Rampaging Fire Spirit – Should've Known the Ground Would Burn First
I should've anticipated that the ground would ignite first with the rampaging fire spirit. Even in the game, combat content above a certain difficulty always featured mechanics that burned through healers. Sudden, unpredictable tank-busters or fields that continuously dotted the entire party with damage—basically, a reminder not to treat healing like a coloring book. While tanks managed aggro and DPS handled damage output, healers had to pull their weight too.
But when it became reality, I couldn't help feeling flustered.
"Aaaah! It's hot!"
"Get the armor off—armor first!"
The holy knights in their gleaming plate mail shed it the moment it scorched their skin upon entering the field. I quickly wrapped them in DoT heals, but that did nothing to ease the burning pain.
"Hanbyeol, any cooling buffs you can do?"
"I didn't learn any basic spells like that... but I can slow the air flow to cool the area around us!"
"Can you maintain that and still DPS?"
"I have to."
"Please do."
Amid the clanging of red-hot armor hitting the flaming ground, Hanbyeol swung her staff in a short arc. The sweltering air that had even reached us outside the zone cooled to something breathable.
"Everyone okay?"
"Ugh... it was insanely hot. Like touching a hot plate in a sauna."
"Our gear heated up out of nowhere. Without cooling powder or a chill buff, this raid's gonna be brutal."
"...Hanbyeol, can you keep this up?"
"I can, but... wouldn't Laila be better at it? I can DPS harder than her, so let her handle the cooling."
"Me? I don't even know what spell that little mage cast."
"I'll teach you. Memorize it."
While the holy knights had their burns treated by their assigned priests and donned their armor again, Hanbyeol gave Laila a crash course in elemental magic. Laila, who at first seemed confused, chanted the incantation unlike Hanbyeol's gesture-only cast. Her eyes widened in surprise and admiration.
"Whoa, you can do that too?"
"Magic's so advanced here that science in this area lags behind. Anyway, this lets me focus less on it. I might forget to maintain it mid-DPS, so Laila, just keep the chill up. Can you handle the mana?"
"Hmm, if the others share some vital energy now and then~."
Laila shot a sly, lecherous glance at the group, leaving it unclear if she was joking or serious. Some scowled in disgust, while others swallowed hard, torn between volunteering and restraint.
"No jokes before combat."
"Ehh, but it's true. I can't maintain this infinitely on my current mana. Know how succubi recharge? Not meditation—vital energy."
"...Everyone, sorry, but could someone spare a moment for Laila? Not asking couples, but if you're single... She's not picky about gender, so please."
"I'll make it really feel good~."
"Laila, quiet down."
Whether it was selfishness or genuine mana issues, better this than risking a cooling lapse and disaster. The others seemed to agree. A few male priests looked tempted, but glares from their partners kept them in line.
"Then I'll..."
One holy knight stepped up, followed by another. Even a single female priest without a partner approached Laila. Coincidentally all women, and Laila grinned.
"Thrilled beautiful ladies came to help. If you take turns, it'll sustain your stamina too, and keep my mana topped up. Please?"
"U-um, it's embarrassing... maybe a screen or something..."
At one woman's flushed request, Hanbyeol gestured at the ground, raising a wall. A shoulder-high window let Laila peek over.
"This work? Now move—the heat's closing in."
One succubus and three fighters sidelined by a single wall, but if it countered the heat at that cost, it was a win. As Hanbyeol warned, a massive blazing pillar roared toward us, shapeshifting from vortex to elongated flame spear plunging from the sky.
"Dodge!"
A holy knight charged with her mace raised, yelling. We'd already scattered before her cry, splitting the formation as the pillar slammed down. Debris erupted from the impact. I'd turned my back to avoid facing it directly when I heard stone and metal clash behind.
"You okay, Saintess?"
"Thank you."
An unnamed holy knight had shielded me with her body. I nodded gratefully and assessed. The pillar's remnants burned on the ground, a flaming barrier splitting the raid from the far side. To cross, we'd have to loop around the rampaging spirit—thankfully no immediate need. But if the field kept restricting like this, more ground would ignite. Phase shift or timer, either way, we needed Hanbyeol's firepower.
The holy knights reflexively charged the spirit, swinging weapons wildly. Its basic attacks spewed unpredictable flames, but as skilled tanks, they blocked with shields, enduring charring via self-heals.
Hanbyeol's ice spears and blizzards hammered whenever their weapons passed harmlessly through the flame. She'd tried water bombs at first, but they vaporized mid-air, so ice it was. Fine—matchups were her call.
From max range, I cast heals on the knights, yelling to healers whose casts got interrupted.
"Maintain distance! Keep DoT heals up—on yourselves too!"
Even with chill protection, smoldering embers gnawed HP invisibly. No gauges meant sudden drops or curse effects possible. I instructed cross-heals on tanks preemptively, canceling if damage was low post-cast—overhealing wasted mana and risked aggro here, especially with knights stealing threat via heals.
Lacking real offense, we alternated rapid heals on tumbling tanks from strong attacks and shields on those facing it head-on. Hanbyeol's spears melted fast in the heat but still landed hits.
The amorphous blaze suddenly humanoidized, half-godlike, crouching—a classic phase transition gathering power.
"AoE incoming! Pop survival skills! Sanctuary first—mine!"
I knelt, eyes shut, channeling the zone reducing party damage. Immobile during cast, but essential for brutal AoEs. HP loss was healable among knights and priests. Mana drained in chunks, dizzying me, but it activated—I stayed still, recalling game channeling breaks from slight posture shifts or camera drags.
The ground quaked as heat pierced Laila's chill. Without sanctuary, we'd char to ash. I gritted teeth against the inferno breath. Breaking now meant full damage. Blinding heatwind made opening my eyes risky—posture might slip from fear. As it faded, skin blazed. Mild sting—first-degree burns? Peeking, my pale skin was beet-red. Ice pack would help... Wait.
Where were my stockings, robes? Panicking, I looked around. Others had singed clothes; mine alone vanished. Blessed ropes from Iris had cloth scraps barely covering privates.
"Why me again..."
Poor fabric? Design matched other priests—simple ornamentation. Harness and belts survived charred; cloth incinerated without ash.
"Heat's intensifying!"
Post-AoE, low flames spread fiercer. Obvious to kneeling me, I rose shouting.
"Team 1, AoE DoT heal now! Refill assigned DoTs—no forgetting!"
Single and AoE DoTs stacked. Glancing thieves snapped to roles. Self-heal prepped, I checked knights. Armored hell or not, they fought on. Recovery prayers eased their pained faces—relief.
Hanbyeol okay? Tanks stabilized, check DPS. Clothies self-healed, but she needed me. DPS had crap defense—melee tougher, mages/priests resisted magic, surviving AoE. Hanbyeol fared better, maybe from constant ice or passive mana shields on high spells.
Before triggering spells synced to knight hits, she asked worriedly.
"Unnie, you okay? That AoE ignored barriers!"
"I'm fine. Barriers...?"
Looking, her translucent dome enveloped us intact—piercing damage. Barrier skills useless; cancel sanctuary mid-cast? Wipe. Mongolians looked grim.
"Kyaaah!"
"Grape Parfait down! Tank swap!"
The spirit, now giant torso from the ground, rotated tanks with basics into heavies, then barraged one into collapse, baiting heal showers before turning, arms raised.
Tanks kiting to base-far kept this from happening. Targeting shifted—too late to fully evade. No melee, good, but base-devastating smash. Only mitigate: stack sanctuaries. Future patterns meant timing cooldowns.
"Team 1, 2! All four, sanctuary now!"
Gamers outpaced me, but my game hours honed calcs. Quick order: three hesitated, then followed the first kneeling priest channeling. Bright zones blessed us.
Matching the slow arm descent, I AoE-healed. Unknown power/chain. Not wipe yet. They'd watched my channel amid the giant form. Slow mo, huge fists scorched on impact, shockwave blasting knights. Grape Parfait froze in pain.
"Uwaaak!"
"Kyaaak!"
Two sanctuary priests staggered, breaking. Prioritizing others' burns, my delayed AoE hit harder—dazed. But completed prayer rippled healing waves. Scorch faded to cool, others' spells erasing my burns. Healer pros—pre-AoE AoE heals smart, overkill better than death. My call imperfect; their judgment saved us.
Four sanctuaries halved to two—recoil felled the holders, heads drooping, arms limp.
"One tank, evac fallen Grape Parfait! Teams 1-2 healers, carry yours back! Team 3, ready sanctuary on next AoE signal!"
Team 3 paled at leaders fainting, but orders were orders—or wipe.
"Grape Parfait's not breathing!"
"Revive with evac teams 1-2 priests!"
"I don't wanna die..."
Panicked knight fled bad news. Spirit fire-fisted her back; undefended, she spewed blood, down. Grim shift, but phase change meant damage dealt. Biting lip, I rallied crumbling morale—leader's job.
"Phase 2 now! Max 3, halfway! Hang on—lowbie raid, Hanbyeol solos DPS fine!"
No replies, but death-faces revived with grim resolve. Hanbyeol fixated manic eyes on spirit—maybe our best fighter.