Polaris Dark - Arc II Chapter V

This is impossible....

Not only is are the Varaug powerful enough to take hits without flinching, their attacks are also powerful and earthshaking! The escorts are already at the limits stalling for time. Lasting even five minutes would be a blessing!

Even when Altoray2 uses his special technique, all it does is cause his target to flinch slightly before swinging its weapon at the offender. The red-headed player is forced to roll away from the dangerous battle axe, taking a small scratch to the back.

Where are the other escort teams? Did they notice this dangerous situation or are they all inside the shelters as well? Maybe they did not receive this extra quest....

My mind goes into overdrive at the impeding crisis. Although this is only a game to us players, the virtual reality is extremely realistic. This makes things harder to separate it from reality during heated confrontations like this one. As a result, my rational thinking starts entering a new state, one that processes things faster than what I brain would be capable of in reality. Later on, I would realize that this is the very reason why many schools used this virtual world to teach classes.

Sorting out all the plans in my head, I come to a conclusion that the situation only had two possible solutions. The first plan is to try enraging the Varaugs enough to cause them to only think of killing the nuisances and forgetting their goals. The second plan is less viable but will have better results: kill off at least three of them before the ones in the distance arrive.

I use a single second to decide on my plan of action.

The first plan is probably better as it will not only preserve the villagers' lives as well as give us a chance to survive the confrontation. Adversely, this plan may not even work out if the Varaugs don't act accordingly to the plan. I am also not sure if we can even annoy them enough with the barely adequate scratch damage that doesn't even cause the mutant orcs to flinch.

The second plan is requires both precision and timing. My escort team does not know about my close-combat abilities so I will have to improvise. Since they are wearing armor, I will be able to use the technique to reduce the Varaug's defenses.

The town guards have been alerted to the impeding disaster in your general area! They will arrive at your location in just less than ten minutes.

Time remaining: 9 minutes 52 seconds

There is one escort still hurrying the villagers into the doorway so it should be fine for Sarah and I to attack the Varaugs.

Very well, let us begin.

Sarah is about to rush over to help her father but is stopped by me.

"Sarah, I know you want to help your father, but rushing in without a plan isn't going to help."

"B-But...!"

"Let me explain; I have a plan but I need your help for it to have a chance of success."

"...o-okay."

I explain to her my plan in less than ten seconds, giving her some time to digest the information without taking too long. The Varaugs in the distant are still fairly far away, probably requiring another three minutes or so to arrive.

I signal to Sarah and she rockets off at the closest Varaug, helping the person having the most trouble with it. I follow her closely, summoning three mana orbs and having them on standby. Sarah reaches the Varaug that is currently attacking an escort who has just been knocked down. The Varaug notices Sarah and casually swings his giant axe at her, not caring if it hits or not. Sarah ducks the horizontal sweep and rolls into range for her sword strikes. At the same time, I release the mana orbs in orbit around me. The spheres shoot in arcs around Sarah, striking the Varaug in the head, arm and chest simultaneously.

Fatal Hit! 9 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

6 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

7 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 2361/2581

Its armor is completely physical in nature, making magic damage pierce straight through without being reduced. The Varaug's magic resistance doesn't seem to exist... instead, it seems to disregard pain and just continue to attack without bothering defensive options.

If not for my skill's special hitstun effect, my plan would not work properly. The Varaug stumbles as the mama orbs burst on impact, giving Sarah a free shot at dealing moderate damage without the mutant armored orc responding with a chop to the neck before she recovers.

Sarah does just that and slashes the Orc's exposed right leg.

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 2328/2581

The Varaug grimaces in annoyance as Ezschiel's daughter was able to actually hit its body properly. As it recovers, Sarah slashes the other leg before dodging backwards, the giant battle axe just missing her slender neck.

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 2295/2581

Right away, I slip into the fray, activating my battle gauntlets with a flash of purple light. The energy lines on the gauntlet glows purple and I punch the Varaug in the chest while using .

*Crash!*

My gauntlet-covered fist causes a small kinetic explosion on impact, dealing damage to both the Varaug and the armor it's wearing.

26 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 2302/2581

Oscillation Shatter: -8% Defense

The Varaug tries to smash me with a fist but misses due to my nimbleness. In Ascendancy, there is no penalty for fighting against people, creatures and monsters higher than your level. Unless they have certain abilities that requires their level to be higher than yours by a certain amount, level difference will not carry any penalties.

I'm going to have to construct a device for my ability later on so that I can scan the target to check their status....

From my probing, the Varaug is fairly unintelligent, using only powerful swings that are fast and strong. The attacks are all linear and clumsy due to the apparent lack of dexterity, making them akin to berserkers that fight primarily with strength with mediocre agility.

31 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

25 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

33 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 2302/2581

Oscillation Shatter: -8% Defense

I avoid the heavy-handed swings using purely dexterity and agility, striking the Varaug here and there to continue probing for flaws. I also notice the defense debuff applies to both magical and physical attacks and it does not have a duration limit. Although the amount of defense reduced is fairly little, the permanent nature of this debuff makes it worthwhile.

When changing professions, the player will receive knowledge, muscle memory and boosts in abilities to match their job. Warrior professions gain some form of combat training regardless of their previous abilities. Archers become proficient at using the bow regardless how well they use the bow before changing professions (those that already have archery proficiency will receive extra proficiency experience).

Without a profession, players will only receive small bonuses to their character for what they do in reality. A person with proficiency in dexterous arts (requiring certain levels of fine-motor skills) will have small bonuses to their dexterity. An athlete that runs regularly will get bonuses towards their vitality and agility. Martial artists might receive a free combat skill at the beginning while teachers may get additional intelligence as a bonus.

I received something other than the knowledge and technique to analyze, create and deconstruct magic inscriptions and artifacts. What was imprinted into my character's "mind" is the innate sense to test for weaknesses, strengths and enemy abilities. It seems this includes basic hand-to-hand combat knowledge for this profession as well since my attack-move technique has changed slightly from the training I have done with the city guards.

38 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

34 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 2230/2581

Oscillation Shatter: -8% Defense

Sarah slides into the fray and deals a few hits of damage while the Varaug is trying to chop me up. The escort that had fallen has finally gotten up. He runs towards another Varaug to help the one trying to fend that one off.

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 2104/2581

Oscillation Shatter: -8% Defense

I pick out the Varaug's weak points after prodding the mutant orc with short jabs and kicks. The mutant orc's weak points are its wrists, ankles and neck. It looks like attacks striking those points will cause it to flinch. No wonder the other escorts aren't doing much to hinder it; they're all focusing on the torso since the head is too high up. The Varaug also guards against magic attacks to his head using his arms.

I narrowly avoid another horizontal axe swing by ducking before springing upward, dealing a heavy-handed uppercut to the Varaug's chin.

Critical Hit! Fatal Hit! 236 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

The mutant orc stumbles and falls over, landing flat on his back with a loud thump.

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 1868/2581

Oscillation Shatter: -8% Defense

Stunned (2s)

Knocked Down (5s)

Having discovered this creature's weaknesses, all abilities with the function will be able to target the weak spots if you wish for it to. Attacking the weak points will now result in a that deals 1.2x damage. Profession Innate Ability has been unlocked. It will be available after this battle is complete. Note that not all abilities can be used with .

This is perfect; I was not expecting a bonus for identifying the weaknesses of a creature. The ability I received should be helpful, I'll try it out after this battle.

Turns out, the Varaug is clumsy and slow when knocked down, making it extremely vulnerable to attacks while being unable to get up. Sarah rushes into the fray, using one technique after another on the downed Varaug while I continue my own attacks.

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 1768/2581

Oscillation Shatter: -8% Defense

Stunned (0s)

Knocked Down (3s)

I am able to deal substantial damage to the Varaug with consecutive gauntlet-assisted strikes as well as point-blank mana spheres to the head.

Fatal Hit! 45 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

Fatal Hit! 42 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

Critical Hit! Fatal Hit! 57 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

Fatal Hit! 8 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

Fatal Hit! 9 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

Fatal Hit! 9 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

Fatal Hit! 46 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

Critical Hit! Fatal Hit! 55 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 1497/2581

Oscillation Shatter: -8% Defense

Knocked Down (0s)

The Varaug clumsily tries to get up only to get when Sarah knees his face down with one of her techniques.

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 1476/2581

Oscillation Shatter: -8% Defense

Aimed Stigma: Head Strike - Dazed (2s)

Knocked Down (5s)

Sarah's sword glows in a light blue, slashing the Varaug in the neck.

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 1342/2581

Oscillation Shatter: -8% Defense

Aimed Stigma - Head Strike: Dazed (1s)

Aimed Stigma - Critial Drop: Critical Drop: Takes +15% Critical Damage (6s)

Knocked Down (4s)

This is... they really are slow and clumsy when fallen....

Oh! I see, this quest is not just about straight-forward fighting but also requires tactical skill and deductive reasoning as well. In this case, the difficulty of this quest is not as high as I thought. It's a C-rank quest, meaning that there might be something else that makes it a quest for players from level 50 to level 100. Well, at least I was able to solve one of the problems.

After a few second of free attacks, the Varaug is able to get up on to its feet, not before Sarah and I manage to take his health points down below a thousand. The mutant orc is now enraged, probably because it sees us as annoying insects and the "insects" just dealt substantial damage to it. Roaring, the Varaug rushes towards me as I was the one who knocked it over. With a stroke of luck... well, an unfortunate event for the Varaug, Sarah ends up tripping the Varaug when she fell over while trying to slash the Varaug's leg.

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 862/2581

Oscillation Shatter: -8% Defense

Knocked Down (5s)

... *giggles* ...

I giggle in my mind before running over to the downed (again) mutant orc and kicking it in the head, still trying to clear my mind from that hilarious scene.

29 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

Sarah gets up quickly and continues her sword-swinging onslaught, this time at the Varaug's head. I hang back for a moment, thinking of a way to finish the Varaug as quickly as possible. It's just over half a minute and we're able to deal this much damage...

Oh, I know! How about channeling mana into my right hand like martial artists in movies do with some sort of energy... I forgot what it was called. Never mind that though...

I focus on my right hand, trying to figure out how to channel mana into only my right hand... and fail. Honestly, it isn't going to be that easy. I have no clue how to manipulate mana by msyself at all, much less direct mana flow from one place to another. I don't even know what "mana" feels like...

Wasting only a moment of thinking, I continue punching and kicking the downed Varaug's head while Sarah uses her sword.

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 107/2581

Oscillation Shatter: -8% Defense

Knocked Down (0s)

As the mutant orc struggles to get up, Sarah uses her , this time without shouting out the name, to finish it off.

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 0/2581

With an agonized bellow, the Varaug crumbles to the ground after getting up for a second.

"Alright!"

Sarah cries out in excitement. Being able to cut down such a large foe bent on chopping you to bits is definitely a great feat. Glancing at the current situation, I conclude that the here are not actually that strong at all for a level 38 rare monster. They possess high strength, endurance, vitality and a mediocre agility, making them tough but not slow. That's it though; they lack the attributes that would make them truly dangerous.

They're tenacious alright, but nothing that tactical knowledge and logic can't beat. What worries me is not these Varaugs but the other one: The named Varaug is an Epic-Tier creature, making it approximately thirty times stronger than the the . It will really depend on the difference between the two types to see if we can actually hold on for the seven or so minutes.

There is a reason why Altoray2, Ezschiel and the other escorts are not able do much damage to the Vraug. The rest of the combatants are not as agile as Sarah, making it difficult to counterattack while avoiding enemy strikes. Although I am not as mobile as Sarah, I am close to her level of speed from the looks of things. I also have the combat knowledge given by my profession that focuses on counters and mobility.

Although Ezschiel, Altoray2 and another escort are able to hold their own, they cannot gain an advantage over the Varaug while fighting one on one. A pair of escorts fighting against the last one has a slight advantage over the mutant orc they are fightning. The escort we rescued earlier is one of two people with the advantage of a Varaug. Right now, the four remaining enemies are still going very strong. Sarah and I will have to hurry up and take down at least two more mutant orcs before the other three arrive.

I note the distance between the individual battles; it seems they drifted farther apart.... This should be the reason why they did not notice the new red-skinned corpse on the ground.

Sarah moves to my side and nudges me with pleading eyes. Sighing and nod to her with a smile. Sarah grins and prepares herself for the next battle, checking her sword for any wear and/or tear. I check my status, finding that my mana is at about thirty percent. Ugh... I should've gotten some mana recovery items ready before hand.

Ezschiel's daughter notices my frown and somehow understands my situation. When I glance at her, she brings out a small glass vial filled with a bubbling, transparent light-blue liquid.

"Here you go! It's a , enough to recover 150 mana. This potion is really weird but quite effective."

She hands me the vial with a smile. I try to refuse her but she stands firm on her decision.

"You've helped out so much and even allowed me to kill one of these giant monsters. Just take it; we're a team! We need everyone to be in top shape!"

I reluctantly take the vial and thank her before popping the cork off the top. I catch a whiff of a soft, flowery fragrance emitting from the vial before delicately tilting the contents into my mouth. Contrary to the fragrance, the bubbly mana soda has not much taste whatsoever. It's like someone mixed perfume into club soda but forgot about taste. Finishing the vial of potion, I close the cork and hand it back to Sarah, whom takes it and places it back in a small pouch tied beside her sword sheath.

I also tell Sarah about the Varaug's weak points so that we can fight more efficiently. Sarah nods at the information, giving herself a once-over before readying herself.

I check my remaining mana and the new ability before heading off with Sarah.

Mana: 250/370

Spoiler: Information

Auto-TargetingAbility Type:Auxiliary AssistProficiency:-Ability Class:Targeting SystemCircle:-Skill Cost:ManaRank:- enables the user to automatically aim for the target's weak points using the ancient magical ability to track and sense mana and energy. Although it allows the user to sense mana and energy well enough to track the identified target, it is not powerful enough to be used as a full sensory ability.

Range: 15m

Cooldown: N/A

I nod to Sarah and she reciprocates.

"Alright, let's go!"

Sarah cries out and charges towards the Varaug her father is holding off. I follow behind her closely, generating three mana spheres around me. The Varaug attacking Ezschiel tries to cleave the latter in half with a horizontal swing but Ezschield narrowly avoids it using his parrying technique.

Sarah slips into the fray, moving behind the Varaug while readying her sword. I send my mana spheres arcing around Sarah, testing the ability to see what it can do. The spheres flies towards the Varaug, bursting upon impact. One mana orb strikes the Varaug's right wrist, another hits its head, the last one bursts on its right ankle. This knocks the Varaug slightly forward as it is not expecting an attack from behind.

8 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

Fatal Hit! 9 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

8 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 2038/2627

Ezschiel's eyes widen for a moment before taking the opportunity to deal a powerful blow to the Varaug's raised right arm. Sarah leaps forward and arcs her sword downwards, slashing the Varaug's left ankle from behind.

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 1810/2627

Sarah rolls to the left, avoiding the surprised Varaug's backwards swing with his hand. The mutant orc turns around, trying to see what hit him from behind. As soon as the Varaug spots me, I move right into its minimum range, ducking low with my gauntlets raised upwards similar to the muay thai stance. I turn my gauntlet covered right hand and spring upwards, catching the Varaug's chin with a vicious uppercut.

Critical Hit! Fatal Hit! 219 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 1591/2627

Stunned (2s)

Knocked Down (5s)

As I expected: the mutant orc falls over from the uppercut, crashing backwards into the ground.

Ezschiel is shocked at this development and he promptly stops moving for a moment. Sarah charges at the downed mutant orc and delivers several powerful cuts to the head while I strike the other side of its head with hard-hitting punches... not before I crush its defense with the technique.

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 1358/2627

Oscillation Shatter: -8% Defense

Knocked Down (3s)

Spoiler: Information

32 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

34 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

35 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

29 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

31 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

37 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 1160/2627

Oscillation Shatter: -8% Defense

The Varaug tries getting up in the same way as the one Sarah and I defeated. As his head rises up, Sarah slams her right knee in its face before slashes its head with her sword. The light bluish light leaves a trail of particles, dealing damage as well as placing a debuff on the Varaug.

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 1342/2581

Oscillation Shatter: -8% Defense

Aimed Stigma - Head Strike: Dazed (1s)

Aimed Stigma - Critial Drop: Critical Drop: Takes +15% Critical Damage (6s)

Knocked Down (5s)

Ezschiel shakes his head before taking the opportunity prepare a powerful technique. He gets into a low stance with his legs in a partial lunge-like position, holding his sword in front of his body in a reverse grip. Ezschiel closes his eyes, showing that he trusts that we can keep the Varaug in check.

Sarah and I continue our aassault on the Varaug's head, dealing substantial damage to the fallen mutant orc. Sarah executes four more techniques before she seem to run out of mana. I continue to use basic attacks with my gauntlets as I do not have any usable techniques that do larger amounts of damage. I will save for the named creature if needed.

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 682/2581

Oscillation Shatter: -8% Defense

Ezschiel rushes towards the Varaug while it is in the midst of getting up. His sword is glowing in a fierce reddish glow, leaving behind a trail of red light that causes the air to shimmer and cause minute distortions. Upon reaching the Varaug, Ezschiel makes a gigantic horizontal cut, rending the air in front of him, as well as the mutant orc.

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 112/2581

Oscillation Shatter: -8% Defense

Vorpal Sweeper: Armor Break (3s)

Roaring in agony, the Varaug stumbles backwards as it is dealt over 500 damage in one blow. To top it off, the transparent combat window that pops up displays a new status effect that I have not seen before. Sarah quickly deals two more slashes while I punch the Varaug in the back before it can respond to the attacks. This brings the mutant orc's health down to zero.

Varaug Destroyer Level 38 Health: 0/2581

This Varaug crumples like the previous Varaug did. Falling to the ground, becoming motionless. As soon as Ezschiel catches his breath from using such a powerful technique, the three of us hurries to the closest mutant orc battle. Glancing at the grey-haired adventurer, I can tell that he is itching to ask us about our tactics. However, Ezschiel can also tell that this is not the correct moment to ask: we still have to take care of the Varaugs in this place before we can relax.

Sarah takes a vial and downs the light blue bubbling liquid inside before replacing the now empty vial into her pouch. Ezschiel does the same as his daughter but drinks a light greenish potion instead. With the veteran adventurer here, I may not need my until we deal with the named Varaug.

Nearing the next Varaug, Ezschiel follows the two of us from behind since his daughter and I are capable of limited teamwork. As Sarah takes up the vanguard role with me following closely behind. Reaching the mutant orc, we find the escort having some difficulties defending against it. This escort is blown back several meters before landing in the grass on her back. At the same time, I generate three and send them at the Varaug.

The mana orbs strike the Varaug's weak points while the hitstun activates. The mutant orc stumbles in mid stride, allowing Sarah to slip in from the side and slash horizontally. This slash causes a critical hit; the mutant orc staggers over and bellows.

7 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

8 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

8 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

Varaug Destroyer Level 41 Health: 2202/2414

The combination of being hitstun by the mana spheres and Sarah's crtical hit knocks down the Varaug.

Varaug Destroyer Level 41 Health: 2202/2414

Knocked Down (2s)

At this point, everything repeats itself accordingly. Sarah deals some damage to the Varaug while I harrass and knock down the Varaug as much as possible. With Ezschiel's heavy damage support, the mutant orc is defeated much quicker than before.

I take a look at the incoming orcs and realize that we may have a chance of taking down all five of them if we are fast enough. The female escort we just saved hurries with us to the second last skirmish, leaving battle with two escorts last. The three mutant orcs will probably arrive in just over a minute if my estimate is correct.

The person defending against this Varaug is a human man using a short sword and a buckler. From my deductions, he probably has the highest defense rating out of the escorts I have seen up close. No wonder this escorter seem calm and collected while defending easily against the Varaug attacking him.

When this sword-and-shield defender spots us, he furrows his brows and starts inching forward. This keeps the Varaug's attention on him while slowly pushing the mutant orc backwards. Instead of sending mana orbs out, I rush ahead of Sarah and send the Varaug starggering forward with a flying side kick. The escort notes my speed before I my leading foot connects with the Varaug's body, sidestepping and slashing the mutant orc with his sword.

36 damage dealt to Varaug Destroyer

Varaug Destroyer Level 41 Health: 2108/2395

The female escort wields a large axe with a copper-colored axe head and a wooden handle. With this escort and Ezschiel doing the heavy damage while Sarah, the sword-and-shield escort and I harrass the Varaug to the keep it from targeting our heavy-hitters. Within fifteen seconds, this mutant orc falls over and dies from our assault.

As the three incoming Varaugs reduce the distance between the defenders and themselves, Ezschiel, Sarah, the male and female escort attacks the last Varaug. The mutant orc here is being held off by two escorts and looks ragged and slow in comparison to the orcs we have defeated. The last Varaug is defeated in less than ten seconds with Ezschiel striking the mutant orc using the Vorpal Sweeper.

The last two escorts are magic users that are capable of unleashing elemental magic. Because close-combat is not their strong point, they've been having some trouble dealing with the Varaug. With the rest of the two teams here

Before the three new Varaugs arrive, everyone here prepares for the final battle. I feel that the are too weak to be considered for the C-tier quest.... We take up a makeshift battle formation to fight against the new threat: Ezschiel is a meter to the left of the sword-and-shield warrior while Sarah is three meters behind the defensive warrior. The female warrior with the large axe stands a meter to the right of the sword-and-shield warrior, mirroring Ezschiel's position on the left. As a support and skirmishing "warrior", I stand off to the side with my mana orbs at the ready. The two mages are at the back, preparing magical attacks and support spells.

As soon as the new Varaugs come within twenty five meters, the central Varaug with the shiny armored leggings suddenly burst forward with tremendous speed. A glint in its eyes appear and it leaps forward, catching everyone by surprise. However, the Varaug does not leap straight into the formation: instead, this giant mutant orc tears through the air directly at me! Catching me off guard, I try avoiding the charging lunge to no avail: its body smashes into me, sending my body tumbling head-over-heels before crashing into the ground with a dull thud.

My vision fades to quickly to black while the crushing pain spreads through my body.

You have lost 256 health!

Because you have lost over 50% of your health in a single attack, you have been knocked unconscious for thirteen seconds. Upon regaining consciousness, you'll experience dizziness and weakness for eight seconds.

...With all the possible attacks and techniques available, I just had to get tackled by a humanoid monster truck...

*sigh*

I black out after sighing internally...

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