Kerius and his two cousins, Ermaz and Armaz, were keeping an Orc in check, although barely. In comparison to some of the stronger warriors, it was quite surprising how weak the average humans actually were.
They couldn't afford to give the beast even an instant of freedom or else they would be done for. Kerius with his Unmoving Boulder Combat Art would straight up die if he took a single strike from the Orc. In face of superior strength, his increased defense was basically worthless.
While they were busy fighting, an Orc Shaman walked on the corpses of his fallen kin and arrived up at the Flame Barrier. Dressed in old rags and animal hide, the Orc mage straightened his back and lifted his staff. It was a wooden branch with a skull on top, and in its mouth rested a Magma Crystal.
The thing that attracted the most attention, however, was the fact that the skull belonged to an orc, and the Crystal was most likely from the same source.
Anyone with a brain could quickly guess it probably came from a rivalry between two Orc Shamans. And now the remains of one powered the other.
The Orc Shaman struck the barrier with his staff and a momentary ripple appeared on the surface. The Flame Barrier there simply dissolved, leaving an oval-shaped opening for the beast to step through. Seconds later, after another pulse came from the wall, the hole was filled up, almost as if it was never there in the first place.
Looking around calmly and with a straight back, the Shaman's eyes eventually landed on a group of men. Its mouth formed a grotesque smile as it lifted the staff and started chanting in its unrecognizable native tongue.
A piece of debris flew towards it and started heating up. As it arrived about a meter away from the staff, the stone chunk was already glowing red-hot. Seconds later it turned soft. The Orc Shaman grinned and gestured forward with his staff, and the ball of molten rock flew at a group fighting another Orc.
A soldier was just about to execute his sneak attack on the Orc, when...
"AAAH! It burns!"
He was splashed with the semifluid rock all over his chest and face, and his clothes immediately burst into flames as his skin and flesh sizzled and melted.
"AAARGH!"
The soldier rolled on the ground in excruciating pain when some guy splashed a bucket of water on him. Despite doing a good deed, the result was perhaps even worse than just letting the poor guy die. His face was gone, and so was a third of his upper body.
The molten rock was now completely stuck to his flesh and limited his breathing. The guy fainted from the pain soon after, but nobody had any time to help him anymore. The psychotic Orc Shaman was already throwing out more of the glowing death balls.
"Take cover!" Kerius shouted and he and the other two abandoned the Orc they were fighting against. The Magma Ball splashed over the Orc's back.
ROAR!
The beast roared and madly flailed around as its fur burst into flames. Like a mad bull, the Orc Warrior crashed into walls and houses, breaking some of them down and bouncing off others.
Meanwhile, the Orc Shaman kept throwing out the Magma spells while laughing madly. It kept shouting something but nobody understood or cared to listen. Splitting the Magma Balls, many dozen fist-sized chunks of molten rock rained on the defenders, starting fires where they landed.
"That's enough!" a person shouted in the darkness. A spear came flying immediately after, pinning the rampaging Orc to a wooden pillar. The figure then made its way to the wall where the Shaman was standing.
Avoiding the spells by nimbly stepping out of the way or blocking the rocks with his shield, he quickly climbed up. Taking out a sword, he charged at the mage with heavy steps.
"Die!" he shouted and lurched forward.
The Shaman screeched and stumbled back, trying to defend itself with the staff. But it was utterly useless.
The wooden handle was sliced apart together with the hand that was holding it. The beast might have high attack power when left to its own devices, however, when faced with an experienced warrior it couldn't even defend itself.
The man jumped forward and kicked the Orc in the chest, making it lose balance. It fell to the ground near the barrier and its head fell on the other side. The burning sensation around its neck alerted it to the present danger. It tried to quickly get back up.
"Oh, no you don't!" The warrior jumped on the Orc and held it down by the shoulders. The Shaman panicked and tried to move, feeling the Flame Barrier squeeze ever stronger. But once again, it was futile.
Its body was too weak, and as it looked into the eyes of the human, it only saw one outcome: Death!
The barrier pulsed once, and then pulsed again. With each second the grip became stronger and hotter.
The Shaman's eyes bulged out as the blood in its head started to boil. After releasing one last desperate roar, the Flame Barrier pulsed for the last time and crushed the beast's neck.
As the scorched head bounced off the wall, and rolled over the mountains of burnt corpses, the man inside finally released his grip on the Shaman.
He gave a quiet snort and plunged his metallic hand into the monster's chest cavity. He tore apart the ribs and internal organs, revealing a fist-sized Magma Crystal growing inside. It was beautiful. A dark-brown, almost black piece of Ether Crystal with lines of crimson running through it like veins of magma through an active volcano.
"Oooh, that's a big one! Good one boss, nice kill!"
A person cheered from afar and ran up to him. "Your fame as the Dark Knight will surely increase after tonight and the name Otis will be known to all!"
"Heh, what are you doing here, boy? Where are the others?" The Dark Knight Otis smiled and ruffled the young man's hair.
The boy grumbled but didn't try to stop him. He said with bright eyes, "They had a few monsters to take care of and-" His words froze in his throat and his eyes enlarged.
Otis the Dark Knight immediately recognized it as immense fear. He could see something moving in the reflection of the boy's eyes. However, before he could do anything…
"Watch out!" the boy screamed and shoved him to the side.
Thunk!
At that moment Otis felt the world slow down as he could only helplessly watch with an extended hand. A trail of blood was reflected in his wide eyes as it arched through the air from the tree trunk-like wooden club, all the way to the falling body of his little friend.
The boy landed hard on the stone ground, his limbs and body twisting in unnatural angles, and his clothes started filling up with blood.
"NOOO!" Otis screamed at the top of his lungs, and his heart started beating like a drum. His body felt sick and he started shaking.
"Hoh? I missed?"
Dark Knight slowly turned to look behind him to where the voice was coming from. An uprooted tree was poking through the barrier, sizzling and burning, held by a giant hand.
Otis looked up. It was an Ogre. Hairy and tall, it towered above him on the other side of the Flame Barrier. Then it took a step closer.
As its giant body passed the barrier, it paused inside. Its hair was instantly burned off, revealing bright skin underneath. It grinned stupidly, almost as if enjoying the sensation.
Otis felt the anger in his heart erupt like a volcano and he gritted his teeth and gripped his sword. Fighting against an enemy like this was madness, and he knew it… But he was currently so indescribably mad!
He raised his shield.
"Heeh... heehee... heeheehee!"
The Ogre laughed with its deep, bone-chilling voice, and slowly lifted the club above its head. It spoke in the human tongue.
"Puny human!"
CRUNCH!