I handed him a mana restoration vial from my inventory. “We’re a team, right?”
“At least keep one healing potion,” he insisted, handing me back one. “You’re going to need it.”
I took it and ran into the fray. I could have used my teleportation crystal and pulled us both out of the fire, but there was no telling if we’d fall into another zone with these bastards in it. I’d already told myself that the last two trips were for emergencies only, and unfortunately, this incident didn’t count as one.
Making a quick study of what I was getting myself into, I checked their HP’s and their physical damages. Rufian had put in a lot of work, and it was time I finished what he started.
Right on time, they closed in on me. Two burrowed underground and the other four quit entertaining my persistent bots. I fed them another pulse shot, pissing them off. The idea was to back them as far away from Rufian as possible, while also rattling them a bit so I could pluck them off one by one.
A second before I launched another pulse, one of the burrowing Demus sprouted from the ground right in front of me, and I narrowly avoided its attack. The second one that burrowed followed through behind me, boxing me in. This was a perfect opportunity to use my goo, and I tossed the goo right into the mouth of the first bastard. The other capitalized on my distraction and leaped forward, and I welcomed him with a fierce cocked punch along its jaw. “Bite on this!” I growled, my fist glowing with green aura. I followed up with a swift uppercut underneath the monster’s jaw, my fist eating right through its head.
The disgusting creature bellowed in agony. The other Demu spun around and lunged at me again, this time with even more speed and force. With my fist still embedded in his buddy’s head, I pivoted, using its body as a shield to avoid the other one’s deadly claws. When its next swing cocked back, I tossed his friend into him, then followed up with a series of punches and kicks, each one hitting home with precision.
The Demu was getting weaker, so it improvised like the last one. Hypnosis. This time, I blinked once and saw Rufian’s body being eaten by a gang of Demu. I shook my head, trying to distance myself from the beast. I fired another round of bots to help me, the bloody Demu launching in the air to avoid them.
My Enrage was locked and loaded, and I pulled out my sword, ready to bathe the field in its blood.
I got a system now, dipshits!
You’re easier to take down when you’re not fighting in pairs!
Just as long as I kept them distant enough where they couldn’t hypnotize me, poison, or bite me, then I could do this.
I had to believe, for Alzera-Kar, for Jezz…
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Sonar pulse, slash, minions, sonar pulse, slash, minions…
On paper, the system seemed predictable, but it worked…
All of my armor, gone, all of my mana restoration vials, gone. And my last healing potion, expended. But guess what? The field was clear, and I’d killed eight fucking Demus!
Two alone, six with assistance—the battle was intense, with the Demus proving to be much tougher than any cyber freak I’d faced thus far. Their tongues had lashed out like whips, their burrowing made them unpredictable, and their poisonous spit made me move like a goddamn headless chicken. But with my skill set, Shaman Etorl’s blessing, and my precise aim, I was able to take them down one by one.
“I never thought I’d be thanking my old man for all of those tough combat lessons,” I whispered to myself as I took a breath and wiped my brow, the outlook a loot goldmine. Before I could turn around and help Rufian, I felt a hand on my shoulder.
“I’ll be frank with you, Silas, I was sure you were done for.”
I turned to him and scoffed. “Were you ready to use the mana you had to dash out of here without me?”
He smiled. “I was tempted. But there was no way I was going to leave the crystal shard in the hands of goblins.”
“Oh, I appreciate your sympathy.”
He laughed. “In all seriousness, I am quite proud of you, young hero. You’ve done well. Now, if you please, lend me your kiss.”
I gave him a straight look. “You know there were better ways of asking for the cleanser.” I tossed him the only Drasami’s Kiss I had, and Rufian used it to freshen up. I followed his lead and spruced up as well, feeling like a hundred bucks again. But hell, I was still exhausted. Bones ached, muscles were torn, and I had a few wounds that needed to be tended to. I scored a few healing potions in the battle, but I wish we’d had struck more. Given the monsters I’d met thus far, Senterra was light work compared to Mavriel. And we were going to need to restock on our supply.
My comrade and I split our rewards. While I got to keep the loot from the two monsters I defeated alone, Rufian and I shared the loot dropped by the other six.
I leveled up and allocated my points, updating my stats:
Name:
Silas Bruer
Race:
Human
Rank:
Hero
Occupation:
Overseer
Alignment:
Senterra
Age:
19
Strength: