Chapter 13 - Necklaces of Protection

They came at night again. The ambush of the orcs and trolls crept around the surrounded companions.

With a war cry from the enemy, the company was awakened from their slumber. In disarray, the party activated their weapons.

Caught with their pants down, the heroes did not have the time to initiate an attack. Arrows flew at the company and they tried their best to dodge the incoming projectiles. An arrow shot at Lance and injured him on his arm. Undaunted, Lance threw a dagger at the orc that hurt him. The dagger flew straight and true and made a quick end of the orc.

A second volley came flying overhead. This time, the party was not so lucky. Merillion was struck with an arrow to her heart. Screams of horror sounded from Larael and Hoshiro could only look on as his companion fell.

She fell without a word, and with her presence diminished, the party was hard pressed to mount a counter attack.

Larael hastily casted her barrier spell and also a ring of fire around the party to prevent the orcs’ advancement, but it could only buy the team some time to regroup.

Lance drew his beam blade and gave out a battle cry as well. His blood lust triggered and he charged into the enemy line. Being a tank, he was not concerned about receiving damage, as he himself could also heal. He charged.

Hoshiro panicked a little, but gathered his strength for the fight in the night. He quickly drew his firearm and shot at the enemies with armed precision at a lethal tempo.

Larael, Lance, and Hoshiro waged a desperate battle for a good hour or so before they had a chance to even regroup.

Lance was injuried in his left arm and had arrows in his back, but he did not give in to death, even though he was near death’s door. Larael had one of her elven ears shot off. She was lucky that the arrow did not pierce her head. She was also wounded in her leg and was kept mainly immobile from her position.

Hoshiro also suffered damages to his left side. He was slashed there and for the rest of the battle, he had to hold his sides as he shot his plasma pistol into the orc horde.

Grueling as the fight was, the three remaining survivors regrouped and the rest of the orcs and trolls scattered into the night.

Hoshiro clicked on his HUD and it counted that he had killed some 323 orcs and 36 trolls. His level was also greatly boosted because of this fight and it displayed:

Level 47

Hoshiro surveyed his comrades and Lance was level 42 and Larael was 41. He looked at Merillion and sighed as he came over to her side.

Using his resurrection ability, he kissed Merillion’s hand and she grasped for a breath of air as she came back to life.

“Are you alright?” Asked Hoshiro.

“Yes.” Said Merillion. “You’re hurt!” Exclaimed the Princess.

“Address the others first. I’ll be ok” Said Hoshiro.

Merillion came to the aid of Lance and Larael and casted her “Curago Arcanus.”

Upon which, Lance plucked arrows in his back and grunted as he recovered to full health. Larael also touched her ear to see it all recovered and well.

Merillion came to the side of Hoshiro and healed his wound too.

“We could’ve all died tonight.” Remarked Hoshiro.

The others were silent…. They knew what he said was true.

“To prevent this from ever happening again, we will take turns sleeping to have always at least one person awake so that he or she can alert the others if danger ever came near in the night again.”

“Good idea.” Said Lance. “I will stand by the night today.” Proclaimed the knight, just as the first rays of the sun began to dawn on the horizon.

Hoshiro sat there and pondered what he should do to upgrade the team’s defenses. He sat long and hard and at the end of which, he decided on something that he did not expect himself.

He began to draw different cryptocurrencies as a sort of a joke that they will be protected by the digital currencies. But in all seriousness, he drew a forcefield about the necklaces, and wrote the words invis on the center of the coin necklaces. He then smeared them with saliva and out came the necklaces.

Hoshiro gathered the travellers together and gifted them necklaces of protection.

For Lance, Hoshiro drew a Bitcoin necklace. For Merillion, he drew a Ethereum necklace. For Larael, he drew a Stellar necklace. For himself, he drew a XRP necklace.

“Each necklace has two functions. The first of which is that it will give you an invisible forcefield that will regenerate after half a second of not taking damage. I have effectively made you all into Spartans. In addition, if you touch the center of your necklace, you will become invisible.”

“No way….. said Larael.” As she touched the center of her necklace and she disappeared from sight.

“That’s crazy! What, even elven magic could not produce such an effect.” Remarked the elf.

“What is a Spartan?” Asked Merillion.

“In my world, they were the master warriors of antiquity. They had no parallel when it came to combat.” Said Hoshiro.

“I want to test this shield you speak of.” Said Lance.

“Alright. I will shoot you with my gun.” Said Hoshiro.

“Wait, wait, your weapon to combat me?” Asked Lance. “Surely you jest. I would die with the power of your projectile.”

“It will be fine. Even if you were assaulted with a hundred arrows, you will be unperturbed.” Said Hoshiro.

“Is that even possible?”

“Give it a chance.” Said Hoshiro as he drew his side arm and shot at Lance.

Without receiving any damage, Lance’s regenerative shield flickered and shimmer, but the plasma pistol could not penetrate the defense of Lance’s shield.

“That’s incredible!” Said Lance, as he also touched the center of his necklace and turned invisible.

“We will be an unstoppable force.” Said Hoshiro.

The team nodded. Knowing that they are now gods within their realm.

Hoshiro gathered the party again, and with a touch of the center of their necklaces, the team became invisible and dissolved into the night.