Exile grit his teeth as he hoped the glow came from a rune that would take him to the next trial. The sounds of hurried steps came from his rear, alerting him that the mobs were closing in. 'Damn. They might catch up before I can make it!'
A hammer blow to his back launched Exile forwards! One mob had been faster than the others and now stood poised to strike a second blow! Exile rolled over as he struck the ground. He twisted his body so that his shield faced the hammer.
Thud! Exile's arms vibrated as he absorbed the shock. He glared at the Lost Warrior that had taken him by surprise. 'I need to get away!' Exile lashed out with a kick. A satisfying crack sound in the air. Exile grinned as the mob fell face first to the ground. He had snapped its right leg in two.
Exile slammed his shield on the mob's head as he got to his feet. Although it did not kill it, he got some satisfaction out of the action. By this point, the crowd was almost upon him once again.
Exile cursed under his breath. He spun on his heels and raced off. There was no way that he would wait around for them! The glow became brighter while Exile's heart pounded in his chest. An arrow flew over his shoulder, making him gasp.
Up ahead, he caught sight of the indigo rune. He was mere moments away from moving on to the next trial! 'What will it throw at me next?'
[-5 HP]
Exile groaned as an arrow lodged itself in his shoulder. He frowned as he gauged the distance until he would reach the rune. 'I can make it!'
[-5 HP]
Another arrow struck, landing on the back of his thigh and making stumble. Exile glanced back and instantly ducked. Whoosh! A spear tip passed through the empty air he left behind! The mobs were doing all that they could to stop him from reaching the rune!
However, Exile pushed on. He grit his teeth as he watched his health plummet. The rune was almost within his reach as his health dropped to 12/65! 'Just a little more!'
[-5 HP]
[-4 HP]
Soft indigo light wrapped around Exile as his finger touched the rune! As his vision went white, he could have sworn that he heard an arrow striking the wall. 'That was too close!' Exile heaved a sigh of relief as his eyes adjusted to the new area.
[You have fully recovered…]
That was exactly the notification he had been hoping to see! Now that he was free of any danger for the time being, Eile took this chance to look around. However, he did not like what he saw. In Allevia's tomb, he had faced the platoon on the bridge at this point.
However, this time, there was a single enemy in the room with him. There were no ledges or anything to exploit for an easy win. Just Exile and this mob in a plain, empty marble room with indigo wisps floating around for light.
With a curious gaze, Exile studied the sole enemy. 'It's different from the others…' This one was roughly two-and-a-half metres tall and wielded a heavy two handed battleaxe while Exile's height reached 195cm.
There was a tremendous difference between them that concerned Exile. The armour that the mob was wearing also looked to be extremely heavy. He doubted that with the difference between their height and weight, that he could gain much of an advantage.
Exile readied his shield as he held his axe out to his side. He had to prepare himself to counterattack the moment that it gave him an opportunity. As soon as he stepped forward, the giant rushed towards him without warning.
'Damn it!' Exile cursed as he braced his shield. The mob was far faster than it looked. Swoosh! Its axe sliced through the air and collided with Exile's shield. A heavy thud sounded and Exile felt his feet slide across the ground as the blow pushed him back.
[-7 HP]
Exile's eyes went wide as he stared at the damage report. He had never received so much damage when blocking with his shield! The check had run the mob's strength stat against his endurance. 'Lost Warrior Captain (Weakened)?'
A deep frown crossed Exile's face as he stared at the mob. A bead of sweat ran down his brow. 'Its strength is at 19 to do that kind of damage. So what are the rest sitting at?'
Exile wondered if the tomb had put him against something that he could not overcome at his current level. His eyes narrowed as he rushed in, ducking beneath the next attack that the mob threw at him.
Exile slammed the edge of his shield against the enemy's thigh while slashing at the other leg with his axe. However, no damage reports revealed themselves. The Lost Warrior Captain grinned sadistically as it kicked him full on his chest!
[-7 HP]
Exile slid back once again and grit his teeth. His health had dropped to 51/65 in two exchanges. 'Should I heal? No… Even if I heal, I can't damage it. So, I need to try attacking with Authority!'
Exile pointed his axe towards the mob. 'Cleansing Flame is my only hope. I can only use Minor Sunder twice with my DP. So that wouldn't kill it.' The edge of his axe glowed bright red as heat built up in it.
A wave of hot air filled the surroundings as a stream of fire escaped from the axe's edge. The Lost Warrior Captain disappeared from sight in the wave of flames.
[Your Authority is greater than your enemy's.]
Exile grinned as the notification confirmed that he was definitely dealing damage to the Lost Warrior Captain. 'Ten seconds! In ten seconds that's 100 points of damage! Please! Let it be enough!'
The inferno continued uninterrupted for the entire duration. Exile's eyes constantly scanned the flames for any signs of his opponent. Eventually, the spell ended. Exile held his breath as he waited to see what it would reveal when the flames vanished…