Her breathing was becoming rough, she felt palpitations, her heart thumping at an increasing rate as she started hyperventilating. She felt a large hand on her shoulder.

“A rough fight huh?” Olga’s voice came up from behind. “Just breathe, with me here it would be an easy fight.”

“So that is the Death Knight. Doesn’t seem that strong.” Came Mel’s unhelpful comment.

“Go on ahead then Miss glow.” Olga sneered in challenge stepping back, her left arm swingout out towards the knight as if in presentation.

“Hmph, I will.” Mel stated snobbishly. Confidently striding forwards gun in both hands pointing upwards.

Tisha was taking Olga’s advice and taking slow deep breaths, Finch came up behind her reaching up to smack her back lightly. She smiled down at him, he really was a sweet kid.

“Are you okay Miss Robin?” He asked innocently.

“Yeah, I’m good. Just had a pretty bad encounter with a jerk exactly like him.” She shook her head.

“Experiences like that I feel are needed in this world we find ourselves in.” Olga chimed in. “Grow past this and you would see yourself stronger for it.”

Tisha knew that she meant the near-death experience. She had been lucky that her Orb followed her orders from before she got slammed by the sword. She had frozen up and if not for the delayed response she would have been dead.

Looking back at the Death Knight it was standing on its own, guarding the usual large double door with its sword up in the usual pose.

“Alright you bastard, you are going to fall to me right here!” Mel was being uncharacteristically brave right now. Tisha suspected that she felt slighted with how Olga treated her compared to everyone else.

Also, she likely felt safer due to Olga’s presence.

She steadied herself, then fired a shot. The knight’s movement was impeccable, at the hundred-meter distance his dark blade flashed up and blocked the powerful shot before it reached his head. The shot bounced off to the ground forming a small crater to his left.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

She would have to get closer to land a shot.

“By the way it has a teleport!” She yelled helpfully. As she said that a black fireball appeared out of its mouth rocketing towards Mel. Its speed was ridiculous as always but again with the distance her Agility allowed her to dodge in time.

The Knight charged a few dozen meters before he was shrouded in darkness. Appearing direction above Mel, the sword in a plunging motion as it struck at her.

She let out a shrill scream. Then the Knight was sent flying into the wall to her left Olga’s leg on its chest. The wall cratered and the Knight was in pieces.

“Ya really were not even close to a match huh?” She snorted.

“I-I still had my Armament.” Mel uttered defiantly.

“No way it would hold out for long, girl. I have a measure on ya overall ability and the Death Knight is not only more powerful but its fighting style ain’t up ya alley.” Olga shook her head in disappointment.

She walked up to the double door it was guarding, looking on as Tisha approached.

“I want to fight the next one with out any help.” She stated in a resolute tone.

“Ya sure about this? Might be too early.” Olga responded with concern.

“I would be fine, I did beat the last one after all.” Tisha was adamant.

“I won’t stop ya. Each one of us need to build our resolve in this new world, I think.” Olga nodded sagely.

“Thanks.”

The door opened on its own as Olga approached. In front of them stood four Death Knights.

“I’ll take two on, little bird another and ya other chicks can fight the final one!” Olga yelled and charged towards the group.

Tisha could tell that she had her Armament active this time as she charged into all four fireballs unscathed and even a few following black slashes. Those attacks did cause some visible cuts along her skin’s surface. Far too little to count as actual damage however.

She leapt into the air flying towards the group and crashing into the closest one in a two footed flying kick. Her momentum slammed it into another one letting her successfully grab their attention as Tisha blasted another on Olga’s left attracting its ire as she rushed at it.

Mel seemed hesitant after her close call earlier, so Finch gulped before bravely creating a portal behind the final one and shooting a blade through it into the back of its head.

The Knight was knocked forward from the attack but unharmed. It turned to him, eyes glowing with malevolence before disappearing into darkness.

Finch reacted before it could appear a moment later a green mist spreading from his robe as the Knight lunged out of the portal. Upon touching the mist its movement was reduced massively as if it was levitating through the air and simultaneously through sludge.

In the meanwhile, Damon took position in front of the other two facing the Knight as it approached through the air at a much slower speed. He noted that the mist did not seem to affect him despite standing directly in it.

Tisha was engaged in sword combat with her chosen knight. She realized that the weight and quality difference in weapons would lead to hers breaking sooner rather than later however and she would have to engage with her fists.

Not that, she found that a problem. As always, she preferred her fists.