4 A Boss? Or Not?

"Now come! Attack me!"

Raykahl tossed the dagger to the goblin's feet with an encouraging, predatory grin. "Hold nothing back. Show me everything you're capable of, before I regret feeling a morsel of excitement." 

Without a second thought, Rizz grabbed the dagger and twirled it around. "Well, that's usually how this goes. I have to kill a boss before I can loot the corpse. But… should I consider you a boss? Or a broken character piloted by the developers?" 

The catkin guardian snarled. "I'm Raykahl! Solar Sentinel! At this moment, I am nothing more!" 

A torrent of liquid flames spewed straight up. It had a strange beauty about it, like a fountain of fire trying to blend in with the serene flowery meadow before setting it ablaze. 

"I warned you, goblin. Now, I shall prove my word true." 

CRUNCH!

The ground cracked open under Raykahl's mighty leap. Growing darker, the red flames coating his sword and mane doubled in height. His bestial pupils shrank as his golden iris gained a red tint to them. 

Whiff! Ch-Chtink!

Of course, the greatsword missed the elusive goblin on the first swing. But Raykahl used that momentum to spin around and swat the teleporting goblin away. 

When the catkin expected the pot goblin to use another movement ability or teleportation skill, he at first felt disappointed to easily counter the goblin's strike. Till a small spatial rift opened up behind Rizz, catching the flying goblin and spitting Rizz out of the portal suddenly behind Raykahl. 

All while the goblin cackled, "Thanks for the boost!"

FRRRIP! FRRRIP! Smack, thud, thud.

Both daggers had layers of stacked skills, propelled forward with unstoppable speed due to Raykahl's counterattack. The blades were stabbed into the catkin's rear side, piercing his obliques with an all-in focus on damage per second (DPS). 

In response, Raykahl casually canceled his sword swing and swung an elbow. He drilled the flying goblin in the upper chest, knocking him away once more. 

While Rizz readjusted and landed, Raykahl eyed the dual daggers left in his side. He ignored the damage they caused him for a moment, sighing, "Why throw away more weapons–"

FRRRIP! Chtink, crack!

As soon as Rizz's feet had touched ground again, he vanished and reappeared on the other side of the Solar Sentinel. Two more knives were already taken out with a new batch of stacked spells and skills to inflict critical damage against the catkin. 

One dagger landed its blow. But the other was used by Rizz to parry the incoming greatsword, cutting halfway through the dagger before the blade shattered under the greatsword's immense heat. 

In return, Rizz vanished once more, with a hint of dark energy left behind in his stead. 

Raykahl spotted the goblin the moment he re-materialized in front of him. The catkin guardian was unsurprised and already throwing a punch. "Come now! Do not waste my expectations!"

Whiff. FRR-RRRIP!!

As the goblin in front dispersed around the punch like smoke, two more daggers ripped through the Solar Sentinel's back armor. This time though, the plate peeled open as if Rizz was attacking with a can opener, exposing Raykahl's strong, furry back. 

Whiff…

When Raykahl instantly turned and swung his sword, Rizz moved yet again, this time with a flash of purple energy. 

"I see. Very good, very good…" Raykahl turned toward the goblin about twenty meters away. "YI was very much correct. You have nurtured many skills, with the unique ability to string them together however necessary. Very good indeed…" 

Rizz maintained a smile under his pot. Like the irregular catkin claiming to be a world boss, Rizz ignored the slew of attacks still being pelted into the flaming barrier. At the same time, the goblin player let his mind go crazy with deductions and ideas regarding the situation. 

He thought, *What the fuck is he? A player and a world boss? How dare the devs mess with me like this!?*

When the goblin only nodded in response, Raykahl took that moment to pop his neck and shoulders. "I'm already at the halfway point of my weakened health bar. And you've done so with far fewer attacks than I foresaw."

"I don't need a broken health bar and cheat gear to take you down," Rizz replied. "But that's the only way for you to take me on, Mr. Fake Boss." 

"Be glad that I am holding back. Otherwise, there would be no challenge. And you would've died many times over," Raykahl scoffed, joining the banter. 

"See, that's what I mean! What kind of world boss acts like that?" Rizz questioned, twirling his knives in preparation. "Strip away your armor and sword. Then tell me you're holding back, scaredy cat!"

… Raykahl squinted. His entertained grin shrank down to a serious sneer. "I am no fool, Menace of Trodar. I've weakened myself enough. Now, prove your worth or perish, Rizz!" 

More fire was spat from Raykahl's fang-filled maw. And Rizz disappeared as expected. The goblin's blades came back into view near the lion man's neck. 

"Sudden Death."

Chtink!

Both knives were smacked by the defensive sword swing, which Rizz anticipated with an immediate disappearing act.

"Lesser Teleportation. Greater Illusion."

Ch-chtink! Crack!

Raykahl spoke with a low growl as he ignored the goblin at his side, attacking the Rizz who had appeared directly above him. The fake goblin faded out of existence as its illusory blades hit the catkin, leaving the flaming greatsword to break another dagger in defiance. 

Still with one knife in hand, Rizz vanished once more in a fast-fading mist of darkness. 

"Shadow Sneak. Greater Illusion," Raykahl stated, diverting his attention to the goblin emerging from the Solar Sentinel's shadow. 

Chtink, CRACK! FRRIP!

As the shadow-shrouded goblin was sent flying with a broken knife, the Rizz in front of the catkin guardian ripped through the armor with another devastating combo attack. 

"Sorry. That was Shadow Clone," Raykahl corrected himself, tearing the fake goblin into mist with one swing of his sword. "A perfect selection in tandem with Shadow Sneak. I will acknowledge you as skilled enough for your title, Menace." 

Rizz chuckled again, glad he couldn't actually feel the weight of those hits while in VR. "You just keep proving that you're not an NPC, Mr. Developer. Keep listing my skills and I'll report you for hacking. Then again… you probably aren't stupid enough to ban yourself, huh kitty litter?"