Following his chat with Estelle, As made his way over to the orc girl who was scanning the forest. When he arrived, Grishna said without taking her eyes off the trees, ''''Little Grak''Thar Gromog''ar, are you ready to move?''''
''''Yes, Grish, but can I see your status before we go?''''
The orc girl''s green eyes turned to him, her eyebrows raised, and she replied with a smile, ''''A bit bold to march up to a girl and ask for her secrets, but yes, you can look.''''
Name: Grishna Brokentooth.
Age: 18
Race: Orc
ss: Warrior
Level: 113
Rank: Adept.
Experience: 4920/5000
Affinity: Earth – Metal
___
Attributes:
Health: 932
Mana: 2820
Strength: 2216
Stamina: 1528
Charisma: 590
Intelligence: 412
___
Spells:
Attack: Lv-1: Iron Fist (8) Lv-1: Metal Bullet (7) Lv-2: Earth Bolt (3) Lv-3: Razorwind des (2) Lv-3: Silver Shriek (3)
Defence: Lv-1: Irond(7)
Support: Lv-1: Body Enhancement(10) Lv-1: Dust Cloud(2)Lv-1: Minor Healing (4)
Utility:
___
Skills: Hand-to-Hand Combat (7) Spearmanship (6) Survivlist (9) Cooking (10) Tracking (6) Intimidation (7) Shield Mastery (5) War Cry (4) Lock Picking (7) Ransack (1) Hunting (3) Trapping (2)
''Grishna''s strong, weaker than Estelle but not by much,'' As thought before instructing her to check on the other two.
As went to find Artemis, chatting with Amethyst about the surrounding forest and its monsters. Once the two noticed him, the brte turned to him and asked in her unique Greek-like ent, "What''s up, Aetos?"
"Can I see both of your statuses, please? I want topare them against mine to gauge my strength to see where I am," he asked.
Both girls nodded, and Artemis showed hers first, followed by the phoenix girl.
Name: Artemis Olympaea
Age: 17
Race: Siren
ss: Argonaut
Level: 123
Rank: Adept
Experience: 4640/5000
Affinity: Earth – Thunder - Water
___
Attributes:
Health: 1334
Mana: 2120
Strength: 2408
Stamina: 2104
Charisma: 500
Intelligence: 1050
___
Mana Core:
Core Rank: High Novice
Core Points: 13750/30000
Body Tempering Level: Bronze Body
___
Spells:
Attack: Lv-1: Lightning Bullet (7) Lv-1: Water Arrow (7) Lv-2: Thunder Punch (5) Lv-2: AquaBomb (3) Lv-2: Earth Spike Lvl-2: Lighting sh (5) Lv-3: Arc Lightning (2)
Defence: Lv-3: Gaia''s Embrace (2) Lv-3: Shockwave (1)
Support: Lv-1: Gaia''s Glide (8) Lv-2: Enhancement (4)
Utility:
___
Skills: Swordsmanship (7) Survivlist (4) Hand-to-Hand Combat (9) Foraging (6) Stealth (5) Eaglevison (2) Lockpicking (0) Appraisal (2) Treasure Sense (2) Sling Expertise (8) Leviathan''s Call (0)
''She''s strong for her age and would be able to defend our rear and Amethyst,'' As mused. He took a moment to examine their statuses, feeling more confident about their chances during their adventures.
Name: Amethyst meheart
Age: 13
Race: Cosmic Phoenix
ss: Cosmic Mage
Level: 36
Rank: Novice
Experience: 300/1000
Affinity: Space
___
Attributes:
Health: 312
Mana: 1524
Strength: 334
Stamina: 568
Charisma: 326
Intelligence: 264
___
Mana Core:
Core Rank: Low Novice
Core Points: 9600/10000
Body Tempering Level:
___
Spells:
Attack: Lv-1: Cosmic Bullet (2) Lv-1: Ster Arrow (3) Lv-2: Cosmic st (4)
Defence: Lv-1: Cosmic Barrier (4)
Support:
Utility:
___
Skills: Phoenix Form (Locked) Cosmic Wings (2) Cosmic Sight (1)
When As saw Amethyst''s status, he was amazed, realizing she would be even more powerful as she aged. He hugged the phoenix girl, who melted into his arms, speaking quietly, "I''m d the others joined us; now we can explore most of Astoria."
As nodded with a smile before kissing her on the forehead, which sent her scuttling back with a bright red face. Then, Grishna called out for them to leave. The group left their camp and traveled east.
After a few hours, As took point because he wanted to kill some monsters to level up. The group was soon at the base of the Twilight Titan Mountain, where As felt something watching them.
He spun around and sput dozens of cave entrances littering the side of the mountain, making him shiver. Lilith raised her head and growled while looking at the closest cave. The girls stopped walking when they noticed As staring into it.
Grishna approached and touched his shoulder, "Grak''Thar Gromog''ar, never step into a cave without us. Many of the world''s nightmares dwell in the dark."
''''It feels like something is watching us, Grish,'''' As said while turning to the orc. ''''Can you sense it?''''
"I do, little one. But don''t get too close; they might be Dark Ones waiting to pounce," Grishna cautioned before they continued.
Amethyst appeared beside As, speaking nervously, "There were two monsters inside the darkness. They were watching you, Azhar''Zul, and gave off the same feeling as the Lost Prince."
''Are they part of the Chaos Army? Maybe the king sent forces ahead of the main force,'' As mused as he took Amethyst''s hand.
The five pressed on through the forest, encountering three Rank E Forest Boars that charged at the group. As swiftly drew his dagger andunched several Void Arrows at them. As the monsters closed in, he sidestepped their charge and lunged forward, plunging his dagger into thergest boar.
As dragged the de across the creature''s body, swiftly ending its life. In the meantime, his Void Arrows found their mark, striking down the other two boars. Once the monsters were dead, he looted the 3 orange Monster Cores and some meat that Grishna pointed out.
They continued trekking through the thick forest until they reached a clearing. Grishna motioned for them to stop moving, but As crept forward and saw a small camp of twenty soldiers.
Estelle knew who they were and whispered, ''''Those are Everde mercenaries. Maybe the king hired them to track Le Messie élu, as they only see him as a devil.''''
The other girls nodded, but Asmented excitedly, ''''Let''s attack them. What rank are they?''''
"Most are Apprentices, while a few are Adepts like me, Grish, and blondie," Artemis remarked with a smile.
"My name''s not blondie! It''s Estelle," the blonde knight protested.
Everyone chuckled before As stroked the hyperactive Lilith. "Me and the demoness will hit from the north. Grish, you take the south," he directed, then turned to the remaining three girls. "Amethyst, you stay here and sling spells at them. Artemis, attack from the west, and Estelle,e in from the east."
As looked at the four girls, who nodded in agreement as he continued, ''''I will rush in with Lilith and cause chaos. When I''ve got their attention, you rush in and attack from the rear.''''
''''Good n, little one,'''' Grishna said before heading south.
The other girls agreed and went to their spots. As and Lilith went north and saw several men passing by as they patrolled the edge of the camp. Once the honey badger spotted her first victim, she darted out as the excitement was too much.
Lilith lunged at the shocked man as As sliced the second man''s ankles before firing a Void Bullet into his skull. The little monster tore the first soldier''s throat out, and blood sttered over everything.
Following that, the duo stormed into the Everdian camp. Lilith lived up to her namesake and became a demon that brought death to the soldiers. As spammed Void Bullets while stabbing and slicing the surprised soldiers, but they soon regrouped.
They finally pushed him back using their advantage of numbers, only to have a Cosmic st fall upon them, causing a massive explosion. He skillfully used Void Guard to block iing attacks while dodging and parrying strikes with his dagger.
Once this happened, the other girls charged in. Grishna threw a marble that shrieked as it hit the unsuspecting enemies, causing some soldiers to clutch their ears.She then moved in with her spear and killed them with several powerful thrusts.
Artemis burst out from a bush while using her sling to send mana stones slicing through the air. When the projectiles connected with the soldier''s bodies, they looked like Swiss cheese before the brte took out her sword and finished off the rest.
The Phoenix Girl rained down more Cosmic sts and Cosmic Bullets, peppering the enemy soldiers. Meanwhile, Estelle''s shield bashed two of them, throwing the bandits off bnce and allowing As and the girls to take the rest out.
By the time they were finished, As was breathing heavily before copsing to the ground as he felt the experience pouring into him. Amethyst appeared from the forest and approached him with a smile.
When As saw this, he returned the smile with one of his own before speaking, ''''How was the fight, Amethyst?''''
''''It was nerve-racking but also exciting at the same time,'''' she responded while holding her hand for him.
As took her dainty hand and helped him up just as Grishna and Estelle approached, their eyes scanning the surroundings. The orc girl remarked, "What''s the n for the spoils?"
"We split it five ways," As replied with a smile. "It''s only fair since we''re a team now."
Afterward, the group scattered to loot whatever they could find. While Artemis and Estelle collected coin pouches, Grishna gathered a bundle of decent swords to sell at the next city. Amethyst discovered a stash of potions she found hidden in a barrel.
As sat down to rest, watching the others work, when Lilith limped over to him. He jumped up and gently scooped up the injured honey badger, who yelped in pain. Quickly, he pulled out one of the better Health Potions, coaxed her to drink it, and then poured some on her injury.
The wound began to heal almost immediately, causing him to release a breath of relief and pull Lilith into a tight hug that she happily epted. That''s when Amethyst approached them with a smile, ''''You truly care for her, don''t you?'''' she said.
"Of course I do, just like how I care about my pigeon girl," As said with a cheeky smile, earning a half-hearted punch from the phoenix girl, who giggled as a smile appeared.