[Ironneedle Pauldrons (C)]
Pauldrons made of Ironneedle Hedgehog’s leather and adorned with its needles. Enhanced with Dryad’s blessing, increasing natural damage dealt by 20% while in forests and areas rich with thick natural energies.
Any defensive skill used while this item is equipped will reflect 10% of damage done.
[Thornvine Gloves (C)]
Gloves made from woven Heartthorn Rose’s vines, treated with the blood of a Sawneedle Mosquito, and soaked in a spirit pond for two months.
When worn allows for barehanded attacks to siphon 5% of damage done as healing.
Once a day, if you receive more than 40% of your health as damage from a single attack, release bloodsucking thorny vines at your enemy and heal back 20% of the damage received, provided that the attack lands.
[Raven’s Cowl (C)]
A cowl created out of Stalker Fiend’s hide and Ruby Eyed Raven’s feathers.
It contains the skill Night Vision, which activates once the cowl is worn in dark environments.
While cloaked by darkness or invisible, damage done is increased by 15%, and footsteps are muffled.
Applies to shapeshifted forms as well.
“Well… This will be difficult.” He exhaled slowly. “All three will be useful in the Wildlands, but once I leave, only the Cowl remains consistently valuable. The gloves are strong, but I don’t fight that often with my hands…Either the Pauldrons or the Cowl…” He muttered, standing still as he stared into the screens, idly humming a soft melody.
“Cowl it is! It will work perfectly in Cat Form, and it will remain useful even beyond the Wildlands!” he said aloud as he reached out and selected the item.
The moment he chose, the cowl materialized within his grasp, its dark feathers faintly shimmering, as he tied it loosely around his neck, letting it rest against his back.
Once he was finished with everything, he sat down to eat the same meal as the night before and wanted to rest for a while, but just as he settled, the sound of war horns echoed across the land. The ground began trembling, and even the river started spilling over its banks, forcing Silex to rush out in a hurry.
“What the hell is going on?!” Silex growled, scanning the surroundings.
“Looks like the Monster Horde has started. Let’s go and see what’s happening.” Maximus said as he shifted into his Cat Form. “Silex, Vesper, Sprout, let’s go. Stay low, stay careful, and do not engage before I give the order.” Maximus commanded as they rushed toward the distant, rising chaos.
***
In the kilometers of fields stretching south of the Bastion of Hope, large portals split the land as green-skinned orcs spawned, marching in tight formations of five by five. They all wore simple leather armor and carried long iron spears, their steps heavy and synchronized.
Alongside each of the formations walked five wolf riders with long, curved blades sheathed across their backs, each one currently blowing into a war horn as new portals tore open before them.
From one of them, a massive three-meter-tall orc stepped through. The giant carried a brutal, jagged greatsword and barked something in orcish that made the entire horde roar with savage fury.
Observing all of this was Franko, who gulped heavily as his grip tightened. “Do we have any of those bombs?” George asked, his voice steady despite the chaos unfolding in the distance.
“Maybe two…” Franko replied with a strained sigh.
“I bet you regret leaving things like that with the Druid.” George chuckled dryly, though his eyes never left the advancing army.
“What are you laughing about? We are all probably going to die!” Franko snapped, his voice rising with panic.
“Chief, not all of us have something against dying. Not like life outside is any better than this, well, at least for me.” George shrugged, his tone oddly calm. If he could survive, he would, but if not… He had no real complaints about dying as things were.
“Fucking psycho. Go gather everyone who is left. I’m not letting us die without a fight!” Franko said, his voice dropping into something colder and more resolute.
“What about Maria?” George suddenly asked, glancing sideways.
Franko frowned before replying, “She will fight… Though she might try to kill me first.” He let out a quiet sigh. She still refused to speak to him after what had transpired.
***
“What do you think?” Maximus asked as the trio lay low in the grass, barely visible among the swaying blades.
“They don’t smell that strong. Only the big one at the front could be a problem.” Vesper appraised calmly.
“There are too many. It’s suicide.” Silex complained, his voice tense.
“How about we let the humans fight them first, and then we go in and wipe both groups out?” Vesper advised, his tone disturbingly casual.
“That’s a bit much… Let’s observe first. I can always toss a few poison bombs if needed.” Maximus said coldly.
***
The orcs charged toward the village, avoiding the holes and ditches left behind from Maximus’s previous traps.
Franko and the mages cut down as many as they could, but it wasn’t enough as the first ranks began slamming into the gates with brutal force.
“Everyone, fall back deeper into the village and raise the barricades!” Franko ordered as they retreated, leaving the orcs hammering against the gates.
“Let’s go,” Maximus whispered, and the trio, along with Sprout, moved forward through the grass. Once they were close enough, Maximus shifted into his human form and tossed a couple of poison bombs into the back lines of the orcs.
The bombs ignited and exploded in rolling waves of thick black smoke that swallowed the two rear formations, which had begun grouping after suffering losses from the ranged attacks.
Half of the orcs collapsed instantly after just a few breaths, their bodies going limp where they stood, while others began to glow faintly with a sickly green hue, coughing and spewing mouthfuls of black blood as the poison tore through them.
You have defeated: [Greenstone Orc Lv. 21] x 17
….
You have defeated: [Greenstone Orc Lv. 23] x 13
Class Leveled Up: [Druid Lv. 26 > Lv. 28]
Talent Points gained: +4
Battle Tokens earned: 400
Not bad for barely any effort. Maximus nodded and summoned the Devourer Plant puppet for Sprout.
“Boys, watch for any remaining poison, and let’s clean up the orcs. Vesper, take care of the riders. Silex, come with me, and Sprout, handle the ones still fighting the poison.” Maximus ordered. “Spectral Wolves, go join Vesper and help him hunt.” He commanded the spirit beasts, who immediately followed Vesper, whose eyes gleamed with excitement at having more wolves by his side.
He then summoned a few Cinder Seeds and swallowed one while calling out Embi. “Embi, help Sprout, please.” He asked, fully aware that the two didn’t get along well.
“Max, what are we going to do?” Silex asked impatiently, his tail twitching.
“We’ll take care of the remaining ones and the big one. Follow me.” Maximus said as he shapeshifted his legs into lupine limbs, now glowing with a faint blood-red hue, an effect of his connection with Vesper.
He then dashed forward, drawing his falchion and casting Lesser Wind Enchantment on the blade.
As sharp winds surged around the edge, Maximus slashed into the first orc he encountered and cast Sanctuary. The area around him turned misty green as vines erupted from the ground almost instantly.
As he started weaving through the orcs, his blade cutting through them like mowing the grass, vines burst from the earth and lashed at the surrounding enemies, while beneath their feet, seed-like mines detonated in quick succession.
Silex followed close behind, his eyes gleaming with savage joy as he lunged at one of the orcs bound by vines and tore out a massive chunk of bone and flesh. The orc screamed and thrust its spear at him, but Silex lashed his tail violently into the weapon, shattering it into splinters along with the creature’s arms.
Seeing this assault, the orc leader roared something in fury, and half of the remaining orcs broke off and charged toward Maximus and Silex, while Vesper and Spectral Wolves clashed with the wolf riders. The more blood-soaked the land became, the stronger Vesper grew; he even split into a clone and summoned what remained of his old pack.
As the small pack tore through the riders, each wolf that fell rose again under Vesper’s control, swelling his growing pack.
Sprout and Embi, on the other hand, dealt with the poisoned and weakened orcs, Sprout binding them with vines while Embi set them on fire with a barrage of Fireballs.
Hearing the sounds of battle shifting, Franko rushed back to the city walls and shouted, “Max is back! Everyone, move out and support him now!”
At the sound of Franko’s shouts, the participants, now invigorated by the turn of the events, hurried back, cheering.
The ranged fighters climbed the walls, aiming their attacks toward the orcs hammering at the iron gates, while Maria ignited her lunar skill and vaulted over the walls, with other warriors following close behind.
They descended upon the remaining orcs with fury, their bodies and weapons shining with various enhancement skills.
Maria left the others to deal with the weaker enemies as she focused entirely on the leader.
“Silex, I’ll transform, let’s mow them down!” Maximus decided, opting for the most spirit-efficient method, and shifted into his Tank Form. A massive Ankylosaurus materialized in the middle of the battlefield and roared thunderously as the ground trembled beneath its weight. He activated Thornskin instantly and began hammering his tail into the orcs, crushing bones and bodies with brutal ease.
“Oh yes! That’s it! The mighty duo of terror is here to win and take lives!” Silex laughed maniacally as he opened his blood-soaked maw and unleashed Aqua Jet, slicing through incoming orcs as if they were made of paper.
“What the fuck?!” George stared, eyes wide, as he witnessed Maximus transform. “He turned into a fucking dinosaur? What the…” He muttered in disbelief, as a smile cracked his face.
“Ignore that and keep attacking! We are turning this around!” Franko roared as he continued sniping targets through the chaos.
Meanwhile, Vesper’s ever-growing pack surrounded the remaining riders.
They swung their massive blades at him, sending thick, black, crescent-shaped slashes through the air. Vesper howled, and a dense, blood-red barrier enveloped him, shattering the attacks effortlessly before he opened his jaws and condensed a swirling orb of blood mana, hurling it into the clustered riders.
The orb detonated in a violent crimson explosion that drained the vitality of both orcs and wolves alike.
As the beasts fell alongside their riders, bloody tentacles erupted from beneath Vesper and pierced into the still-warm corpses, dragging them back to their feet as extensions of his will.
Vesper, Spectral Wolves, and the newly risen pack turned in unison and joined the melee participants, tearing into the remaining orcs in a rising tide of blood and fury.
“Jesus Christ! The Blood King is on our side now!” Jorge, the guard, shouted as he stabbed his spear into an orc's throat.
“Fuck. I am a bit jealous!” another participant shouted as he parried a spear thrust with his buckler.
On the other side, Maximus and Silex had carved a path of destruction straight toward Maria, who was bleeding and clutching her left arm.
As soon as Maximus reached her and Sanctuary enveloped her form, her wounds began to close while thick vines surged toward the orc leader, wrapping and binding him, only to be torn apart moments later by his overwhelming strength.
Maximus shifted back into his human form and once again transformed his legs into lupine limbs, their power surging as traces of blood mana seeped into them.
“Max, thank you for coming back! Be careful, though, he’s strong. His skin is like living metal, and his greatsword creates shockwaves that disrupt any weapon skills.” Maria warned as he tossed her a seed.
“Eat that, and don’t worry, we’ve got this, right guys?” Maximus smiled confidently as his beasts and spirits surrounded the towering leader.
Maria glanced at the monstrous army at his command and silently obeyed, swallowing the seed without question.
“My spirit has recovered nicely… Let’s end this quickly and cleanly!” Maximus said as he cast Entangle and Spore Cloud.
Roots burst from the earth and bound the orc in place as spores invaded his lungs and body. Sprout and Vesper moved in perfect sync, vines and blood-forged chains coiling tightly around the leader, whose body shimmered like black living metal as he resisted.
“Everyone, move away now!” He shouted.
As the participants scattered, “Starlight Shower…” Maximus muttered under his breath, and the sky ignited as a massive magic circle formed high above the battlefield.