Airborne enemy

A sharp sound rang out. The party members craned their necks, watching the airborne ant spit out spiky needles looking somewhat like a bee's stinger.

To everyone's shock the first attack fell straight on Balm. Its speed was incredible high, leaving Balm no time to dodge.

[-1019!]

Balm shuddered seeing a third of her HP gone in an instant.

"Don't stop in one place, guys! Keep moving!"

Silver Blade woke everyone up. They followed her advice, running around in random patterns.

Another stinger flew like an arrow, aimed as Silver Blade. But the tank noticed it quickly, dodging without trouble.

But the ant didn't let up. For whatever reason two more stingers aimed at Silver Blade, both hitting empty air.

Seemingly exhausted the insect only managed one last attack. The black tip shot through the air, aiming right at Final Fend.

"Hehe, that was a mistake!"

The young man grinned, using his skill [Flame of Punishment]. A dark orange, almost black fire engulfed his weapon. He quickly held the arm wrapped in a chain before his chest.

With a loud clang the solid stinger crashed into the metal. Final Fend was forced a step back, but he didn't care, watching the ant in the sky.

Sparks flew wildly from the collision. The others were confused when the fire surrounding Final Fend's weapon directly went out.

But then a strange, pained sound came from the air. The dark flame mysteriously appeared around the airborne ant, fiercely burning its body.

[-566!]

The enemy's wrathful eyes focused on Final Fend.

"Guys, my skills draw aggro! You can attack!"

"Well done!"

Fortune stared at the ant in the sky. She didn't dare to use her arcane bolts. She could already imagine the looks after not landing a single one of the difficult to control spells.

Thus, she opted for a normal attack. A magical sphere shot at the enemy.

[-765!]

The next moment the flying ant retaliated. It suddenly plunged form the sky, aiming for Final Fend.

"Bring it on!"

The young man looked upwards with an excited smile, happy to be at the center of attention. He almost wanted to wave a red cloth, enjoying himself greatly.

In the blink of an eye the ant was close to the ground. It clicked its mandibles, seeking to rip a piece of flesh out of Final Fend.

At the last moment the young man suddenly turned his body to the side. The ant missed miserably.

[Stance -22]

Right then a dark-clothed man appeared out of nowhere. Two daggers stabbed at the ant's back.

[-749!]

"Damn, how fast!", complained Bloody Edge. "I missed an attack!"

"It's not that bad. We got this!", encouraged Silver Blade although she had to watch helplessly as the ant rose back into the air.

The monster stopped for a moment. Balm immediately saw her chance. She used her improved [Holy Strike] again.

A spear of brilliant light struck the ant's head perfectly, instantly followed by a wave of healing energy.

[-430!]

[+175!]

Balm's passive triggered. It granted the recipient of every third heal an increase in attributes. Silver Blade and Braag profited directly.

While the tank looked helpless, Braag shouted excitedly.

"Good timing! Look at this!"

With those words he used his [Triple Boom] skill. Three black bombs sailed through the air. They aimed for the flying opponent… and missed miserably.

Explosions could be seen, ripping trees and plants apart. Braag coughed awkwardly feeling the other's eyes on him.

"Ehm, I have never been someone with great aim."

"Now I know why you choose that class.", joked Final Fend.

However, he was quickly forced to shut up as the elite attacked again. This time Final Fend tightened his muscles, standing in the way of his opponent.

[Stance -24]

A heavy impact shook his body. Final Fend and the ant both tumbled backwards.

This time Bloody Edge and Watchful Eye were both prepared. Their weapons crashed into the black carapace.

[-557!]

[-754!]

[-377!]

Another attack left Fortune's staff. Finally, the carapace couldn't hold on anymore. A sphere of dense mana penetrated the ant's body, ending its life.

"That's it!"

"Nicely done!"

"Serves you right, stupid insect!"

The party celebrated happily. Final Fend stood over the ant's dead body, scoffing lightly:

"This wasn't that difficult!"

Braag opened his mouth, just about to agree when Watchful Eye interrupted:

"We aren't done yet!"

"What?"

"Listen carefully."

The party members shut up their mouths, straining their ears. They could vaguely make out more buzzing.

Silver Blade frowned, feeling strangely restless.

"Fend, quickly take the loot! We're leaving!"

"Why the hurry?", asked Balm in confusion.

"Don't dawdle, move!"

"Ok ok, sis."

Final Fend quickly reached out to the body on the floor. Under Silver Blade's urging he directly put the loot into his inventory, following the rest of the party into the jungle.

The party ran away but the buzzing only became louder. Silver Blade glanced over her shoulder, looking towards the clearing some distance away.

Her heart skipped a beat. She saw more than a dozen flying ants looming over the clearing. They wandered around aimlessly as if having lost their target. Although those mobs were no elites, they were incredibly troublesome to fight.

The others noticed the situation as well.

"Ok, you were right, sis. As always.", admitted Final Fend begrudgingly.

Meanwhile, Fortune recorded the flying ants closely, trying to make them look as threatening as possible. At the same time, she didn't forget to comment:

"Our group barely escaped disaster. But now we lost our clue. How should we proceed now? Will we have to cancel the quest?"

"Sometimes tactical retreat is the best option.", spoke Bloody Edge in a deep voice.

Silver Blade rolled her eyes. In her opinion Fortune was overly dramatic. She gazed at the hill not far away.

"I have a hunch that we will find our wares there."

"I agree with the young lady."

The others nodded as well. Under Silver Blade's lead they approached the hill again, now from another angle. Fighting through groups of ants they slowly got closer.

But from time-to-time loud buzzing could be heard. Cursing inwardly the group was forced to escape. Once, Final Fend suggested fighting the flying ants and be done with it.

But when they waited for the opponents, they realized that the group of enemies was only growing.

Without hesitation, they instantly turned and ran.

All of this wasted quite some time for the group. When they got closer to the hill, the time to log off was already approaching.

The party decided to stop for the day and continue tomorrow.

Gradually everyone left the game.

Liam returned to the real world as well. He stood up slowly with a smile on his face. After leveling with the party for a few days he spent the afternoon together with Serena. He felt somewhat guilty since he told his friends he would prepare for the dungeon.

But he also felt the need to spend some time with his sister. He carefully asked her how she felt about the private teacher and the Crunaboul Discovery Group.

Fortunately, Serena appeared more than happy with both of them. She talked for a long time about the new friends she made and the beautiful sights she had seen.

A heavy stone fell form Liam's heart now that Serena's education was back on track. Now he could focus on the dungeon for the next few days. And right after that, the gold exchange should open soon.

"Sir, we've reached our destination."

Liam suddenly snapped out of his thoughts. He thanked the driver of his taxi, stepping out of the car.

He found himself in front of a special building. Heavy, armored vehicles rolled over the large court. A solemn atmosphere hung around the large block void of any unnecessary decorations.

Men and women in uniform frequented this place.

Liam looked around curiously as he entered through a glass door. Stern eyes instantly focused on him from behind an armored reception.

"Welcome to the investigation unit, citizen. How can I help you?"

"Hello. My name is Liam Varsmith. Detective Sullen asked me to come in."

"One moment."

The receptionist scrolled around on a screen, obviously confirming something.

A second later he nodded at Liam.

"I am sorry, mister Varsmith, but I can't seem to find anything about this."

Liam was taken aback.

"Maybe I got the name wrong? What about Detective Kolb?"

"I'm afraid there is nothing here."

Liam frowned, staring at the receptionist deeply.

"Sir, I'm afraid I can't help you."

"Are you sure? I have been stabbed a few days ago. You don't find anything about it?"

"No. I'm sorry citizen, but I have to ask you to leave now. If you think there was a mistake, you can hand in an official complaint."

The receptionist stayed polite but his voice was clearly more forceful. Liam was puzzled by the situation. For now, he had no option but to retreat.

Outside, Liam stayed for a while hoping for the slim chance of encountering one of the detectives.

But eventually he could only go home with an unwell feeling.