Almost immediately, a second and third horn sounded off from the Sentries on each of the far platforms. Coooeee! Coooeee!
"Fuck," was all Garath could say.
Chapter 32
Clash in the Depths
The Naga below the gazebo roared and hissed sounds of triumph as their reinforcements slithered into the water and swam to their aid. S'thys Zor popped up, levitating above the flowing water. His blue skin emanated a red flash, then a blue one, then red again and again, the colors flashing faster and faster until a bright, dangerous purple hue covered the named Naga head to tail. The hulked out snake-person bellowed a hissing roar, or maybe a roaring hiss - Garath couldn't be sure. What he was sure of was that the sound produced by the rumbling Naga Boss was best described as blood curdling. S'thys Zor hiss/roared again and pulled the enormous tridents from the straps on his back, then held them up threateningly with heavily muscled arms.
Garath had definitely had his fun with the summon and cast battle style but, between the thirteen incoming Naga and the five they were already locked in battle with between the pillars of the gazebo, it was time to get a little more creative. He shifted into cat form.
When he made the change to cat form, the effects of what he was learning to identify as a tainted soul became more apparent - his urge to strip the Naga of their precious experience points multiplied exponentially. Though the effects in his human form were becoming more noticeable after using only a handful of tainted soul spells, his cat form almost brought on another personality completely. He no longer had a care in the world about what happened to his friends back at HQ, so all-consuming was his hunger for greater power. The only thing on his mind was the bliss of absorbing Exp from the slaughter.
Garath took in the situation in an instant, dashing between the pillars of the gazebo as he made his way toward the Hypnotist stationed on the central platform. With the Sentries no longer a priority, the Hypnotists had to go down first. A single paralysis during a fight where they were so vastly outnumbered would almost certainly prove fatal.
*Sharon, go Crow and get back on the roof. Sling heals from there,* Garath ordered. *Warrion, Hypnotist incoming left is yours, Athios figure something out for the one incoming right side. I've got this one, call it when your target is down.*
“What about the big one?” asked Athios as she dropped from the slick roof of the gazebo.
Garath didn't have an answer for that. Unexpectedly, it was Sharon that answered her question.
"I'll hold him off with Roots," she said, already back in human form and gathering her will into a cast on the far side of the gazebo's roof.
Careful to avoid eye contact with the Naga caster, the adorable Necrologist jumped back to avoid a jab from a Pikeman protecting the caster, the trident pinged off the ground harmlessly and he darted past the melee units. Now with four Naga in range, he released the instant cast of Blight. A deep purple energy shot out in every direction in a circle around him, infecting the four Naga with its damage over time debuff. His next move was yet another dive into the unknown for the Necrologist.
For the first time, Garath focused his will to activate Plague. No magic energy denoted by some ominous color left his body as the nearly 200 Mana was paid. Instead, he felt the Plague spread unseen in a one-hundred-meter circumference around him like an aura. As the disease reached the edge of the center platform and beyond, he felt his deadly poison enter and take hold in each and every Naga in the cove. Without taking Health regeneration or resistances into account, the seven damage-per-second from Plague should bring the entire lot of enemies down within a few minutes.
"I can't get to my Hypnotist," Warrion called, engaging three Pikemen on his own at the waterline of the left side of the center platform. The caster stayed in the safety of the water with the Pikemen between her and the clashing melee taking place on shore. The Hypnotist held her staff of pulsing cobalt energy toward the Assassin, her hands took on a magical blue glow as she channeled a spell cast.
*Get out of range then,* suggested Garath, but it was too late.
The Naga Hypnotist released her spell and a ribbon of cobalt magic shot from her hands and into the Assassin. Warrion stopped moving suddenly, half way through what likely would have resulted in a critical hit to the neck of a Naga Pikeman. His arms and shoulders drooped, limply grasping his daggers - a vacant expression on his face. Curiously, the Pikemen he had been fighting stopped their attack as the Hypnotist's spell took effect.
Garath saw a new debuff icon appear next to Warrion's nameplate. He willed more information to present itself even as he dodged trident after trident in his nimble cat form and the HP of the four Naga he was fighting dwindled from his DoT spells. His feline jaw clenched as he read the prompt.
Warrion is afflicted with Naga Charm and will be under the command of Naga Hypnotist for one hour, or until the spell is interrupted.
Time Remaining: 59 minutes, 59 seconds.
Garath knew it was on him to get the Assassin fighting for the right team again. Athios' Mana was already below half as she transported herself onto another platform and away from the five chasing Naga
