“Got it,” Samantha nodded. “Jager, Manuel, both of you, help the others.”
Fixing her gaze on the shaman, she added, “I’ll deal with that shaman.”
“If those two are busy having fun clearing a dungeon, I might as well make the best of this quest,” Samantha smirked, feeling her blood boil with anticipation.
Suddenly, someone shouted, “Look!”
Following the direction of their pointing, Samantha’s eyes landed on the shaman, standing at the far end of the horde. It began waving its staff and chanting something.
A rune circle materialized on the shaman’s staff, and green mist surged forth, spreading across the horde. The brutish riders howled in unison as their grotesque muscles swelled unnaturally, veins glowing faintly beneath their thick, green skin. Their roars merged into a primal, animalistic cacophony.
Before anyone could react, the shaman chanted again, this time pointing its staff at Bryson’s group. A yellow mist poured from the staff and rolled over their ranks, enveloping everyone, Samantha included.
<’Clear Mind’ has partially nullified the effect!>
Samantha covered her nose and frowned as she surveyed the situation. The yellow mist caused those it touched to stumble and move sluggishly, their focus wavering. Even Bryson was visibly affected, struggling to keep steady.
“What is… this?!” Bryson growled, furiously shaking his head in an attempt to clear his mind.
Samantha’s gaze shifted to Flynn, who was surprisingly unaffected, merely frowning at the smog. “Flynn,” she called, “can you do something about this smoke?”
“I don’t know,” Flynn admitted. “I’ll try.”
Closing his eyes, he raised his hands as a rune circle began forming. A concentrated milky-white energy emanated from him, spreading across the ground in a wave.
As the energy washed over the affected individuals, clarity instantly returned to their expressions.
“Good job,” Samantha said, patting Flynn’s shoulder before turning her attention to the robots.
As expected, neither of them seemed affected by the smoke, likely because they were machines, immune to the effects of the shaman’s spell.
“Both of you, keep an eye on Flynn,” Samantha ordered. “He’s our only healer. If he falls, then so will the others.”
Jager and Manuel’s red lenses flickered in acknowledgment.
“Understood.”
“Roger that!”
A pair of mechanical wings unfolded from Jager’s back with a metallic whir. It leaped into the air, gliding effortlessly to a higher vantage point atop the tower.
Meanwhile, Manuel’s body whirred as it charged forward, propelling itself into the horde. Raising its massive hammer high, it bellowed, “Dual Beast Assault!”
As the hammer struck the ground, two glowing silhouettes, a lizard and a wolf’s head, materialized around Manuel. The spectral beasts charged forward, their maws wide, crashing into the horde with devastating force.
The resulting explosion tore through the battlefield, scattering brutes and buffalo riders like debris. Those caught directly in the blast were obliterated, their bodies blown to bits. Nearby monsters weren’t spared either, many were stunned by the shockwave, while others staggered back, their skin scorched and charred by the residual energy.
Samantha stood frozen in place, her eyes wide in disbelief at Manuel’s display. “Okay, I can accept that Jager can fly. Sure, Lucas probably slapped wings on it, but that? There’s no way he gave Manuel that kind of ability.”
In the center of the monster horde, Manuel let out a deafening roar. “Come on, you monsters!” it bellowed, sending out a shockwave of mental energy that struck the surrounding creatures.
The monsters froze for a moment, their eyes glowing crimson before they snarled and charged toward Manuel in a frenzy.
Not to be outdone, Bryson raised his sword and shouted, “Let’s go! We can’t let him fight alone! Charge!”
“CHARGE!”
“Let’s kill them!”
“For family!”
The rallying cries echoed as everyone in the camp surged forward, weapons drawn, clashing against the monsters. The sounds of metal striking flesh and the sharp clash of blades reverberated across the battlefield, mingling with the roars of the monsters.
Amid the chaos, Samantha darted through the field as she weaved her way toward the shaman.
Dashing through the horde, Samantha thrust
The massive buffalo let out a growl of agony before collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud.
“So, they’re orcs,” Samantha muttered under her breath, her eyes narrowing as she pressed forward.
Slashing at another Orc Rider, Samantha muttered under her breath, “Let’s try out my new skill.”
With a quick motion of her free hand, glowing rune alphabets materialized in the air, swirling with an intense, fiery light.
“Flame Burst.”
The runes shimmered briefly before unleashing a burst of flames, engulfing the surrounding Orc Riders in a fiery explosion. The searing heat sent them tumbling off their mounts, their cries drowned out by the crackling inferno.
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Grinning as she admired her handiwork, she said, “Now that’s an Uncommon skill for you.”
Just as she was about to charge at another Orc Rider, a whistling sound reached her ears.
Instinctively, she leaped to the side as a blazing fireball streaked past, narrowly missing her and exploding against the ground. The shockwave sent dirt and debris flying into the air, scattering nearby Orc Riders and buffalo mounts.
Samantha’s eyes snapped toward the source of the attack. She spotted the shaman standing at the far end of the battlefield, its staff raised high as swirling flames coiled around its tip.
“Fine by me. I was aiming for you to begin with,” Samantha grinned, gripping her spear tighter.
Another fireball began forming on the shaman’s staff, the temperature around it visibly warping from the intense heat radiating outward.
Kicking off the ground, Samantha propelled herself forward, dashing toward the shaman. “Not on my watch,” she growled.
Raising her free hand mid-dash, she intoned, “Aibarkyra.”
In an instant, numerous purplish chains erupted from the ground, coiling and latching onto the shaman. The fireball it was conjuring flickered and dissipated into harmless sparks.
It snarled at the chains tightening around its limbs and staff. It began chanting something and unleashed a surge of energy, causing the purplish chains to tremble before shattering into fragments.
As Samantha sprinted toward the shaman, Orc Riders lunged at her from all sides. But before they could reach her, a volley of bullets tore through the air, striking their mounts. The buffalo-like creatures let out painful cries as they collapsed, sending their riders crashing to the ground.
Samantha weaved and leaped through the chaos.
When the shaman realized her rapid approach, it roared at the nearby Orcs, pointing its staff in her direction and barking a command in its tongue.
The Orcs protecting the shaman grunted in acknowledgment and rushed toward Samantha.
These Orcs were noticeably different from the others.
Their armor was more intricately adorned, decorated with crude engravings and talismans, and their necks were draped with dangling skulls as if signaling their rank and power. Their weapons were clearly of higher quality than those of the other Orc Riders.
Just as Samantha prepared to clash with the group of heavily armored Orcs, a figure cut through the air.
She glanced upward to see Jager descending from the sky with its shotgun raised. It pulled the trigger and the weapon unleashed a blast.
The leading Orc was flung backward with a gaping hole punched cleanly through its chest.
“Go. I’ll handle them,” Jager said in its mechanical tone, its red lens glowing faintly.
Samantha gave a quick nod before sprinting forward, leaping over fallen Orcs and scattered debris as she closed the distance to her real target.
As she got closer, the shaman grunted and raised its staff, firing several glowing magic bolts in rapid succession.
Samantha twirled her spear, its metallic shaft humming faintly. Each bolt slammed into the spinning weapon and none managed to reach her. “You’re mine!” she growled, lunging forward with
But only for it to clash against an invisible barrier surrounding the shaman. Sparks flared where her spear met the shield, forcing her back a step.
Clicking her tongue in irritation, Samantha narrowed her eyes. “A barrier, huh? Let’s see how you like this.”
Red rune alphabets shimmered along the shaft of her spear as she struck again. This time, her spear pierced through the shield, shattering it into glittering shards.
Without wasting a single second, Samantha thrust
But the shaman grunted and slammed its staff into the ground. A pulse of green energy rippled outward, forcing Samantha to backflip out of its radius as jagged roots erupted from the earth where she had been standing.
Samantha narrowed her eyes. “You’ve got more tricks, huh?”
The shaman barked a chant, and the roots twisted into vines, lashing out at her like writhing serpents.
“Oh no, you don’t.” Samantha leaped back, thrusting her free hand forward.
“Flame Burst.”
A searing torrent of fire erupted from her palm, engulfing the writhing vines. The plants hissed and crackled as they burned, releasing thick smoke. The shaman growled, twirling its staff, and launched several magical bolts directly at her.
Samantha raised her spear, deflecting the bolts one after another. Each impact sent vibrations through her arms, the force rattling along the shaft of
‘Good thing Lucas made this spear tough,’ she thought, gritting her teeth as she steadied herself. ‘Otherwise, it might have broken by now.’
Lowering her stance, she crouched down and swiped her spear in a wide arc aimed at the shaman’s legs.
The shaman leaped back with surprising agility, countering with a sweeping motion of its staff. The heavy wooden weapon whistled through the air, clashing against Samantha’s spear with a loud thud as it stumbled slightly under the force.
Skidding back, Samantha raised her free hand and intoned, “Aibarkyra.”
Purplish chains burst from the ground, snapping toward the shaman. It snarled in alarm, raising its staff to defend itself, but Samantha smirked.
The chains froze mere inches from the shaman, dissolving into harmless mist.
Before the shaman could process the feint, Samantha dashed forward, her spear aimed at its exposed side. Her sudden shift caught it off guard, and the spearhead tore through its torso, leaving a deep gash.
It howled in pain and swung its staff wildly in retaliation, but Samantha was already moving. She ducked under the erratic blow, twisting her spear into a reverse grip, and drove the blunt end into the shaman’s jaw.
The strike sent it stumbling back, disoriented.
All of a sudden, countless purplish chains erupted from the ground, latching the shaman, and pulling down to the ground.
Samantha brandished her spear and said, “You’re not the only one who can play tricks.”
With that, she drove
“Not this time,” Samantha muttered, slashing her spear upward and splitting its head.
As the shaman took its final, rattling breath, the remaining Orcs froze mid-motion. For a brief, charged moment, they stared at their fallen leader, disbelief and fear etched across their savage faces.
A collective howl of fear erupted from their throats, and without hesitation, they turned tail and began fleeing in all directions.
Samantha, seeing the panic in the Orcs, grinned and shouted, “Don’t let them escape! Chase them down!”
Her voice carried across the battlefield, igniting the spirits of Bryson’s group. The sight of their retreating foes was like fuel to the fire, erasing their fatigue and replacing it with renewed strength.
“Hunt them down!”
“CHARGE!”
“Kill those freaks!”
“For family!”
One by one, the remaining Orcs fell under the relentless assault of Bryson’s group. Eventually, the last of the Orcs were slain, and a blue screen appeared before Samantha.
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Contribution Ranking
- Samantha Moon (47.8%)
- Lucas Kun (32.4%)
- Flynn Albane (7.2%)
- Bryson Torento (5.6%)
- Dominic Max (3.4%)
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Staring at the Contribution Ranking, Samantha couldn’t resist shouting, “Why the hell is his name here?! He’s not even here!”