Chapter 94- Monster Rush Part 2

---

LEADERBOARDS
POSITION:	SCORE:	COUNTRY:
#1	422	DRACONIA
#2	238	KRAOS
#3	229	BEASTLANDS
	...
#24	190	AURARIA

“We have to start killing teams now,” Tower said as he dragged his club off a goblins' crushed skull.

They were now in a large tree biome with skinny goblins running around them, they had been following Sharp’s directions towards the monsters with the most points.

“Three teams within 5 minutes of travel,” Sharp said, “Gana, Kazak and Kraos.”

“Easiest?” Tower asked.

“Gana, 3 high AOE mages and they are two spots behind us. They are weak even with mages.”
Tower cracked his neck, “Should be easy,” he said as he nodded for Mute to disappear in the trees.

They started running towards the group and their environment changed into a boggy open swamp. It was mostly clear and they saw the team instantly. Upon the Gana team noticing them, a huge ice wall was erected in front of them.

Tower noticed Mute dashing around the swamp through the trees and was edging closer. He buffed himself and charged forwards, breaking through the ice wall with his giant club and causing it to crash down all around him.

A spear made of vines was shooting directly for Tower, Sol teleported in front of him, directly taking the hit.

Sol coughed up vast amounts of blood, “Throw me,” he said.

Tower picked Sol up like a javelin and chucked him towards the group. Two more vine spears came flying towards Tower, one was dodged and the other blocked by Sharp’s mana arrow.

Spike started strumming his guitar in the back, buffing his team and using a special sound wave that disrupted their magical spells.

Sol revived mid-flight, yanking the vine spear out of his chest and using it to stab  a mage who was in the middle of erecting another wall. It penetrated the ice mages thin cloak and into their lungs. Not only a second later and the stasis beads were activated and they were frozen in time.

Sol was blasted with a fireball and erupted in flames. He stumbled backwards clutching his face in pain and splashed down onto the swampy floor. Wolfy came dashing in, taking multiple stabs from a warrior type. It didn’t faze her in the slightest and she chomped down on his head.

Sol revived just in time for him to tell her to not eat the poor guy. His lifeless body flashed into stasis and Wolfy put it down.

The vine mage started to sprout vines from beneath Sol’s and Wolfy’s feet. It stabbed into their bodies and rooted them to the ground.

Sharp started rapid firing mana arrows towards the vine mage, a few hit their mark but the others were blocked by a rising cocoon that was engulfing the rest of the team.

Tower charged forwards, he was expecting Mute to drop in a second later but he couldn’t see her. He slammed his club down hard, breaking most of the vines. After a few more powerful slams the cocoon broke around the team but they had disappeared.

“I knew it.” Sharp stated, “Group teleportation spell!” His eyes went white as he tried to find them.

“Where’s Mute!?” Tower angrily shouted.

Sharp put a finger up to his temple and his eyes turned white.

“Tower, she’s got them.”

“What? Mute already knew?”

Sharp nodded, “She just killed the last of them, in total we got 85 points, making us 18th.”

“Good shit guys,” Tower said as he caught his breath.

“Mute’s within 100m of the Kraos team,” Sharp said.

“Get her out of there,” Tower said, “We’ll go for the other team. Not worth risking.”

“Agreed,” Sol said as he took his burnt top off.

Even with the white misted walls surrounding 

The group started running through the trees again and Mute joined them.

“Nice job, Mute. I was wondering where you went,” Tower said.

Even with her running, she was conveying that she was impressed with herself.

“Don’t get too cocky now,” Sol said with a smirk under his mask.

Mute dashed ahead, kicking off a moss covered rock and slicing a small Tree Ent in half and landing in a cool pose.

“Fuck off-” Sol said but was interupted.

Just then, a huge Tree Ent broke the ground beneath their feet. It pushed the group off in different directions.

MINI BOSS Level 51, Elder Tree Ent, Vigorous Bark, Seer of Glimpse, Heightened Senses, Grand Master Leader, (See More) Point: 108

It was a giant tree with multiple moving branches for arms and roots for legs. It was roughly the same size as Oglak but with at least triple his strength. It being a mini boss made it level 80-ish equivalent of a normal monster.

Spike immediately started to suppress it with sound waves while the team re-grouped.

“Sharp!” Tower shouted.

His brain was working over time, the man was trying to find a weak point but there was no true weakness except for fire. He was so caught up in thought that he didn’t notice a small tree ent stick its branches through his leg. He fell down hard, the smaller tree went too with a quick response from Mute.

Sol commanded Wolfy to guard them as Tower tipped a health potion down his throat and immediately started to wrap his leg in bandages.

“I didn’t even read the title,” Sharp cursed, “It can command smaller ents, we need to constantly watch out.”
“Guys!” Spike said with panic over his own sound waves.

“Hold it!” Tower ordered.

Sol and Mute started to hold off small hordes of Ents as Tower helped Sharp to his feet.

“Can you walk?” Tower asked.

“Yes, mobility is limited, I’ll shout orders.”

Tower nodded, “Sharp is taking over!” he shouted, “Immortal, order Wolfy to carry him.”

Sol complied and Wolfy took on sharp. Sharp commanded the night prowler to get to a safe distance where he could shout orders. Spike relieved himself of the stress of suppressing the boss and the group could once again focus.

“The boss can see 20 seconds into the future!” Sharp shouted, “The skill is passive but it can only see one glimpse at a time. Immortal, you will always attack to take on the glimpse with a follow up from Tower or Mute who will deliver the stronger attacks Spike, I need a strengthening song. We have no direct counters so Tower and Mute you’ll need to focus the roots which act as feet, once they’re down it will be a still target and limit its movement.”

“Aye, Sir!” The group shouted in unison.

The boss had a magnitude of powerful titles, not only was it worth a lot of points but the smaller tree ents also have 3 points per kill. Plus, the loot would be good at the end.

Sol teleported onto a branch, he started to run and activated Lucia’s Dupe perk. The blades doubled in his hand and sliced them together before jumping off. Like what Sharp said, an enormous tree branch slammed into Sol, sending him barreling backwards into a rock which cracked his spine in 3 different places.

He could literally hear the crowd ‘ooh’ and ‘ah’, it was painful to watch for them but for Sol it was a fairly nice death. His back clicked back into position just as Tower and Mute launched heavy attacks to its roots.

Mute had multiple armour piercing skills so she was able to cut into the thick bark of the tree while Tower relied solely on crushing. Even with blunt force he managed to damage a few of them.

“Repeat!” Sharp shouted, “I’ll keep the smaller ones off you!”

He brought the bow up from his lap and began taking out the tree ents running for his team. Spike clicked a button on his chest and Chelsea Dagger began blaring out through the forest. He struck a match off his thigh and lit a cigarette as he started playing.

The whole team felt the rush of the buff from the bard.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Sol said as he pulled himself off of a spiked tree branch.

Sol cracked his neck again before being cannon fodder for the group.

“They are definitely unique,” Thomas the commentator said.

“You’re right about that, their mixture of humour and strategy is really captivating the audience today,” Mark added.

“That plan to switch leaders was on the spot, no hesitation or egos coming into play- unlike some we’ve already seen,” Thomas said.

“Don’t forget that instant defensive position and the use of Immortal’s summon, they must have done that a hundred times- all about practise.” Mark stated.

“Even with the small ents they’re killing, they’re still keeping up with the curve of the scoreboard. With the recent kill on the Gana team they are currently in the 15th spot but if they are successful with the Mini Boss then they should reach 12th.”
“It might pose a challenge for them, with no AOE magic or fire magic this ones gonna be tough.”

Sol had died roughly a dozen times before a root came off, it was tiresome but at least the ent’s attacks were even missing him sometimes now.

Sharp placed two mana arrows into the heads of some small tree ents, “We’re wasting time! More monsters with higher points will be released soon! We can kill it but the time it will take will be costly!”
“So what do you want to do?!” Tower shouted as he wrestled against a giant branch.

“We need the big guy!” Sol shouted.

“Already?!” Tower asked.

“You heard the man,” Sol reminded, “We-” he barrel rolled under a branch, 

“We’re running out of time.”

“Fuck!” Tower shouted as he paced backwards and forwards amidst the chaos.

“You’re buying the beer after!” he demanded of Sol.

Sol nodded enthusiastically, “You need a hand?” 

“No- no, I got this,” Tower said as he crouched down.

He placed his hands into the ground, feeling the dead leaves and soft dirt. He had been trying to learn to control it, it always put his team in danger too whenever he transformed.

He took a deep breath and tried to push the giant out within him.

Sol and Mute were busy trying to keep the giant ent away from him but it had so many branches it was almost impossible to keep track constantly.

The moment Sol saw a branch flying towards Tower he teleported in the way. He placed his arms in a ‘X’ position and braced for impact. But the impact never came.

A giant hand with golden light pulsing through its veins was pushing against the branch and soon shadows engulfed Sol as he looked up towards the man. Tower slammed an elbow down on the branch, tearing it off completely and he threw it at the Mini Boss.

Sol threw his hands up in the air but the victorious moment came to an end when he realised he was standing in the middle of two titans.

Tower laughed deeply as he moved towards the giant ent, “You really fucked up now!”

“Holy shit!” Thomas exclaimed, “I do not believe it!”

“What are we seeing, is that a giant?!”

“Hold on- we’re- we’re getting some info right now,” Thomas stated, “It is true actually- not only is this type of skill royal blood but in fact a rare lineage we have not seen in decades.”

“Look at that abnormal strength, he’s going tooth and nail with a mini boss elder ent.”

Tower slammed his fists towards the net, making contact with it in the center and sending it barreling backwards. The Mark of Magni on his back was even more present now, it was glowing more than it ever did with golden light radiating from it.

“Immortal!” Sharp remarked, “Focus on the small ones, we need points, take Wolfy now my leg is healed.”

Sol whistled and Wolfy scurried under his legs as the ground trembled all around them. He began to slash and kill the smaller ents while maintaining a safe distance from Tower’s powerful strikes.

Tower jumped on top of the giant ent and pinned it down as he ripped off each of its limbs before finally hitting it with a devastating final blow.

81 points trickled into their point pool and they were left with a few ents who were now running away from them. Tower threw a handful of bark down on the ground and stood back up. He let off a mighty roar which shook the trees around them and started shrinking back into place.

Sol rushed over to him and helped him up.

“You good?” Sol asked.

“Yeah, controlled it that time.”

“We need to find that other group!” Sharp shouted.

Tower nodded as Sol handed him his weapons and pouch. He placed a vial of orange liquid between his teeth and knocked his head back.

Just then a magically enhanced arrow struck Sharp and he fell hard onto the ground.

“Ambush!” Tower shouted.

Sol commanded Wolfy to cover Sharp as his eyes examined the trees.

“Where!” Sol shouted just as an arrow went through his temple.

He collapsed on the ground as Mute dashed into the trees.

Tower picked up Sol’s body and used him as a meat shield as more arrows started heading in their direction. The group didn’t know where they were coming from. There was a painful cry in the trees and a limp stasis body dropped from the trees. It was a female elf, but thankfully not Mute’s.

“Is that it?” Tower asked.

She implied yes.

“Fucker was catching us off-guard,” Tower stated, he ran over to Sharp who was still motionless on the floor. Sol revived and followed behind him. Sharp was coughing up a lot of blood, the arrow had gone straight through his lungs and was poking out the other side.

Tower hurried to put a health potion in between his lips but Sharp put his hands against it, “I won’t make it,” he said as more blood came out of his mouth.

“Don’t be dramatic,” Tower said, adamant his friend wasn’t going to be out already. Sharp placed a hand against Tower.

“Kill me, so their team doesn’t get the points,” he said, gasping for air.

Sol acted fast and moved the hesitant Tower away as he brought out Lucia. “No hard feelings right?”

Sharp weakly smiled with blood stained teeth, he pointed to an area around his heart where Sol should put the dagger. Sol gently placed a hand on Sharp’s shoulder and  eased the knife in.

The stasis beads activated and the time field was generated around his body.

It was strange for Sol to practically kill his own team but it was what they needed to do, he just wished it could have been different.

Spike chucked a badge of the fallen elf on the ground.

“Kazak team, this was their scout thinking she could get an easy kill,” Spike said.

Tower cracked his neck and stood up, “They’re next. Immortal, we need the rabbit for vision.”

Sol nodded as he instantly started the summoning.

The void gate opened a second later with iridescent magic pouring out. The flying bunny stepped out and Sol commanded it to scout out the area. He used the shared sense skill- biting through the pain of the mind link he instantly saw and smelled the Kazak team.

“150m north-east, warrior, berserker….” he sniffed his own nose, “Earth enhancer and a light mage.”

“Let’s go,” Tower said as he broke off into a jog, “Mute, I want you to take out the light mage if you can- don’t be full front aggressive. Spike, I need a song that will disrupt their frontline, the enhancer will be a pain. Immortal-”

“Kill them, I got it, Sir,” Sol said.

“This is a tactical play for points,” Tower reminded as he batted an ent out of their way, “This is not revenge for Sharp.”
The team nodded their understanding, a few seconds later Mute had disappeared into the canopy and started running atop it.

Sol used Iridescent Benevolence and acquired Fluffy’s skill.

“Tower,” Sol shouted, “Can you focus their attention, I want to try something.”

Tower was hesitant to allow Sol to but right now; he didn’t exactly know what Sol was capable of. He knew the skills and tames he had but he didn’t have much experience in using them. He decided to allow Sol to try it, it was 4v4 anyway.

He nodded, “Faults on you.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way, Sir,” Sol replied.

Spike strummed his guitar, buffing his teammates but at the same time alerting their enemies. As they approached closer, Sol and Tower were blinded by the light mage. Sol activated Dark Place dash and commanded Wolfy to run forwards