Sethryn had not realised until his just concluded battle with the mantis that he always fought and stayed on the defensive in all his battles so far.
That was good because he was instinctively sticking to his class type — Tank — but against formidable foes like the Green Mantis, he was forced to go into full offence, or else he risked losing the battle.
Now equipped with the green and black dagger — the Green Mantis' Claw, Sethryn's offensive capability was upped. He was no longer a defensive fighter alone but one also capable of charging forwards with confidence to attack.
<< AVATAR PROFILE >>
Name: Sethryn
Age: 18
Sobriquet: [ None Achieved ]
Race: Human
Level: 8
Grace: ??? [ Yet To Be Unlocked ]
Grace Type: ??? [ Yet To Be Unlocked ]
Class: Tank
Mana Type: Neutral [ +1060 MCP To Tier 1 ]
Skills:
– Right Of Roaming
– Shield Skill: Mana Resistance
Inventory:
– Shield [ Level 4 ]
– Basic Map
– Green Mantis' Claw
Coins: 0
Experience Points [EXP]: 450
Mana Core Points [MCP]: 940/2000
Life Points [LP]: 1284 [ 5% Remaining To Reach Maximum Life Points ]
>>
"Lysar."
Sethryn shook her body, trying to wake her but to no avail. She had taken a heavy blow to the head from the mantis and collapsed into unconsciousness.
Sethryn tried everything he knew, from chest compressions to mouth-to-mouth, all in a bid to save the elf.
"Lysar, wake up."
Finally, she groaned while still very much unaware of what was happening around her. She groaned again and again. This gave Sethryn hope that she was on her way back to the conscious world.
All he now needed to do was to help her.
Sethryn crouched, lifted her slender elven body and placed her on his back.
"We need to leave this place. If there are more mantid here, then it would be troublesome," he told himself.
...
...
...
Sethryn walked until he reached an open ground — a combat training ground that looked like a very miniature version of a coliseum, but just enough for four to five people at most to train.
He recognised it to be a training ground and started to move in the path that led to the arena, with Lysar still groaning on his back.
Luckily enough, it was near the bank of a lake. That way, he would end up killing two birds with one stone.
Sethryn first carried the elf to the lakeside. He laid her down on the sandy ground of the bank and walked into the lake to get water.
Without any container nearby, Sethryn took off his top, revealing his bare chest. He immersed the cloth in water, soaking it and then, returning to the Lysar side.
Raising the wet cloth over Lysar's face, he wrung the cloth and squeezed the water onto the elf's face. The coldness of the lake's water was enough to bring Lysar back to the conscious realm.
She jerked up and started to cough and sneeze. The water from Sethryn's wet cloth had entered many orifices on her face — mouth, nostrils, ears.
After a while, she stopped coughing and began to gasp. Her chest heaved visibly and eventually started to settle albeit gradually.
She looked around, not recognising where was. As she wondered where she was, a flash of her last memory suddenly rushed back into her mind.
Lysar screamed and speedily dragged herself backwards. Her eyes and mouth gaped in horror as she thought the Green Magic Mantis had actually appeared before her.
"The mantis!"
Sethryn grabbed her hands immediately.
"Calm down," he said.
"There's nothing here. The mantis is gone. It's dead."
Lysar's wide gaze turned slowly towards Sethryn. He could clearly see the despair and fear in her eyes.
"Don't worry. I killed it already."
Lysar rushed into his arms and began to cry, sobbing on his chest.
"Thank you," she said, her voice muffled.
Sethryn was taken aback by the quick hug and had his arm hanging in the air. He glanced at the elf and finally returned her hug while stroking her long hair.
"It's not coming back. Don't worry."
...
...
...
While the awaited saviour of the elves locked himself inside the realm of the Great Forest Temple along with his companion, the Goblin King continued her onslaught and domination of what remained of Emeraldia.
Capturing Eldarion was the first step and she had achieved it.
The fall of the most powerful elven village — Eldarion — in Emeraldia made it easy for her to capture the rest and ruling over Emeraldia was easy from thereon.
That was her plan and she had accomplished it. The emerald mines across the vast lands of Emeraldia were all hers.
She had gathered everything she needed for her next line of action.
Jogund looked at the construction that was ongoing and smiled, satisfied but still worried about the progression.
It was moving well but slower than she expected even though the elves obediently mined the emeralds and worked their backs out in pain, from the whippings and burnings, and gut-wrenching hunger.
They had to keep pushing if they wanted to see another day.
To fall was to die.
To stop was death as well.
Whatever shortcomings that came from them were punishable by death and death alone.
"Just a little more time. A little more time and I will take back my rightful place from that witch."
...
...
...
Lysar had regained her complete self. Her face lightened up and she began to clap with enthusiasm as she watched Sethryn train to wield the Green Mantis' Claw better.
Sethryn had never used a dagger or sword or even any weapon at all.
The first time he ever wielded a weapon was the time he took Scarred Mouth's eye with remote control as his weapon.
He felt an eerily frigid crawl on his skin that made him shrink as he thought about it. That was gruesome, something he ordinarily would not believe he was capable of doing.
That situation was not so different from the one he was training and sharpening himself for. It was, after all, going to be a life-and-death situation like it was with Scarred Mouth and Stutterer.
Sethryn did not want to be found lacking ever again.
The player's breath was harsh and fast from straining his body and his determined gaze remained fixed on the greenish-black dagger cradled in his hand, the Green Mantis' Claw.
Its finely polished blade glinted in the filtered sunlight, casting an eerie reflection that seemed to dance with his anticipation. The dagger's pitch-black handle fitted perfectly within his grip.
With each exhale, Sethryn's heartbeat steadied, his focus sharpening. He knew that mastering the Green Mantis' Claw required more than just physical skill — it demanded a connection, an understanding of the weapon's magic essence.
After all, the blade was born from the essence of the Green Magic Mantis.