I'm a farmer, not a hero: Chapter 2
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As the party followed the dirt road the goblins they've intercepted are walking, they felt a sudden rumble. It wasn't like the strong rumbling that they've felt before, this was weak compared to it; weak but has a very ominous aura attached to it, like a huge evil in nature being stomping.
"Get behind me." The young hero drew his sword, ready to fight for whatever creature may attack them, as the rest of the party prepared for battle.
"I see, no wonder they're taking too long to catch up!" A gigantic creature, with the head and legs of a boar and the torso of a big fat human, emerged from the forest. On its left hand was a huge shield with a skull of a gigantic monster attached to it, and on the right is a spear proportional to the monster's size.
"So much for those worker minions, all they're good for is carrying loots!" the monster continued.
"This is probably the monster the oracle is talking about!" The young hero, referring to the monster blocking their way, informed his teammates.
"That weapon looks more like a lance than a cudgel to me…" The young mage, referring to the spear the monster is carrying, remarked.
"Well, remove the tip and that would look like a cudgel"
"Are you serious?!"
Even in a dangerous situation like this, the two prodigies could still argue.
"It doesn't matter, we'll have to beat this monster anyway!" The young hero charged forward. One thing he learned during his stay at the swordsmanship academy was to not let the enemy make the first move. Making the first make means you get to control yours and your opponent's pace, making it easier for you to predict your opponent's movements and dominate them. A frontal attack may seem suicidal at first but with the gigantic body his opponent has, the young hero could easily maneuver his opponent giving him a chance for a counter-attack.
The monster lifts up his shield, preparing to crush the swordsman with its weight but the monster's opponent was so agile that, not only he was able to dodge the incoming shield attack but was able to positioned himself in a spot wherein the monster could not counter nor defend, leaving the monster's side belly open for one of the swordsman's strongest attack.
"Piercing thrust." It was an attack swordsman used to pierce through an opponent's defenses. Through rigorous physical training, agility, and a keen eye, they are able to locate the opponent's weakest spot and attack it. Yes, the move was executed perfectly; it was a move that he used to win in sparring sessions during his academy days. However, he made a very crucial miscalculation.
"What the?!" Instead of seeing the monster's blood, the young hero was seeing the broken shards of metal which used to be the tip of his sword. It didn't bend, it was shattered.
"Is this all a hero can do?!" The monster uttered.
While making the first move may seem to be a good strategy, it is only good if one knows the opponent's capabilities. The young hero made a poor judgement based on his opponent's physical capabilities alone, and now it's going to cost him his life.
"Am I going to die here, right now?" The young hero is stunned as the monster lifts the shield off the ground.
"Barrier!" The young cleric shouted as a barrier made of light started to form in front of the young hero. It was a chantless miracle skill, something she's not used to performing, and so the formation was not only slow but was weaker than a fully formed barrier; it was so weak that the monster was able to, not only shatter it completely, but hit the young hero, throwing him to a nearby tree.
"Advance Ice-Magicka: Frost Javelin!" Finding an opening, the young mage let out a spell hoping it would be strong enough to at least halt the monster's movement so they could retreat.
"That kinda stings." The monster remarked as the ice dust cleared out.
"Are you serious? That was an advanced magicka spell!" The young mage was bewildered at the sight.
"And one capable of piercing through a knight's armor and yet not even a single scratch on his bare body." The young mage continued as he nervously assessed their situation.
"Fools! You think mere weapons like that can damage my body?" The monster condescendingly exclaimed.
"I am the Great Boar General! The strongest shield of the Demon king's army!" The monster introduced as he let out an overwhelming ominous aura.
This was the first time that the hero party felt a sense of dread, that they are no longer protected by the kingdom's walls, that they can only rely on themselves when it comes to survival.
"I'm still alive, huh?" The young hero woke up. He blacked out as soon as he hit the tree but was able to recover before the monster could start slaughtering his teammates.
"Huh? You're one tough guy, aren't you?" The boar general remarked as he turned his gaze towards the young swordsman who's forcing himself to stand up.
"What do you plan to do with a broken blade like that?" The monster referred to the swordsman's broken sword pointed at him.
"My sword is broken, but this is still better than fighting unarmed." The young hero said to himself, still trying to keep a positive attitude as he started to gather aura on his left palm.
"Oi! We're not done yet you monster!" The young hero called. Not only did this catch the monster's attention, but the young mage's as well. The young mage starts to chant a powerful lightning-based spell, now the chirping sound of lightning catches the monster's attention.
"I see, a simultaneous attack from the front and behind… not bad, not bad indeed." The monster uttered.
"Then come at me with all you got!" The monster continued as he dropped his guard while letting out a more dreadful aura.
"Advanced magicka: Lightning"
A powerful magic spell that only high-ranked magicians could perform due to it's high mana cost; at the young mage's current mana capacity, performing this spell will drain it all.
"Aura Sword-stance: Spirit blade"
An advanced sword technique taught in the Kingdom's swordsmanship academy. Though the young swordsman is innately flowing his aura to his sword, the Aura sword-stance is the strict control of one's aura to infuse the blade of the sword making it extremely sharp and durable.
Upon completion of the spell, the young mage shot it…
At the young hero's aura infused sword.
"Fusion Magic/Aura sword stance: Lightning blade"
A more advanced sword technique used only by magic swordsmen. By continuously infusing the blade of the sword with Aura, the swordsman could control any elemental magic casted towards the blade, like a fuel to fire. While it may sound easy, it is quite difficult to perform as one needs to completely master the basics of aura control and magic.
The only problem with this technique, specifically the young hero's, is the sword he used.
"Shit! The iron sword couldn't handle it well. From the looks of it, I'd say it only has a few seconds to a minute tops before it crumbles completely."
The young swordsman said to himself as he watched this technique slowly disintegrate the blade of his iron sword. Most magic swordsmen that use this technique use a sword made from a special alloy that has the capability to withstand the most powerful magicka.
"Just enough for a single strike." The young swordsman prepares a strike.
"Amusing! Take your best shot!" The boar general taunted as he put up his shield.
"I doubt a single strike is enough to kill this monster…"
"But If I can wound it, maybe we can force it to retreat."
The young hero leapt upwards for a downward slash, pumping aura and mana to prolong and strengthen the technique, as the boar general used the enormous shield on his left hand to block the incoming attack.
"I need to pre-cast a barrier in case something happens." The young cleric said to herself as she chanted the prayer for it. Casting a barrier too early would weaken the young hero's attack whereas casting the barrier too late would endanger him.
"If his attack proves to be ineffective, I will need to do a follow up attack." The young mage thought to himself as he chugged down the mana potions in his satchel, desperately trying to fill his exhausted mana pool.