Aaron heaved, holding his thighs and hunching over his back. He dropped his sword, a retired gleam in his eyes as he stared at the piles upon piles of bodies before him, "Are the demons in this cave supposed to be this numerous? I can't feel my wrist…"
"I didn't know that hobgoblin elites spawned here." Arlene heaved, standing beside the tired Aaron as she defended a terrified Aurora. The demons started few, but at a point they came pouring in waves, "We can't keep on like this. I am reaching my limit too."
"I-I am sorry. I should have verified the information first before dragging you with me to this place." Aurora apologised, standing to her feet and picking up one of the hobgoblin blades, "I will defend myself. Focus on keeping yourselves alive."
"Dammit, if I knew demons would be in here, then I would have brought stronger aid. I just hope we can get out of this in one piece." Aaron frowned, then he straightened his spine, "Well, we'll need to deal with the threats before us first. Sigh."
"I will cast «Combustion» if any monsters come here. We'll take the chance to retreat further back." Arlene announced, turning to Aurora who stood behind her, "If we are near the entrance, it'd be easier for someone to find us. I think its the safest."
"What about the people that live in this cave? What if they came back?" Aurora asked, forcing Arlene to wear a concerned expression on her face. She shook her head, "If we left in this position, then we'd be very exposed! We should hide here."
"That won't work, the goblins would sniff us out." Aaron replied, his eyes colder than ice, cracking his neck and knuckles, "Our best bet is to go to the entrance. I doubt anyone would live in such a cave and if they would be any scarier than the demons in here."
Aurora listened to Aaron, then nodded her head, "Okay. You two head back and I will cover your flank. I guess we can't stay here with all the bodies even if we wanted to. I'll try to support you with a single or more «Flame Shot» if I can."
Unlike «Combustion» that could set an entire crowd of demons on fire, «Flame Shot» was a basic skill learned by many in Iona— it's a straight shot of fire that dealt damage to a single target. The damage scaled with travel distance, but was mostly pathetic.
As they prepared to leave, an arrow whistled through the air at a frightening speed. It pierced through Aurora's chest, sending her staggering back as the pain attacked her mind and drew a sharp cry, causing Aaron's and Arlene's hearts to skip beats.
Another arrow flew through the air at a frightening speed, but before it could reach a target, Aaron dashed forward and slashed with his blade, diverting it. More came, but the swordsman stood his ground and deflected each and everyone of them, "Ah, shit."
Arrows rained on the ground, but they just kept pouring. Arlene turned from Augustus to Aurora, who sat on the ground overwhelmed with pain. Arlene quickly placed her hand over Aurora's mouth, then pulled out the arrow in her chest, drawing a muffled scream.
Aurora tore off a piece of clothing from her dress, applying pressure to the would. She heaved, glad to see that the arrows had stopped, her heart beating fiercely, "Dammit. I did not see that one coming. I don't think I'll be able to cover the flank like this, Haha."
"How deep is this cave? How can so many goblins be hiding in here…" Arlene glanced around, her pupils dilating. She watched Aaron, and seeing him staggered back and slump his hands, her pupils contracted, "Shit. He's going to run out of energy."
"Make a run for it hon, I'll cover the flank." Aaron gave Arlene a thumbs up, watching out of the corner of his eyes as she helped Aurora to her feet and sprinted for the entrance at full speed, "Man, I should have fallen sick yesterday. This sucks."
——
"I can't get pass these fools." Lily cursed, dashing from left to right at terrifying speeds and dodging each and every one of Valentine's area attacks, "Unlike this bitch, I can do my stuff a limited number of times. I can't find an opening with her spamming the skill."
"What rubbish are you rambling about, flame? Are you scared?" Valentine raised both of her hands to the sky, then swung them down. The ground burst apart, and a tide of wild energies— invisible to anyone but Valentine —surged forth, destroying everything.
Lily frowned, then dashed backward, creating even more distance between them. For a long time, Lily had never had the urges to punch someone in the face as she did now. After a while, the massive attack settled, and Lily prepared to close in again.
"You can't do anything right, can you?"
Hearing that voice, Lily turned around to find a familiar face approaching. Seeing him coming with one hand in his pockets and the other holding his sword, her eyes watered up and she sighed, "Brother, I thought I was going to die here. You actually came."
"Well, if you leave a big enough steak then the dog is sure to waddle over." He spoke in a cheerful tone, but his eyes was laced with killing intent. He snapped his finger in silence and in the next second, fiery chains shot out of the earth, wrapping around Valentine.
Augustus took a step forward and in the next instant, he was punching Valentine, his fist smashed into her beautiful face. Lily grinned with her hand stretched, watching as an immobile Valentine was knocked off the ground and sent flying into the air.
"Oh, that was a good one." Augustus watched her crash into a tree near the cave, then turned to the tree that guarded the cave. He stepped forward, and in a blink, all three got his punches delivered to their chest, flying in different directions, "I'll take if from here."