บท 63: 63 Becoming Both
Donis's [Void Sense] was always active and it would alert the group for the oncoming wave. Donis had prepared himself as much as he could. He even used some pills and ate some of the Stoneflowers he had bought for an extra edge. He learned he wasn't keen on losing limbs. Not only did it hurt like crazy the last time, it also nearly cost him an arm and a leg!
'Heh,' he mentally laughed.
"No smirking here Donis, focus on surviving today!" barked Striga.
"Yes cap'n!" shouted back Donis.
Donis ended up taking a [Basic Siphon Pill], an [Acumen Pill], and a [Haste Pill]. This gave him the ability to siphon up to 3% missing Mana and HP per second from his enemies, reduced Mana accumulation time by 15%, and an increase in his agility stat of 2. They weren't huge buffs, but they could be the difference between living and dying today.
A familiar ding resounded in Donis's mind.
-Side Quest: Survive the Sandracons onslaught.
Reward: [Title: Sandracon Survivor ] + [400SP]
Reward based on kills: +[50-500SP] -
'Hmm.. multiple rewards for a quest? That's odd. That's never happened, but I'm not complaining. Are my chances of surviving this higher than normal, or are you telling me they're lower than ever?' thought Donis.
-Your chances of survival are indeed higher, but the chances of something going wrong are through the metaphorical roof with this many Sandracons.-
'Huh, I guess... that makes sense,' thought Donis, feeling more confused.
The information they received earlier told them the Sandracons were moving quickly through the desert and all of them were targeting Baoruin. At most they would take an hour to get there and 45 minutes have passed already. The time of the battle was coming upon them and the soldiers morale seemed to be dwindling by the second.
Striga took it upon herself to personally oversee each soldiers preparations. Making sure they had full mana reserves, their area was covered in as much water as possible, and all of their best gear was on them. She knew 20 soldiers weren't really going to be enough to escape this without any losses, but she had to make due with what she was given.
As being the highest level there, she assumed natural command, and the soldiers felt somewhat better being told what to do in such an unprecedented situation. Even though Donis was level 20, he was still technically far too low to be there, yet his previous experience could bring them the help they needed. All the soldiers there were about level 33 give or take a few levels.
They were just within the range of fighting these monsters 1 on 1, but it wouldn't be a comfortable fight. They needed as many advantages as they could get. There was a military strategy that they all knew which combined their powers to create more powerful versions of their spells. It required the drawings of specific rune words on the ground. The sand proved to be useless in this regard as just about a stiff wind could ruin the runes.
The sandstone pillars proved to have a secondary use in holding down the runes in a much more stable way. The runes the army used were entire foreign to Donis, so even though he studied and memorized them right there, he had no real clue as to how to use them, or their real function. It didn't look like the soldiers there were going to share their secrets either, so Donis didn't even bother to ask. He just made a mental note to look into runes if he gets out of here in one piece.
With the Sandracons within Donis's [Void Mana] sight, the soldiers did the last few preparations. They finished the runic set up, and they used their potions to compliment their abilities. The runes lit up and created a light halo around the area, resounding with the runes on their uniforms. They seemed more confident when they saw the light envelop them.
No such runes appeared on Donis, so he thought that it was indeed a military secret, and definitely not one he'd have the pleasure of using to fight these monsters. He didn't feel hurt, as he knew he wasn't valued. At least not yet.
With 30s left before the clash, everyone stiffened. Striga stood her ground at the forefront of the battlefield. She summoned her weapon, Corpse Carver, and held it up. She cleared her throat and began shouting.
"Men. Today you will fight. You will fight with your entire heart and you will survive. You will continue to be the bastion of your people. Your ancestors will be proud of the strength you will show today."
"MEN. STRIKE TO KILL. STRIKE TO LIVE."
Everyone was swept up by her words. Everyone screamed in unison, accepting the battle, welcoming the bloodlust, banishing all worries and letting them flow into the ether as their screams reached the sky.
The ground erupted, dozens of Sandracons gushed out of the ground meters away from the wet sand. Striga sprung into action by rapidly dashing towards the first group. The metal rods she had set up earlier still perfectly erect. She cast [Water Prison] in a large area in front of her, consuming a large amount of mana.
The pillar was massive and submerged the entire first group of Sandracons. The soldiers then all cast a combined [Earth Prison] which then encased the [Water Prison] in front of them with a thick wall of quickly hardening sand. While the bottom was closed off, the top was left open for Striga to abuse. They knew they needed to cut off all possible escapes for the Sandracons, so sealing the bottom was a must.
Striga took it upon herself to jump high into the sky and above the water prison to then cast her signature spell, [Dark Lightning]. She cast it once and the entire prison sparked upwardly. She didn't stop casting. She stood atop the [Earth Prison] and continued casting her lightning until a soldier informed her everything in there had died.
Though everything within had died, the battle wasn't over. They quickly tore down the prisons and began a new assault on the next wave of Sandracons that emerged from the sand. The ferocity in Striga was unmatched. She was dashing between fights like a demon. The Witching Hour has fallen upon the battlefield and none could escape her.
Donis was slackjawed. He had never seen anything like it. There was a sense of synergy, and previous experience in fighting in large groups from Striga. Though he was both impressed and terrified, Donis had no real time to appreciate the beauty of the teamwork they were displaying. He had his own Sandracons to take care of.
His [Void Sense] was telling him that there were at least 10 Sandracons tunnelling right below him, and barrelling towards him at great speeds. He got in his battle stance, following what he knew from [Draconic-Humanoid Basic Fighting Stances]. He shifted his weight downwards and prepared to leap at any moment, observing the ground below himself.
He watched the Sandracons skewer themselves upon the shards of glass he prepared, and struggle to quickly pass through the wet sand. The speed at which they were approaching allowed them no room to stop and assess the glass shards in front of them. They weren't able to pierce the tough skin the Sandracons possessed, but their mouths and eyes weren't as tough.
Blinding the Sandracons wasn't the goal for Donis, but he relished every advantage he could gain. He didn't know if they were going to even use their eyes, but as he watched their health bars decrease, a surge of hope filled Donis.
As the first drops of blood began flowing from the injured Sandracons, the others immediately began rushing towards their source. A single injured Sandracon was now surrounded by two healthy Sandracons who could smell the blood of their brethren.
It was a gruesome sight, the supposed allies ripping and tearing at each other. The first Sandracon had no way to fight back against two others when he was momentarily distracted. That made 9 Sandracons.
They leapt from the ground and reached an air of 3 meters high. Everything went slow motion for Donis. He could see each and every inch of these creatures. 6 in the air and 3 still below ground. They were going to pincer him, he could tell. He could feel it.
A calmness flowed over Donis. He knew he could do this. He summoned the Khopesh into his hand, and it felt natural. He felt different. His instincts were tingling. The call of something more proud called unto him. He gripped his sword tighter, sweat trickled off of his brow, and the Sandracons landed.
A screech escaped the monsters maws and Donis disappeared.
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