Kevin and Jessica were going into this battle completely blind and they were not going to take any chances. If the creatures were strong enough to overcome the defenses of the town it could very well be a boss or raid boss level. Jessica and Kevin were strong enough to overcome most guilds alone with tactics, however bosses in Deicide were notoriously difficult and could cheat. There was simply no way one enemy could go against the wide array of skills from a hoard of players so game devs purposefully gave bosses cheat powers to even the playing field. If this world was like the game there was no room for error.
“Wait.” Grechid pleaded. “You said you would stay and protect us.”
“There was a change in plan.” Jessica responded with a smile. “Stay here until we come back.”
“Thank you!” Gael stated.
“Boy!” Grechid snarled. “You need to shut your mouth.” She turned back to Jessica and reached out to grab her. “I am the village elder and I demand that…”
Kevin’s sword was at Grechid’s neck before she could grab Jessica’s robes. He moved so quickly around Jessica that no one even saw him pull his sword including Jessica who would have probably removed the old ladies head without hesitation had Grechid been successful. Kevin was able to achieve the extraordinary speed without using any skills.
“I suggest you step back.” Kevin stated, his eyes sharp.
Grechid fell back on the ground with a thud and a pop as her hip dislocated. Kevin and Jessica did not bother to check on her as she wailed in pain. The two just kept walking towards the boarded up doors.
“Open book that binds all things to me, eleven laws, eleven rules, eleven kings who bend the knee.” Jessica's melodic voice hums a spell.
The spell she cast was her skill [Open: 11 Rules of Earth] II which is one of five spells that grants her specific elemental powers. This spell has multiple functions including boosting allies with earth elemental attack power. The spell also increased her and Kevin’s defense by a factor of two. Jessica needed to utilize this spell to gain access to a specific spell that requires it as a prerequisite.
“As I own it all so too may I travel unimpeded. I am omnipresent. The earth moves to comfort me.” Jessica states.
An archway seems to rise out of the ground made from black obsidian in the shape of thorny vines. Despite coming from the ground it did not disturb the tiled floor but instead passed through harmlessly. A crackle of energy ignited within the archway with a low rumble which vibrated the air. This was the skill [Greater Teleportation] [Awakened] which would allow Jessica to teleport anywhere and could bypass anti-teleportation imposed by other players or raid bosses. This skill, unlike Lesser Teleport, was resistant to teleportation traps which would redirect teleportation spells into enemy traps. In Deicide there were even bosses that would jump through player portals to surprise attack unsuspecting parties. Jessica did not want to take any chances with the new foes they were facing now.
“So the plan is we attack once to gauge their strength,” Kevin stated in the chat as a kite shield appeared from his inventory. “If they are boss level monsters we retreat and put the guild on high alert.”
“Yep, I am pretty sure their raid bosses, you heard that guy say it normally takes fifteen Argonauts, right?” Jessica responds in the chat.
“Better give me the full suite to boost them.” Kevin responds.
Jessica then recited spell after spell each one causing a faint but different color glowed around Kevin. She was surprised that she knew all of the spells since in the game she was not required to say them. Although, she knew a few for role-playing purposes. Now however the words seemed like an intrinsic part of her and any time she wanted to use an ability the words flowed out naturally.
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Jessica's character Lilitu being level 150 had all three of her racial levels. Her class was Battle Sorceress which was one of the least popular classes from the game. Her racial levels were Horned One level 10, Leviathan level 39 and finally Asmodeus level 101 which meant that the vast majority of her skills required that she transform into her Asmodaus form. A feat she did not want to do because it would dispel the [Conceal Race] [Awakened] and [Conceal Level] [Awakened] effects. This left her with her most basic spells which would be enough to test the hellhounds’ strength.
Kevin’s character Harahel was the Paladin class also level 150. His racial levels were even more top heavy meaning he could not use the vast majority of his skills without transforming. His racial levels were Malakhim level 5, Potestas level 15 and Seraph level 130. Since he would not be transforming he would be fighting with only his most basic skills which is why he decided to summon his shield instead of dual wielding his swords which is what he would normally do.
Once Jessica was done casting all of her spells the two looked at each other then at the portal in front of them. Without any hesitation the two walked in disappearing from view. The obsidian archway crumbled into small pieces before vanishing altogether leaving Grechid and her grandsons completely speechless. They had never seen such powerful magic before.
***
It wasn’t long after Grechid and her grandsons split off from Silvia and the group of Elders that Silvia heard Greyson be torn to pieces by the hellhounds. She did not turn around to verify as she wanted to put as much of her energy into running as possible. She was surprised that there weren’t any more screams but was relieved that it most likely meant the others had made it.
Ahead of them the last of the townspeople were running towards the treeline out of the town; it looked like most of them had already escaped. Silvia even saw Evan climbing up from the riverbank holding Gia in his arms. She was shocked the two survived their encounter with the hellhounds. However the fact that Willy and Bruiser were not with them told a grim story. At this point she knew there was nothing more she could do but run and hope that they would make it to the trees and escape.
Her lungs burned and her legs ached having run more today than she ever had to in her life. The escape out of the village was so close she could feel freedom. Then relief turned to panic as she realized that the hellhounds would be at the top of the hill which overlooked the path they were currently on. She turned her head and saw the hellhounds circling the temple for a passage inside. It was only a matter of time before they were spotted and there was no way they would be able to outrun the pack even when they got to the forest. By that point they were about fifty meters from the forest path and equal distance from the closest building they could barricade.
It was at that moment that Silvia saw one of the hellhound’s gazes fall on the fleeing group. The beast wasted no time in turning to them and launching like an arrow towards them. The other two creatures were still circling the temple like vultures. It didn’t matter if it was just one of them when it caught up it would kill them all. It was as if the group was running in slow motion as compared to the hound. The entity only seemed to pick up more and more speed with every bound.
Silvia’s life flashed before her eyes as she stopped and turned to face the creature, her arms outstretched as if to say it would not pass. She knew she couldn’t stop the creature but maybe as it killed her it would slow down enough for the others to escape. She could only hope it would choke on her bones and die. Tears turned into resolve as she stood staring at the beast as it charged at her mouth open and ready to reap her soul. Every fiber of her being told her to run and her legs were just seconds away from giving out on her as the creature closed in on a few meters.
In an instant the hellhound was bisected horizontally by a sword wielded by Kevin who appeared from the obsidian archway that manifested three meters to Silvia’s right. Kevin was just as shocked at the development as Silvia. Kevin was expecting to have to perform a follow-up which he stopped as the beast fell to the ground lifeless, its momentum skittering its two sections like a rock skipping across a pond. Its warm blood caked Silvia as its body flew past her.
Jessica stepped through the archway prepared to back up Kevin when she saw the beast’s upper and lower halves flop to a stop. Jessica looked up at Kevin, confusion and disappointment plastered across both of their faces at the anticlimactic realization that people in this world were extraordinarily weak.
“Wait… wasn’t that supposed to be a raid boss?” Jessica stated as she stepped around the massive corpse.