Dreu promptly selected yes to use his new ability. A second later, he felt drained and struggled to keep his eyes open. When he managed to look up, a frown formed on his face. He was not expecting a footman in rusty armor and armed with a broken sword. The footman looked more like a large man who dug through the discarded equipment from a smithy and grabbed what it could. While the footman’s physique was larger than that of a front liner, Dreu had doubts the footman could even last a minute against the demon given its current condition. He then looked down with a sigh but his eyes were drawn to his sword and shield.
“Take these,” Dreu said weakly as he offered his sword and shield to the footman.
Thank you!
Dreu looked around before returning his focus on the footman who had just equipped itself with the sword and shield. Then, a prompt showed up.
< +2 Reputation with the Footman Class. >
Dreu was pondering on what just happened and, as he sought for more information on the footman, the prompt responded in kind.
< Lvl 1 Footman:
Description: Serving as a basic infantry in the armies of the Emperor, the footman is a versatile foot soldier with basic training but lacks the proper weapons and armor to fully utilize its training. Despite lacking proper equipment, a footman has unquestionable loyalty to the Emperor and will fight to the end if ordered to.
Recommendations: Strong against weak monsters. Best used in numbers and in close formation.
Status: Possesses the combat ability of a Lvl 2 Footman due to the new sword and shield equipped. >
Hold off the demon, Dreu thought as he tested his theory of communicating with the footman with his mind.
Understood!
The footman then charged into combat without hesitation. While Dreu was equipping the footman, the remaining front liner was losing against the demon. Unlike the other front liner, he chose a full defensive stance hoping to buy time while getting support from the other adventurers. Yet, the demon was not only deadly with its claw strikes but it also actively kept the front liner between it and the other adventurers, effectively neutralizing any ranged attacks. The claw strikes, after breaking the shield, targeted the armor joints of the front liner resulting in multiple wounds to the human adventurer.
With a sudden swing of its arm, the demon sent the weakened front liner flying. Before it could dash forward to deliver the finishing blow, the footman charged directly into it. The footman managed to force the demon back a few steps with its charge. The demon turned its attention to the new combatant and growled at it. In response, the footman raised its shield as it waited for the demon to make a move. The demon then roared in some non-human language which was followed by violet light shining from its two claws. The humans then watched in horror as a wicked warhammer materialized from the violet light.
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< Hint: Footman can be buffed by Clerics and buffs are twice as effective. >
Upon seeing the prompt, Dreu turned to locate the female Cleric. To his shock, he found her next to him casting a healing spell. He felt his strength slowly recovering and, upon checking the gash on his arm, noticed the bleeding also stopped.
“The footman is on our side,” he said to the Cleric once he recovered enough of his strength to speak. “Please cast a buff on it!”
The Cleric looked at Dreu and studied him for a few seconds.
“Improved Armor,” the Cleric announced after a nod.
A white light shimmered around the footman moments before the demon swung its warhammer down onto the footman. The footman initially raised the shield to intercept but, following the white light, it pivoted for its shoulder to take the hit. The warhammer bounced off and the footman used the chance to take a stab at the demon. Quick on its feet, the demon leaped back to avoid the weapon. The footman didn’t pause and instead used its momentum to keep charging at the demon. Caught off balance, the demon tumbled onto the ground with the footman on top of it. The demon abandoned the warhammer as it tried using its claws to push the footman off.
Dreu took a moment to check on the footman. There were now two statuses on his summon.
< Status:
-Possesses the combat ability of a Lvl 2 Footman due to the new sword and shield equipped.
-Improved Armor: +25% Armor Defense (increased to +50% Armor Defense due to Footman Class trait) >
The sight of the footman holding its ground against the demon gave Dreu renewed hope. He looked down to locate the weapon of the dead front liner. Just as he grabbed the ax and shield on the ground, Dreu turned towards the footman.
Go! I will hold off this demon for as long as I can.
But, thought Dreu who gripped his new weapon tightly.
I cannot die as long as you live. Go!
Dreu turned to the others. The Cleric was healing the front liner while the civilians hid behind the sorceress and ranger.
“Everyone! Run!”
The others froze in place so Dreu grabbed the torch from one of the civilians. He then led the way and the others followed behind him. He only glanced behind him once seeing the footman wrestle the demon on the ground. The long reach the demon had with its claws proved ineffective when the two of them were in such close proximity. Wishing the footman good luck, Dreu and the human survivors made their way deeper into the tunnel.
While the group ran with renewed vigor, they could hear the demon growls and what one might interpret as curses echoing throughout the tunnel. Dreu urged everyone to keep running because he had doubts in his ability to summon another footman. The last one left him so drained and, if it wasn’t for the spell from the Cleric, he doubted he could even stand. With what seemed like a second chance at life, he pushed himself despite the burning sensation of his muscles.