Pantheon Online

Chapter 117 - Showcase

"Target the right flank! Relieve the pressure on Noslin's team!" Exile roared with a grim expression.

The moment they stepped out of the safe zone, they immediately heard screeching. Before long, they had backed up into a group of ruined buildings and were currently using them as a defensive position. Naturally, the Deep Stalkers had arrived soon after and tried to flood in, but Noslin's team held the entrances while Exile's team stopped them from flooding in on the upper levels.

Whenever there was a break in the assault, Exile ordered his team to fire off spells at the enemies below. 'So, these are the adult Deep Stalkers.' he grimaced as he stared at them. They were larger, with eight arms instead of six. Apart from that, their features were exactly the same. 

"Clay! Take seven players with you and reinforce the left side! The Deep Stalkers are jumping over from the nearby building!" Exile shouted above the noise.

"Got it!" Clay waved as he started grabbing nearby players to help him out. 

Exile hacked at the head of a Deep Stalker as it poked its way in through a hole in the wall. The creature screeched before retreating. 'Only did -7 HP.' Exile frowned as he glanced at the surrounding horde. 'We might not survive this. I knew their numbers would be larger but not by this much.'

As far as he could see, there was no way to explore the ruins, even with all of these Pantheons working together. From time to time, he would hear the grunts wondering why neither of the Tier 1 players was helping them. Exile shook his head slowly. If he were to take action, he would expose his element to Noslin and vice versa. 

Even at that, he was unsure if they could turn the tides by much. 'We'll have to do it to save as many people as we can. Still, how effective will we be?' Exile grimaced as he decided to put his pride aside and approach Noslin. The short journey down the stairs saw at least five Deep Stalkers trying to breach the building from various directions. 

"What are you doing here?" Noslin growled as she continued barking orders to maintain the defence. "Why isn't your team attacking? Get out there and push them back!"

"Yeah right... You know that's a death sentence. Then without us holding the upper levels, you'll be overrun. Don't be stupid." Exile rolled his eyes at her as he noticed the grim expressions of her team. "Are you guys already running out of DP?"

Noslin frowned before dragging him off to the side. "Of course they're almost out! Do you have any idea how hard the fighting is down here! These things are overpowering them if they don't keep buffs up!"

Exile cocked an eyebrow at her, it was the first time that she was actually showing concern for everyone else. But maybe it was just concern for herself. 'Let's see if she actually has a heart.

"Noslin, you and I have to go out there. We have to lead the charge and see if we can break these mobs or make a run for it." Exile sighed as he finally decided to confront her with his idea. "But we have to work together. Can you handle defence?"

Noslin frowned as she considered what he was saying. She ran a hand through her violet ringlets for a moment before nodding her head. "If we do this, then the others might realise we're not as strong as they think..."

"Does it matter if the alternative is getting wiped out? Besides, our spells are probably strong enough to give them a false impression anyway." Exile sighed as he shook his head. "They won't be able to say for certain."

"Ok, but don't you dare try to ditch me out there!" Noslin eventually relented as she glanced around. "Everyone! Be ready to move on our signal!"

A few players looked back in confusion to see the pair of them standing together. Exile glared at them momentarily before giving voice to his own order. "Make way! We're going out! Be ready to follow us!"

Excited chatter soon followed. All of them wanted to see what a Tier 1 could do! Especially the other leaders. They personally wanted to witness what power would be given to those that reached that level. 

"Are you ready?" Exile smirked as he glanced at Noslin next to him at the players prepared to leave a gap in the doorway.

"I should be asking you that." Noslin wore a grim expression on her face. "Well, since you wanted to lead the offensive team, do you want the honours?"

"As long as you don't back out!" Exile grinned savagely as he prepared his shield and axe. "Clear the door!"

'Lesser Blessing! Lesser Grace!' Exile roared in his mind as his Speed stat increased by 10 points and a sharp aura of lightning became visible around him. Shocking all of those present in the process. With a single push from his back foot, he dove straight into the Deep Stalker that tried to hurry through the gap. The creature screeched as Exile's shield slammed into it and forced a trail through the crowd as he shoved them aside.

"Is that really Exile?" Beartooth asked Clay with wide eyes. "I thought he used fire!"

Clay struggled to keep a straight face as his eyes wandered to the battlefield below. While Exile was still pushing forward, Noslin had stepped outside and waved her hands in either direction. Two walls of ice appeared that kept that trail clear of enemies. 'It seems she was hiding something as well...'

Clay kept his attention focused on Noslin as per Exile's earlier orders. Now he understood why Exile wanted to make sure that someone witnessed what she was capable of. 'Ice must be an upgraded version of water.' Clay's eyes narrowed as he figured that Noslin had definitely gone through similar changes as Exile. 

Meanwhile, Beartooth was focusing on Exile as a ball of lightning had just forward from him. 'That looks like trouble...' He watched on as it shot bolts of lightning in all directions, accurately striking the nearby Deep Stalkers in its path. However, Beartooth became stunned as he watched the Deep Stalkers near Exile start to die due to his aura, that had a similar effect.

'It seems like Tier 1 is something we can't fight right now. Both of them are monsters...' Beartooth grimaced as a stream of lightning was released by Exile, finishing off the Deep Stalkers his Electrosphere had weakened. The creatures seemed wary of his presence amongst them but it was even worse on Noslin's side. 

Ice walls would appear to block any attempt at a coordinated strike while a cold wind blew around her. Clay's eyes narrowed as he noticed the creatures affected by this wind became a lot slower in their movements. 'Exile's change has turned him into an offensive powerhouse, while Noslin seems suited for defence and debuffing speed. It's anyone's guess who would actually win if they fought against each other...'

"Noslin would win..." Beartooth stated as he glanced at Clay's expression. "Your leader seems to be a lot faster, but that means nothing if Noslin can cancel it. Then he'd just waste his DP on her defences. Plus, she has a wider range with her abilities."

The pair turned to see a single lightning bolt be fired from Exile's axe. Clay clenched his jaw to keep from spouting out the secret that Exile had told him. That his abilities could target his enemies' reserves of DP. 'Any one of them could win. If Exile could drain her DP enough...'

Despite the analysis the two were making of their abilities, they had to admit the two leaders were working well together. Exile was forcing a clear path that Noslin secured with her abilities. However, Noslin soon decided to showcase her true potential. Shards of ice began to pepper the mobs near her, showing that her power was an all-rounder. Making her far more versatile than Exile.

"Told you..." Beartooth sighed as he shook his head. "Noslin will use this showcase to make the other leaders more wary of her than Exile. This way, she will gain their support and cut off Exile's plans during our meetings. Your Pantheon Leader has bit off more than he can chew this time!"

Clay became hesitant as he glanced from one to the other. It really did look like Exile would struggle against her. 'Looks like we'll have to try harder to make sure we can support him then!' Clay grimaced as he turned and started to bark out orders. Beartooth merely watched on in amusement. 'Exile, you should have just accepted Noslin as the ruler of this alliance. She'll definitely find a way to crush you now that she knows you won't be a threat in the future!'

Meanwhile, Exile turned his head to frown in a certain direction. He had heard a strange sound that nobody else seemed to notice yet. 'Just now... That sound came from something big...'