Greatest Tanking Moment Entry #1 - Guanott
So there I was, hiding in the shadows as my party crawled through the crags of Tipt. The air was frigid, an unbearable mountain climate. The mage laughed as his pet played the role of an enchanter this round, rooting the not-so-friendly inhabitants should they venture too close. We were invaders, and were not welcome.
There stood no more than a handful of aneuks and mastruqs in our way as our group reached the end of our adventure. After dispatching these last few guards, our group passed through one last gate, following my lead as I strolled through with the blessing of the shadow. We knew our situation, the majority of us being veterans to the area. One Ikaav, his name but lost in time, stood in our way. His physique glistened as the great star slowly rose above Norrath, offering but little solace that the mountain air stole from our gasping lungs. My wrists twitched, slowly twirling my knives about in anticipation.
With our position set, a great deal of explaining and worry for such a simple fight, our group felt confident. Our shaman uttered a curse with his eyes set on both the Ikaav and our warrior; slowly nodding in assurance that we would soon warm our aching bodies one last time.
It moved fast - impossibly fast. It was upon our shaman, thankfully, his spell taking full effect as planned. Should this have failed, I wish to not know the potential fate of our encounter. Our warrior engaged, hefting a massive shard of iron as he drew the Ikaav's attention. Its movements shifted from that of the shaman; an eerie gaze in its eyes that remains with me to this day. It moved fluidly, almost like a dance as it manipulated my friends defenses. The warriors eyes remained taught, sweat dripping despite the freezing weather. Our cleric began to murmur, the one-with-the-wilds mimicking his efforts. Yet, despite the curse placed by our shaman, the fact of our underestimation grew apparent. The Ikaav gave a quick grin as its claws ripped through the warrior's armor, trivializing its purpose. A pain flew through my chest, I had to take action. I had been in the shadows, hastily striking the entire encounter - the Ikaav taking little attention. I shifted my body, loosing a skill I knew would be resisted, however, possibly giving me the benefit of its attention for a brief period.
My efforts were successful as the Ikaav shifted in my direction. I began to twirl my weapons masterfully, riposting every attack the Ikaav could throw at me for a brief period of time; simultaneously yelling at the cleric to shift their healing towards me, as my movements would soon falter and place me vulnerable to the Ikaav's attacks. Within moments, both the cleric and the one-with-the-wilds spewed forth their healing towards my frame, in a dire effort to keep one final body between them and this enraged being.
I was scared, to be honest. My job was to remain hidden, attacking from behind in the effort to avoid any potential counterattack. It was an ironic fact to find myself facing the blunt strengths of a creature I had originally planned to hide from. My body ached with every blow the Ikaav landed on me, yet I furiously bit my lip and continued to move my arms and body in the efforts to both land and avoid blows in reference to the creature. As the encounter lengthened, I grinned slightly as I saw the Ikaav make one final move, similar to the one I employed during the start of our melee. I was defenseless, as I had not choice but to let the Ikaav make any attack it wished at me without the threat of retribution.
I felt a quick rush of adrenaline as I heard the mage shout to my immediate left: a flare of ethereal energy emulated around his body, growing in furiosity as threads of mana lashed at the rocks about our feet. With the mana reaching a critical mass, the mage masterfully expelled it towards the Ikaav. In an instant the energy ensconced the body of the being in front of me, preventing it the benefit of an additional breathe. Time appeared to stop as the Ikaav froze, the energies still emulating around its body. His eyes twitched, fading to a translucent hue as it threw me one last glimpse; perhaps asking for forgiveness. We had won, despite our setback. We had achieved revenge for our fallen warrior, and I an experience that would not be forgotten any time soon.
Thanks for taking your time to read this, and I hope that it was enjoying.