The array of powerful monsters that Cole would have cowered at an hour ago was wiped out in a single minute. He could only watch, stunned, as Strike Force Talos calmly dismantled the entire group without a scratch.
Surprisingly, Tamika was the first to make a move. She chanted a spell, and from the tip of her staff flew a red beam that struck Stannis in the back. The huge bald man roared, as a similarly coloured aura settled around his entire body. He swung at the nearest Gargoyle, and the strength of a single blow was enough to crunch through its body, sending pieces of rock flying into its fellow monsters, its demise turning it to stone.
Simultaneously, Bellisaire brandished her phantom bow, its afterimage smudging through the air. As she drew the silvery string back, a ghostly arrow appeared, nocking itself. The bow made no discernible sound, and as the arrow flew through the air, it didn’t stick into its foes, instead passing directly through them. Her first target was one of the flying Imps, which was preparing for a dive on the glowing red form of Stannis. The arrow silently phased through the monster, and for a moment, it seemed like nothing happened. A second later, the monster dropped, the light in its eyes extinguished.
Cole eyed the bow, he’d never seen anything like it before, but he’d hazard a pretty strong guess that it was some sort of magical artifact that was designed for the [Archer] class, as well as its further developments.
Tao seemed to be a bog standard [Mage], as far as Cole could tell. Magic missiles flew out of the tip of his staff, wearing down monsters that would then be crushed by Stannis. He didn’t seem to have huge combat ability, but the young man surprised he more than made up for it in other areas.
But the member of Strike Force Talos that shocked him the most was Malena. She didn’t get involved in the melee straight away, instead hanging back, eyes flicking back and forth in search of an opening. And when she found one, she pounced.
In the blink of an eye, Malena was gone, appearing in the middle of the group of monsters as Stannis smashed a path open. Her long nodachi flashed around, a high-pitched whistling sound following it. Gargoyles were turned into solid statues, only a thin line that bisected the stone indicating that they’d even been killed. Hulking Gargoyles that weren’t within reach were also dispatched, screaming crescent slashes flowing out from the edge of the blade. When they didn’t instantly kill them, they dropped arms and legs, leaving easier targets for the arrows of Bellisaire or the bolts from Tao’s staff.
The quick slaughter ended with the death of a lone Imp, who frantically dived towards Malena. She thrust the nodachi straight up into the air with one hand, skewering it straight in the middle. A flick of her wrist, and the monster’s corpse was sent flying into the woods.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Cole was stunned. Every action, every movement, was practiced, like they’d been doing nothing but fight every day of their life. Only a very small portion of people fought like that in Vestria Online, players who sunk hours learning how to properly move in a fight. Most players merely allowed the VRMMO’s system to guide their movements.
But here there was no VR system, nothing to assist you. Every movement he’d seen on display were clear examples of honed skill and cohesive teamwork, the kind that could only be created when fighting for not only your life, but that of your friends. And when that skill was turned onto foes far below their paygrade, Strike Force Talos annihilated them.
The group of adventurers moved forward, and Malena turned around to beckon him onwards. Cole recast his Runic Speed, which had run out while he was watching the fight and caught up with them. He went to ask one of the many questions that were running through his mind but thought better of it. He didn’t want to distract them from their mission, especially when that mission involved keeping him this side of the afterlife.
Thinking about the afterlife in this world did bring up some interesting moral questions though. Obviously, the Infernal dimension wasn’t where people went when they died, it had just been designed by the developers to be based off a certain idea of the afterlife. But if there were gods, then what did that mean for him if he did die? As someone who had already died, Cole knew that life afterwards was obviously possible, but would that happen again? Would he have been thrust into yet another world if he’d been snapped up by the jaws of the Drake?
He shook his head. There was too much to think about there, and he didn’t want to freak himself out while running through a forest filled with monsters from almost literal hell. He did have some solace however. Whenever any of said monsters appeared they were quickly vanquished by the adventurers. If a larger group appeared, he was once again made to sit back and watch while they cleared them out. It did make sense. Stannis had told him that Strike Forces were tasked with nullifying worrisome Gates before the things inside could make it to the town. Obviously, a Surge was a bit more than they could handle on their own, but low ranked monsters like these may as well have been made of paper to them. He did wonder how they would have fared against the Drake. It had been a struggle even for Thesta, although he had a feeling that it hadn’t been a fair fight. She’d had to kill the Koboldevil thing right before.
Cole refreshed his speed rune again and scanned the trees. Although he knew he’d probably be the last person to spot anything, it still made him feel a little safer. He smirked, realising that this was probably the longest time he’d spent outside in years, since he’d been injured. He wasn’t entirely to blame, the nerve damage made it hard to run, even on painkillers, but he could have at least gone for walks, or even sat in the park. He just… hadn’t.
They kept running, nearing the incline that would take them to the area of the Surge. Cole was surprised. They were already here, and nothing had gone wrong.
‘Wow,’ he thought, ‘I can’t believe how ea-‘
A huge ball of fire rocketed through the trees to their right side, crashing into Stannis. The huge man would have been roasted to a crisp if it wasn’t for the glowing sphere of energy surrounding him. Cole looked over at Tamika, whose outstretched staff pointed towards him, a look of intense concentration on her face.
The blast of the explosion knocked him and the others back regardless, and as the flames faded, Cole could see a figure. Blood red robes, horns spiralling out the top of its head. Scales covered its frame from head to toe, and he could tell that it was the same height as Stannis.
Then there were its eyes. Flames flickered within them, a gateway into a world of cinders and ash.
Worst of all, they were pointed directly at him, and as alien as they were, Cole could all too easily tell that it had seen him before.
The Koboldevil was back for round two.