39 chapter 39

Sprinting outside, Toyo and Naomi both opened their menus as they turned around the corner of the Farinday restaurant, officially exiting the safe zone of the town. Toyo drew his sword at the same moment Naomi equipped her hand axe and metal buckler. Ahead of them, the edge of the forest loomed ominously as they watched the young man obliterate several of the plant like creatures with a shortsword. The plants, which looked like huge yellow flowers stacked on top of eight boney legs, were completely unknown to Israel.

As they drew closer, the young man spotted them. Before he could react, however, a metallic tongue appeared from the center of one of the plants and lashed out, knocking the player down. Putting his hands over his head, the man lay there helplessly.

\"Please just fucking kill them!\" he screamed.

\"Get up!\" Toyo yelled at the top of his lungs. \"Get up and run!\"

Rather than answer, the man instead began to shake violently. All around him, the plant creatures rushed forward to finish him.

\"No!\" Toyo roared. Desperate to close the distance in time, he bent his legs and sprang forward, launching himself threw the air directly towards the downed player.

Smashing into the creature nearest the man, Toyo didn't bother trying to land on his feet and instead swung Silverthorne in an arc around him as he fell.

Pixelated fragments exploding all around him, he broke his fall by rolling forward. Jumping back up, Toyo tore his blade through the air before him, instantly destroying two more creatures as they jumped at him. Twisting his sword hand as the creatures swarmed him, Toyo hacked off several of the monsters' skeletal limbs, but he couldn't stop all of them. Multiple blows knocking him off balance, Toyo struggled to right himself as his HP began to deteriorate.

Before he could prepare any kind of counter attack, Toyo found himself surrounded by a mist of exploding creatures as Naomi tore into the fray, her axe coated in a golden hue as she executed multiple sword skills within the span of several seconds.

Keeping her shield held high as she attacked, Naomi effortlessly blocked whatever attacks managed to get past her onslaught. Advancing deeper into the horde of plant creatures charging forward from the depths of the forest, Naomi had given Toyo a moment to catch his breath. Ignoring the urge to join her, Toyo nonetheless maintained a death grip on Silverthorne as he ran up to the downed player.

\"I told you to get the fuck up!\" Toyo yelled as he yanked the shaking man up off the ground.

\"Ca-ca-can't…\" The player gasped. Wincing, it appeared to take everything he had to lift his arm slightly in the direction of the battle between Naomi and the mobs. \"Sei-sei-seizure...att-att-atta-\"

Toyo didn't wait for the man to finish. Splitting one of the creatures in half as it snuck past Naomi and targeted him, Toyo accessed his menu, cursing his shaking hands for slowing him down.

\"Naomi, they've got an impairment attack!\" He shouted as he equipped his one and only teleport crystal.

Holding it above the downed player, Toyo tried to keep his voice clear as he spoke the activation. \"Teleport, Trevica!\"

In an instant, the shaking man on the ground had disappeared.

Finally able to rejoin the girl protecting him, Toyo brandished Silverthorne as he allowed his fury and adrenaline to overwhelm him. Amidst the chaos of battle, it was possible Naomi hadn't heard his warning. Though now far ahead of him and cut off by the plant creatures, he could still hear her battle cry as she brought her axe down again and again upon her assailants.

Charging forward, Toyo screamed as he tore into the back ranks of the monsters, Silverthorne ripping them apart as he swung the blade all around him. Lost in his rage, fueled by his fear of being forced to watch yet another player die in front of him, Toyo had already cut down five of the creatures before they managed to turn and target him.

Without slowing down, Toyo pressed his attack. Carving a vicious path into the ranks of the beasts, Toyo found himself ripping off their yellow flower heads with his empty right hand while at the same time knocking aside the sharp, skeletal limbs with Silverthorne. The monsters were dying so quickly that before the digital shards of the first victims of his advance had even begun to clear, a dozen more were dead.

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