I have to protect these guys? The ones that were going to attack me in the first place? My face involuntarily frowns. Fine. Whatever gets me what I need. Especially if it's an item.
Items are another product of the Fissures opening up. In some cases, when Exiles pop out of the ground, Venators who take part in the fight against them are given items. However, a more consistent way of getting them is either through dungeons or making them yourself.
Though manufactured, man-made items can be a lot better than the ones you randomly get after killing a few monsters, especially considering that they're used by extracting certain resources from dungeons and items to begin with. They can also be made specifically to cater for specific classes. For example, the jacket Kia received enhances her firepower when transitioning from close combat to ranged combat or vice versa.
Natural items are more generalized, though, with a lot of them giving useful passives for most classes and increased stat boosts, which Venators would usually get from upgrading their skill tree if they want to get more stats instead of a new skill. But because man-made items are made out of them, natural ones can be a lot stronger. It's also important to take into consideration that natural items scale a lot better long-term than man-made ones, which are mostly used as place-holders until you get something better.
Think about it like this: man-made items have a high floor but low ceiling, and natural items have a low floor but high ceiling.
Getting a C-Rank item, which I assume would be good for my class, would do wonders for me! I just have to make sure I can keep these guys alive. It's the fact that this is a B-rank fissure that I have to worry about.
Looking over at the golden quest panel again, I can see that all of these guys are D-ranked. The one in the back, though, I'm not so sure. I don't know why the quest doesn't include him, though...
"Damn it!" The mana hunter screams as a crack beneath his feet opens and travels across the building, splitting it in half and exposing us to the sunlight. He quickly steps out of the way onto my side of the building.
Right now, it's me, Max, and the mana hunter on our half, and the mage, rioter, and that last guy on the second half.
We all watch as chimeras, four-legged monsters with various parts of other animals, crawl out of the fissure. Their rotting flesh seemed to glisten in the sunlight as the smell of their decomposing bodies filled the air. Upon emerging, one of them instantly lunged at the mage, pinning him to the ground and beginning to bite his shoulder. He lets out a blood-curdling scream right before another chimera lets out a howl.
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Status effect "Fear" has been cleansed due to Lesser Purity.
Skill Name: Lesser Purity
Skill Type: Passive
Skill Description: You are immune to low-level mental status effects.
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Knew that one would come in handy! But, [Fear]? That must be from the chimera's howl. Then, what about the others?
Max and the mana hunter have their hands over their head as they shiver, their eyes widened in pure terror at the chimera. Crap. Sure, it might be a little satisfying to see them like this, but I can't let it happen!
I hold my hands out and cast [Cleanse of the Goddess] on the two of them. Halos form out of the yellow, wisp-like energy flowing out of my body and touch their heads, relieving them of the effect.
"Come on! Get up and fight!" I grab Max's shoulder and begin to pull him up before he shrugs me off.
"Don't touch me!" He snarls, but despite his aggression, his gun materializes out of his inventory, and he sets his sights on the monsters. "Don't tell me what to do, either. This doesn't mean we're not done!" He starts to fire off a couple of shots at the chimeras as the mana hunter starts to follow him in combat.
Now to cleanse the others-
Looking over at the other side of the fissure, the mage that was getting attacked was completely turned into gold, along with the rioter who was in a similar position to Max when he was afflicted by [Fear]. The last guy's body was also partially covered in gold, but unlike the other two, he was able to move.
He blocked one of the chimeras' attacks with his forearm before bringing his other arm, which was molded into a golden blade, and cutting the monster in half. The golden Venator looks over at me, his face covered by a golden mask with white slits for eyes, and his dreads transformed into large golden chains.
I knew that guy was familiar! He's one of the most influential A-ranked Venators, not to mention one of the strongest. His name is Micaiah Dastin, a breaker(tank/assassin) with a hereditary skill that lets him transform his body and others into gold. Now I'm just wondering why he's here in the first place.
"Hey, you there!" Micaiah calls out to me, his mask giving his voice an echo. "You're that support, right?" He dodges one of the chimeras in his blind spot, grabbing its tail after it passes him. He throws it over his shoulder while it turns into gold, causing the creature to shatter into bits of gold on the ground.
"Show me what you got! Buff us or somethin'!" One of the golden chains on his head extends over and past me, impaling a chimera that was just about to pounce on me.
I bite my lip and nod. "Yes, sir!"
I've never cast one of these buff skills before, but now's a good time to test it out!
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Activating [Combat Resonance].
Skill Rank: C, Class Exclusive
Skill Type: Activate
Skill Description: Grants people in the user's team physical buffs and healing over time, depending on how many foes are on the opposite team.
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My hair begins to lift as a powerful, sparkling wind surrounds me. The wind then pushes outward, brushing past the chimeras and circling them before a strand of each gust retreats to me and the other Venators. Much like when I activated [Health Strike], a satisfying feeling envelops my body. I take a deep breath and smile, watching as the others begin to fight with more speed and power than before.
The mana hunter, Isaac Arashi, dashes to each chimera in a blur, leaving thick cuts sparkling with residue mana in their hide. The leftover mana detonates, causing their wounds to erupt and leave even larger injuries.
"Hey, not too bad!" He says, clenching his fist and looking over at me.
I smile back at him. That was foolish of me to do, though. Distracted by the kind words, I didn't notice what was behind him.
A minotaur wearing a loincloth pulled itself out of the Fissure with one hand and pulled back its other arm with a large club. It swings at the mana hunter, knocking him to the side and causing him to hit a wall of the building. The minotaur snuffs, its red eyes staring me down as if to weigh me down into the Fissure it emerged from. I don't focus on the Exile, though. My eyes instead follow Isaac's crippled body on the floor, completely covered in blood.
I don't know why I felt bad for him. I mean, he was one of the people who attacked me in the elevator that day! Maybe it was because of the quest I was given, or maybe it was for some other reason. But still...
Still!
I clench my fist and grit my teeth at the boss Exile.
As a support, I won't let someone in my presence die!
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New skill learned: [Heart Mark]
Skill Rank: C
Skill Type: Activate
Skill Description: Mark a foe, causing them to take increased damage from you and "Taunting" them. You also take increased damage from the marked foe.
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Passive Skill [Battle Invigoration] is in play.
Passive Skill [Pain Train] is in play.
Activating [Heart Mark].
Activating [Angel's Gambit].
Activating [Health Strike].
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