There was a bright green barrier at the top of each of the stone pillars.
“HAHAHHA, we are still alive!” Zi Dan triumphantly shouted after confirming that he wasn’t dreaming. There weren’t even any burn marks on him, in fact, he actually felt so rejuvenated as if he was a whole decade younger.
Everyone else also felt the surge in power, and they all realised that only one person could be responsible for this— their beloved Panda Mercendary Heala.
The tsunami lava wave was Nian’s way to try and turn the fight around if she ever found herself in a bad situation (or if her HP dropped to 10%). As long as they hired a NPC healer, the party had a good chance to survive this devastating effect.
However, it was not an automatic guarantee. Should their NPC healer get battered by the constant need to heal throughout the boss fight, or in the case, they had failed to protect her it could mean an instant party wipe. One also needed to account that this large barrier would leave Heala exhausted, so she might not have enough mana or emergency heals for the last part of the fight.
Of course the above only applied in a ‘normal’ dungeon run. Bu Dong’s party had done anything but comply to the ‘script’ Jin had planned ever since the Volcanic Caverns, so everyone had been able to scrape through the fight without incurring too much damage. Not to mention, Heala had been able to conserve enough mana to concentrate for a large area of effect heal with a defensive barrier.
Then what about the parties who had gone in without Heala? Jin didn’t want to force his recommendations on anyone, so instead, he had created a special side quest. It would only pop up for those groups who lacked any sort of healer, and after the Pandarens completed it would be able to utilise a one time use inscription just for this dungeon. (Something similar to the dark talisman that the Pandawans had used in the Great Wall of China Dungeon Instance.)
In those cases that the groups had one dedicated healer which was not the Panda Mercenary, the healers’ visor would show them that there was already a formation on the bottom of the hunting grounds which would help them defend against the tsunami. That, however, would definitely cripple and exhaust their healer for the rest of the fight, which would lead to its own problems.
No matter what, Jin had set it up in a way that the parties would continue to the final stage where they would fight an enraged and cornered Nian. Alas, Bu Dong had ‘gifted’ two large boulders of explosives that had taken care of the existence of the Mother Nian before she ever had the chance to enter that phase. And thus, they miraculously completed the dungeon instance, making them the first party in the entire shop to do so.
“Gosh, it’s been a long time since I heard that announcement. Gee, Boss Jin. Why are your dungeons getting harder!” Bu Dong complained as he sat down on the ground and heaved out loudly.
“So this is how it feels to get a first clear for a dungeon, eh? I have to say, I don’t feel very accomplished…more like just relieved it’s over.” Xia Mao sighed through the teamspeak channel.
“Hahah, don’t worry that feeling will come soon enough after you watch your own dungeon replay. Nothing beats seeing yourself pulling off a dangerous move, barely escaping in the face of certain doom and the realisation that you were to one who achieved that.” Bu Dong shared his thoughts based on his personal experience.
“So doesn’t that mean we will become Pandawans now?” Zi Dan asked casually.
“Heh! Do you really care about that? If so, you would be the first Pandawan who retired as soon as he gets the title.” Xia Mao teased his friend while the lava beneath subsided.
“You never know! I might come back just to play with you guys!” Zi Dan smiled as he had made a lasting memory none of them would ever forget. “We need to celebrate our titles tonight. Allow me to treat you guys to some good quality steamboat!”
“You sure your son won’t mind us?” Jing Yu questioned.
“Bah, I dare him to have the gall to complain about me enjoying my last days here, when he’s the one who practically forced me to follow him! And don’t worry about expenses! I will pay for everything!”
“Great, I have the bill for the gatling gun and its ammunition and the other stuff in my storage ring.” Bu Dong exclaimed, and that was enough to keep Zi Dan mouth shut for a moment.
“I’m kidding, kidding! Those are my own expenses that I’ve already accounted for before I bought them.” Bu Dong teased Zi Dan as he did some stretches.
“Then erm what are we waiting for? Do we have to go back to the village to report or something?” Xia Mao yawned as he felt that he had enough excitement for one day.
“The Nian must have been here a long while. Surely she must have hoarded some types of treasures. Let’s wait for the lava to subside, then we might be able to retrieve whatever is still here.” Heala suddenly commented, and the rest took it as a reminder that they still had to pick up their reward chest.
And true enough, once the lava dissipated, there was a large blackened chest on the bottom just waiting to be looted. The entire party went down to check it out and saw there were five palm imprints (one of which was obviously that of a panda) on the giant chest. They did not hesitate to put their hands on it, and they heard a click sound.
Medal coins burst out from the chest like an erupting geyser and threatened to bury them underneath. Even new equipment could be found hidden in the sea of coins within the chest.
It was the first time the Pandarens were showered with this much reward and partially understood why Bu Dong loved to get the first dungeon clear. It was not just the fame or title but also the satisfaction of being (so heavily) rewarded after a difficult battle.
And upon closer inspection of the equipment, they noticed that it was actually exclusive Nian Costumes and accessories. A full set for each and everyone (including Heala as her alternate skin)! Not only that, there was a mini Nian plushie with various poses for all four of them. Bu Dong had never seen any Nian plushies available for sale indicating it was limited stock. (He was looking forward to rubbing that in Xiong Da’s face)
“This is honestly my first plushie…and now I get why people are so crazy about them. The feeling… it’s just inexplicably good.” Jing Yu said as she unconsciously hugged it tightly.
“Don’t get too used to it, or you might develop a craving for more. I don’t even know when it started, but I suddenly found myself a proponent of getting all of these plushies. People thought I was weird at first, but if you collect enough of them, you will discover that there are some subtle differences between each and every one of these plushies.”
“The way you make it sound, it does indeed sound crazy weird. Hahahah!” Xia Mao laughed as the group slowly gathered their loot and exited the dungeon instance to enjoy their rest in the Luxury Recovery Instance.
