Chapter 761: Withered Veteran
Translator: Halcyon Translations Editor: Halcyon Translations
The whole scene was quite contrived, but Lu Li didn't even crack a smile.
Even Lu Li could understand the intention of Thief Krakauer, so his comrades must have definitely understood too. There was no way that Krakauer and the others would be able to escape this dragon that was stronger than them. He said that he would fight so that the others would have an opportunity to escape.
As the dragon's scale-covered tail slammed down, Danfloss was thrown into the air.
"The Tank!" Danfoss exclaimed at Lu Li.
Lu Li quickly took out the tank from his backpack and helped Danfoss drive it, launching a barrage of shells as soon as he entered.
The power of this mechanical tank was astonishing; direct hits to the dragon's chest dealt more than 5000 damage.
In pain, the dragon rushed towards the tank while the others desperately tried to slow it down. The powerful black dragon was soon covered in burns and bruises.
Each shot would also produce a significant amount of recoil that pushed the tank in the opposite direction, further distancing itself from the dragon.
It looked like there was hope.
Lu Li was extremely grateful to Mayor Solomon for letting him keep this Mechanical Goblin Tank.
Unfortunately, when the dragon dropped below half HP, the barrel of the tank exploded, rendering it incapable of firing any more shells. Everyone watched as the dragon caught up before destroying it with its claws.
"Danfoss!"
The others knew that the warrior had died.
He was likely killed in the explosion, but he was a Warrior and was destined to serve his teammates. He never retreated and protected his comrades till his last drop of HP.
This was the first time that they had lost a member, and it was the Warrior who had protected them all. A sense of sadness and regret came over the group.
Without the Warrior to stall it, the dragon pushed its thick and powerful claws off the ground and rushed towards Keeshan, who had been dealing the most damage to it.
Keeshan was caught off guard and had to use his longbow to stop the dragon in front of him.
The claws of the dragon grabbed the longbow, which was at least Dark Gold grade and smashed it into pieces. For an equip to be destroyed that way meant that its durability had been depleted.
"Everyone, get back. Jorgensen, send me in," Keeshan commanded as he rushed toward the Paladin.
The Paladin hunched over at Keeshan's feet and launched him above the dragon's head.
He caught the dragon by the horn with one hand and with a dagger in his other, stabbed the dragon in the eye as many times as he could.
When the other saw that Keeshan was providing a distraction, they began to deal as much damage as they could to it. The more damage they dealt, the more likely Keeshan was to survive.
They had already lost one; they didn't want to lose another.
However, the dragon became enraged, and despite Keeshan's best efforts to stop it, shot Dragon's Breath at Messner and Jorgensen. The two NPCs, who were already injured, both instantly died.
In that moment, Keeshan's dagger also finally managed to damage one of the dragon's eyes.
The giant eyeball popped in an explosion of fluid.
The dragon was now even angrier and desperately struck its head on the ground as it rolled around.
"The three of you should run!" Keeshan shouted. His legs had already been torn to the bone by the dragon, but he still tenaciously held on to its head.
If the three Thieves attempted run away at this time, they would have a good chance of escaping, especially with the aggro being focused on Keeshan.
"You guys can go; there is no need for you to die with us," Krakauer laughed. He used what seemed to be a forbidden skill, turning into a sword-shaped ghost before stabbing into the dragon's head.
The price he paid was a constant 500 damage counter.
The dragon seemed frantic as it desperately tried to fend off the ghost. No matter how it swung its claws, all they caught was air.
Lu Li and Water Fairy didn't run away. They were players and could theoretically never die in this game.
However, it was also a matter of honor. Why would they give themselves the shameful title of being a deserter? They looked at one another, gripped their daggers and threw themselves at the dragon.
The sword-shaped ghost did far less damage than Keeshan, but sent the dragon into an uncontrollable rage.
It seemed that all reasoning and thinking had been lost as its brain suffered a heavy blow.
As it struggled, yelled and rolled around before finally getting up, its huge claws caught the dying Keeshan and threw him in the direction of Lake Everstill.
The spatial lock effect had also vanished.
Lu Li and Water Fairy then helplessly watched as the dragon flew up and vanished into the sky. It didn't return to the scene, even after waiting for a very long time.
The System then prompted them that they had completed the quest. They could now return to the town to find Mayor Solomon for their reward. However, the two of them were unsatisfied and speechless.
Water Fairy wanted to ask Lu Li whether Keeshan had any hope of survival, but she didn't say anything.
"We…" Lu Li started, then looked at the battlefield in confusion and sighed, "Let's bury them here – this was the place where they fought and where their lives ended."
There were only two corpses – Messner and Jorgensen – but both had been burned beyond recognition.
The Thief had become a ghost and had completely vanished, while the Warrior's body was no longer in a single human form. His remains were gathered and placed into a tomb.
The only thing left of Keeshan was his broken long-bow. Lu Li didn't care whether it was a good item or not, or if he could fix it or sell it. For the first time, he looked past the gold value and carefully placed the longbow into the grave.
In a remote location on the shores of Lake Everstill, under a lush willow tree, several former comrades were buried.
They were heroes during their lives, treated unfairly and died fighting for the people that ignored them.
People often asked for heroes, but heroes were rarely cherished.
After returning to the lakeside town, Mayor Solomon was very satisfied with Lu Li and Water Fairy's reports. He praised them for the completion of his quest apathetically.
There was no regard in his words for the deaths of Keeshan and the others – it was as if they were just strangers to him.
Lu Li even told Colonel Troteman about the deaths of Keeshan and the others.
This veteran who had just returned from the Murloc battlefield covered in bruises was the only one who cried for Keeshan. As he wept, he lamented over how he had caused Keeshan's death…