The orc warlord trampled over goblins as he ran towards the massive cloud that smelled like battle only to see the people fighting his army flying away. He turned to chase after them only to see a small human wearing some fancy brass and copper armour standing in between him and the place the humans landed

“Oi! Humie. Get your stupid mug out my face. We busy hunting other humies now.” Said the warlord. Many orcs could barely speak in the human tongue thanks to their poor intelligence. The fact that the warlord actually spoke english startled the man.

“No you’re not. They’re our prey.” The warlord squatted down after the man said that in an indistinguishably french accent. The orc warlord chuckled a bit and went to grab the man only for him to look like he disappeared. The man left a trail of steam behind him, which the warlord followed with his head as he kept turning around to see the trail close to his neck. He kept turning, but the trail was still there. He slapped his neck after realising the man was there, only to stop himself as he felt two punches send electricity straight into his brain. The warlord spasmed on the ground, barely getting up before seeing another group of humans enter the building the hive was being built in.

“You worthless grunts, git him!” The warlord told the trolls and orcs surrounding him after recovering from the mini-stroke.

“I thought there would be alot more orcs here. How many did that demon kill?” Said Anna as the group of three walked further and further into the abandoned mall. They had only encountered small goblins or worker orcs who were going to the main pillar while walking towards the hive.

“They’re all at the hive. Why would they be patrolling this random area?” Said Sam while trying to think logically to ease his unending anxiety. Most of the orcs that would’ve guarded the hive rushed out to deal with the demoness. The silence was still eerie after he rationalised it to himself. The party couldn’t hear much more other than goblin shrieks and orc shouting. They eventually reached the hive to see goblins carrying grand shamans about while orcs hammered pure light onto a shoddily built pillar.

The lights went out and the goblins shrieked again. When the lights came back on the pillar was completely black and the orcs were shouting at the grand shamans who waved their hands and made the pillar glow again. We looked up at the ceiling lights while making sure to not be seen by the greenskins, and saw a man wearing a completely black suit of armour holding onto the lights. He looked down and saw us before smashing the lights one last time.

Christian walked forward and unsheathed his sword, planting it into the ground to summon several barriers. The blinded orcs began shouting again, ordering the goblins to do something in their native tongue before natural light leaked through as the demoness broke through the wall while riding a tree only to immediately jump right back through the hole.

“Dammit. Can’t they ever be sneaky?” Said the french sounding man as the orcs saw him falling down. They rushed at him, only for the man to boost himself up by blowing steam out of his arms. The barriers kept the party from being blinded, but everyone else was smoke screened.

“We need to kill him now! The orcs are a smaller threat than him. Open the barrier.” Yelled Sam. He recognised the guild symbol that the man wore, and understood what it meant. Christian lifted his sword out of the ground and Sam prepared an orb of light that cleared away all the steam. Anna, who still didn’t fully understand who the man was, but who understood what Sam, a reincarnator who had a lot more knowledge than her, being worried meant.

As soon the orcs were cut in half by the man, Anna rushed forward and clashed with him. He held up his dagger, struggling against Anna’s unparalleled strength. The man was a whole four levels below her, so couldn’t stand a chance in direct combat. He teleported past Anna, running straight at Sam. Christian ran forward and blocked the blow with his arm.

“Suicidal people in the strongest party? Colour me shocked.” The man said as he teleported back again once Anna swung at him. Christian collapsed and clutched his heart while breathing heavily. “The poison is in his blood now. He’s as good as dead.” Anna quickly looked at Sam who was praying for Christian to be healed.

“Behind you, Anna!” Said Christian loudly. Anna quickly swerved out of the way and let Christian get stabbed again.

“Strange. How are you still alive?” The man said before stumbling back after Christian got up.

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“Tanks don’t just take damage. We adapt to it.” Christian grabbed his sword and rushed at the man. He teleported just before getting slashed by Christian, only to get slashed by Anna who was nearby. Sam fired off a bunch of homing bolts of lights to pepper him before Christian just grabbed the man, preparing to snap his neck. “What’s so dangerous about these people, Sam?”

“Just kill him already–” Sam got cut off as someone electrocuted him from behind. He fell down while spasming and a second figure rushed at Christian, punching him into the wall and electrocuting him too.

“Having trouble my friend?” Said the man that just came in. Anna, as the last person standing from her group, looked at the two men. The one who knocked Sam and Christian out was wearing much lighter brass and copper armour and was lifting the man wearing black up.

“Only because Elliot couldn’t not launch someone into the building.” Anna hid behind an orc table, hoping the man in black didn’t care about her enough to make sure she’s dead. “Stop hiding, red-haired girl. I don’t have dementia.” Anna took a deep breath, then teleported behind the man wearing lighter armour and slashed him into the wall. She barely dodged the dagger of the other man and kicked him away.

“Oh! This one can teleport. You two match.” Said the man in the lighter armour much to the displeasure of the man in black.

“Ugh! Don’t compare me to this imbecile.” He teleported behind her to test out how long it took for her to teleport. Anna teleported right after seeing him, and the two began fighting while teleporting. The two never clashed, as they would only strike when they were sure the other didn’t know where they were. It was as much a mental game as it was a physical bout. Anna was getting exhausted though. All that magic was making her mind foggy, but she had to outlast him.

“There!” She didn’t outlast him. He stabbed her with the poisoned dagger, and unlike Christian, she didn’t have any adapting powers. “Such a bothersome woman. Learn your place.” Anna dropped as the man in lighter armour put his arm around the other man’s shoulder.

“See? We had nothing to worry about. These idiots are used to fighting monsters. No amount of power was gonna make them outsmart us.” The man in black slapped the other man’s hand away. “But we shouldn't be getting ahead of ourselves. They still have the demon and angel.” The man in brass said.

“There’s an angel now?” Said the man in black. Both of the men were distracted when Christian’s hand twitched. He grabbed onto the wall and lifted himself up, looking down as his legs worked overtime to keep him up.

“Oh! Look who we have here. The giant is still standing.” Christian cracked his neck and looked up while stretching his arm. He grabbed his sword and stared the other men down. He took a deep breath, making sure to not get angry and lose focus.

“I don’t know who or what you are, but I’m never ignoring Sam again.” The brass man actually looked concerned when he saw how fully Christian recovered. Christian had automatically adapted to the electricity, as his skin had created a bunch of thin metallic bars that stretched down to his feet to conduct all the electricity in his body to the floor.

“C’mon big guy! Show me what you–” Christian grabbed the man by the head and launched him through the pillar before slashing at the man in black who barely teleported on Christian’s neck and then stabbed him. Christian fell down on purpose, headbutting the men in the crotch before he teleported away. The man in brass rushed ahead as Christian got up. The man and Christian clashed again and again. The man punched all of Christian’s slashes, and Christian tanked every punch that the man managed to land.

“Less talking, more blocking.” Christian said before kicking the man into the wall right before the man in black teleported back. He teleported right back when Christian swung at him.

“Liam, this is bad.” Said the man in black. “We’re better off retreating. One of them is already–” Christian was already in front of both the men. He grabbed the teleporting man and got one punch in before the man teleported away. Liam struck Christian in the chest several times and paused before finishing his barrage with one blast of electrified steam.

“Good grief.” Christian said after the steam dispersed. His mouth had gotten a little bit of shock, but he was otherwise fine.

“Yea, this IS bad.”