Chapter 764 Avarice
The treasure chamber shuddered under the impact of Bloody Lily's hammer against the creature, echoing a resounding crash that reverberated off the brick walls of the room.
Hot air impregnated with molten metal enveloped the room, while the abomination's claws twitched, trying to grab the intrepid player.
Maelstrom watched the scene intently, his deep-set eyes fixed on the unfolding battle. "You have determination, Bloody Lily," he commented, his voice resonating like an echo. "But this guardian is a manifestation of greed itself, and its hunger for power is insatiable."
When he had finished speaking, the creature, though wounded, roared in response. Its golden skin, a twisted amalgam of metal and flesh, showed signs of cracking and wear. However, its fiery rage was undiminished, and its razor-sharp claws sought revenge on the player's audacity more than anything.
The Bloody Lily, anticipating the creature's rapid advance, leapt backwards gracefully, avoiding the blows of the metal claws that closed tightly on the empty space. The player, now in a defensive position, quickly analyzed the situation. The treasure chest she had initially planned to use as cover had been reduced to rubble by the creature's beam of light, and the uneven and unstable terrain made every move dangerous. So she didn't need an effective method to be able to protect herself.
"You may have dodged the first beam of light, Bloody Lily, but Avarice has more tricks in store," warned Maelstrom, his voice echoing like a warning whisper.
Taking a quick step to the side, Bloody Lily narrowly avoided the second beam of light that poured out of the monster's mouth, but this beam was unusual in that it didn't even touch the ground and already changed direction, at a complete 60-degree angle. Bloody Lily had to act quickly and jumped backwards, using one of her hands to perform an acrobatic move. The devastating skill was capable of melting everything in its path and with the abrupt turn it managed to hit the head of a silver statue, easily melting it.
The player, unperturbed, smiled at the challenge: "Well, it looks like I have to avoid that light at all costs. I can't give this creature the satisfaction of an easy target."
Determined, Bloody Lily began to circle the creature, running and trying to stay out of its line of sight whenever possible. With each attempted attack, it responded with an agile dodge, its body moving like a dance in sync with the threat it posed. The creature roared in frustration as its beams of light met only emptiness.
The player, however, wouldn't just dodge. Her eyes were sharp. She headed for a strategic point on the battlefield, where she had spotted an opportunity to gain a possible advantage. In this area of the room there were a number of partially destroyed pillars and columns, and so the mountains of treasure swallowed up the space that had been there before, offering even more unstable and problematic terrain than the center of the room, but while this was bad for Bloody Lily, it was even worse for the creature called Avarice, because of the difference in height between the two.
"Now, let's see what you can do when you don't have a clear target," muttered Bloody Lily to herself as she hid.
The creature, realizing the change in tactics, roared in frustration and began to move towards the player, only to lose sight of her. Its heavy footsteps made the ground shake, but Bloody Lily knew she had to be patient if she wanted to take this thing by surprise.
Watching from his post, Maelstrom recognized Bloody Lily's sagacity. "You understand things quickly."
With the patience of a predator, Bloody Lily waited for the perfect moment. The creature, now disoriented by the absence of a direct target, roared in frustration, its metal claws closing anxiously on anything that looked merely red in its field of vision. The tense atmosphere was imbued with anticipation.
Then, like a specter emerging from the darkness, Bloody Lily appeared. His body seemed to materialize among the shadows, and his deft hands brandished his sword at the creature. The first attack was direct, a quick cut across the creature's golden skin, leaving a trail of sparks and smoke, which was to no avail. Avarice's reaction was immediate. Beams of burning light swept across the space where Bloody Lily was, but she had already disappeared again, slipping out of the creature's line of sight without a trace.
The room echoed with the abomination's roars, its rage intensified by frustration.
"RAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!" The thing screamed so loudly that it made the whole room shake.
While the creature tried to adapt to Bloody Lily's evasive style, the player continued to exploit its weak points. Emerging from a different point, she attacked again, this time focusing on one of the creature's legs. Her precise blow with the Hammer caused a metallic clang, and Avarice staggered momentarily.
The advantage was clear for Bloody Lily. She moved with supernatural agility, dodging the monster's sight with feline grace and striking at just the right moments.
The creature, now wounded and confused, searched frantically for its opponent, but the player continued to evade it skillfully.
The treasure room became a stage of shadows and light, a contrast of strategies between the stealth of Bloody Lily and the blind ferocity of Avarice. Every move was an expression of skill and cunning, a deadly dance where the player had the advantage of invisibility.
However, the creature wasn't completely dumb, nor did it act solely on its instincts.
In a room full of treasures like this, it was common for many of the objects to be so clear that their surfaces literally became mirrors. So, when the creature saw a red cloak moving to his left being reflected by a gold wardrobe, for the first time Avarice smiled and opened his mouth so wide that it looked like he was about to launch his biggest attack yet. An instant later, an explosion of light was unleashed by it, which made the whole room tremble more than ever, and this explosion hit exactly where the Bloody Lily cloak was.
Silence filled the room. Even Maelstrom raised an eyebrow, curious.
However, when the creature approached to check on Bloody Lily's condition, she saw a pool of blood and a tattered red cape lying on the floor, so she knew she hadn't hit the player.
Even so, Avarice didn't have time to react, because a second after the creature realized what had happened, a spear pierced its chest from top to bottom and, with a flick of the wrist, Bloody Lily tore the golden creature in half.
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