Civilization

Nostalgia hits me as I follow the goblin scout. Half a year ago, I had come through this very path with nothing to my name and a couple of NPCs. Despite that all, I had found a way to develop HavenFall to where it is now and for the first time in a long time, I'm walking back down the same path that took me here.

It didn't take us long with the goblin scout leading the way when we arrived at a high vantage point, allowing us to overlook the plains. Out there somewhere was where I first spawned into this game and now that I was looking at it again, I was speechless. It was like a quiet beast, sleeping underneath the starry sky but in the distance, I could see a crowd of tiny glowing lures dancing around.

"Over there! You can't make out the numbers because of how dark it is, but you can see the fishmen chasing something. If you listen closely then you can hear the screams and shouts from people in the distance." - Gewari

"What do you think, Ian? Do you think we should go and save them?" - Melody

"Short term, there will be some issues but long term, saving them will benefit us. Not only will we be gaining more people to help grow HavenFall, but there might be some talented individuals who can contribute even more." - Ian

"Alright, then what are we waiting for? Let's go! I'll lead the way since I can see in the dark. " - Gewari

"Melody, go back to the HavenFall. Prepare food and water for many people and ask people if they are okay with moving into other people's houses for the time being." - Ian

"On it! Do you need anyone for reinforcement?" - Melody

"No, Gewari, Luna, and I will be able to fight them off. " - Ian

Nodding to me, Melody runs back to HavenFall with the goblin scout escorting her, just in case anything unexpected happens on the way back. Meanwhile, Gewari jumps down, using her agility and night vision to navigate a quick route to the ground, followed by Luna who does the same thing. Holding onto my trident tightly, I follow them down using my spider legs to slow my fall.

Once on the ground, Gewari bolts towards the action brandishing her knife in her right hand while I saw her flexing her left hand, with the Bloody Claws equipped. Luna dashes beside her howling to the stars, announcing our presence. I was not too far behind, activating Enhanced Agility but purposely not going at full speed. With my agility stat, I could have easily overtaken Gewari, but I couldn't see in the dark. I would be running blindly into a group of fishmen.

Gewari leads the way, pointing to her right as I see the fishmen's formation shift slightly. They were preparing to tackle us head-on, while also fighting the travelers. Splitting into two groups, with one of them charging at us, they shriek and yell, waving their lures in front of them, creating small blue circles in the dark.

However, that wasn't going to stop me. This tactic had already been used in the cavern, and it was meant to confuse the opponent on the location of the monster. Gewari in the front could see them as clear as day making their tactic worthless and with a shout she gives me information on the fishmen in front.

"Ian! There are currently 15 fishmen attacking us. 6 wielding swords, 5 wielding maces, and 4 wielding spears. They are running at us at different speeds with the swordsmen in the lead. Behind them is the main group of fishmen, approximately 30 of them left with a variety of weaponry. Above the main group, there are 10 ghost monsters with all of their blue threads connected to a singular purple fishman. " - Gewari

"Alright, Luna you will handle all 10 of the fishman coming at us, while Gewari Stealth to the left and wrap around, attack the front of the main group and try to create a gap between the travelers and the monsters. I'll Stealth to the right and attack the main group from behind."- Ian

Howling in response Luna sprints in front of us growling at the approaching monsters. Luna has been playing a huge part in the recent battles and her stats have grown immensely. She had also acquired some new skills as well making her an unstoppable beast so long as the moon shines brightly upon her.

Name: Luna

Race: Beast (Wolf)

Health Points (HP): 80/80

Mana Points (MP): 20/20

Strength: 36 (+3.3)

Vitality: 40

Intelligence: 40

Dexterity: 10

Agility: 47 (+4.7)

Luck: 5

Skill: Moonlight Renewal, Pounce, Howl, Hyper Fang, Starry Bliss ( Passive )

Howl (Active)  1MP - Howl loudly, establishing yourself as an alpha. Monsters who are weaker than you will submit to your howl, otherwise, monsters that are similar or stronger than you will become taunted. Taunted monsters will focus on you before anyone else. Cooldown 5 minute

Hyper Fang (Active) 5MP - User will bite down hard on the opponent, causing damage ( 50 + 100% Strength) as well as having a 10% chance to cause bleeding on the opponent. Cooldown 1 min.

Starry Bliss (Passive) - Whist under the stars, the user will gain 10% Strength and 10% Agility. Other skills that require the use of the moon or the stars will become free to use, and their cooldown reduced by 50%.

Gewari and I both activate Stealth, dashing away from Luna as we run past a group of fishmen. Looking back, I get to see Luna in action. Pouncing into the crowd of fishmen and landing on a disgusting green monster, she howls at the top of her lungs. The air vibrates to her howl, causing the surrounding monsters to be dazed for a moment before angrily screaming back.

Without a moment to lose, Luna leaps off the monster and opens her mouth wide. Her canines shine brightly as a blue aura wraps around them. Biting down on a red fishman's neck, she rips out a chunk of flesh before kicking the monster in the face letting it collapse on another fishmen. Her eyes glitter in the night sky as her golden fur dazzles me with her bloody dance.

Every leap or jump felt calculated as Luna dashed between monster after monster. Weaving her agile body between sword, mace, or spear and retaliating with a bite or a scratch. She was like a flash of lightning bouncing around the fishmen, damaging them bit by bit every time she moves, torturing them until she deals the final blow.

Leaving her to deal with that group of monsters, I continue forward using the lures as an indicator of their position, but before I made it to the back, Gewari had already engaged in combat. I had a look at her status screen right before she left my vision and I was surprised at her growth. Comparing her to Stellar, who was also an assassin, Gewari felt more threatening. This was due to her skill set, leaning towards extremely high agility-focused assassin, whereas Stellar used dark-element magic to fight as well.

Name: Gewari

Race: Hobgoblin ( Assassin )

Health Points (HP): 40/40

Mana Points (MP): 10/10

Strength: 30

Vitality: 20

Intelligence: 40

Dexterity: 40

Agility: 55

Luck: 5

Skill: Stealth, Eviscerate, Focused Mind, Quick Step, Weak Spot, Backstab (Passive), Light Steps, (Passive), Buffalo Horns (Passive)

Equipment: Bloody Claws, Golem Stone Knife, Wooden Chestplate, Wooden Armor Guards, Wooden Leg Guards

Weak Spot (Active) 3MP - Carefully observe and identify a weak spot on the target. Once a weak spot is found, a small red and white target circle can be seen. Only the user of this skill can see the target. If the user attacks the target the user will be able to inflict massive damage on the target ( 300% Strength). Cooldown 10 minutes

I couldn't see Gewari killing the monsters, however, I started to see fewer glowing lures at the front, meaning she was already on a killing spree. I can only assume with the combination of Weak Spot, Eviscerate and Backstab she could kill monsters so long she is behind them. Being an assassin, appearing behind them is the easy part, especially with Agility that rivals my own.

Turning to the monsters, I reached what I assume is the back of the group. Gripping my trident tight, I deactivate stealth at the same time I activate Cleave, slicing two fishmen straightaway. My spider legs followed my attack perfectly, stabbing their heads multiple times, instantly killing them.

Smiling, I activate Charge, attacking the nearest fishman. Blocking its downward sword swing with my front left spider leg, I stab at its throat, slicing the side as it narrowly moves its head to the right. However, covering my miss, my front right spider leg stabs through its eye.

Being so close to these monsters, I didn't even need good vision to know where to attack. Each step, each swing, and each thrust felt natural. Weaving my way through the cluster field of monsters I kill them one by one, using Quickstep to dodge any awkward attacks. In the midst of the group of monsters, I activate Bone Totem, sacrificing 5 bone fragments for the maximum effect, before returning to killing the surrounding monsters, as I prepare for the battle against the purple fishmen and its 10 ghost buddies.