Four Kniferunners came from the right and seven more came from the left. The canines followed the spiders, split nearly in half with each group. Daniel and Noah activated [Gravity Well] and the blue shield skill. The two groups paused and then turned as one towards Noah.

Shit, his skill must be at a higher level than Daniel’s.

Orrin started using inversed [Increase Dexterity] on the Kniferunners. Five casts on the front spider slowed it down dramatically but it still was moving forward.

Orrin spent a second to use [Identify].

[Kniferunner] HP 380/380

The slowed spider fell from the front of the pack to the back. Orrin continued to slow all the monsters. He got six of the Kniferunners before they hit Noah’s shield.

The long legs of the spiders reached around Noah’s shield and began to hit his arms and chest. Lines of blood little more than paper cuts appeared on his skin.

“What’s going on? They’re hitting me but it’s barely a scratch,” the man slurred and continued to push one spider back with his tower shield.

Orrin checked Noah’s status and saw the [Ward] was draining rapidly. Noah’s health would have already been taken out if not for Orrin’s spell. He cast it again.

“I’ll keep Noah up,” Orrin yelled. “Everyone else...start taking out those spiders.”

Orrin continued to cast [Ward] on Noah and inversed [Increase Dexterity] on the Kniferunners, with a [Heal Small Wounds] on Noah when he didn’t turn back quick enough.

Bin and Gracie were dashing around, using skills Orrin could only guess at. Bin’s fists were glowing red and Gracie had actually grown a foot taller, her mace looking like a twig in her big hands.

Daniel was using [Gravity Strike] on one monster’s back over and over. On the fifth strike, the spider splayed its legs and went down hard. The next hit broke the hard shell and Daniel pushed the blade in deep. He gave a grunt as he twisted the handle, ripping a large rent into the Kniferunner’s carapace. Sof danced close, pointing his wand at the open hole. His wand rose high and then he slammed it point down at the gash. A small branch shot from the tip of the wand and speared into the innards of the beast. It gave a small shriek and tried to run, but the branch grew into an upside down tree, launching the spider into the sky.

Orrin finished slowing the spiders and turned to the Fetid Canines. His spells immobilized them. Orrin held his sword above his head and brought it down, one poison dog at a time.

Experience Gained: 500 XP (100 XP x 5)

I’m close to level eleven, Orrin realized. I should get a kill with Daniel. I can level my Dex and Will to level three.

Daniel was using the same strategy on another slowed Kniferunner. Orrin threw a [Lightstrike] at it and hoped his friend could finish one off alone. He went back to using [Ward] on Noah.

The fight lasted hours in Orrin’s mind but when Daniel brought Gerty down on the last Kniferunner’s head with a satisfying splat, all Orrin’s buffs were still running. Everything had lasted less than ten minutes.

Experience Gained: 550 XP

Level 11 Obtained!

+10 AP

“How are we alive?” Sof looked around in awe at the piled up dead spiders and the few canines leaking blood from the stab wounds to the head. “Eleven Kniferunners should have taken us out right away...”

Bin and Gracie slumped on the ground and Noah drank deeply from a new skin.

Orrin pulled up his [Map]. “Nothing within a mile.”

Sof sat down next to Bin. “We should check on the others and find a spot to rest. We...we did a lot today.”

Orrin turned and eased a hand axe out of his [Dimension Hole] out of view of the others. Then he began hacking on the legs of the spiders.

“What are you doing?” Gracie asked as Orrin found the easiest part to cut...right above the second joint.

“My book says these legs are worth a lot.” Orrin shrugged.

Noah stood up and walked over to a body. He brought the bottom of his shield down hard on a leg. It snapped right off. “How much are we talking?”

“Noah, you can’t carry those around while we fight,” Sof pointed out.

“I’ll carry them all,” Orrin volunteered. “We can do an even split for all of us once we make it back.”

Gracie’s face fell. “If we make it back.”

Sof stood back up and helped Bin to his feet. “Let’s go find the others. Hopefully they didn’t get hit as hard.”

They made their way back south. Sof stayed with the party, claiming his mana was nearly out. Orrin kept his [Map] up but they found no traces of more enemies.

Orrin found one grey spot ahead and signaled to Sof. The druid let out a whistle that was returned in a different pitch a minute later.

Clifford, the bow and arrow guy, jumped down out of a tree a few minutes later.

“Sof, we got hit by two Kniferunners and about twenty Fetids,” the man started reporting right away. His voice was quick and a bit spastic. Orrin was reminded of the kids who used fidget spinners in class all day and still got sent to the front office for talking too much. “Me, Al, and Maya took them out slowly by just chipping away from the trees, but Farah got impatient and tried to poison a spider. It cut her up and we had to retreat back to bravo base.”

“Did you come out looking for us?” Sof asked as they turned slightly back east and began walking again.

“No. Actually, I didn’t know you were around until I heard your whistle. I’m making sure nothing followed us back. Maya said she spread our scent further west, but I wanted to double check.”

“Good idea.”

Ira had declined Bin and Daniel’s offers to carry him and they’d made a slower pace than Orrin felt comfortable with. The sun was beginning to set and the trees made it seem darker already.

“Good job back there,” Daniel whispered as they fell to the back of the group. “You saved their lives.”

“I’m sure they could have avoided it completely if they weren’t worried about dealing with us,” Orrin retorted. “I haven’t forgiven you yet, Daniel.”

“I know, I know. But seriously great job. You slowed those things down so much I barely had to use my speed boost skill to catch them. Do you think they’ll keep going or try to head back?”

“I don’t know.” Orrin ducked under low hanging branch.

“Are you going to make us [Teleport] back as soon as we get them back?”

“As soon as we get back to their camp, I’m going to have to sit around and help take care of them. Did you forget what that kind of boosting did to Madi and Brandt and Jude?”

Daniel was silent. “Shit, I forgot for a minute.”

“Because we distracted them, they had to fight instead of evading the monsters and trying to find the Fogbinder. Because of that, I had to buff them. Now...well, maybe I can [Teleport] them back a few at a time.”

“And just leave the Fogbinder out here? What happens if it has time to regroup and attack Dey again?”

“What do you want from me, D?” Orrin spun on his friend. “These guys are higher level than us. They know what they’re doing. We don’t.”

Daniel held up his hands in a placating gesture. “I’m just saying, me and you could [Teleport] around at the top of the trees. We could look for the thing. You with [Map] and me with [Telescope]. Only half the team will be out if they even get sick. We could take it out and be back tomorrow.”

Orrin sighed and followed the group. He didn’t answer Daniel. He didn’t want to deal with him right now.

They survived because I buffed them, he told himself. Even if having to fight in the first place is our fault, everyone survived. Be positive.

Bravo base was a small cave created from huge sheets of rock that had fallen from the cliffside of the Pass.

Farah was leaning up against a wall, holding a ripped piece of cloth against her side. Orrin saw the darkness of stained blood seeping through and rushed to her side.

“Is it bad? I can heal it if-“

“Get away from me,” Farah pushed him away. “We wouldn’t have had to fight if you and your friend hadn’t shown up.”

Orrin stepped back.

“Farah, shut up and take the help,” Maya was sitting by the small fire and using little gusts of wind to keep the smoke flowing further into the cave. “We’ve had to fight like five times since we started this mission. We probably would have had to fight again anyway.”

Sof helped Ira sit and began dragging his wand up and down the fake wooden “leg.” It twisted and shaped as he played with it, with a small knee joint appearing in the middle. Ira bent it gingerly and smirked.

“That’ll help a bit,” he said. Sof smiled and went to sit with Bin.

The Dragoon team debriefed informally and Farah finally allowed Orrin to cast a few healing spells on her. He was sure he could have spent a few extra heals on her but she just chucked the piece of bloody cloth into the fire and walked away without a thank you.

Daniel scowled after her. “What a b-“

“It’s fine,” Orrin said and elbowed his friend in the ribs. “How are you? Did you take any more damage?”

Daniel shook his head. “No. Did you get much experience? That fight brought me almost all the way to twelve.”

“Just past eleven,” Orrin responded. “I was more worried about keeping everybody alive.”

“I’ve been looking at my skills and I think-“

“Daniel,” Orrin interrupted him. “Maybe later. I need to make sure they understand that they’re going to crash.”

Daniel pulled a face but didn’t argue. Orrin went and sat in front of Sof and Bin. Bin had an arm around the druid.

“Sof, I kind of told you guys earlier, but when those buff spells I cast wear off, you are all going to get...sick.”

“Orrin, those spells wore off a while ago. I don’t feel anything.”

Orrin was surprised but kept at it. “I...I don’t get it. Last time I used the spells that high, my party went down for almost two days. Would you mind if I checked your status? I can use [Identify].”

Sof hesitated but eventually nodded.

Sof

Arborist Druid Level 55

HP: ---

MP: ---

It’s the same as earlier. No abnormal status effects, but maybe I just can’t see them.

“I’m not seeing anything off...” Orrin scratched his head. “Please let me know if you feel off though.”

Orrin made his way back to Daniel. “Sof’s fine. Nobody else looks more than tired. I don’t get it.”

Daniel shrugged. “They are a higher level than Brandt. Maybe it has something to do with that?”

Orrin pulled a bedroll out of his [Dimension Hole] and draped it wide over the both of them.

Sof set up a sleep and watch rotation but left Orrin and Daniel out of it. That was fine by Orrin. He was ready for a full night of sleep.

Orrin pulled up his Store and made two quick purchases.

Would you like to Upgrade [Increase Dexterity] (5,000/5,000) for 3 AP?

Yes or No?

Would you like to Upgrade [Increase Will] (5,000/5,000) for 3 AP?

Yes or No?

Yes.

[Increase Dexterity] Level 3 (0/10,000):

increase target Dexterity by +4 for 20 minutes. (15 MP).

[Increase Will] Level 3 (0/10,000):

increase target Will by +4 for 20 minutes. (15 MP).

Finally, the complete set.

Orrin pulled up his status.

Orrin

Utility Warder

Level 11(490/2,000)

HP: 90

MP: 380

Strength: 9

Constitution: 9

Dexterity: 9

Will: 28

Intelligence: 11

Abilities:

[Mind Bastion]

[Dimension Hole]

[Identify]

[Blood Mana]

[Map]- [Party View]; [Monster View]; [Trap View]; [Zoom]

[Side Steps] Level Three (9/300)

[Mana Pool]

[Through the Ages]

Spells:

Calm Mind- 5 MP

[Heal Small Wounds]- Level One 5 MP; Level Two 10 MP; Level Three 20 MP. (740/10,000)

[Camouflage]- Level One 10 MP; Level Two 10 MP. (210/10,000)

[Lightstrike]- 10MP

[Ward]- 20 MP

[Inverse]- 5MP.

[Utility Ward] Level 1 100 MP; Level 2 200MP.

Ice sword- 1 MP per sword.

Teleport- 50 MP per person (4,650/5,000)

[Ice Ward]- 20 MP.

Increase Strength- Level One 5 MP; Level Two 10 MP; Level Three 15 MP. (1,530/10,000)

Increase Dexterity- Level One 5 MP; Level Two 10 MP; Level Three 15 MP. (1,620/10,000)

Increase Will- Level One 5 MP; Level Two 10 MP; Level Three 15 MP. (660/10,000)

Increase Intelligence- Level One 5 MP; Level Two 10 MP; Level Three 15 MP. (1,080/10,000)

Orrin looked over his build until his eyes got heavy. The last thing he remembered was Daniel pulling the blanket back over him as he fell asleep.