And So, It Is A Battle With A Lich

The group stare, disdained at the sight of an undead monster that would usually be seen as a dungeon boss.

"No way!"

"Why is a Lich here?!"

"Mivena, that can't really be a lich right?" The lead knight asks with furrowed brows, flinching at the sight of the lich.

"I-I'm afraid it is. The gem within its rib cage is proof enough. But they're usually at the end as a boss. I don't know why one showed up this early." She responds, with concern clear on her face.

The lead knight sighs before increasing the grip on the hilt of his sword. "It'll be tough, but we can defeat it."

"Are you kidding?! To defeat a Lich you'd need an Opril class adventurer with you. What can a couple First and Second class knights like you do?"

First class knights are about equivalent to mid level Adamantium adventurers, and second class knights are about equivalent to high leveled Platinum adventurers. Without an Opril class adventurer or Ordin class knight, it would be tough to defeat a lich.

"There are a few platinum class adventurers among you, are there not? If we work together, we'll be able to take it down. Don't forget, we have four mages from the tower with us." The lead knight assures.

"That's right. Please work together with us." Mavena adds, stepping forward.

"Cut the bullshit." The voice of an adventurer sings behind them.

Turning, the lock eyes with an adventurer with a platinum tag around his neck, and armor matching that of the warrior class.

"What do you mean?" The lead knight questions.

"What are you trying to lead us to? You promised us money but what really is your goal even? Cause it just seems like you want us to die."

"How dare-" A knight rebukes, but is stopped by the lead knight who urges the adventurer to continue.

"What makes you think that?"

"You want us to fight a lich this early in the game. Do you really think all of us are going to leave here alive after facing that thing? If our numbers reduce, how are we going to face upcoming battles that may be even worse than a lich? Think about it. There's no way a lich will appear so casually now if there weren't stronger monsters up ahead."

The lead adventurer takes a minute looking between the adventurer and the idle lich standing guard at the exit, before sighing. "It's not like we can escape now."

"Oh? Can't we? It's like you said. We have mages of the tower with us. I'm sure they can figure something out if they actually tried."

There is tension between them as the other adventurers begin to agree with what he said.

"You're right. They probably could. But we've been given a task and we will fulfill it. So either you help us defeat the Lich or don't. Either way, no one is leaving." The lead knight states, gripping his sword and moving towards the lich with the rest of the knights and mages.

"Bastard! What do you mean?"

"This isn't what we signed up for!"

Looking at the knights and mages surround the lich, the platinum adventurer sighs saying, "Whatever."

Unsheathing his sword, he takes position beside the lead knight. "I never really cared about that stuff anyway."

"Screw this! I think I can make it to the end if I run," A silver class adventurer exclaims as he rushes towards the end of the tunnel, urging a few other adventurers to run with him.

The lich who had remained idle for a while moves as its eyes glow a bright red. Without the need to chant a spell, it casts one that look like wind blades, slicing through the bodies of the three adventurers that attempted to rush past it.

"So what plan do you have to defeat something like that?" The platinum class adventurer asks with a sarcastic under tone.

"... Mavena."

"Right!" She exclaims, using a magic spell to buff the physical attributes of the knights and the platinum adventurer.

The mages of the tower form a line and begin to hurl magic attacks at the lich, who manages to block all of them, though they still continue to bombard it with attacks.

While the lich is busy blocking the attacks from the mages, the knights charge at it, striking but getting blocked by magic barriers around its body, and other defensive type magic.

Watching the battle, the other adventurers join to help, seeing that they hadn't been left with much of a choice.

The relay of attacks continue for an hour, with the death of two adventurers struck by magic, and exhausted mages.

"I c-can't go on," One of the mages of the tower pants, struggling to stand up and continue. Her exhaustion leads her barrier to fall, leaving her wide open.

"No! Winra!" Maneva, also struggling to maintain her barrier protecting her from the lich's persistent attacks exclaims, reaching a hand towards the fallen mage. A scream fills the air as a blade of wind slices through the fallen mage

"No!"

"Crap! We've lost a mage, and have no priest!" A knight exclaims, doing his best to block the lich's attack with his sword.

"Captain. You and sir Andre are magic knights. If we distract the lich by drawing his attacks, you guys can rush straight towards it and destroy the gem. That's our best course of action right now."

"No! That's basically suicide. There's no way you'd be able to block the lich by yourselves for that long. We're already up the wall as it is!"

"Just go," The platinum adventurer states, placing his hand on the lead knight's shoulder. "We'll handle it."

After much hesitation, the lead knight does as pleaded, and charges towards the lich with the other magic knight. Though very difficult, Maneva, along with the mage adventurer squeeze out what little magic they have into creating a protective shield around the two as the dart towards the lich.

Seeing their upcoming attack, the lich sends out numerous wind blades, striking around without aim. The attack hits a knight behind, while the other and the platinum adventurer manage to move out of the way.

"Crap!" The remaining knight exclaims, looking back at the fallen knight behind him.

"Arrrgh!" The lead knight cries as he strikes his sword against the lich's rib cage with all his strength, accompanied by magic enforcements. Pushing harder against it, his sword breaks through, cracking the lich's gem beneath it.

With the last cry of the lich, an explosion of magic consumes it, reducing it to ashes.

"Wow. I actually can't believe we pulled it off," The platinum class adventurer pants, trying to catch his breath as he looks around at what is left of the group. "Though it took almost half of our group. There are only twelve of us remaining now."

"We still have to move on. I don't think it's safe to stay here." A knight says, helping another injured knight off the ground, and supporting him with her shoulder.

"You're right. Let's move." The lead knight agrees, helping the mage Maneva to her feet, and leading them out the tunnel.

"Whoa!" The gold class adventurer exclaimed, gazing at the landscape of Aeolia.

"A-amazing!"

"Is this really a dungeon?"

As they moved further passed the tunnel exit, an arrow comes slicing through the wind from above and hits the silver class adventurer through the chest, and piercing his heart. Another comes from the opposite direction slicing through the head of a second class knight. From another angle, another arrow hits a tower mage in the leg.

"AHH!"

"Shit! It's an ambush!"

Even though she is out of magic, Maneva tries to close the wound of the tower mage but fails as she coughs up blood.

"Where are they coming from?!"

"There!"

The knight points at the tall watch tower standing to their left, housing three archers and seraphim shooting arrows down at them.

Before any other movement is made, a multitude of light arrows is rained down on them.

"Can't catch a break around here!" The platinum adventurer exclaims as the docks behind a steep slop to take cover.

When the dust is cleared, the injured mage and a female knight are pierced through with holes. The gold class adventurer, second class knight, and the mage adventurer manage to hide from the shower under a rock, while the lead knight protected the mage Maneva and himself with a defensive shield spell.

The sound of bow strings are drawn again, as the archers point at the remaining ten of the group.

A gold class thief adventurer, a tier 3 mage adventurer, a platinum class warrior, two first class magic knights, a second class knight, and a tier 5 mage of the tower, are all that remain from thee group of 20 that started.

"That's enough. Bring them here."