MMORPG: Rebirth of the Shadow Mage

ADD

189 Ambush! (2)

Crash...

The body of the Forest Troll hit the ground with white flames licking its once-pale, grey skin and illuminating the dark forest floor.

The troll’s emerald eyes, which had previously glimmered with vitality, now appeared as lifeless as dusty mirrors, reflecting nothing but the surrounding trees and rocks.

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~~~~

With a swift movement, Leo scooped up the loot that the fallen monster had dropped, not being bothered by the Demonic Flame that engulfed the troll’s corpse, as it couldn’t damage him after all.

.....

“Two left...”

He muttered under his breath, his purple eyes ablaze with anticipation as he turned to face the other Trolls still fighting Fenrir and his Shadow.

While Fenrir deftly dodged most of the troll’s attacks the Shadow Skeleton wasn’t as lucky. Despite his best efforts, he wasn’t as agile as the wolf and the troll’s massive club came crashing down on him, shattering one of his hands made of dark, bone-like material.

Well, it was to be expected, these creatures were much stronger than the Shadow Skeleton, with their levels hovering around 40. In comparison, his Shadow was barely at level 10.

However, Leo didn’t plan to let his Shadow die. As the Troll raised its club high in the air, he took a deep breath and focused his mind.

Summoning his Mana, Leo raised his hand and watched as lightning particles crackled around his fingertips. With a flick of his wrist, he cast the spell ‘Lightning Bolt’, sending a bolt of electricity straight towards the Trolls.

Swish...

The spell hit its target, piercing through the chest of the Troll and narrowly missing its heart. The Forest Troll roared in pain as it stumbled back, giving Leo’s Shadow Skeleton a chance to retreat to safety.

‘Retreat...’

Leo watched as the black Skeleton dived back into his Shadow, leaving the Forest Troll behind. As the Skeleton disappeared, Leo felt a slight drain on his Shadow Energy, since healing a Shadow Soldier cost SE.

Growl...

The Forest Troll growled in frustration as it looked around for the Shadow Skeleton that it had just been fighting. It couldn’t see the Skeleton anywhere, and instead, its eyes fell upon Leo, the human who had killed its brother.

The Troll’s instincts kicked in, warning it of the danger that the human posed. Although the creature wasn’t particularly intelligent, it could sense that this human was not to be trifled with. It bared its teeth and snarled, advancing towards Leo with the club tightly clenched within its grip.

Swish...

As soon as Troll got in the range of a few dozen feet, Leo circulated his Mana, casting ‘Demonic Flame’ and using it to cover his Bone Blades and make the monster halt.

Troll’s reaction was the same as the last Forest Troll, its green eyes widening in fear and wariness as it caught sight of the white flames dancing and flickering, casting eerie shadows on the trees around them.

The Troll snarled, baring its teeth, but it did not advance any further.

“Come on...”

Leo rubbed his blades together trying to intimidate the Troll, but it didn’t react, just standing there and glaring at him with eyes full of malice.

Click...

With a quick click of his tongue, Leo lunged forward, lowering his body and bolting towards the Troll. He swung his Bone Blades in a swift arc, aiming to cut the monster’s legs out from under it.

Whoosh...

However, the Forest Troll was quick to react. It strained its powerful legs and leapt into the air, casting a massive shadow over Leo as it soared above him.

“Shit...”

Leo cursed under his breath, realizing too late that he was in trouble. He tried to stop himself in his tracks, but it was too late. The Troll was right above him, its massive weight threatening to crush him in the next few seconds.

Thinking fast, Leo cast ‘Shadow Protection’ above his head, summoning a Dark Shield to cushion the blow.

The Troll’s massive body slammed into the shield, and Leo heard the shield cracking under the weight, but the spell held, giving him an extra second to regain his footing before the creature could crush him.

Swish...

At the last second, Leo also managed to swing his Bone Blade in a swift motion, aiming for the creature’s leg.

The blade connected with a satisfying sound, leaving a deep slash wound on the Troll’s calf. Leo watched as the Troll roared in pain, its thick grey blood spilling onto the forest floor.

Some of the Demonic Flames on his blade also managed to get onto the wound, preventing the creature’s body from regenerating.

Roar...

The Forest Troll snarled in pain and frustration as it felt the Demonic Flames dancing on its leg. It tried to extinguish the fire, but Leo didn’t give it a chance, quickly creating a Shadow Blast and launching it directly at the creature’s face.

The Troll swung its massive club in an attempt to deflect the incoming projectile, but it was a fatal mistake.

Boom...

The Shadow Blast collided with the club, sending wood splinters flying in every direction. The force of the blast was so strong that it completely destroyed the club, leaving the Troll weaponless and vulnerable.

Leo took advantage of the creature’s momentary disorientation, bolting forward and swiping his Bone Blades in a swift motion. The blades connected with the Troll’s thick skin, leaving deep gashes in their wake.

Roar...

The creature roared in pain, its eyes blazing with fury. It swung its massive fists in a wild rage, but Leo was too quick. He dodged and weaved between the creature’s attacks, launching his own counterattacks whenever he saw an opening.

At one point, Leo saw an opportunity and lunged forward, aiming his Bone Blade straight for the creature’s neck. But to his dismay, the blade barely scratched the thick skin of the Troll’s neck, failing to do any significant damage.

The creature roared in anger, swinging its massive fists in retaliation. Leo quickly retreated, narrowly avoiding the creature’s attacks. He knew he had to come up with a new strategy if he was going to defeat the Troll.

Whoosh...

With a swift motion, Leo created a ‘Shadow Blast’ and hurled it towards the ground, causing a massive explosion that sent a cloud of smoke and debris into the air.

The Troll was caught off guard, its vision obscured by the thick cloud of dust and mud. Taking advantage of the situation, Leo quickly moved to a new position, positioning himself behind the Troll. With his Bone Blades at the ready, he prepared to strike.

As the dust began to settle, the Troll let out a roar of anger and confusion, searching frantically for its opponent. But it was too late.

With a powerful swipe of his Bone Blades, Leo landed a devastating blow on the creature’s back, slicing through its grey skin and leaving a deep, bleeding wound.

Roar...

Fire started spreading onto the Forest Troll’s back, but it was quickly extinguished, because the beast fell on its back, quickly rubbing it against the mud on the ground.

Leo tried to finish the lying monster, but the troll used his legs to kick him away.

Leo was caught off guard by the sudden attack, and he stumbled back a few steps before regaining his balance.

He quickly noticed that the Troll was struggling to get back on its feet, and he decided to use this to his advantage.

With a swift motion, Leo charged towards the monster, dodging its flailing arms and legs. He jumped up onto the Troll’s chest and raised his Bone Blades high above his head, ready to strike the killing blow. But just as he was about to bring down his blades, the Troll managed to grab hold of Leo’s ankle, pulling him down with incredible force.

Thud...

The impact sent shockwaves through Leo’s body, making him groan in pain. The Troll used this opportunity to roll over, pinning Leo underneath its massive body.

Leo struggled to free himself, but the weight of the monster was too much for him to handle. He gasped for air as the Troll’s crushing grip slowly began to cut off his circulation.

With no other options left, Leo focused all his Mana into his Demonic Flame covering Bone Blades, charging them with as much Mana as he could muster. With a primal scream, he thrust the blades upwards, piercing through the Troll’s chin and into its brain.

The monster’s grip immediately loosened, and Leo scrambled out from underneath its body. He panted heavily, staring at the lifeless creature before him.

He wiped away the sticky, grey blood that coated his face and grimaced as the pungent odor of death and decay wafted into his nostrils.

“It fucking stinks...” He muttered, shaking his head to clear his senses.

As he slowly rose to his feet, Leo’s gaze flickered to Fenrir, who was crouched over the lifeless body of the Troll, its massive jaws still clamped around its neck.

“...”

Their eyes met and Leo sensed danger.

“Don’t you dare!”

Leo quickly got to his feet and started running away from a wolf, whose tongue was suspiciously out of his mouth, as if he was planning to lick Leo’s face.