The formation that Eliza's group took up was a standard one. They all centered on protecting their spellcaster who provided boons for the rest of them to get stronger or faster, keeping her alive ensured their elevated state. An advantage that their party held over other groups.

Retang with his shield and flail stayed at the front, his role was to keep most of the larger monsters at bay. Supporting him in taking down the larger beasts were Tarik and Eliza. Tarik sliced through any demon that got in his way, using his speed to cover Retang's back. Eliza was the powerhouse among the melee combatants, the flying swords that she manipulated further enhanced her already deadly sword strikes.

At the back there was Natalie, casting spells to either buff her allies or send out devastating wind slashes and bolts of lightning. Harak the mace-bearing teen stood next to her, his role was to protect her from the foes that the frontline combatants missed. Varmoot on the other hand moved around the battlefield, keeping his distance while sending out shots that rarely missed.

The archer was almost as nimble as Tarik, while the two of them used different weapons the techniques they incorporated were rather similar. Channeling aura to his legs, the archer dashed away from a location the moment a demon reached within 10 meters of it.

"Get ready everyone!" Natalie informed the rest of them. A blue glow came from the tip of the gem on her staff. A big spell was coming.

Blue chains made out of mana sprung out of the ground, each of which tethered dozens of demons to their spot. "NOW!" Natalie shouted, prompting the others to do their jobs.

A massive wave of metal flew to the air, they formed into swords and each were sent towards the heads of different immobilized monsters. Eliza cleared out a whole section of the battlefield with one motion of her hand. An impressive display that would leave a lot of common soldiers speechless, a sight that would leave nobles envious.

'I still can't get used to that.' Natalie thought before she sent out a flurry of fire balls.

With the monsters immobilized, Varmoot found a spot to plant his feet. He rained down arrows on the targets that now remained still. He no longer needed to guide the arrows with his aura. The aura he put in and the power of his longbow's string made his normally silent arrows whistle mid-flight. The glowing white arrows pierced through their targets, each hitting the imps and goat-headed demons right between the eyes.

The earth demons among them had a tougher shell but the arrows dug in through their skins already. "And that's all I need." Varmoot stated before white aura appeared on each of his five fingers, the same ones he used for pulling the string.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

The arrows moved as if they came to life. They spun right in the spot where they hit, digging deeper into the skulls of the earth demons. Tarik was not the only direct disciple of a dojo in their party, Varmoot also deserved his flowers.

Retang and Tarik covered each other's weaknesses. Tarik who was used to fighting alongside a shield-user knew that Retang would gladly pounce with his shield to block for him. This helped Tarik greatly, since he was still nursing a broken arm. With that being said his efficiency in combat only got better. Added to this was the personal skill that he unlocked during the Fall of Teblez.

Tarik's movements even without the use of Aura was now relative to when he pulled off a movement technique. [Enhanced Physique] is a common but highly sought after personal skill, this is a personal skill that a lot of elite soldiers in the empire have. A personal skill that enhances one's physical abilities by multiple magnitudes affecting strength, speed and durability. As far as Tarik knows, his late father, the same one who threw him into an orphanage was a soldier that held the ability.

Unlocking this ability is the reason why despite the injury, Tarik was still fighting at an elite level.

The fight would only go on for a few more minutes from there, the group simply outclassed their opponents. A group of 57 demons, a mix of imps, earth demons, winged demons and a few goat-headed ones. There were no orcs or goblins in sight. They were the ones left over by a larger swarm of demons that are headed to the east.

"I don't sense any new monsters. Most of the town is clear." Natalie informed them before sitting down on a large rock. "What do we do from here? I still have a lot of mana but my legs are killing me from all the walking we did today."

"I will explore the area. We have to know where their main flock was headed." Retang walked to the group as he said this. "You may rest here Miss Natalie, Guard her Harak."

Harak gave the man a nod.

"I'm doing the same." Tarik stepped forward. "I'll cover the eastern side of town."

The next person that stepped up was Varmoot. "Heading to the western part of town, my nose is telling me that there's something of interest in that region." Varmoot's senses has provided the party with food and at times a source of water. At this point no one questions him when he says that he sees or smells something.

"Haraak take care of Natalie please! I'm joining Varmoot." Eliza followed the archer. "Gather at this spot when you're done with scouting." She gave the rest of them a smile before she headed off with Varmoot.

Varmoot led his party leader to a large abandoned building, unlike most of the other ruins, this one in particular was still mostly intact. "There's something inside, melted like an ore of iron but not quite the same."

The two of them headed inside, Varmoot quickly headed for the back of a burnt counter. "Yes, here!"

It was a hidden door, leading to a room just below the counter. Upon entering the room Eliza's eyes lit up. It was an abandoned vault. While most of the bills and gold were already damaged or melted a lot of the valuables inside were still usable. While salvaging whatever's left in an abandoned town was akin to grave robbing, the soldiers who cleared the area of its remaining threats saw it fit to take the rewards.

"Isn't this amazing Varmoot? Our journey is already off to a good start!"

The vault had enough funds for the journey ahead, it also gave them a few magical items. All sorts of items that can set up a good future for their party. Eliza's smile was infectious, a cheery mood that she would keep for the days that followed.