Denny was screaming, though he did not even realize it until Garth put a hand on his shoulder. The screaming stopped, and the half-ling looked up at the big man before him. His eyes were lined with red veins, and tears dropped down his dirt and blood-covered cheeks. Though the tears were there, Garth did not look sad; he looked terrifying. The warrior was clearly in pain, with cuts covering much of his upper body, as he wore little in the way of armor, but his face was a wash of anger, and Denny could see the bulging muscles of his neck and arms twitching. The man was ready to destroy something, anything.

All Denny wanted to do was fall to the ground and forget everything. “What. Do. We. Do?” Denny muttered, barely audible. The big man looked down at his small companion and friend. They had been through so much together to get here. Years of hardship, pleasures, pains, and adventure, and now that they were finally here, they had finally made it; it had all fallen apart.

“We need to run, brother; against my rage and instinct, we need to leave this place. We have no chance, just the two of us. Kerri, Jor, Ariel, they wouldn't want us to die for nothing. This way, there is a chance at coming back!” Said Garth, appearing to have gained a semblance of control over his rage.

That’s right, they were all dead, his war band, his friends, all slain by the monstrosity at the bottom of the cave system that Denny and Garth were still inside. Denny tried to compose himself. He knew the big man was right. Getting themselves killed because they could not control their emotions would sully the memory of everything he and his friends had done. They were the only war band to make it down to the monstrosity in almost a decade. If they let it all be for nothing, his life, and the lives of Ariel, of Jor, of Kerri would have been for not. They needed to escape. Everything they learned here would be useful to the next war band that made it this far.

“Ok, Garth, let’s get back. Just give me a second”. Denny brought up the system. He inspected his hp and mana, which he knew would be depleted to nearly nothing. They were entirely out of potions, which gave Denny no way to regain anything until he got a short rest.

Denny “The Elementalist” Smorsfire

Level 50 Halfling, Earth Binder Sorcerer

Health Pool (HP) 17/201

Mana Pool 101/495

“Lets hope we cleared this enough Den, I don have much left,” Garth said clearly still struggling with what had just happened. His anger subsided slightly. He was still dealing with the internal struggle of leaving the dead behind. Not only were Jor, Kerri, and Ariel his companions, but he had been in love with Kerri.

“This way”. Denny said and started down one of the dark tunnels in front of them. Luckily, he still had the Night Vision buff that Kerri had given them all before entering the cave. Without it, they would be dead for sure.

The cold, damp air filled Denny’s lungs as he moved across the slick rocky ground, using one arm to steady himself on the tunnel wall. Garth followed close behind, still breathing heavy, two hands wrapped tight around his double-bladed axe. It wasn’t long before they reached a wide opening with three more tunnels across from it. This Denny remembered. They had fought a group of demon hounds here. The still forms were there in pools of blood. The smell was so acrid. Denny checked his HP just to be sure he wasn't losing anything.

Garth hacked and spat on one corpse, cursing under his heavy breaths. “Fuck, fuckin shit hounds.”

Denny contemplated which of the three tunnels they had initially entered the demon hound room from. He was pretty sure it was the middle one. As Denny opened his mouth to tell Garth, a scraping noise came from one of the tunnels on the other side of the room. It was a slight, almost imperceptible sound. But Denny didn’t like it. He turned to Garth, who seemed to have calmed down and caught his breath. “Do you hear that?” Garth went entirely still; the scraping sound was definitely getting closer, rising up through the tunnel opening. Something was coming and fast. “GARTH move!” said Denny with a sense of urgency.

Garth followed Denny up the middle tunnel. It began to bend to the right, and as they followed the bend, Garth looked back. Just breaking through the opposite opening was three fucking demon hounds. He analyzed them as he moved.

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Demon Hound level 48

Demon Hound level 49

Demon hound level 48

“MOVE DEN, three fuck hounds comin’!”.

They were close to the cave entrance, and Denny could sense it. The air had become less damp, and the rocky ground was slowly turning to more of a dirt path. His pounding feet gripped the dirt better than the moist rocks, and he felt his body move faster. However, Denny was not a large man; his short legs could only do so much. Garth moved past Denny as they wound their way up the path to another small opening. The hounds were much closer now, and Denny got the feeling that he would not be able to make it to the exit before being ripped to pieces.

Denny had never been the smartest halfling; when it came to numbers and math, it had always taken him longer than most of the other students in the sorcerer academy. He was only ever mediocre when it came to written and long-form tests. It had always bothered him, and for the longest time, Denny was sure he would finish the academy and lead a life as a mediocre adventurer who would never get the chance to see the true enemy and be a hero of the narrows. But, two years into his scholarship, they began learning combat skills and party mechanics. It turned out that Denny was not good at calculations on paper, but when it came to calculations that needed to be done on the battlefield when there was no time to think, Denny’s brain was automatic. He knew when he could and when he couldn’t, and right now, Denny knew without a doubt that he could not.

Denny’s body reacted to his thoughts automatically, and he took a large inhale through his nose while he skidded to a stop and turned. He reached down, feeling every last speck of mana left in his being, and forced it all into the ground beneath his feet. He barely heard Garth’s voice, “DEN NOOOO! Keep moving!” As the demons rounded the bend into the opening, the earth under Denny cracked and rippled as three two-foot spikes rose up. Denny Yelled “GOOOO” as he released his hold on the spikes and hurled them, one to each demon. As Denny fell to his knees, his body depleted of every drop of mana, as they hit.

You have hit Demon Hound level 48 with Earth Core for 162 damage

You have slain Demon Hound level 48

You have hit Demon Hound level 49 with Earth Core for 114 damage

You have hit Demon Hound level 48 with Earth Core for CRITICAL 220 damage

You have slain Demon Hound level 48

Denny watched as the two hounds were skewered, the earth cores bursting, putting an end to the demons. He also watched as the third only staggered, core stuck in the side of the beast as it continued towards him. Denny would join his companions in death, which was his only thought as the beast leaped.

Having no mana, so no way to use his skills, Denny did the only thing he could. Falling onto his back, Denny raised his stave in an attempt to block the incoming claws and jaw. The demon landed, standing over top of Denny. The colossal beast raised its head and came down with the bite that would end it all. Denny's cherished weapon, ‘The Echoing Earth Stave,’ snapped as the massive jaws broke the legendary item instead of Denny himself. At the same time, the demon hound’s jaws shut, and it collapsed on top of Denny. A warm, stinging liquid spread over his body, and Denny let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. The beast was crushing the small man making it hard to inhale again.

“Justara, save us. Den, tell me you’re still there. EEEEEEEERR,” Garth grunted as he lifted and moved the beast off Denny.

“Den, Den, tell me you’re still with us. Oh, what were you thinkin’.” He said while looking down at the blood-covered halfling. His eyes were closed, and Denny was lying there, stunned that he was still alive. He took a few breaths before attempting to speak.

“You, blah. You were supposed to go.” He said while coughing and spitting the demon blood out of his mouth. “Eeegh, this shit stings, blah, and tastes like a spicy shite.”

Garth just stared at Denny before a wide grin grew on his face, and to the surprise of both of them, he started to laugh, deep and loud. Denny couldn’t help but join in. It was, of course, totally not the place or time, but what else could they do? If anything else was left between them and the cave entrance, they were dead anyway.

Soon enough, the laughter died to sadness as both men realized they had no companions left to recount the funny story to. Denny got up and wiped as much of the blood as he could off. Garth put his hands back on the hilt of his axe. With a grunt and sucking squish sound, he removed it from the demon's neck. Garth looked into Denny’s eyes; it was the most serious face Denny could ever remember seeing on his old friend. “Thas it Den, were don. We need to make it to camp. Other war bands will need to know about that DreadFiend down there, that fucker. It’s up to us to let everyone know how to kill it.”

Staring back, Denny replied, “It’s going to take a special kind of hero, but it will get done, Garth. We will get our revenge.”