Namon died in quite the anticlimactic way. Absent was the desperate fight that pushed both sides to the end of their ropes, demanding more than mere hundred percent of their capabilities exposed. Instead, Spartacus had held the upper hand the entire time, with Namon's mind getting distracted with more than one other problem. It was to be expected though. Never had there been a human group that had challenged them to such an extent, breeding contempt and a sense of superiority. Was it any wonder then that one's state of mind was shaken once faced with such a seemingly insurmountable obstacle?

  It mattered little for Spartacus and the rest of Namon's enemies. They held the upper hand, keeping the invading force at bay, all while taking down their strongest entities, ensuring no overly large losses on their side. A single, fully equipped second awakening fighter could have delivered significant losses to either side should he be allowed to run rampant among the lines of ordinary fighters. Case in point was Jack and his arrows that each culled nearly a dozen beastmen. Worse still, he was not getting tied down by an expert from beastmen side, allowing him to continue inflicting heavy casualties.

  Spartacus did not spend much time in savouring his victory however. He made sure his opponent was dead by storing his corpse in a storage ring each of Jack's servants had been given by the man himself, and then shifted his focus towards the defensive lines on the walls that still held the enemy back. It was obvious that they too were giving their all, some of whom were still holding on despite even a broken limb.

  With his own focus no longer narrowed on a threat the likes of Namon, he too could help them out with more than his mere weapon. He tapped further into his leader side of his hybrid class, allowing a bolstering presence to unfold over quite the large area around him, empowering the defenders even more than his passive strengthening effect did in a smaller area and at all times. He knew that this assistance was a timed empowerment however, as it did drain his own measly mana reserves at a constant rate. He knew however, that now was also the time to use it. Not only would he himself join the fight in a moment, but he also believed it was only a matter of time before Jack's maids too kcare of their assignments as well, further empowering the defending side. With a deep breath, Spartacus refocused and joined the defenders, his sword arm raising to strike as he called out for a switch, taking the place of another defender who seemed ready to pass out standing at any moment.

  Another arrow notched and released, taking another dozen beastmen lives in a fiery explosion of fire, blood and gore. Another sigh of both content and longing escaping Jack's lips after the fact. Bows were amazing tools, especially when paired with exploding arrows, to reap the lives of multiple enemies with each movement, all while conserving so much more energy when compared to melee with sharp weapons. Still, there was something special about finding oneself right in the face of danger, to feel your quarry's skin slashed or pierced through the connection you have with your weapon. To see up close and personal their lifeblood leaving their bodies through the wounds you have made. To slice and slash apart all who stand before you and survival.

  Was it any wonder that now, when Jack's very survival was not in a near constant danger, he could not only appreciate the finer details of melee combat, but even long after it every now and then? Was it any wonder that he found melee to be more of an art than spellcasting and ranged combat? Still, he had his game plan made, and so he would stick to it for the most part, taking on the role of a support specialist, filling in for other roles when necessary. And right now, the defending force needed a powerful AOE damage dealer, wiping out numerous attackers, so that was what Jack did, letting loose arrow after an arrow, racking up kills like no other person on the battlefield.

  Arhsa was still locked in a contest of speed with Nurmalak the Swift, both darting around and attacking one another at every opportunity, which was further tilting in Arsha's favour. The rabbit beastman was attacking less and less with each passing moment as his almost snow white fur began to stain blood red. For all his speed, he could not avoid all arrows that had been launched his way, slowly piling up damage as the fight progressed.

  It was clear he himself began to realize the fact as well, his eyes darting around in near desperate search for a solution. A groan escaped his mouth a few moments later, yet another arrow finding purchase in his flesh after another, slightly lacking attempt to dodge yet another salvo of arrows. He managed to stay on his feet however, a grim determination flashing through his eyes and another moment later, his legs bent deeply and propelled him forward, the full might of his jump revealed to all those who kept at least an eye on their duel. Most who did however, would fail to track Nurmalak as he did so, his speed momentarily too fast for their eyes to keep up with.

  A final gamble, clearly. Nurmalak shot straight for Arsha, his hands gripping two blades as his body twisted midair, creating a torque that then gave him an additional momentum, further carrying him forward while creating a deadly vortex of razor sharp blades. It was a move made for both offense and defence, slicing apart everything it came into contact with. Unfortunately for Nurmalak, Arsha had no desire, or reason, or need for that matter, to take the move head on. Combining it with her superior speed, was it any wonder she avoided the move entirely, choosing to wait it out. And, due to the location their duel had brought them to, there was no allied defenders Nurmalak could pivot towards, either to inflict some collateral damage, or, better yet, forcing the damned archer to engage his move, hopefully gifting him an opportunity he so needed at the moment.

  No such luck shone upon the rabbit beastman this day however, fore mere moments later, his move reached Arsha's previous position, only to come up empty, the opposing archer already at a distance. Worse yet she had already pulled back her bowstring, a glowing and clearly charging arrow awaiting its moment of release. It did not have to wait for long either, as mere moments later, Nurmalak's momentum came to a halt as the move he had performed came to an end. The speed demon, as many within Avalante's walls would call him, was once again in a perilous situation as the charged arrow was immediately launched his way, a thunderous roar accompanying it's release.

  A mere blink later, the arrow was already before the rabbit beastman, biting through his flesh, forcing a half gasp and half choke out of his mouth. The arrow connected, though it did not strike with deadly precision, a last second attempt to avoid it somewhat limiting the extent of damage done. It was not to say that the shot was a but either, as the arrow took a rather large chunk of flesh just above Nurmalak's hip and below his ribcage. He needed immediate medical attention in a form of a nearby healer, preferably also of a second awakening kind, though even a generic healer would do.

  Unfortunately, the beastmen had no second awakening healer on hand, and even in the off chance they would have had one, the probability that Nurmalak could reach said hypothetical healer in time was next to none. Still, the rabbit beastman was not entirely helpless, as the second his body stopped spasming from the pain, he immediately withdrew multiple small vials with blood red, yet slightly shimmering liquid from his pouch and downed them in a single gulp, wincing as he did so. Then, he poured another one over the hole in his side the last arrow had created, gritting his teeth as he did so and wincing once the liquid connected the exposed flesh, creating a quick burst of almost white smoke and stopping the bleeding at least, though the seeming hole in his side was still visible.

  "OH FUCK!" he cursed the moment his eyes returned back to Arsha a moment later, seeing yet another arrow charged up and released by the human archer. This time he was not so lucky, with the arrow finding purchase with his torso in a much more vital position, tearing through his leather armour, skin, flesh and bone, driving straight through his rib cage. Choked gasps came from Nurmalak's throat as he struggled for breath, his lungs shredded with that last arrow even as his mind was distorted with both pain and shock.

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  Arsha remained at a safe distance, choosing safety and drawing the string of her bow once more as another energy arrow was condensed. With Nurmalak on the ground and barely moving as he struggled for breath and against clearly inevitable death, she lined her shot and then released the arrow, piercing the rabbit beastman's chest once more, shredding his heart and ending his struggle and suffering. Then, only after making sure her opponent no longer drew breath did she approach, storing his corpse in her storage ring and turning her attention towards the rest of the battlefield. Then she darted towards the nearest elevation and joined Jack in eliminating as many of the attackers as she could. Unlike her master however, she focused her own attention towards the three elevated access points that served as the heart of the battle, assisting the defenders with precise shots towards the beastmen.

  Rungwald the Bloody and his pack was not doing any better. With Jack's initial arrow that wounded one of them, their momentum had been disrupted just long enough for the maids to start putting a lot of pressure on them, though the wolf beastman was experienced and smart enough to at least admit the truth in his own mind- even without the damned archers interference, they would have been quickly put on the back pedal, forced just to maintain status quo with their opponent team. There was far too little they could do against a full squad of second awakening enemies with only him at the same level on his own side, despite the clear mismatch in actual skilled fighters versus skilled fighters combat.

  Worse yet, their equipment was leagues above what the beastmen were using, with not one piece of theirs under epic quality. And that too was all T3. Just who was it that made their items, and where in hell did they get their hands on that much material? It simple made no sense. With such abundant resources, how come there was not a single whisper among the beastmen about a formidable, downright terrifying force, stalking the outer regions of the steppe? Could it be that some humans had actually somehow developed a system that allowed them to head into the Deadlands and not only hunt, but also return and advance with reliable success rate? And that, that thought was downright terrifying.

  Worse still, there was jabs or taunts directed their way from the opponent squad either. They seemed entirely focused on one task, and one task only- to tie down his own team and eliminate them. And they were succeeding too. Rungwald could feel his muscles begin to complain, a slight ache permeating through them after numerous of his attacks had been intercepted by the shield wielding woman. It was obvious his own men had it far worse though. Their stats were lower than his, and they had to often outright tank the spear strikes with their shields, blowing them back from the impact. If some of their arms were not at the very least fractured, Rungwald would call bulshit.

  Worse yet, they could not retreat either, for the moment they turned their backs towards the other party they would be torn apart. Either by the wind and fire mage combination spells, or the spear wielding twins. Stuck between a rock and a hard place he was, and no matter the choice he made, there seemed to be no way out alive for them. He had to admit, no matter how much his pride objected and wanted to deny it- they had indeed bit off more than they could chew this time.

  With no way out, there was little in the way of choices Rungwald had, but he was no fool, despite his moniker and his love for battle. He could see the big picture when necessary, how else could he have reached the point in his life- both in regards to personal power and his place among the elites of Avalante and beastmen? He saw that if left as is, the team locking his own down would soon enough become a deadly threat to not only other beastmen raiding parties, but to their holdings in the inner steppe as well. Given more experience, they alone could bring down not only forts, but cities as well, beginning a wave of retaliatory strikes against his own kind. Worse yet, their healer was incredibly powerful as well, making long term fights always end up in their advantage.

  "MEN!" he cried out for the first time, stopping their near entirely silent cooperation so far. This was not something that any of them would bring up, or come up with really, not only because they were true meatheads of extreme proportions, but because they would never think that far ahead. "We are screwed either way! So let's give them something to remember us by!" he jumped backwards while spreading his hands to the sides, earning immediate attention of all those involved, be their his allies, or enemies.

  "AYE!" came a resounding response from his own men, each of them lunging towards him in a seemingly zealous and frenzied state, a large, predatory grin spreading across their faces. Their speed, for the first time ever surprised the maids, their attacks failing to land on any of the dashing wolf beastmen. Then, just about all of Rungwald's men were about to reach him, they yelled in unions "LUNAR BERSERKER SACRIFICE!"

  A series of maddened howls resounded as their bodies melted into a bloody mass within second, their gear dropping to the ground as said mass all surged towards Rungwald, coiling around him for a second as his form was submerged in it. A bubbling mass or red liquid churned for a short moment as the form expanded, stopping at almost three meter height. Then, the bloody mass solidified, taking the form of a three meter tall, black and blood red striped wolf, with yellow, glowing eyes that seemed to radiate madness. A white, full moon mark sat on its forehead, glowing pale white, as though it was absorbing light from its surroundings at a miniscule rate.

  "RAARHH UUUUUUU!!!!" monstrous low growl that transformed into the high picch wolf howl reverberated across the battlefield, momentarily stunning most of those involved, their eyes involuntarily turning in the direction of the sound. A second later, the monstrous form of the fused wolf lunged forth, his speed much greater than before, aiming straight for Nivi.

  Madness and bloodlust clouded the freshly formed beasts mind, though a sliver of sanity still prevailed, guiding it towards the most important target to murder should all else fail. Without that pointed ear harlot, the rest could be taken down through sheer attrition. With her, no such hope was in sight. And so it lunged towards her, muscles bulging and teeth grinding as a desire to tear everything apart and devour took over.

  In lunged, hopping to one side and then another to avoid the shield wielder and then the twin spear users, all in order to take out the damned pointy ear snack. It then lunged again, its maw opening with crazed glee, almost ready to taste no doubt soft and exquisite flesh. And yet, its maw closed around empty air, the snack seemingly pulled away by an invisible hand. It growled, its head snapping towards the pointy eared snack once again, legs bending for another leap, ready to claim its feast, only for a searing pain to assault its flank as its body was crashed into by extreme, searing heat, powerful enough to temporarily push back the crazed thoughts swarming its mind.

  'Of course. the wind and fire mages.' a single thought that explained the reason its attack failed, forcing it to try and quickly reform a new plan of action before the bloodlust fully took over once again. 'Damn it, not YET!' the sane mind cried out as it was clouded once more, the beast taking back its rightful control, and then lunging towards the cause of its pain. This time however, there was no sanity to force it to skip past the shield bearer, the beast in control deeming it too small a hurdle to stop it, only to be proven wrong as it slammed into a suddenly expanding barrier, stopping its entire motion as though smashing into immovable object, its mind dazed from the impact.

  A sharp pain in its front left paw forced its body to jerk and lash out on reflex, a feeling of colliding with two objects and then sending them flying following a moment after. It bloodshot eyes turned towards the mages once again as it lunged forward, only for its body lose balance and topple to the left, face planting into ground as it did so. The rage and bloodlust might be dulling its pain, but there was only so much that its body could do with a missing limb that did not register in time.

  "Again!" a soft yet determined voice came from the side of the two mages, drawing its attention to them, only for a a sharp pain to assault the ragin beasts front right paw, earning yet another reflexive swirl of its body and another sensation of sending two objects flying. This time however, the loss of its remaining front paw was registered in time.

  A single, frustrated though surfaced through the ragin mind of the beast, one of disappointment and acceptance. 'Well, fuck.'

  Jack Raja(?)

  Age- 27

  Species- human(?)

  Level- 37

  Class- Awakened twin aspect of Creation and Destruction(Ex)

  Stats unassigned: +14

  Attributes:

  Strength- 34 (14+7+13(gear))

  Vitality- 28 (12+8+8(gear))

  Dexterity- 29 (15+6+8(gear))

  Intelligence-20(15+ 5(gear)

  Spirit- Spirit- 30 (20+10)

  Skills- Wisdom of Creation and destruction(EX), Choice of the creator(EX), Eyes of procurer(EX), Matter storage(EX), Arukain language(C), Spark of inspiration(EX), Origin of matter(EX), Unbound by laws of the lessers(EX), The end made manifest(EX). Destroyers presence(unique legendary).

  Spells- none.

  Titles(unlocked): The real Monster, Big Game Hunter, The brilliant rookie, The insane Solo. Monster debugger.The actor. Executioner. Survivor. Pioneer, Record breaker.The new champion supreme. Slavemaster, Eldritch garbage disposal(legendary).

  Gear: Two handed sword(t3)+ 5 str +5 vit: Armor 3str +3 vit +3 dex; Ring 1 - spatial storage, ring 2 +5int, ring 3 +5 str; amulet +5 dex.