Hazel made a huge mistake. And that mistake was staring her down like she was food. The small group of Orcs encircled around her and the dark elf, closing the distance with each step.
The mage tightly gripped her staff, keeping her eyes trained on the monsters around her. In the back of her mind, she tried to devise a plan to escape. Aside from when she slew down the Orcs that nearly killed Astrid, this was her first time dealing with these hulking creatures.
Running away likely wasn’t an option. Even if her agility stat nearly at twenty, something told her that escaping from these monsters wouldn’t be an easy feat.
Though, it might be for the dark elf. Hazel shifted to take a glance at the other player with her. Since she was a Ranger, Astrid was likely faster than Hazel. Which meant…that she could easily escape these Orcs by abandoning the mage.
With this realization, Hazel got nervous. Sweat beaded down her face as she took glances between the dark elf and the Orcs. Her heart pounded against her chest, threatening to burst out like from some cartoon scene.
What was the dark elf player going to do? Stay and fight with Hazel or abandon her? The suspense was quite literally killing, considering she could die at the hands of the Orcs.
Staring down at the Orcs, Astrid let out a groan before turning to Hazel.
“Hey, mage, can you possibly cast that purple sickle spell again?”
Hazel paused, not sure of what to say. “…I believe so, yes.”
The mage could tell that her cooldown was over thanks to a mental click that informed her of her spell’s availability. However, she wasn’t certain why the dark elf was asking such a thing. Could she be planning something to get them out of this predicament?
“Do you have other spells in your arsenal as well?”
Hazel nodded, remaining silent.
“We need to thin their numbers out,” Astrid stated. “I’ll focus as a vanguard and attack them from up close. I need you to support me.”
Hazel was hesitant about the dark elf’s plan. It wasn’t that she had no desire to assist the player, since if that was the case, she wouldn’t have saved her from the orcs in the first. It was because of their current dynamic.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” The mage questioned nervously. “Judging from your weapon, your class is a Ranger, right? Wouldn’t you be at a disadvantage?”
Both of them were technically support-type players that used long-range attacks to kill their enemies. If the dark elf tried to fight up close, it could end in their defeat if she wasn’t careful.
“Just because I use a bow, doesn’t mean I can’t fight up close.” Astrid asserted.
She sounded confident. Almost arrogantly so.
“You say that, and yet I had to jump in and save you before because of that,” Hazel blurted out almost instinctively.
“I didn’t ask you to,” The dark elf snapped. “I had that situation under control.”
“If you say so,” The mage softly scoffed.
“Let’s focus on the Orcs for now, alright?”
“Right,” she nodded.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Hazel realized that this wasn’t the most opportune time for them to be arguing, so she quickly shifted gears and focused on the task at hand.
“Remember to provide me with support,” Astrid reminded while rushing toward one of the Orcs before them. “I’ll try and draw their attention to me!”
The dark elf drew two daggers from her side while rushing at the enemy. Hazel followed suit, knowing that staying in place would only put her in more danger.
The Orcs before them responded by brandishing their weapons, preparing themselves for battle. Astrid made the first move and lunged at one of the beasts. She drove her two daggers into the beast’s chest.
The monster stumbled back as the blades dug deeper into its body. It then roared, not in pain but in anger at its prey attacking it. Its arms reached for the dark elf, but it was immediately swatted away by two mana bolts.
The rods of magic pierced the Orc’s palms, leaving two large holes in its wake. Astrid didn’t even need to turn around to know that Hazel was doing her part. She instead, ripped out one of her blades before thrusting it in the Orc’s neck.
Just as the beast was about to collapse, the dark elf jumped off. Landing on the ground, she faced the other Orcs rushing toward her. Hazel then sprinted passed Astrid while firing off more mana bolts to stave off the beasts.
Escaping their encirclement, Hazel placed her back against the tree while facing off against the remaining Orcs. A couple of the beasts attempted to go after the mage before Astrid drew her bow and fired a few arrows at them, drawing their attention toward her instead.
Just before the Orcs could attack, two more mana bolts were fired at their ankles. The spell was strong enough to carve out a good chuck on their fragmented flesh. Unable to support themselves, the orcs fell to their knees.
Astrid quickly took action and pulled out one of her daggers. With the blade, she blurred toward one of the beasts and pierced its skull. It ceased moving right after, dropping its weapon while shattering to bits.
Just as the dark elf tried to take down the other Orc, one of Hazel’s mana bolts appeared and tore through its neck. The kill was instant as the beast slumped over right after, and its body slowly fractured like the rest.
Witnessing this, Astrid turned to Hazel with a cocked brow. The mage simply shrugged with a sly smile.
“What? You thought I was going to let you have all the kills?”
Before the dark elf could respond, the remaining Orcs drew closer to the pair. Astrid spun around with both blades drawn, facing off against the group. Hazel responded similarly, readying her staff to cast another spell. And a strong spell at that.
“Let them get closer first,” Hazel advised.
“Are you sure?” Astrid hastily questioned, sounding anxious.
“Unless you want to take on so many Orcs at once.”
The dark elf didn’t respond and simply waited as the mage suggested. Hazel could see her grip the blades tightly as the Orcs drew closer to them.
The pair then waited. Neither of them did anything as the Orcs closed the distance between them with each step. Sweat coated Hazel’s palms, making it difficult to hold her staff properly.
The distance was getting shorter and shorter. It wasn’t until Hazel saw the Orcs were bunched together that she finally made her move.
“Duck, now!” The mage ordered.
Astrid wasted no time and dove to the ground. Once she was not in range, Hazel raised her staff and fired another baneful sickle at the charging Orcs. The spinning sickle tore through a good majority of the beasts.
[Level 8 Orc has been defeated!]
[Level 9 Orc has been defeated!]
[Level 10 Orc has been defeated!]
[Level 9 Orc has been defeated!]
[Level 8 Orc has been defeated!]
[You have leveled up! You are now Level 13!]
Despite not taking down all of the enemies, Hazel still managed to level up, which was a delightful sight in her eyes. Meanwhile, Astrid lunged forward and took care of the remaining Orcs that Hazel failed to kill.
She blurred near one and drove her dagger through its skull. The other Orc tried to assist and swung its weapon at the dark elf. However, she jumped off and watched as the monster severed its brethren’s head.
Sheathing her blades, the dark elf then pulled out her bow. Notching an arrow, a fierce red aura pulsed around the projectile as if empowering it. Loosing it, the arrow zipped through the air before piercing through the Orc’s chest, leaving a gaping hole where its sternum used to be.
Both Hazel and Astrid watched the monster collapse on the ground while turning into purple fragments. They watched the bright violet lights float in the air before dissipating right after.
With the last lights fading, the dark elf spun around to face Hazel. Instead of looking grateful, the player had the same suspicious gaze from when they first met, leaving the mage in an awkward situation once again.
Hazel struggled to speak as the dark elf kept her eyes trained on her. Then, taking a deep breath, the mage built up the courage to say something.
“So…you come around here often?”
…Maybe it would’ve been better if she hadn’t said anything at all.