Samuel was visibly frustrated. His tornado was easily nullified by the magical orc who he presumed was the skeleton from the previous floor.
Worst of all, it wasn't even with its own abilities! Samuel had noticed the brown shine of the earthen crystal, those things were known for being powerful. They were also expensive!
"Samuel! I'll push forward!" Drake yelled from beside him after seeing the spectacle.
Now that the C-class adventurers were defending themselves, it meant that Drake was free to push forward. If there were any traps he could simply break past them with brute force. He had no qualms about this approach.
Samuel didn't say anything, he only nodded. He was focused on what the orc's next move would be.
Drake didn't dilly dally, with explosive speed, he made his fiery approach. He left burn marks with each step as his feet had become submerged in vibrant Vermillion flames.
Samuel didn't fall behind, the wind accommodated itself on his legs. They shone a bright green and he swiftly dashed forward.
***
Ed didn't loiter around either, he also had things to protect. He thus brought out two crystals.
One glowed a calming blue hue and the other shone brown. He concentrated on both crystals and the mana inside both eventually converged. The energy was sent towards the ground which suddenly became lively.
'Entangle!' Ed yelled in his mind.
The thick canopy wasn't blocking the sunlight and thus grass and weeds were allowed to grow in this area. The whole field could be said to be a trap in this manner.
With crazy momentum, the weeds and grass near the speeding Samuel and Drake lunged out. The plants were in a frenzy, it was almost to the point that they emitted a mad bloodlust.
While surprised, both Drake and Samuel reacted appropriately. Drake's vermillion flames became much brighter as he fueled them with his mana.
His feet were no longer the only thing encased in flames. Like a human torch, his whole body was burning a bloody red. The candescent flames allowed no grass to remain untouched in the immediate vicinity, they burned to a crisp.
Samuel, on the other hand, performed a dazzling display of swordsmanship. With the new speed granted by his new sword, he was able to mercilessly hack away at any weed or grass no matter how overgrown or maddening.
This method wasn't perfect, however as he stumbled after stepping over an unassuming weed.
"Damn!" He quickly ducked to slash apart the weed which had grabbed his foot but…
He was forced to grit his teeth. The vine-like grass collided with his open back resulting in aching pain. Not only that, but Samuel was pushed forward where more grass-like vines awaited his fall.
Suddenly, water shot out of everywhere. The grassy vines were cushioned off by a thick pillow of water that Samuel had quickly cast.
Drake who was up ahead had only glanced at his direction, even if he wanted to help he couldn't. Why? His target was right in front of him!
With a swoosh, Drake's flames concentrated on his fists as he let out an explosive barrage of punches.
While Ed didn't expect Drake to push forward so simply, that didn't mean he was unprepared. He brandished his axe and released a sharp horizontal swing before Drake had a chance to make any contact.
His fists swung on the empty air and instead, he felt a force pound on his waist. The reach of a battle-axe was naturally much longer than his arms. Nonetheless, he had reinforced his body with mana so the damage was negligible.
He then felt something else. A cutting sensation, Drake felt his neck tingle.
With his close proximity, he ended up taking a small yet sharp blade of wind directly to his neck. A small red line was clearly drawn on it indicating the zone of impact.
"You piece of sh*t" Drake cursed. In an act of defiance, he grabbed Ed's axe before he had a chance to retrieve it.
Unfortunately, this was also a mistake.
With Ed's precise control over mana, and mostly knowing basic spells, his cast time was insanely fast. He reached out with one hand towards Drake. The earth turned into small stakes that shot towards his body. Once more, the close quarters had worked against him. His mana reinforced body still felt the pain of being pelted by large rocks.
Drake became furious. This fury transferred into strength. His flames became much hotter and they had once more enveloped his entire body. They radiated scorching heat. As if one was standing next to a house fire.
This was enough to force Ed back. And THAT was enough to put him in danger.
[You've been dealt damage. -50hp]
Since Ed had stopped controlling the grass and weeds to face Drake, Samuel was let free. A sharp blade of wind which put his own to shame thus hit him straight on.
But Ed didn't have a painful expression at the moment. He instead had a wide smile.
'This much damage is insignificant!' Ed rejoiced inside his mind. His attributes were too disgusting!
Granted, if he were to take a direct hit the damage would still feel quite piercing, but a simple body shot would not be enough to take him out!
[You've been dealt damage. -15 hp]
But losing oneself in the midst of battle was not a good idea.
"Have a taste of this you damn monster!" The fiery fists guy, Drake, yelled out. He was throwing a fierce flurry of punches. Unlike before though, the fire in his fists was being propelled forward!
[You've been dealt damage. -15 hp]
[You've been dealt damage. -15 hp]
A couple of peg shots had made it past Ed's guard. But that was as much as he was willing to allow.
[You've been dealt damage. -1 hp]
He reinforced his body with mana. It was a skill that he hadn't put to much use. He was reminded by Drake and the way he had neglected his previous axe swing to use it more comfortably.
[You've been dealt damage. -1 hp]
The flurry kept coming but Ed didn't move aside, he moved forward. He flimsily coated his axe with the wind to increase the speed. Drake flinched, he hadn't expected a fearless approach! This orc clearly did not fear death!
Drake barely had the time to pull back.
"Argh!" He sacrificed his shoulder as opposed to letting the axe dig into his head. Still, he let out a yelp of pain.
"Drake!" Samuel yelled angrily as he approached from behind. Those vines had been more effective on him than he would like to admit.
After finally reaching them, Samuel thrust his sword at Ed.
[You've been dealt damage. -47 hp]
Ed grimaced as the sleek green sword pierced through his chest. His previous swing had kept him too preoccupied to divert or block the attack. Luckily the clean and swift strike didn't deal much damage, at least not when compared to his vast health.
'F*ck! What is that thing made of!?!?' This thought had briefly entered Ed's mind the moment he felt the sword pass through his body. He had expected his reinforced body to be able to withstand the attack, maybe even deflect it! He had either overestimated himself or underestimated his opponent.
Ed tried to kick Samuel away but he managed to pull back beforehand.
[You've been dealt a clean hit. -35 hp]
Drake had taken the opportunity to land a clean hit on his open stomach. Ed was even pushed back by the explosive power. He didn't resist this however as he needed to get some distance.
"ED!!!" This was the voice of the greatest screamer on the orc side, Durgash. To the adventurers, this only sounded like a thundering roar though.
Ed realized something was up as soon as he was called out. He snuck a glance past Samuel and Drake. The adventurers were organizing themselves under the orders of a charming man.
Some were defending. While others, they were on the assault. They linked up together and were seemingly about to cast a powerful spell to counter-attack.
Ed realized that he became too preoccupied with his two opponents and failed to send a signal.
'Vorgarag, open the gates!' He, therefore, sent a transmission to Vorgarag who was shocked to hear Ed's voice inside his head.
Vorgarag recovered from the brief shock and quickly sent the command to open the gates. Durgash and the others hadn't seen or heard anything so they were a bit confused, did they miss a signal?
"ROOOOOARR!!!" This was the sound a burly orc made as soon as he saw the gate start to open.
"You all better prepare to die!!!" Yelled another rambunctiously.
More and more battle cries were then heard from among the crowd. All of the warriors were ready and thirsting for blood. The ones manning the cannons could feel this and couldn't help but feel jealous.
The gate opened with the fanfare of the rabid orcs. Samuel and Drake took notice of this happening. It was almost impossible to miss after all.
Out of the large gates came a large wave of green. The numbers were simply unprecedented for both of them so they could only describe it as such.
To think a single settlement could have so many orcs!!! Some were thinking like this but Samuel was more willing to pin the blame on the orc... skeleton... thing!
The tide of green could easily change the outcome of the battle. Even Samuel and Drake had no confidence in winning against the large numbers by themselves. At most, they could ensure a safe retreat.
"Damn!" Samuel thus cursed. There was no other way! Death! Death was the only way!
He sent a signal. It was unclear if anyone saw it but it did seem to be the case. Though reluctant, the adventurers started to push forward. The ones specialized in close quarters were especially swift.
"If I make it out alive I am f*cking retiring!" Yelled one of the more elderly adventurers.
"This money is definitely well earned!" Lamented another loudly.
The mobs on both sides entered the battle with a loud voice.