Henry raised an eyebrow when Lucian called Henry a Battle Mage. He looked at Lucian for a few moments, shaking his head before a small, calm smirk appeared on his face. It wasn't devious or anything, but just more of a knowing one before his expression turned to a slightly more serious one. "You know..." he began, looking Lucian over before speaking once again. "Its not wise to flaunt your power like that".

Now Ren was suspicious, taking a small step back, something Henry seemed to notice.

"Relax, I'm just giving a warning". He said this to Ren, who still seemed to stay that step back, but somewhat relaxed a small bit, not that he wasn't nervous still, but he kept it hidden behind his apathetic exterior.

Henry looked back at Lucian now. "I never told you that I was a Battle Mage. You could just have easily assumed I was any ordinary mage, but you went and said 'Battle Mage' and asked me if I was more of a front line or rear lines combatant". His tone was calm, but had confidence in it as he made his deduction while also pretty much telling Lucian that he done fucked up. It wasn't arrogant, but more or less a showing of the experience difference between them and a lesson to Lucian to be more careful.

"Going from the Information on the Auction, with the fact that you can pretty much get info on me without even knowing anything about me, leads me to assume that you have that Gamer Power that people are whispering about. So here's my warning to you". Henry paused, giving Lucian a moment. "Only a fool gives out information that he shouldn't know, and while I don't mean to sound rude, I am only saying this for your own good. Thinking before speaking is a vital Skill in the Abyss. You all should learn this". He made looks mainly to Lucian and to Mike as well, who from Mike's talkative display earlier, Henry assumed he was one who well... liked to talk too much.

Henry's expression returned to his more calm, normal one after that. "As for your question I can do either. Since we have two in back, I will go front lines and use my more close range spells today".

Ren had noticed Lucian staring at the bandages on his hand. "Well, I can summon several different beings... so I can use them to also fight front line or even help us in the back, so mostly ill stay in the back". It didn't seem like Ren was going to say anything about what was beneath those bandages on his right hand and wrist, probably taking Henry's words into consideration.

Unfortunately Henry was intelligent and incredibly observant. He was easily able to spot that Ren was hiding something about that, but he chose to say nothing, instead choosing to mutter something beneath his breath as his eyes gleamed for a moment. After that, and a few seconds of silence from him, he gave a nod.

"Alright, ill stay in front. With your swordsman and Summons supporting me and you two attacking from the back we should have a good formation. Of course...your goal seems to mainly be reconnaissance. This means we try to avoid a fight if we can. We may not be entirely all that stealthy, but we should still try". Again, another calmly deduced point by Henry, who according to Lucian's Observe Data was a private eye of some kind

To Sasha's hardcore gamer mind, it didn't matter if Keiko spat fireballs or summoned ghosts. She was pigeon-holed into the role of a mage if she used non-physical means of combat. The protective barrier she cast upon them was nifty. Was that what her own talismans could do if she leveled the ability more?

"I'm all for avoiding combat, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared, would it?" Sasha replied after Keiko reminded them of their objective. "Alright then, I can scout ahead too. I think I'm the best at sneaking around. In this group, at least." She was thankful she had put on dark colored clothing and the hooded sweater to hide her blonde hair.

Ten minutes passed, Mike apparently keeping Zandaka on the entire time. With 20 MP to activate it, then the 7 MP per minute cost thanks to his MP Regeneration his MP was already down by 90, unless he chose to deactivate the Skill while waiting for the operation to start, but with 384 MP whilst Zandaka was active he had alot to rely on. Still, perhaps keeping it off until the operation began was a good since it was possible that every drop of said MP would be needed. Still, whether or not he did that would ultimately be left to Mike.

The ten minutes preceding the operation passed with few words. In truth, Ren was a bit skeptical. Not of the people they were with, no. They seemed skilled and knew what they were doing. What he was skeptical about was whether or not they should have truly come here. Still, there was no time to dwell on the choices they could have made. They were here, and that was all that mattered. They would all survive and find out just what the Void Wizard wanted them to find here, since they really had no idea why the Void Wizard wanted them to come here in the first place other than looking for answers.

Of course, there was one thing that was said, mainly a response to Sasha's suggestion of her scouting ahead. "That's not a wise plan". She turned to look at Sasha after saying this. "I do not mean to belittle your skills, but these Hunters seem to possess resources beyond normal hunter means and thus this base is probably beyond your ordinary sneaking skills, unless you possess some special Power that I am not aware of. Its safe to say that there will be plenty of wards and traps against intruders just sneaking in. Its just best if we all sneak in together, as I can easily disarm any such things we come upon and we won't be at a fraction of our fighting capability". She was a nice girl, as she wasn't trying to call Sasha weak, but she was just putting the facts out there. In a life or death situation there was no playing nice or pride to be involved, this was clear from the way she spoke. They all needed the straight laced facts, as it would be those that would save their lives rather than sugar-coated words of false encouragement.

With the ten minutes passed, Henry and Keiko both gave their teams a simple nod and a small "Its begun" for having the team begin to march forward. Well not march, but sneak was the more proper term. Keiko's team, being comprised of people a slight bit more dexterous and stealthy, was probably going to have an easier time sneaking about than Henry's team. Well, not that Ren wasn't dexterous, but Sasha was an expert at Stealth and it didn't seem like Keiko was all that bad either for a Spirit Medium. It was definitely not her first time invading a place like this, so that prior experience was where she had the clear advantage here, that also adding to her skill of not only being able to cover more ground while sneaking, but also examine the area for wards and traps as well.

Both groups moved somewhat quickly while remaining as quiet as they could. Granted their stealth wasn't perfect, they still moved quite stealthily, Keiko's group being a bit more proficient here. Since they had gone through the side entrances, both teams were greeted with long corridors with a turn here and there, but Keiko and Henry just said to continue going straight. In the distance, quite faintly so, sounds could be heard. Crashes, bangs, cries of pain. These were most likely the sounds of fighting, the Decoy team probably kicking some serious ass since the corridors that the two teams traveled through on the first floor were completely devoid of any enemies whatsoever.

So far things were going good as they both reached the first flight of stairs. Keiko and Henry both stopped their groups there, Henry muttering a few words, probably some arcane incantation, and Keiko pulling out a talisman, a Wisp appearing in front of her after a small spiritual chant and the talisman vanished into thin air. Henry's eyes seemed to glow and the Wisp turned invisible, probably scouting up the stairs for potential enemies.

"There still seems to be some form of countermeasure, it seems the people here are a bit smarter than the average hunters. They have some wards containing summoned creatures set up ahead, so most likely we will have to do some fighting. So ready yourselves now, since the time to prepare is over since there is no more time for that". They were in a rush here. Keiko knew that they needed to get in, get out. That was what Keiichi said. "Ill see if I can't banish the wards so we don't have to fight". With that she motioned them all ahead, able to move quite quietly and quickly up the stairs, making little noise at all.

They were in yet another corridor, the occasional turn down a different hallway present here and there. This one seemed a bit wider than the first one. After a bit of stealthy advancing she held out her arms to stop them, several talismans appearing in between her fingers out of mid-air, Keiko quickly throwing them at several spots on the walls and floor, all of which shined with some sort of black aura the moment the talismans touched them. She held her hand before her vertically in a priest style fashion and began to chant a spiritual chant quickly, but before she could finish the talismans burst into flames, Keiko stepping back quickly as she looked a bit angered.

"Damn, I wasn't successful, be ready..." This time a steel colored talisman appeared in between her fingers as she glared forward. From what now were four glowing black magical circles of some kind, as that was the best way to describe them four strange creatures emerged from them, horrid moaning and groaning emanating from their beings. The various mouths on the heads of whatever made up this... horrid monstrosity were moaning and uttering dark curses and cries in some guttural, disgusting language, something that was incomprehensible, but Reiko looked utterly repulsed regardless.

"Figures that scum like these would use Tainted Spirits..." She muttered this angrily before she threw the talisman at the closest one.

---

Keiko Accuracy: 7 - 40 Projectile Weaponry = -33

Hit!

---

The talisman hit square on, glowing steel chains suddenly erupting from the talisman the moment it struck. The chains wrapped tightly around the creature before bursting forth and stabbing into the wall, slamming the thing into it. After that, suddenly three talismans appeared in her hands, Keiko throwing them at the group. The talismans easily hit, but they were not of evil will. The moment they stuck, the three of them would feel some sort of strange power flowing into them. "That should allow you to strike the spirits, we must banish them and be rid of this place quickly, before the enemy is alerted to our presence".

---

Henry, in the meantime, was staring up the stairs, his eyes glowing white. "It seems that the other Team has met with a bit of difficulty, and I think we will have some as well. There's a room up these stairs, and a couple of people not taken in by the distraction are waiting there. They don't seem all that tough, but so far these Hunters have shown to acquire a base outside of average hunter means, so we should be cautious". Ren just gave a nod, activating Mana Shield, MP Armor, and quickly casting the Water Shield Spell, Henry raising an eyebrow.

"Mana Emission and a Water Spell, you certainly have alot of tricks, but I guess that isn't all of them?" Henry just chuckled, but Ren said nothing, Henry getting the message and just sighing, until Ren said something.

"No, it isn't all of them..." Ren decided to just get it out of the way. There was no hiding it forever. He opened his Inventory and simply unequipped the hand wraps around his hand, which was alot easier than untying them. After that, he closed it and held out his hand. "Summon Elemental: Undine" A girl made of water appeared, most likely a water elemental, a trident within her hands, this Undine looking different from the one Lucian had seen Ren summon before. The text above her head read Undine Lv. 18. Above that it read Empowered Water Elemental.

"Demon Summoning: Lilim" Now the marking on his wrist shone with some blackish-greenish power, Ren wincing a tiny bit as even a tiny amount of HP drain always hurt a small bit. From thin air now a rather attractive looking female demon appeared, a sultry smile upon her features, but she said nothing for now, probably speaking to Ren alone through telepathy as Ren gave a small nod before the succubi went behind Ren.

"Demon Summoning... Elemental Summoning... there seems to be no end to what you can do, especially since that's not even your last trick". Henry was referencing the strange mark of black magic upon Ren's right hand, but said not what it was as Ren just gave a nod, Ren deciding to keep the rest of his summons put away for now.

"Alright, with this in mind let us progress..."

And with that, the team moved up the stairs, walking right into an empty room, or empty except for two figures in dark robes standing there, smirks visible on what part of their faces were visible, which was only their mouths and lower. "We were expecting you Dresdin, you didn't think we weren't expecting the Enforcers to attack our base did you? We didn't know when for sure, but you ce--"

Before he could finish, Henry aimed his fingers at them, a bolt of lightning surging from it, but the moment Henry cast his spell the figure snapped, the spell vanishing in thin air as suddenly the room split in two, a see-through glass wall separating the two halves with Henry on one half, and the Gamers on the other.

"We're no match for your magic Dresdin, but these mystery pals of yours on the other hand should be easy pickings". A female voice spoke now, the two figures standing on the side that the Gamers were on. Henry tried to call out to them, but the sound was blocked from the other side.

"I say, a most exemplary use of Spatial Magic, even that foolish mage will have a hard time dispelling it, especially while he fights our Summons, but there's no need to see that". The female figure smirked and nodded, the wall becoming no longer see-through, Ren's fists clenching some.

One was a Level 24 Spatial Mage and the other was a Level 26 Necromancer. This wasn't going to be easy. "Tell you what", the male necromancer spoke now, his voice full of confidence, a staff with a Skull on it appearing in his hands. "Why don't all of you strike first, give you a chance to show just how outclassed you children really are". He smirked now, this being a bad situation for them and he knew it, especially since they had just been cut off from the most powerful member of their team.

The operation took far longer to start then he expected, so Mike turned off Zandaka after 2 minutes. However once they engaged the enemy, he turned it back on. Quickly using Observe on both of them, he rushed the Spacial Mage. Not only did she look like the weaker one, but taking her out might also break the barrier separating them from Henry. Readying Tamashī no Ha. He realized that charging in like this might not be the smartest idea. However he was a close ranged fighter, and they didn't really have the luxury of time. So they had to hit them hard and fast

While the two spoke after the room was split by the woman's Magic, Mike would be able to turn on Zandaka once again and get off an Observe on both of them. Although there wasn't much time to read the presented data from both of them, Mike barely even able to get that done before their speeches finished thanks to his intelligence somewhat upping his reading speed.





It was after this that Mike rushed them, activating the Tamashī no Ha as he did so, aiming for the Spatial Mage first since his logical assumption was that if they took her out first, then they would be able to reunite with Henry who would, according to the very statements of these enemies, be able to help the Gamers easily trounce these two.

---

Mike Attack: 10 - 25 Seishin no Ken = -15

Max Damage

Damage Dealt: 95

---

The phrase 'Glass Cannon' when used in referral to Mage's was right. She tried to actually dodge, or maybe even teleport, away from the blade but the blade was to swift, the Bokken dealing an incredibly nasty blow to the woman, making her cry out as she clenched her teeth, but right on contact with the blade something strange happened, Mike barely able to see it in time, but a sword of green energy seemed to instantly materialize behind Mike, or perhaps was it always there? It was hard for any of the onlookers to know, Mike having no choice but to try and dodge the fast moving 'projectile' as the Spatial Mage, or Yoko, moved away from Mike.

---

Instant Projectile: -1

Hit! (Max Damage)

Damage Dealt: 142

---

The blade itself felt like it was 'swung' from nowhere as it cleaved into Mike. Despite how tough he was though, Mike felt it literally severing his very being, his resistances that he had to damage seemingly futile as it just cleaved right into him. The woman laughed, as Mike would undobutedly be in alot of pain, but he wasn't dead, although this did cut his clothes where it hit him. "You... should be dead from that..."

That was indeed true, as it felt like that should have cut him in half, or at least cut him a giant hole in his body, or perhaps even erase a giant hole in it as that was what it felt like the sword was doing, severing his very being, it having taken away nearly half his HP in one hit, making Ren understand why this was too dangerous. Mages really were glass cannons.

Ren wasn't sitting idly by either during all of this, as while Mike charged and attacked, and then got instantly attacked, Ren had his Summons target the Necromancer while he targeted the Spatial Mage. "Harm!" was the first thing Ren chanted, the black mark on his right hand glowing with some form of dark eldritch force, Ren ignoring the bit of pain he felt. It took a couple of seconds, but suddenly the woman cried out in pain as some form of unseen force attacked her, cutting into her and dealing damage, a total of 49 Damage in fact. After that, chanting "Jinx of Draining!" came next, that dark mark glowing once again as some other dark power seemed to vacate itself of Ren's being and latch on to the Spatial Mage, the woman cringing again as it looked like some of the color was visibly drained from her face by whatever dark magic Ren used, a dark blue 57 appearing over her head as if it also did MP Damage.

Right after casting his Jinx, one of those swords appeared right above Ren now, as he had finished the casting time of the spell then used the Jinx in quick succession, and attempted to slash into him as well out of nowhere.

---

Instant Projectile: 2

Hit! (Max Damage)

Damage Dealt: 142

---

Lilim, deciding to instead go after the weaker looking opponent, and thus disobeying Ren's orders after seeing Ren crying out in pain from getting slashed, his Mana Shield, MP Armor, and Aqua Shield all being cut asunder by the powerful magic. Lilim, after witnessing this, suddenly said "Sorry Master~, but I'd rather hit this annoying woman instead~" as dark looking lightning appeared around her fingertips, the likes of which she fired at the woman, her HP draining a bit as she fired off this attack, her voice having been both sultry and seductive, but laced with a bit of venom directed at the Spatial Mage as well.

--
Instant Projectile: 37

Miss

Instant Projectile (second shot): -27

Hit! (Max Damage)

Damage Dealt: 65

---

Lilim looked pretty pissed as her first bolt missed, lightning being well... really fast, but a bit hard to aim with as she shot yet one more bolt, draining a bit more of her HP with the second one. Try as she may to get away in time, the bolt slammed head on into her, her robe seeming to block a bit of the damage as did her own natural magical resistance, but again she cringed out in pain as she was hit once again, but the moment she was hit another of those strange green swords appeared as if instantaneously, as if it was always there, Lilim having a hard time trying to dodge out of the way in the nick of time.

---

Instant Projectile: -23

Max Damage

Damage Dealt: 142

---

Lilim cried out loudly as her body was slashed into by the sword, a good chunk of the demonic essence that comprised her being severed away by it, but somehow she managed to maintain her being, her eyes now fixated into a glare on the Spatial Mage. The Spatial Mage, whatever she was doing, seemed to be incredibly powerful, and was somehow making those swords appear instantly, or perhaps they were hidden and being revealed at specific times. Ren had no idea, but knew that they needed to take her out and fast.

The Necromancer was having a bit of his own troubles as well as Undine had charged forward, aiming to stab into him with her trident as they did have two opponents to focus on, and leaving one unattended was not such a good idea, attacking from a couple of feet away away since her trident had reach.

---

Undine Attack: 26

Miss

Second Attack: 6

Hit!

Damage Dealt: 26

---

The trident missed with the first jab, but the second jab was a bit more successful even though it didn't deal much damage, the man muttering a curse beneath his breath as suddenly another one of those swords appeared, aiming to cut into Undine now.

---

Instant Projectile: -26

Max Damage!

Damage Dealt: 142

---

Undine was an elemental, and elementals felt no pain, but even Ren could tell that hurt as that drained nearly all of her HP, Ren giving a mental command for Undine to get back here and focus on healing the moment she could, Ren feeling like a fool for thinking that just two summons were enough. They were facing against professionals, people who were apparently on a whole different level especially with how that Spatial Mage could apparently summon those swords from nowhere. It was like they were always there, but there was little time to figure out why they were appearing or how, as they had to appear and soon.

Suddenly a voice sounded out in the minds of Ren, Lucian, and Mike. It was Saya's voice, although it wasn't a voice more like a vision than anything. It was unclear what it was, but its message was clear.

"Henry says to hold out for just a little while longer, he is working on dispelling the magic separating you and will be able to assist you if you give him just a small bit of time".

Was this the power of a Clairvoyant? Able to deliver messages like this to anyone? Whatever it was, Ren knew one thing for sure. They were still inexperienced if they had to go with this plan, but he would keep fighting anyway regardless of whether or not Henry was coming. They were dealing damage, and that was what mattered.

Lucian was one of the last to act in his group, waiting a moment to see what it is that their foes would try, and after being separated from their stronger companion, it was clear to him that he might as well not hold back. It was three on two, but the two certainly had a level advantage. Too bad they were still just humans, and didn't have the advantage of a gamer's body.

First things first, Lucian would need to set up, he summoned all three of his elementals, this would cause his mana to go down over time, but in a case like this, they needed numbers of bodies to be on their side, and his elementals would surely be able to provide the aid they needed. "All right, let's focus fire on the lady." He commanded his elementals, hoping that they had enough trust and loyalty to him to listen, as he just witnessed Ren's demon go against his desires.

Elementals, unlike Demons, rarely disobeyed their Summoners. Lilim only disobeyed Ren cause she found this Spatial Mage annoying since she had attacked her master, and that she was another woman as well, not that Lucian would have known this reason. Succubi were creatures of desire after all. Elementals, on the other hand, only disobeyed their Summoners if their Summoner pissed them off or tried to hurt them. Otherwise, they obeyed their summoner without question, all three of the Elementals, which Lucian was able to summon with just the Skill's name itself, moving to attack the Spacial Mage in whatever way they felt was best since Lucian never specified how.

For Gnome it was literally going up to the woman and smacking her with a very large club that was even bigger than her, the club looking like it was made from earth, but was actually made from earth essence. She was swift enough to get off two swings at the woman.

---

Gnome Attack: -6

Max Damage!

Damage Dealt: 47

Gnome Attack 2: 1 (Critical!)

Critical Hit!

Damage Dealt: 94

---

Gnome was a powerhouse, her first club swing hitting dead on, but the second hitting dead on right as the woman's guard was dropped, hitting a weaker spot on her as she didn't have time to try and brace for impact or defend herself. She seemed quite skilled with that large, earthen club. Unfortunately right after her attack one of those swords appeared over her instantly, aiming to stab and slash into her body as well.

---

Instant Projectile: 5

Max Damage!

Damage Dealt: 142

---

Unfortunately this sword hit right into Gnome, but she was able to tank the blow fully, having alot of HP to go upon. Sylph, in the meantime, attacked with her powers now as well, using Air Pulse on the woman, able to fire off three of them.

---

Air Pulse 1: 97 (Fumble)

---

Unfortunately, for some reason, Sylph wasn't able to materialize her power for unknown reasons, getting off mainly a breeze from her hands towards the woman. Unfortunately, it was as if the very action itself was bad, a sword appeared above her and attempted to sever her entire being.

---

Instant Projectile: 3 (Critical!)

Critical Hit!

Damage Dealt: 284

---

Unfortunately Sylph was put a little off guard by her power failing her, so when suddenly the strange, magical sword that looked comprised of strange green energy came down it cleaved her very being in two, her essence breaking apart as her eyes widened, not even able to say anything as she simply vanished after that. She was not dead permanently though as, according to the knowledge of summoning granted to him by his Skills, defeated Elementals came back 24 hours after perishing or could be restored with other essence of the same elemental kind, but this was a ritual that took a bit of time, time they didn't have while in an enemy stronghold.

The final elemental to strike at her was Lucian's Lightning Elemental, which shot three bolts of lightning, as that was how swift it was, at the woman.

---

Bolt 1: 8

Hit!

Damage Dealt: 40

Bolt 2: -44

Max Damage!

Damage Dealt: 81

Bolt 3: 7

Hit!

Damage Dealt: 89

---

All three bolts hit, the woman screaming out loudly in pain as she was literally fried by all three bolts at a time, her HP being put well into the negatives as she fell over after that, most likely dead from that since she didn't have the same benefits the Gamers did. Somehow though the room wasn't dispelled yet, another of those swords appearing over Rai now, attempting to cleave the lightning elemental apart.

---

Instant Projectile: 40

---

Lightning was swift, and Rai was the essence of said metaphysical element, so naturally he was able to easily dodge out of the way. The Necromancer, on the other hand, grit his teeth, smirking though as he suddenly took a strange object from his robe.

"You may have killed her, but don't forget what I am!" He threw the object at the woman now, chanting something as suddenly, in just a matter of a couple of seconds, her body blackened slightly and rose up, her class changing from 'Spatial Mage' to 'Zombie Spatial Mage', groans of the undead coming from her deceased corpse, her HP being restored to full. The next moment he aimed his staff towards Mike and another hand at Lucian, the ring on his finger glowing as he chanted something beneath his breath, this Necromancer holding nothing sacred as he was clearly willing to use his team mate as a living corpse.

Lucian and Mike would both feel a strange chill cover their entire beings as it felt like the very life was being drained out of the two of them, their bodies trying as hard as they could to resist whatever this strange feeling was.

---

Mike VIT: 98 (Fumble)

Lucian VIT: 35 - 11 VIT = 24

---

Lucian could feel his body growing weaker as the chill emanated through him, some of his HP being drained as well, but his body was barely able to stave off the curse's primary affect as the chill left his body after 27 HP was drained from him by it.

Mike, on the other hand, suffered it alot worse. Mike suffered a loss of 90 Damage, unable to feel his body resisting it at all as the chill of the curse's dark, deathly magics shook him down to his very core, three windows appearing in front of him as he felt his Zandaka technique deactivate, Mike able to feel his body growing weaker and colder.







Ren's eyes widened as things seemed to get worse. It appeared that they would have to shift priorities and take out the Necromancer first lest he keeps resurrecting his team mate as a zombie. That ring sparked Ren's interest, but so did staying alive, and Ren decided to make that his number one concern by chanting "Demon Summoning" once again to summon a large dog demon of some kind, Devil Hound Lv. 23 being above his name, which was Galkyr.

"Galkyr, Lilim, destroy that Necromancer" was all Ren needed to say before he took out two strange runestones from his inventory. "Use Item" was what he said twice, aiming one Rune at Mike and another at Lucian. Soothing water would move over their bodies as their wounds were all but healed, both Runes crumbling into nothing after that, Ren figuring out that they could use Items with special affects just by saying Use Item as if it was an MMO command, Mike's HP being significantly reduced thanks to the curse upon him draining his physical stats, which included VIT, by 30%, Mike's HP currently 161 instead of 259 like it should be.

Lilim, in the meantime, launched two bolts of her demonic lightning at the necromancer now.

---

Bolt 1: 6 (Max Damage)

Damage Dealt: 60

Bolt 2: -23 (Max)

Damage Dealt: 60

---

Both bolts hit head on, the necromancer cursing in pain as he glared towards Ren, all the while Galkyr was aiming to shred the Necromancer apart with his powerful claws that shone with a yellow aura with each strike the demon tried to make at the Necromancer.

---

Galkyr Power Attack 1: 17 (Miss)

Two: -12 (Max Damage)

Damage Dealt: 70

Three: 15 (Miss)

---

The first swipe barely missed, the second one slashing right on, slashing into the man deep as a bloody spot could be seen on his robe, the man cursing again as he was getting hit by three conjunctive attacks at once, the third claw swipe also missing by a hair. Right after both sets of attacks though, two more swords appeared to try and cut the two demons apart.

---

Instant Projectile: 32 (Lilim Missed)

Instant Projectile: 21 (Galkyr Missed)

---

While it wasn't by a hair's breadth, the two swords did indeed miss by a small bit, Undine having moved back towards the demons as she used her own power, a wave of soothing water emanating from her body, washing over herself and the two demons as it healed them, the Necromancer being surprised by this, Undine not acting again since that power took a few moments to charge up.

"H-How can that magic heal those demons?!" He seemed confused, but smirked. "You're bodies... ill take them all and make them my specimens!"

Still, it was the Gamer's turn to react now, and with a somewhat wounded Necromancer and a freshly zombified Spatial Mage, it was clear that this was going to be difficult.

He felt so weak. That Necromancer had sapped his power. By the looks of it, some of it was permanent 'no! Not this! I can't let him cripple me, I won't go back to the way I was before. Never. Never. Never.' "NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Rushing to the Necromancer, he slammed his palm onto his face and tried to reach into his soul with Spirit Channel and tried to pull it out and absorb it "GIVE ME YOUR SOUL!!!!!!" Mike felt an unfamiliar rage in him, and while his mind was clouded by anger, he was still sane enough to recognize one fact; he couldn't run or hide. These people could hit him before he got away. So that left him with only one other option; brutal offenses

This was a bit, no... very unexpected. "And I thought I was the Dark Mage" went a thought through Ren's head as in the next moment after their attacks Mike acted and charged forward, trying to first grab the Necromancer's face and take his soul somehow as he turned on Spirit Channel while charging forward.

---

Mike Face Palm: 66 - 13 Fisticuffs = 53

---

Such a foolish, sloppy attempt at a grab though was easily dodged by the Necromancer, the man noting Mike's chanting of the words Spirit Channel which he used to activate said Skill, another sword appearing out of nowhere and attempting to slash Mike in two when it instantly appeared, Mike having no choice but to dodge again.

---

Instant Projectile: -11 (Max Damage!)

Damage Dealt: 142

---

The sword hit dead on, taking nearly all of Mike's HP with that one attack, the Necromancer just shaking his head. "Hmph, trying to steal my soul through Spirit Channeling now, such a foolish boy!" The Necromancer laughed, Ren still finding it hard to believe that one person's elemental killed one person and another was trying to steal the soul of a human being by doing what Ren guessed was try and suck it out through his face. Was this what happened when one was drawn into the Abyss? Despite that being incredibly frightening, Ren was rather calm about it.

"What the fuck are those things?" Sasha exclaimed in disgust. They had been travelling along the corridors of the building for at least ten minutes without any incidence. Finally, Keiko had spotted some defensive wards that summoned guards, which turned out to be horrific monstrosities. Normally, Sasha would have been stricken with fear and panic, but the gamer's mind made her focus on the imminent danger. Immediately after Keiko finished her spells, Sasha's arms were outstretched and blasting a barrage of Energy Revolver shots at the nearest monster. With her high dexterity score she could truly summon a hail of those glowing bullets.

"They're spirits corrupted by dark and demonic forces" replied Keiko calmly with a hint of disgust in her voice not directed at the spirits, but at whoever made them like this. It was after this reply that Sasha made the first attack at the Tainted Spirit Clusters, things that looked truly horrific. With the strange power from the Talisman that hit her, Sasha felt as though her attacks would do a bit more harm to this creature, the energy from her Energy Revolver seeming a bit stronger than it did usually. Not in the sense that it was more powerful, but in the sense that what she was firing it at made her shots stronger, as if her shots were meant for putting this creature down, this one being immobilized and thus unable to move.

---

Rolled em all, they all hit a helpless creature, not gonna bother computing them.

60 Damage (including Resistance) per Revolers, x3 Revolvers = 180 Damage total.

---

All three hails of bullets hit in quick succession, the first bullet being augmented and powered up by the five that came after it so that they could all actually have a chance of breaking through enemy resistance, a total of 180 Damage being dealt between all three revolver volleys, which was a really good amount for a beginner level Skill, the creature screaming and groaning in pain as it was blasted, Keiko's eyes narrowing in both concern and disgust, that disgust being directed towards whoever did this to these Spirits as, since she was a Spirit Medium, she could feel whatever pain and torment they were in better than any of the others here, and it wasn't pleasant at all as she clenched her fists tightly.

Yoko Yamagishi was now dead...well after her supposed companion got to her, she became undead, but still. Lucian had commanded his elementals to attack her, and her life was snuffed. It was a surreal feeling, and Lucian was certain he would feel sick or some other form of emotional distress if not for the Gamer's mind. Sure they killed his elemental, but Sylph would be back. Something comforting knowing that friend could never truly die, but watching her be cleaved was not a pleasing sight either. Killing and death, such an unpleasant thing, and a burden he would have to carry for the rest of his life.

Lucian remained focused though, pushing those thoughts aside for the moment. Then he stared in almost disbelief as he watched Mike try to snatch the necromancer's soul from him. I thought Mike was walking down the Paladin path? Did he change to wanting to be a dark paladin? A bit puzzled he watched the events unfold, much to Mikes disadvantage. "Take him up close Gnome and Rai, and prepare for the counter of magic blades after you swing at him." Lucian rushed over to Mike, who had taken a bit of a beating during their encounter, "Get your head together, we can't have you dying on us. Try to use your brain a bit more." Lucian knocked his knuckles on Mikes head, then grasped his head gently with his hand, "Healing Roots." He spoke the command, "This will hopefully keep you from dying hopefully, but don't be so reckless." His words were a mix of concern, yet condescending.

Rai didn't really have any up close powers or attacks. Lightning Bolt was really his only and more powerful ability. Lightning Elementals didn't really have that many abilities, but what they had were quite powerful and destructive, Gnome using her Club to smack the Necromancer.

---

Gnome Attack: -8 (Max Damage)

Damage Dealt: 47

Attack 2: 2 (Critical!)

Damage Dealt: 94

---

Gnome smacked the man twice, getting another Critical Hit, the small elemental apparently quite skilled with the club much bigger than herself. Rai, in the meantime, shot another series of Lightning Bolts at the mage.

---

Instant Projectile: 41 (Missed)

Bolt 2: 100 (fumble)

---

The first two Bolts missed, the elemental unable to move for some reason as the second bolt it fired seemed to stun it a bit, as if the Essence flowed incorrectly through the creature. At this time, two Swords appeared once again, attempting to slash into Gnome and Rai.

---

Instant Projectile: 97 (Fumble)

---

Since two swords were near each other, the first one seemed to fluctuate a little, going off course as it slammed into the second one that appeared, disabling both. At this time the necromancer, bleeding and burned as he looked quite pissed. "That's it, you're all dead!" The ring on his finger shined as he prepared to use more magic, although first Lucian was going to use Healing Roots on Mike, healing 55 HP to him.

However, as the man tried to use his magic, something went wrong. He messed up on the nearly instantaneous summoning of magical power, cursing as the power tried to attack him. However; the ring seemed to nullify this, but he seemed stunned, cursing more as he looked desperate to kill them all, Ren's eyes widening. It was time to end this, the 191 Damage that Lucian's elementals did in total, or Gnome did anyway, bringing his HP pretty low. However; the Zombie turned to act now, moaning something dark and guttural in an incomprehensible tone as one of those swords appeared in her hand. After that she suddenly vanished, appearing behind Mike now seeing as he looked the weakest at the moment, the ring having shined whenever she used her magic.

---

Zombie Strike: 3 (Critical)

Damage Dealt: 284!

---

The sword slashed straight through, Ren's eyes widening in abject fear. This Zombie could use her magic still? That went against everything they knew about Zombies. That ring though was indeed suspicious, but there was no time about that as Mike was slashed asunder. The blade seemed to cut into his very being, into his very body. It felt extremely painful as it seemed to erase his very being, or at least feel like it was. His strength would drain, his world would begin to go black, Mike having no choice but to struggle past the pain, past it all to live.

---

... :56 (failed, no need to compute)

---

Mike's HP dropped well below negative, his world growing black and dark as he fell to the ground, the world moving as if it was in slow motion as he began to fall, Ren's eyes widening, but before he fell though, one last spark of willpower came back from deep within, his body standing up right after it fell, a small bit of his HP returning to him as if by some stroke of luck or intense internal strength, Ren's eyes widening at the sight of this. They needed to end this, and soon, so with that Ren aimed his hand towards the Necromancer.

"Harm!" The dark magic made the mark on Ren's left hand glow for a few seconds before he threw the dark spell at him, making the mage cry out more in pain as he looked pretty worse for wear as another 49 damage was inflicted. After that, he thrust his hand forward one more time, the man having a measly 48 HP left. Ren wasn't going to kill him, glad that he had this Jinx prepared. "Paralysis Jinx!" Feeling a bit of dark power leave his marking and leap towards the man, the Necromancer cringed as he felt the dark magic of the jinx trying to constrict his body.

Unfortunately he failed, his entire body tensing up as he fell to the ground, unable to move, a sword appearing to cut Ren through, or so it seemed.

Before anything else could happen the room seemed to crack and shudder before, like the breaking of a Pseudospace, it shattered. They were back in that empty room once again, Henry on the other side, suddenly rushing forward as he waved his hand at the zombie, chanting a few words.

Suddenly the zombie screeched as some unseen force slammed into her, a visible dark mist being expelled from her dead corpse, the color of her skin returning to its pale one of death as she fell over, the Necromancer's eyes widening as he struggled to speak, but the Paralysis Jinx wouldn't allow him to. After that, Henry moved towards the Necromancer, took a syringe out from his pocket, and jabbed the needle into his arm.

"Go to sleep for a while..." he muttered angrily, the Necromancer's eyes widening as he struggled against what was probably a sleeping drug before his eyes rolled back in his head, and soon enough his body dropped. As a precaution, Mike grabbed the man's arms and legs, uttered a few words beneath his breath, and watched as strands of magic formed and cuffed his arms together as well as his legs.

After that was taken care of he turned to the group, some XP being gained for the defeat, but not death, of the Necromancer. "You all did pretty well..." He gave a small nod, looking around at the room, a bit impressed. "For a bunch of rookies, you did pretty well to survive this trap and fight against your opponents. Of course, opponents like these are easy for me, and I had to fight their Summons... but other than that you all did pretty well, sheer numbers here giving you a good advantage". Henry gave a small nod of approval, looking at the group, seeing them a bit worn out.

"So, shall we rest up a bit for continuing on?" Henry seemed a bit roughed up, but seemed relatively fine despite having fought god knows what, probably a bunch of Undead most likely, but whatever he fought he burned since there seemed to be some char marks around one side of the room.

"Yes... lets..." Ren first used Healing Wave multiple times, targeting Mike as he used it to heal everyone. Henry's eyes widened as, Ren had told him to get closer, as the spell visibly healed his wounds.

"This... is healing magic?" He seemed a bit... well... really surprised. "Healing Magic, especially Water, never heals anything this quickly... just what is your power?" He looked towards Ren now after looking over his own body.

"Well... in Games, all affects are immediate, so naturally healing is immediate to". As Ren explained this, not sure as to why he did though, Henry gave a nod.

"Alright, makes sense as much as anything else involving all of you. Alright, while I report in, you guys rest up a bit, and then we'll continue". Henry walked a bit from the group, holding his finger to his forehead, probably using telepathic communication or whatever.

Ren sat down to meditate after that, not wanting to waste any time with idle conversation as he wanted to restore as much MP he could for the few minutes of rest they had with the Meditation Skill.

Mike was still pissed off "I can't believe it...I lost three stat points because of that guy, permanently! I didn't even know that was possible! I'll have to use a level up to fix that damage he did! Gah, this sucks so much! Note to self; always go after the Necromancer first. Pound them fast and hard. Now my Zandaka is going to be a lot weaker." Thanks the the mental protection from his Gamer's Mind skill, Mike was able to meditate to restore his mana "I just hope that skills can't loose levels. Although if I want to grind my skills more efficiently, it'll take up level grinding...time" it was then that he had a thought "I wonder..." Mike pulled out his book on Pseudospace to look for any type of Pseudospace that accelerated time for those inside "if I could pull off the hyperbolic time chamber, that would make skill grinding much faster"

"Just get ID Create to Level 10". Ren ignored Mike's tantrum for the most part until he pulled out some strange book and began to talk about Hyperbolic Time Chambers. "Once you get ID Create to Level 10, you will be able to create a Time Compression Pseudospace that gives you two hours for every hour you spend in there. Just a warning though, the longer you remain in one, the more it detriments your abilities and makes it harder to train thanks to an ailment known as Time Compression Stress". Ren explained this calmly and quietly as he was in the middle of using the Meditation Skill to restore his MP. It would just take a couple minutes probably for Ren to be back up to full MP, since Meditation boosted his already high MP Regeneration to even higher levels.

Henry only slightly listened to their conversation, and instead was examining the dead corpse of the Spatial Mage and the unconscious and bound Necromancer. He was mainly looking at the strange rings on their fingers, a perplexed look on his face. "These rings are real pieces of work... they contain some pretty powerful dark magic, things that regular Hunters shouldn't have". He sighed and shook his head as he discovered that they weren't coming off. Giving up on that for now, he stood up as he also pulled out four Potions from each of the unconscious foes. He handed Mike, Lucian, and Ren two potions, a red one and a blue one, before pocketing the remaining two, figuring that they'd be useful for later.

"Seems they also had a good amount of money to get instant healing potions. Its clear that these guys aren't your ordinary pushovers, they're pushovers with resources beyond their stereotypical means". A usage of Observe would reveal that they were Quick Healing and Quick Energizing Potions. The Healing ones restored 100 HP and the Energizing ones restored 100 MP. From the way Henry worded that statement, instant healing potions weren't that easy to come by, which was something Ren had never thought of since he was able to get alot from Boss Mobs, guessing that there wasn't information on the Auction about how the Gamer Power could produce free items.

After five minutes, since everyone didn't use a whole lot of HP and MP, their HP and MP would be at full. Also, Henry sensed the Curse that had been placed on Mike and was quickly able to Dispel the curse, which took an extra minute since it took the weaving of several arcane spells, but Henry figured it was time worth wasting since he knew that kind of curse could be a real pain in the ass, real quickly. Of course, this didn't restore Mike the three Stat Points that he lost, but it got rid of the nasty 30% Physical Stat Drain that he had from it.

"Alright, if that's everything, lets get moving. We've wasted enough time resting as it is". In a normal operation Henry would have never spent this long resting, but there was nothing normal about this. Plus he figured for the sake of the rookies here they could wait and rest a bit. Plus its not like the enemies were too tough, but Henry wasn't going to underestimate anything here.

With that, Henry's group left this room and moved forward, able to get to the next floor with little to no problems.

ID Create to level 10? Mike's was already at level 7, so that sounded very doable. Two hours for every one real time could double the amount of training her could do. However because of this 'Time Compression Stress', he'd have to limit it to skill training. Not that he minded, since he had some skills he wanted to train that would be too hard to grind in a battle. "Um...thanks" he thanked Ren. He honestly wasn't sure how to talk to the only guy here his own age; Ren came across as a very cold person, and since he hadn't seemed to 'defrost' since their first meeting, it made talking to the other boy hard. He also thanked the non Gamer they were with; Henry (Henry Dresdin. That sounded more like the name of a character from a novel then a real person), for getting rid of the curse on him. While he felt a lot better, he could also notice the missing stat points, which caused him to grimace. What surprised him the most was that they hadn't gotten a level from that fight. Those two were around 10 levels higher then them (except for Ren) so he expected to get at least one level, but no. How disappointing

Silas followed the group he was placed in, the same group he used to train with. He followed Keiko who obviously was very skilled. But he didn't care for that, he already was happy that she was on their side. To think about it, Silas found himself in a harem group. He was the only male along the girls... kinda made him feel uneasy, but he just went with it. The other group completely consisted out of males, hmmm, hopefully the one who made this groups didn't have any other intentions.

As they were making their way through the 'level' the group encountered floating tumors. At least that is what it seemed like for Silas. Keiko threw a talisman to Sasha, Erica and himself. Silas put it on, as Keiko quickly explained afterwards that the objects should make them able to defeat the tumors. Silas thought they looked disgusting, but after all most of the enemies in video games look like this. Take the messed up people from Outlast or the strange flying enemy from the Kirby series, Scarfy. Anyhow, Silas summoned his katana and rushed at the demonic creatures. He charged up his Energy Strike and mumbled the name of the attack right before performing it, followed by a Chain Attack command to either slash the same enemy with some slashes or damage another one with his remaining slashes.

The best one to attack was the one that was chained, as it was clearly struggling to escape from the bonds that confined it, and it was best to get the beast, or tumor as Silas put it (and Keiko would have probably agreed if Silas had said this), while it was immobile. So with Energy Strike active, Silas lunged in for a Chain Attack to try and dispatch the beast before it could break free, the only way Silas could possibly miss at all being if he tripped over his face.

---

Silas Attack 1: Hit (Max Damage)

Damage Dealt: 63

Slash 2: Hit! (Max Damage)

Damage Dealt: 72

Slash 3: Hit! (Max Damage)

Damage Dealt: 81

Total Damage: 216

---

All three slashes hit, the energy in the katana possibly being combined with the strike rather than an addon thanks to whatever Talisman that Keiko used on Silas, as Silas would feel without whatever power she used on him the energy would have been easily resisted by the creature, but because the energy damage was merged with the physical for the purpose of attacking this dark spirit then the damage was a bit stronger. Still, the thing was alive, and thrashing about more now, screeching cries of pain, hatred, rage, and despair, making Keiko's eyes visibly narrow in disgust as she had been chanting something beneath her breath after she had used those talismans on Silas, Eria, and Sasha.

The one that was chained up looked rather weakened, having about 1/5th of its HP bar left, and judging from both damage amounts dealt, it was clear that the creature had around 500 HP. That meant that between the four of these creatures was 2,000 HP total, which was alot of HP. Of course, if Silas had used the Breathing Technique he could have probably finished the creature off there with that extra damage, but that was one problem with the Gamer power that Ren had thought about before (but never discussed), there were so many Skills that one could possess that it was hard to remember them all.

Katana Mastery and Chain Attack did Level Up then though after Silas' chain attack was finished, which was good.

It's not that he was mentally distressed about the situation, the gamer ability stopped that, but Lucian had to reflect on what had all happened. He had issued commands, which led to a death, and, had Henry not disabled the necromancer, Lucian was pretty certain he would have had his elementals finish him off as well. "So, Henry, is there any consequences to killing a hunter? Like am i going to be even more so on their list?" he placed the potion he was given into his inventory, and rested up a bit like the others, but chose to keep Gnome and Rai out, as he had enough mana regan to keep two out at once without draining his mana pool. after another moment, he dusted himself off and raised the question, "Do we even know what it is that we are looking for? or are we just assuming it will be one of those things that you just know it when you see it?"

The Spirit in the chains that had been struck several times now was thrashing in its chains, various moans and screeches of pain, hatred, fear, and sadness all coming from the various orifices that were all on the various places on this... thing's... body. It was trying to break free from its chains, flailing madly. Fortunately the spiritual chains that Keiko had bound it with were stronger than the tainted spirit, keeping it immobile for now. The other three spirits though weren't going to just sit there. With Keiko chanting something though she was a bit open, so one went after her, one of the mouths on its many faces opening as it suddenly let out some burst of vile energy from it, the creature firing two of them, one right after another.

---

Tainted Spirit Attacks: Both Hit

Damage Dealt: 0

---

Fortunately, right before the blasts hit, a strange barrier around Keiko seemed to block the attacks, a talisman floating in front of her. Unfortunately one full on, and quite powerful, blast was all it could take as the talisman burned up and vanished into thin air.

Another went after Sasha, firing the same sort bolt of vile energy at her.

---

Tainted Spirit Attack: Miss

Attack 2: (Max Damage)

Damage Dealt: 0

---

Fortunately Sasha was rather naturally quick on her feet, dodging out of the way of the blast by a small margin, but the incredible... well it was hard to place it. There was so much hatred, anger, and overall disgust in that blast, enough so that Sasha was able to feel this in the energy that had come from the spirit as the blast past right by her. It was hard to imagine what would happen if one got hit by that, but unfortunately the second blast that the creature launched may have tested that theory. The was headed straight for her, and would have hit her head on, but instead it hit a protective barrier of some kind, the talisman that Erica had used on the group before they entered the school appearing out of thin air and blocking the attack. Unfortunately it burned up in the process, but saved Sasha from getting hit by the vile attack.

Unfortunately Erica, who seemed to be spacing out for whatever reason, maybe shocked by the sight of these monstrosities, was also a target for this attack.

---

Tainted Spirit Attack: Hit...

Damage Dealt: 0

Attack 2: 4 (Critical)

Damage Dealt: 194

---

The first blast hit Erica and, like with Sasha, her protective talisman burned up. Unfortunately the second blast seemed to be fired with even more power than the first, and hit Erica who was unable to dodge the full brunt of it at all. The blast hit and seemed to burn and sizzle flesh with its corrupted energy, or so it seemed from the sounds it made when it smashed into Erica, but her body bore no such effects of that damage. What it did bear though was getting struck into -20 HP from the sheer power of that blast dealing 194, Keiko's eyes widening.

This was the exact reason she was somewhat against this group being here, only having allowed them to follow on Keiichi's orders. Would Erica still be standing though?

---

... : 97 (Fumble)

---

The blast looked like one that would tear into the very essence of a person's being, Erica not even able to let out more than a single sound of pain. There was nothing from her as the blast tore into her very being before it dissipated, her HP dropping into even higher negatives quite quickly as she fell to the ground. It all had happened rather quickly, Keiko's eyes widening as she had finally finished her chant in the next moment, thrusting her hands forward, her urgency to save this girl making her push herself even harder.

The moment she finished the chant a wave of light shot from her hands, it being one that enveloped the hallway before them before it condensed into four rings, one around each Spirit. After that she made a few signs with her hands before she clapped them together, as if in prayer, before the rings of light tried to actually crush the spirits.

---

Spirit 1 Resistance: Resisted

Spirit 2: Resisted

Spirit 3: Failed

Spirit 4: Failed

---

The first spirit, despite being in chains, managed to resist the crushing effects of the ring, the pain it was in and the anger from being bound probably enhancing its ability to resist whatever power that Keiko used on it. The second spirit resisted all the same, but the next two, however, weren't able to. They howled and thrashed about before suddenly their bodies were simply obliterated, vanishing into thin air in a flash of light as did the circles on the walls that summoned them.

"Deal with them!" Shouted Keiko. Normally she never got loud like this, but character breaking was called for an urgent situation like this as Keiko quickly ran back towards Erica, hoping that the girl was still alive, but according to the health bars that all of the Gamers could see in the corner of their vision, similar to what happened to Ren before, her health was well in the negatives as if she was moments before death.

This was not a good situation at all as Keiko began to try and heal her by pressing her against Erica's body, not really able to tell anything about HP, but she could tell that Erica was indeed on the verge of death.