Crowd control, or CC, came in many forms. The effects varied, but they could generally be ranked by severity.

  A [Banish] that shunted a player into another dimension was at the top, a complete loss of control.

  A [Stun], like a rogue’s Sap or a mage’s Freeze, was a tier below, locking a player in place.

  Then came [Roots] and [Binds], which only stopped movement, and finally [Slows], the softest form of control.

  Lila’s [Frostbolt] debuff was a hard stun, locking her in a block of ice for a full three seconds.

  But against a player of her level and gear, the effect was diminished. After just over a second, the frost icon on her status bar dimmed, indicating she could use a skill to break free.

  She didn’t. She waited, letting the debuff tick down on its own. She needed to save her cooldowns for the right moment.

  Seeing a damage number finally appear over Lila’s head sent a jolt of ecstasy through Magnus. Sure, she still had over ten thousand health, but without the insane defense from [Divine Ward], she was just another target. Before the four of them, she was nothing.

  The arrogant sneer instantly returned to Magnus’s face. “Not so cocky now, are you, bitch?”

  “Let’s get her, cousin!” Cole shouted. “Finish her!”

  “Don’t get careless,” Magnus cautioned. “She’s level thirty-one. Her base defense is still gonna be high.”

  “Don’t worry, boss,” Roland, the Knight, chimed in, “I’ve got [Holy Word].”

  Cole turned and yelled to their Priest, who was still keeping her distance. “Amy! Buff me!”

  They didn’t stand still while they talked. Roland swapped his shield for a massive two-handed hammer and charged forward. On the other side, Cole closed in, moving to flank. When they were twenty yards out, a faint white light enveloped Cole’s hands as [Holy Word] took effect, followed shortly by the icon for [Inner Fire] appearing above his head.

  From his position, Magnus unleashed another spell.

  -5,232 (Pyroblast)

  Lila’s health bar dipped below fifty percent.

  The moment the ice shattered, she popped a health potion.

  +2,200

  +2,200

  ...

  Then, gripping her greatsword, she turned and ran.

  “You think you can just kill our guys and run?” Cole roared. “Not a chance!”

  [Charge]!

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  From fifteen yards away, he slammed into Lila’s back, following up immediately with a swing of his own sword.

  -3,538 (Charge)

  -838 (Basic Attack)

  -1,000 (Holy Word)

  Lila ignored him and kept running, but she seemed to be in a panic, sprinting away from the direction of Kael and the rest of her guild.

  Seeing this, Magnus and the others relaxed. Two or three hundred yards in that direction, the woods were thick with high-level mobs. Since they didn’t have aggro, fighting there wouldn’t be a problem for them.

  The four of them slowed their pursuit to a jog. Magnus yelled ahead, his voice dripping with condescension, “Give it up, Lila! It’s a dead end over there!”

  She didn’t listen. After running for another ten seconds, her path was blocked by a pack of level thirty-seven monsters. She stopped.

  She pulled a potion from her pack, lifted it as if to drink, then hesitated. She put it back and turned to face them.

  Roland and Cole were already on her, lunging at their half-health target.

  A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Lila’s lips. They took the bait.

  She had a potion from the Land of the Behemoth in her inventory, a rare consumable that restored twenty thousand health. She’d deliberately faked her panic, pretended to run the wrong way, all for one reason: to make them commit to the chase. If they had played it safe and hidden among the mobs, she would have had no way to finish them.

  That, and one other crucial reason: she was stalling for cooldowns. Without her full kit, she couldn't kill Magnus.

  And now, everything was ready.

  She raised her greatsword and slammed it toward the ground.

  [Dragon Slash]!

  Three waves of blade energy shot forward. Roland and Cole, knowing what was coming, dove to opposite sides. Each was still clipped by a single wave.

  -5,000 (Shield Absorbed)

  -3,715 (Cole)

  -7,012 (Roland)

  +3,500 (Heal)

  +1,500 (Power Word: Radiance)

  From a distance, Magnus scoffed. You think the same trick will work twice? He sidestepped, moving clear of the energy paths.

  As the waves neared their maximum range, Lila’s body flickered. She reappeared at the endpoint of the wave closest to Magnus.

  The mage raised his staff to cast [Frostbolt], but Lila was already a blur of motion.

  [Bladebound]!

  She shot toward him like a silver bullet. Magnus, however, remained calm.

  [Blink]!

  He vanished and reappeared fifteen yards away. He was about to shout a taunt, but his eyes widened. Lila was already high in the air, arcing down directly on top of his new position.

  [Earthshatter Leap]!

  If she lands, I’m stunned. No way!

  His composure finally cracked. He frantically activated his ultimate defensive ability.

  [Ice Block]!

  The instant Lila’s feet touched the ground, Magnus was encased in a solid tomb of ice. He was invincible, unable to take any damage for the next three seconds.

  Cole and Roland seized the opportunity, charging in to finish her. At less than half health, she could never survive their combined assault for three seconds. They were smart, attacking from her left and right to avoid being caught by a single cleave.

  Lila calmly reached into her pouch, pulled out the potion from the Land of the Behemoth, and drank it down.

  +20,000

  Cole and Roland stopped dead in their tracks, their eyes wide with disbelief. But they were already committed. It was too late to back out.

  -1,138

  -1,000

  -822

  -1,000

  If it weren't for the bonus holy damage from [Holy Word], they would barely be scratching her. Lila didn’t waste a skill, simply trading basic attacks with Cole.

  -7,217

  +3,500

  Terrified that she would focus him down, Cole quickly drank a potion of his own.

  +2,500

  +2,500

  As the three of them tangled, the ice around Magnus shattered. He saw Lila with her back to him—a perfect opening.

  Just as he began to cast, Lila turned, her greatsword already beginning a wide, sweeping arc.

  Too late! Magnus thought with a sneer, finishing his spell. [Frostbolt]!

  Success!

  Lila was frozen solid, her greatsword held static in mid-swing.

  Three seconds. Plenty of time for him to get away. And by the time the crazy woman broke free, his [Blink] would be off cooldown again.

  Just as Magnus turned to run, cracks spiderwebbed across the ice encasing Lila.

  CRACK!

  With a tremendous burst of force, she shattered the ice and continued her swing, bringing the greatsword down directly on Magnus’s head.