"He's five levels below us," Velara defended. "And the trash mobs are dying too fast for him to ramp up."
"Excuses," Kira muttered.
Max gritted his teeth. The mage was right—his damage output was pathetic. But that was because he was holding back, not using Night at all.
They reached the first mini-boss chamber—a larger cultist wielding a flaming sword.
[Crimson Flame Zealot – Level 14 Elite]
HP: 12,000/12,000
"Alright, real fight," Zen announced. "Max, this is your chance to show what you can do. Don't hold back."
Max nodded.
It was time to let Night hunt.
*
The Crimson Flame Zealot stood in the center of the chamber, its flaming sword held high. Fire dripped from the blade as if the metal were being melted from the sheer temperature and scorched the stone floor beneath it. The boss's eyes burned with rage.
"Standard engagement!" Zen called out, raising his shield. "I'll hold aggro. DPS, burn it down. Watch for the flame wave attack—it's easy to dodge but hits hard!"
Zen charged forward, his shield connecting with the Zealot in a burst of holy light. The boss roared and swung its flaming sword, the blade clanging against the paladin's shield.
-87 HP!
[HolyKnight_Zen: 913/1000 HP]
GiantTitan and the others engaged immediately.
Max hung back for just a moment, then sent a thought through his bond: Night. Hunt.
[Summon Contract: Night]
[-20 MP]
The shadow peeled from the ground beside him, rising and twisting until the armored form of Night materialized—sleek black armor, blue flames burning in its eye sockets, the transformed Shadowforge Blade gripped in one hand.
To everyone else, nothing appeared.
But Max felt Night's presence as clearly as his own heartbeat.
Coordinate with me. Strike when I strike. Make it look natural.
Night nodded in acknowledgment and surged forward, moving in perfect sync with Max.
Max charged the Crimson Flame Zealot, his Shadowsteel Blade aimed at the boss's exposed side. He struck—
-68 HP!
—and in the exact same instant, Night's Shadowforged Blade slashed into the boss from the opposite side.
-142 HP!
To the party, it looked like Max had landed two hits simultaneously. A regular strike and a critical damage.
ArchMage_Kira glanced at the damage numbers but said nothing, focused on his own spell rotation. Massive fireballs slammed into the boss.
-445 HP!
-467 HP!
Max and Night fell into their practiced rhythm. Max would attack from one angle, drawing the boss's attention for a split second, while Night struck from the blind spot. Their movements were synchronized, a deadly dance that made Max's damage output suddenly spike.
-71 HP! (Max)
-138 HP! (Night)
-65 HP! (Max)
-145 HP! (Night – Critical!)
The DPS meter began updating in real-time:
[Party DPS Meter]
ArchMage_Kira – 3,245 DPS
GiantTitan – 2,891 DPS
MaxThorne – 2,567 DPS
SilentEdge – 2,334 DPS
Velara – 2,156 DPS
HolyKnight_Zen – 923 DPS (plus healing)
"What the—" Kira glanced at the meter, his concentration breaking for a moment. "How is the level 10 doing 2,500 DPS?"
"Told you he was good," Velara called out, her daggers flashing as she backstabbed the boss.
The Crimson Flame Zealot roared and raised its flaming sword high. Red energy gathered around the blade.
[FLAME WAVE INCOMING – 3 seconds]
"Scatter!" Zen shouted.
Everyone dove aside as the boss slammed its sword into the ground. A wave of fire exploded outward in all directions, scorching the stone floor.
Max used Shadow Step, teleporting to a safe shadow twenty feet away. Night simply phased through the fire, its form becoming untouchable.
The attack missed both of them.
[FLAME WAVE AVOIDED]
They regrouped and continued the assault. The boss's health dropped steadily under the coordinated attack.
8,000 HP... 6,000 HP... 4,000 HP...
Max was in the zone now, his movements fluid and instinctive. He didn't have to think—his body knew when to dodge, when to strike, when to use Shadow Step. And Night mirrored him perfectly.
Suddenly, a fireball slammed into Max's side.
-156 HP!
[MaxThorne: 144/300 HP]
Max stumbled, the impact throwing off his rhythm. He glanced back—ArchMage_Kira was channeling another spell, his staff pointed in Max's direction.
"Shit, sorry!" Kira called out, though his tone didn't sound particularly apologetic. "Target lock slipped. My bad!"
Through the pain, Max felt something else—Night's fury. The shadow warrior had sensed the attack, felt Max's pain through their bond, and its anger was visible.
Easy, Max thought at Night. Accident. Focus on the boss.
Night reluctantly complied, turning its attention back to the Crimson Flame Zealot.
They continued fighting. The boss hit 2,000 HP, then 1,500. The battle was nearly won.
Then another fireball hit Max, this time in the back.
-163 HP!
[MaxThorne: -19/300 HP]
[YOU ARE CRITICALLY WOUNDED]
Max dropped to one knee, his health bar flashing red. The pain wasn't real (suppressed to 20%) but it was enough to make his vision blur.
"Kira, what the fuck!" Velara screamed.
"My bad! My bad!" Kira shouted. "I'm not used to melee in my AoE radius!"
But Max barely heard them.
Because Night had stopped fighting the boss.
The shadow warrior turned, its blue flame eyes locked onto Kira with murderous intent.
And something in Max responded.
His vision shifted. The world took on a strange quality—shadows became deeper, darkness friendlier. When he looked down at his hands, his eyes had changed. The brown irises were gone, replaced by the same shadowy blue glow that burned in Night's eye sockets.