Headshot)
+5% damage (Chrono Sledge ability, extra damage on crits)
Moran is slowed by 30% for 2 seconds
Critical hit!
+50% damage (Headshot)
+5% damage (Chrono Sledge ability, extra damage on crits)
Moran is slowed by 30% for 2 seconds
That got his attention. Moran’s health lost another chunk and his eyes went wide as he spun to find Kaiden alive and already attacking again. Two more critical hits and then Kaiden couldn’t help but smile as Onslaught activated.
Ability: Onslaught
Following 6 consecutive critical strikes, you may enter onslaught mode for 5 seconds. While in Onslaught mode you deal double base damage and have double current movement speed. Onslaught may be triggered twice before cooldown.
With Onslaught active and plenty of charge in the tank, Kaiden had some options open to him. He wanted to dump fifteen charge into a Shield Bash, but his shield was currently a hammer – another downside to Dual Wielding. No matter, though.
Ability: Hamstring
Charge is redirected into your hammer. On your next successful critical attack this charge cripples your opponent. Their movement speed is reduced by 50% for 10 seconds.
Kaiden was moving far too fast for Moran to keep up with now. It was like fighting an opponent who was half asleep.
That’s the window we need, Kaiden thought as he ducked under an attack from Moran and landed a critical hit on the back of the man’s knee, triggering the crippling effect of Hamstring. Moran’s health fell to fifty percent and a lash of damage slapped Kaiden back for five percent.
Seeming desperate, Moran cursed and swung in with an attack but his slowed movement speed meant Kaiden easily avoided it and stacked a Riposte. He responded with a hammer strike to the man’s head and the commander’s health dropped to forty-six percent just as Onslaught wore off.
“Damn you,” Moran growled as he bent double, energy glowing inside him once again. It flowed out over his arm and then his shield shrunk in size from that of a shielder’s to that of a regular warden.
Shield warden abilities removed.
“Just blast warden and enhanced warden left,” Kaiden said through comms. “He’s getting weaker.”
It’s time, Kaiden thought. He would have liked to get Moran lower, but the timer was still counting down and Thorne wasn’t going to hold out against much more damage. None of them were, for that matter. No, it was time to end this fight.
“You know, Moran,” Kaiden said, ducking under another of his attacks. “You’re strong, I’ll give you that. And you’re smart, too. But your past has ruined you.”
Another attack, another dodge.
“You can’t accept that your worldview might not be the right one.”
“Oh?” Moran scowled at that. “Do go on,” he said, then lunged forward and landed a hammer strike on Kaiden’s shoulder. Kaiden let the force of the blow carry him to the side, then came around with a return hammer strike that buried the Chrono Sledge
