63 62 Becoming Both (1/2)
Donis's [Void Sense] was always active and it would alert the group for the oncoming wave. Donis had prepared himself as much as he could. He even used some pills and ate some of the Stoneflowers he had bought for an extra edge. He learned he wasn't keen on losing limbs. Not only did it hurt like crazy the last time, it also nearly cost him an arm and a leg!
'Heh,' he mentally laughed.
”No smirking here Donis, focus on surviving today!” barked Striga.
”Yes cap'n!” shouted back Donis.
Donis ended up taking a [Basic Siphon Pill], an [Acumen Pill], and a [Haste Pill]. This gave him the ability to siphon up to 3% missing Mana and HP per second from his enemies, reduced Mana accumulation time by 15%, and an increase in his agility stat of 2. They weren't huge buffs, but they could be the difference between living and dying today.
A familiar ding resounded in Donis's mind.
-Side Quest: Survive the Sandracons onslaught.
Reward: [Title: Sandracon Survivor ] + [400SP]
Reward based on kills: +[50-500SP] -
'Hmm.. multiple rewards for a quest? That's odd. That's never happened, but I'm not complaining. Are my chances of surviving this higher than normal, or are you telling me they're lower than ever?' thought Donis.
-Your chances of survival are indeed higher, but the chances of something going wrong are through the metaphorical roof with this many Sandracons.-
'Huh, I guess... that makes sense,' thought Donis, feeling more confused.
The information they received earlier told them the Sandracons were moving quickly through the desert and all of them were targeting Baoruin. At most they would take an hour to get there and 45 minutes have passed already. The time of the battle was coming upon them and the soldiers morale seemed to be dwindling by the second.
Striga took it upon herself to personally oversee each soldiers preparations. Making sure they had full mana reserves, their area was covered in as much water as possible, and all of their best gear was on them. She knew 20 soldiers weren't really going to be enough to escape this without any losses, but she had to make due with what she was given.
As being the highest level there, she assumed natural command, and the soldiers felt somewhat better being told what to do in such an unprecedented situation. Even though Donis was level 20, he was still technically far too low to be there, yet his previous experience could bring them the help they needed. All the soldiers there were about level 33 give or take a few levels.
They were just within the range of fighting these monsters 1 on 1, but it wouldn't be a comfortable fight. They needed as many advantages as they could get. There was a military strategy that they all knew which combined their powers to create more powerful versions of their spells. It required the drawings of specific rune words on the ground. The sand proved to be useless in this regard as just about a stiff wind could ruin the runes.
The sandstone pillars proved to have a secondary use in holding down the runes in a much more stable way. The runes the army used were entire foreign to Donis, so even though he studied and memorized them right there, he had no real clue as to how to use them, or their real function. It didn't look like the soldiers there were going to share their secrets either, so Donis didn't even bother to ask. He just made a mental note to look into runes if he gets out of here in one piece.
With the Sandracons within Donis's [Void Mana] sight, the soldiers did the last few preparations. They finished the runic set up, and they used their potions to compliment their abilities. The runes lit up and created a light halo around the area, resounding with the runes on their uniforms. They seemed more confident when they saw the light envelop them.