Arthos unsheathed his sword. The girl and the boy were in trouble, and he needed to reach them quickly before they were overrun by the orcs. No longer having access to the system, he would need to concentrate his mana to perform a familiar move.
He felt his mana grow hot deep within his soul; he channeled it into his legs while he dropped into a quick-draw stance. He pictured in his mind a fictious system screen…this allowed him to focus and reconnect with familiar muscle memories.
[HEAVEN'S PIERCE skill activated]
[HEAVEN'S PIERCE increases attack by 300% and increase defense penetration by 70% for 15 seconds]
He plunged forward like a bullet, covering enormous ground quickly. His sword pierced through five orcs and two trees followed by the thundering noise like a sudden storm on a sunny day.
KABOOOM!!!
The air resonated heavy with the crashing sound of trees falling…like a mega cannon being fired at close range. The red orcs turned in confusion only to be sliced in half by the blinding speed a blade.
Arthos quickly dispatched a dozen additional orcs and made his way to the beautiful girl and boy.
"We appreciate your help, but next time try to make less noise." The girl said without releasing her gaze on the enemies in front of her.
"Sorry…I didn't know that attack would be so powerful…guess I overdid it." Arthos said apologetically.
His eyes quickly scanned the area. He noticed two dead avatars nearby and a few more scattered up ahead. He easily recognized the colors and insignia on their armor and shields.
Eterna guild.
Some of the dead avatars looked recognizable...Arthos had seen them before. They were probably famous and had a sizeable following on YouTube and AvalorStream. He thought of his best friend Wain…had he been here, he would have given a history lesson for sure.
By the looks of things, Eterna guild had sent a raiding party to a nearby dungeon. The party was overwhelmed by the red orcs and attempted to retreat. Some of the dead avatars had axe wounds on their backs which suggested they were killed from behind while retreating.
"Anyone from your party still alive?" Arthos asked. He parried and counterattacked two orcs.
"No. Our party encountered an orc army nearby…I estimate 50,000 orcs. We were unable to retreat. Our tank had a unique and power taunt-skill. He ran that direction as a decoy to buy us time to escape," she said pointing toward the direction where the orcs were pouring out from.
Three orcs attacked in unison. The silver haired girl expertly unleashed a series of strikes…they cut through the air like a whip, cutting down the orcs with ease.
'She is amazing…that technique…she is no amateur…by the looks of it, she has been training for years.' Arthos thought in astonishment.
"Judging by the wave of orcs…I think he is dead. I'm sorry. We can't do anything for them now…especially if we die here. We need to retreat. Follow me." Arthos said with authority.
Arthos led the way as he grabbed the blue haired boy's hand and ran. Meanwhile, the girl ran behind while she defended the rear. Arthos led the group back towards the familiar swamp.
"Is this a good idea? The mud will slow us down," the girl said in a faint whisper.
"True…but just wait a minute. There's more to this." Arthos replied as he ran hauling the boy.
As they went deeper into the swamp, the scent in the air changed and was accompanied by a thick fog.
"Get down and crawl on your knees." Arthos whispered.
He added, "this way, come on."
The thick fog combined with their relatively small size concealed their presence. In addition, the thick smell of moss and rotting fruit emanating from the swamp made tracking their scent impossible for the orcs. The red orcs scattered in random directions as they clumsily looked for the survivors.
After about 30 minutes of crawling through the mud, the sound of orcs faded.
"I think we lost them…this way and keep quite." Arthos said as he led the group through a familiar path.
"Where are you taking us?" Asked the boy.
"There is a campsite nearby…its hidden and safe. We can talk and regroup there."
[…]