CLANG!
"Look alive, Vampire. The fight ain't done yet!"
Out of nowhere, Draken found himself staring wide-eyed at the back of an NPC guard that was carrying a shield. This Aswang was no doubt part of the entourage that Young Master Valedd brought with him for the expedition.
'Wow! And here I thought that these NPC guards were useless mobs that could easily be taken down. Yet here I am currently being saved by one of them.'
Honestly, the dude just suddenly appeared in his view before he could even process anything that had happened. In his mind, Draken was already mentally preparing himself to experience his first-ever death in the game. The image he expected to see was his head rolling over, but fortunately for him, unpredicted help arrived just in the nick of time.
"GRRAAAGH!!!"
The NPC guard stood his ground surprisingly well despite the razor-sharpness of the spinning axe that wanted to cut everything in half. Sparks flew everywhere on his shield, as the axe never stopped its abnormally brisk rotation. Lowering himself a bit, the NPC guard directed his shield toward the top of his head before flinging the spinning axe away to the sky.
"He did it!" Draken exclaimed.
That definitely didn't look like an easy feat to do, especially if he thought about the fact that the skill came from a player and a mere NPC somehow deflected it.
'This game just keeps getting more and more surprising.'
"You f***ing NPC! We're not done yet!"
Tunok caught the spinning axe that magically returned to him similar to what a boomerang would do. Then, he brandished both his weapons and charged at them like a wild beast.
Meanwhile, Gaius came up behind the NPC guard he was targeting and flailed his humongous axe horizontally to bisect the enemy.
"Halve the Sea!"
At this moment, Valedd also shouted out something, "You attendant! Quickly consume the Demonic Life-Ending Pill!"
After saying that, Valedd turned his gaze away from his allies and steeled his resolve to face the oncoming ogres. He couldn't afford to be distracted anymore, because he was currently about to fight ten opponents simultaneously on his own. No matter how he looked at it, their present situation was not a favorable one to stay in for an extended period. Sooner or later, he needed to find the chance to escape out of here alive lest he sees himself being food for the Mongrels in this forest.
"I ORDER ALL OF MY BODYGUARDS HERE TODAY, TO THOSE WHO ARE STILL LOYAL AND FAITHFUL TO ME! PROTECT ME WITH YOUR LIVES, AND I WILL SEE TO IT THAT YOU RECEIVE YOUR JUST REWARDS!"
"""WE WILL GIVE OUR LIVES TO PROTECT THE YOUNG MASTER!!!"""
Every single one of the NPC guards responded with a roar of zealous fervor. The NPC guard that was about to be bisected instantly popped a ruby pill into his mouth just as he was struck by Gaius' humongous axe. The metal armor he was wearing caved in and split open in a blink of an eye.
Flesh and bones were torn apart as the heavy axe dug itself halfway through his whole waist… But that was it—the axe didn't manage to fully cleave its target as Gaius had intended.
"W-WHAT?! M-MY AXE DIDN'T CUT YOU IN HALF?!"
Of course, having such a fatal injury spelled death for anyone. However, the NPC guard in front of him was still clearly alive, more so the eyes glaring at him were entirely blood-red in color as if its owner was possessed by a demon.
"Go and bathe in the fiery pits of hellfire, you filthy traitor!"
The NPC guard raised his claymore one-handedly and swung it down with unimaginable quickness as well as intensity. Such a large sword was normally a great hassle to use by its wielder, and yet, the NPC guard showed no strain of bearing significant weight on his single right arm.
"Terra Form!"
Having no choice but to suffer the brunt of this massive sword slice, Gaius promptly activated a defensive skill and braced himself. Immediately, a layer of earthen light-brown shell covered his entire being as a protective coat.
BOOM!
The claymore smashed down on him like a wrecking ball, bringing up chaffs of dust and debris in its wake. A film of fine soil obscured the result; however, when the dust finally settled, a Tikbalang who cut a sorry figure panickily jumped out and was then followed along by an enraged Aswang.
"How the hell are you suddenly so strong!?"
Additionally, Gaius could see the fatal, bone-deep wound that he dealt to the NPC guard squirming like worms as it quickly regenerated new muscles and blood cells.
***
(Aswang Guard, LVL. 10)
Type: Normal
State: Hostile
Special Condition: Demonic Life-Ending Pill is currently in effect – (4 mins. 28 secs.)
Health: 106/450 (+100)
Mana: 180/200 (+50)
Physical Defense: 30 (+20)
Magic Resistance: 20 (+20)
Skill/s: Lifesteal
***
In the meantime, Valedd was interlocked in a life and death combat as he struggled for survival like never before.
"Aswang's Heightened Senses!"
"Lifesteal!"
"Crisscross Slash!"
He did everything in his power to stay alive, employing whatever techniques and skills he had left in his arsenal. But deep down he knew that all of this was both futile and pathetic if he couldn't change his disadvantageous circumstance. Because sooner or later, death's embrace is sure to come to him.
***
(Ogre Bodyguard, LVL. 10)
Type: Normal
State: Hostile
Health: 420/420
Mana: 250/250
Physical Defense: 30
Magic Resistance: 30
Skill/s: Fireball
***
"Hahaha! Yes, yes! It is better for you to struggle in vain like an ant than to die a quick death! This is what you deserve Valedd for stealing my beloved Mirosa away from me!"
"She doesn't belong to you, fatty trash bastard!"
Valedd kept swinging his sword from left to right, up and down, trying to keep it together against the barrage of never-ending attacks from the ten ogres. His breath was turning shallow and ragged, as wounds began to pile up all over his pale-red body. Fresh blood trickled, oozed, and dripped down, pattering constantly on the ground with no end in sight.
Will he really be able to survive this ordeal? At the moment, Valedd was feeling increasingly unsure of himself.