The orc's mouth drooled, its teeth touching the little boy's head. Just as all hope seemed lost, two adventurers burst onto the scene.
— Shoulder Charge
Jarek, with his hard skin shoulder, slammed into the orc's side, causing the massive creature to lose its balance backward.
Nikos followed closely behind, ripping a magic scroll and sending three waves of small tornadoes that sent the orc flying far backward.
The orc, quickly recovering, raised itself again, glaring at them and roaring.
Jarek didn't want to give the monster a chance. He leaped forward with a battle cry.
— Battle Cry
He fought the orc by himself, trying to buy time so his master could save the young family first.
Jarek's greataxe flashed in the fading moonlight. He struck down at the orc with a swift blow, which the monster deflected with its large club.
Nikos quickly grabbed the boy and placed him next to his parents.
He swiftly pulled out two health potions. "Give this potion to your mother," he instructed, handing one to the boy while helping the father drink the other.
The boy, still shaking, nodded and did as he was told, giving the potion to his mother. The parents, finally recovering their health, they pulled their child close.
"Thank you so much, sir," the father said, bowing.
"Stay here for a moment. Wait for the rescue," Nikos advised as he leapt forward to assist Jarek, who was growing weary from fighting the orc.
The orc, taken aback by the two adventurers, stumbled backward a little. Nikos and Jarek took turns attacking with swift and deadly precision, injuring the monster.
"Mashter, this monster is no ordinary foe. This is a chief orc!" Jarek informed Nikos.
Nikos looked around and didn't see any other orcs nearby. This chief orc is alone. We need to kill it before its group arrives and they become stronger.
"I see. Keep the monster busy for now. We will wait for Liriel and Marielle," Nikos ordered, slashing at the orc with his sword.
Jarek nodded, giving his all against the monster. The big orc fought back didn't let itself being the only one getting attack, its kicking, punching, swinging its club, and headbutting toward its opponents.
This monster had a massive amount of health.
Nikos and Jarek received many wounds, but the two held the monster off well. The parents, still shaken but grateful, watched in awe as the two fought off the big orc by themselves. The little boy, still trembling with fear, looked up at his parents with wide eyes, then turned to gaze at Nikos and Jarek with a mixture of wonder and admiration.
Soon after, Liriel and Marielle arrived at the scene.
— Healing Wave
Marielle immediately sent her healing skill to Nikos and Jarek, supporting them and recovering their health.
Nikos noticed their arrival and shouted, "Liriel, take that family to a safer place."
"What about you two, sir?" Liriel asked.
"We are fine! You go take them, Marielle can support us to kill this thing!" Nikos responded while holding off the big orc's attacks.
Liriel followed Nikos' instructions, placing her trust in him. She went to the family. "Follow me, I will take you to the town square. It will be safe there."
The young family quickly stood and followed Liriel.
"I will be back soon!" Liriel shouted to her boss.
Nikos fought with precision and skill. His greatsword sliced through the orc's skin like a hot knife through butter.
— Advanced Sword Mastery [Passive] + Deep Slash
The orc roared in pain and struck the ground hard, sending a shockwave that pushed Jarek and Nikos backward.
Meanwhile, in the distance, Marielle moved quickly, her hands weaving intricate patterns as she cast her healing spells at the exact moment, supporting the two.
The battle raged on, the sound of clashing steel and screams filling the air. Nikos and Jarek fought in perfect sync, their movements fluid and precise. Jarek used his greataxe to deflect the orc's blows, while Nikos used his sword to strike down.
As the fight continued, from a distance in the town, other adventurers began to appear. Soon, Liriel also returned and quickly joined the fight against the orc chief.
However, the adventurers that appeared did not come alone; they brought other monsters with them. It looks like our defense has been pushed back quite far from the front lines. Nikos thought as he saw them approaching.
Now, with the orc chief meeting up with its group of orcs, their fighting spirit was renewed in vigor. Nikos and his group also reunited with the other adventurers, including the Lunar Vanguard party.
Everyone was busy fighting the monsters. As many monsters were slain, the adventurers were pushed deeper into the town.
Slowly, the monsters on the ground and aerial monsters began to fall one by one.
With Nikos' full party, their attacks were in sync against the smaller monsters and groups of orcs. Jarek slashed here and there with his greataxe, Liriel used her agility, darting around the monsters and slashing the necks of many smaller creatures.
Nikos pulled a special shield from his inventory bag, adding it to his sword, fighting the orcs in his truest warrior form. Marielle kept her distance perfectly, channeling her healing skills to a larger area.
However, the orc group was not easily defeated. They fought back with ferocity, their rusty swords and clubs striking true.
"Stay sharp!" Nikos ordered his group.
Besides the monsters falling, many adventurers sadly died heroically, sacrificing themselves to defend the town, while others suffered severe and some fatal wounds.
The orc chief, a massive monster with a cruel grin, threw its club and picked up a sword from its fallen enemies. It charged forward with the sword raised high.
The chief still hadn't died. He was the largest of the orcs, with muscles bulging beneath his skin like thick ropes. His eyes glowed with a fierce red light, and his very presence seemed to continue to darken the air around him.
Nikos, sensing the orc chief's power, stepped forward to meet him. His shield glowed brighter, and his sword flashed in the sunlight as he struck down the orc leader's blow. The two clashed, their swords ringing out as they exchanged blow after blow.
This monster is strong, but I've killed bigger ones than this before. This time will also be the same. Nikos thought, gathering all of his focus.
Marielle moved quickly, her hands weaving intricate patterns as she cast her spells to heal Nikos's wounds.
Everyone kept getting pushed by the monsters until all the fighting could be seen in the town square. Jarek, meanwhile, fought off the remaining orcs, his greataxe slicing through them with deadly precision. Liriel helped Jarek, her daggers striking the orcs' necks with lightning speed. The monsters roared in pain before falling to the ground.
Liriel turned to Nikos, trying to help. "Sir, let me help you."
"No need, kill all the remaining monsters first before you help me."
Liriel nodded and helped clean up the remaining monsters near them with Jarek.
The fight lasted all night until morning arrived. The battle raged on, the sound of clashing steel and screams filling the air. Slowly, the monsters began to die one by one.
In the end, Nikos struck the final blow, his sword plunging deep into the orc chief's chest. The orc leader let out a deafening roar, then collapsed to the ground, defeated.
The battle was won, but at great cost. The streets were littered with the bodies of fallen monsters and adventurers. The townsfolk were shaken by the ferocious attack of the second wave. In the end, the town stood victorious but weary. They had saved the town, but they knew that the monster wave was far from over.
The sunlight hinted at the town's survival of the second wave. Many adventurers were heavily wounded, and Nikos and Jarek were also covered in wounds.
The Adventurers' Guild staff and the guild master, along with many healers, helped heal the other adventurers of their wounds.
Marielle and Liriel immediately approached Nikos and Jarek, kneeling and quickly tending to their master.
"Let me heal you, Master," Marielle said, tending to Nikos's wounds carefully and fondly. After she had healed Nikos enough, she turned to tend to Jarek's wounds.
Nikos turned to Liriel, "Liriel, help me stand up."
Liriel quickly helped him to his feet, supporting Nikos, who was heavily tired from fighting the whole night. His human physique was very tired from it all.
Liriel supported Nikos's arms, looking around at the many adventurers in different reactions: crying, laughing, smiling, mourning. The two passed several adventurers' bodies and went back to the town square.
"That's enough, Liriel. Put me down here," Nikos said.
"Are you okay, sir?" Liriel asked with a hint of concern as she carefully put Nikos down to sit on the fountain.
Other civilians watched Nikos sit in the town square. They felt grateful to him and the other adventurers for defending the town.
Then Nikos pulled out healing potion stocks from his magic inventory bag. 1,000 health potions, to be exact. "Distribute all these potions to the wounded," Nikos ordered.
Liriel nodded and began distributing the potions. The townsfolk also willingly helped spread the potions.
Reychard approached Nikos, who was sitting, and bowed his head deeply. "Thank you, Sir Nikos, for evacuating the townspeople."
As Reychard bowed, other townspeople mimicked his gesture and bowed deeply to Nikos.
Nikos, still sitting, raised his hand. "Please, everyone, I didn't do much. Many adventurers did their hardest and sacrificed themselves."
"But still, let me thank you on behalf of the townspeople for your quick thinking in the situation." Reychard insisted.
Then Nikos stood up, nodded slightly, and bowed back to them.
As Reychard expressed his gratitude to Nikos, one of the adventurers approached Reychard and whispered something in his ear, that make his expression changing.