Boom!
Radiant Shield's hair stood on end as he barely managed to jump aside. Only the burned ground remained where he had been standing until a moment ago.
"Hey, watch where you aim!"
Cyclone was too immersed in her attack to acknowledge Radiant Shield's reprimand.
But as both tanks carefully left the area of the mage's spell, the orc scouts mindlessly followed. Quickly they were about to leave as well.
"Nono, hold them back!"
Cyclone shouted anxiously. She still had four bolts left, which might even be enough to kill one of the orcs.
Bang!
Another bolt missed the enemy. The two tanks were uncertain about what to do.
"Gather all your strength and slam your bodies into the orcs!"
Liam yelled, barely managing to make himself heard over the loud thunder.
Radiant Shield and Silver Blade didn't hesitate, showing their trust in Bleary Mirage. They did as told, their shields colliding with the orcs' chests.
With a grunt the orc hit by Silver Blade stumbled backwards, entering the lightning area again.
Radiant Shield however wasn't able to move his opponent, his movements not forceful enough.
The maneuver Liam told the tanks to perform counted as a normal attack. It was often useful to control the opponents, something good tanks were required to learn.
Similar movements could also be applied when defending. Being able to keep one's body stable allowed one to decrease the loss of stance.
Before entering the next dungeon, we need to hold a few training sessions. The mages need to learn flash step as well.
Liam allowed himself some idle thoughts as he watched the last bolt of lightning accurately strike the top of an orc's head.
The scout directly turned into ashes as the fierce lightning magic took its last HP. The cloud in the sky shook one last time as if to say goodbye before fading.
Cyclone stood with a bright smile and her chest sticking out proudly.
"Ah!"
Suddenly the blond woman glared at Balm, who had just elbowed her sides.
"What was that for? You ruined my moment!"
"The fight isn't over yet!"
Cyclone closed her mouth awkwardly. She turned her head towards Radiant Shield, who blocked another arrow after Balm had healed him just in time.
Having her grand moment destroyed she grumbled inaudibly, casting another [Lightning Strike]. A jolt ran through the orc scout but unfortunately, he didn't get paralyzed.
However, it didn't matter much. The opponent only managed to attack one last time before falling under the onslaught of skills form the party.
Radiant Shield let out a deep breath as he watched the three dead orcs. He only had about 700HP left. Although he still had some skills for protection it was impressive that three common mobs could push them so far.
"We made it.", said Silver Blade, similarly relieved.
"Only because of my ultimate!"
Cyclone had regained her proud expression, reminding the party of her contributions.
Silver Blade chuckled faintly but nevertheless gave Cyclone some well-deserved praise:
"Yeah only because of you. Your new class is quite impressive."
"Indeed, your contributions to this fight can't be understated."
"Maybe we need to train our control, though.", reminded Fortune.
Liam nodded, agreeing with the content creator.
"Before the next dungeon starts, we have to train quite a few things. Control, flash step…
You can look forward to it."
"Is the next dungeon difficult?", asked Balm curiously.
"It's alright. Compared to later dungeons…"
Liam's voice trailed off ominously, sending a shiver down everyone's spine.
"Don't frighten us! Let's go leveling, go, go!"
Cyclone glared at Liam, urging the party forwards. She was even more upset as the orc scouts didn't drop anything useful.
The others agreed quickly. Following Liam's plan, they returned the way they came from while the veteran alone went deeper into orc territory.
Sneaking through the forest he soon heard a rustling, spotting the first group of three wargs.
Those beasts reared by orcs looked like large wolfs with an unhealthily bent back. Their deep dark fur and menacing teeth made them look like the terrifying predators that they are.
Liam emptied his mind, fully focusing on the task. He took out one of the meat baits he received earlier.
Instantly the wargs stopped in their actions. Their sensible snouts twitched, sniffing the air. Drool began to form in their mouths as a hungry gaze filled their eyes.
They turned their heads, instantly spotting Liam among the trees.
Knowing that he caught the beasts' attention the veteran didn't hesitate even a moment. He instantly turned around and sprinted through the forest.
"Woo! Wooo!"
"Wooor!"
The wargs let out strange dog-like noises as they instantly gave chase.
The smell from the meat in Liam's hand was quickly spread over a large part of the forest. Eager steps could be heard from all directions.
Meanwhile, Liam felt a shiver run down his spine. He felt the wargs coming closer steadily.
Suddenly the sound of footsteps changed. One of the wargs fell silent. Loud alarm bells rang in Liam's head. He instinctively threw his body forward.
A warg descended on the place Liam was still standing a moment ago, its vicious maw snapping at empty air.
Liam felt his stomach sink. Judging from his past life he should've barely been able to outrun the wargs. Luckily his strategy already planned for contingencies. He quickly dropped the meat in his hand before distancing himself.
Under Liam's observation, groups of wargs broke out of the surrounding foliage, eagerly battling for the piece of meat just short of injuring each other.
After a few seconds one of the beasts ended up winning, proudly raising its head with the trophy in its mouth.
Liam estimated the longest distance he could go before pulling out another bait. Instantly thirty pairs of eyes were directed towards him.
Even Liam felt the pressure as he turned around and ran. Thirty hungry beasts followed, the sound of their steps hanging over Liam like a guillotine.
Before the wargs got into attack distance, Liam reached the wooden bridge. He dropped a piece of meat before balancing over the slippery wood.
Reaching the other side of the river Liam had to wait until the wargs were done discussing the ownership of the meat before taking out another one.
With their sharp claws the beasts had no difficulties crossing the bridge, which was prepared for them in the first place.
Seeing this, Liam didn't dare to stay and instantly escaped along the river.
His breath was heavy, ringing in his own ears. For the next fifteen minutes the same scene repeated itself.
Liam ran away until the wargs got close. He bravely dodged one or two attacks before switching to a new bait.
Like this he soon reached the war-torn zone. A dilapidated village came into view.
At the back of the village was a large gate which was usually open, allowing players to engage the scavengers. Some of the latter lingered in front of the gate, conversing in small groups.
Liam quickly scanned the scene. As soon as he arrived within a certain range, two groups of scavengers turned towards him, ready for battle.
Ignoring them, Liam dashed between the scavengers before they could obstruct his path, entering the village.
The wargs angrily followed behind him, their attention still on the piece of meat in his hands. Like a brutal wave they made use of their agility to climb over the walls and press through the gate.
Seeing this, Liam finally let out a sigh of relief. He put away the meat in his hand. Suddenly the wargs lost their target. Their training kicked in, prompting them to stare angrily at the surrounding humans.
But only a moment later they perceived a smell in the air. There was even more meat! A whole pile of it!
Liam took a deep breath as the wargs ran away without paying him any attention, allowing him to hide among some ruined house.
At the other side of the village the wargs found the pile of meat, quickly dividing it among themselves. They consumed it eagerly, not caring about the scavengers who wandered around mindlessly.
Most NPCs, especially intelligent ones, usually didn't attack other NPCs on sight. This was also the case for the scavengers.
However, the wargs were different. Trained to attack humans they didn't differentiate between NPCs, players, soldiers, or others.
As soon as they consumed all the meat, they fletched their teeth and focused on the humans surrounding them.
Without hesitation they pounced on the groups of scavengers.
The latter reacted surprised but instantly retaliated. A fierce brawl ensued between the level 20+ mobs.
Liam sneaked carefully thorough the village, catching up with his party hiding in another house. They watched carefully through a window as the HP bars slowly emptied.
A few seconds later all the wargs and scavengers were caught up in the fight.
The party didn't need to fear attacks, leaving the house and surrounding the mobs.
They watched closely. Suddenly Liam's eyes lit up as he signaled Cyclone.
"Next to you, now!"