The Leveling of Humanity Ch 7: Attacking in Unison

"A combat room!" Matthew exclaimed, surprising everyone at his sudden excitement. He drew his bat and went to step forward. Chase grabbed his arm to slow him.

"Wait just a moment. We don't know if the boars are all going to attack if we hit one." Chase explained his caution, but his eyes were unfocused on the room. Instead, his eyes were focused on the air in front of him.

"Tactical map?" Emily asked while stepping beside him, her arm resting gently on his. "Can we see?" Chase nudged the screen mentally to flip around for public viewing but failed to get the desired result. So he tried again, gesturing with his hand, then a third time.

"I uh..." Chase said uncertainly, "I don't seem to know how to do that, sorry." Emily nodded and flashed him a warm smile,

"You'll get the hang of this," She reassured him, then turned to Sofie and Matthew. "You both should be ready and attack together." The pair nodded in agreement and then to each other.

"I'll hit him hard towards you, missy, then you gut it with your machete." Sofie nodded and moved to the right side of the hallway, while Matthew went to the right side. Chase stepped forward between the two of them,

"They seem to be following a pretty set routine and pattern. I'll warn you guys when the next one is about to come this way," As Chase began giving directives, the air among the group got serious, Emily stood back, and Gary raised his hands, a small hint of green glow ready on his fingertips. Chase studied the tactical map carefully and finally spoke again after two long moments, "One is about to charge this way. Get ready!" As predicted, the boar charged, and Matthew stepped into the room and swung hard. The boar squealed but continued rushing in a perfectly straight line. The new trajectory was directly at Sofie, who panicked at the speed of the approaching hog. The boar slammed into her fast and hard. She tried to use the machete to block. Unfortunately, Sofie only managed to get herself trampled as the boar ran over top of her.

"Sofie!" Emily exclaimed as she rushed forward, sliding on her knees and reaching for Sofie as the hog began dragging her along in its rush to the next wall. Emily grabbed firmly onto Sofie's leg at the exact moment Gary and Matthew also reached them. Together they pulled Sofie free, and the boar continued onward until it hit the wall with a loud smack. They all retreated into the hallway, and everyone caught their breath.

"I'm okay," Sofie said, reassuring everyone while straightening herself up, "I just got scared when it came right at me, and I wasn't ready for it. I'll be ready for the next one." Emily smiled and hugged her warmly,

"I'm just glad you're okay, Soph."

"I'm sorry, missy," Matthew said as he stooped down to look her in the eye, "I was over-eager. Like a young bull in a cow field." The group laughed with the farmer's anecdote, then shifted focus back to Chase.

"Let us know when to hit the next one," Sofie asked as she got back to her feet and moved into position. "I'll get the next one for sure."

Chase studied the map carefully until it looked like one was ready to charge,

"Get ready. It's the right time!"

As the boar charged, the two worked in better unison. Matthew cracked his bat on the hog, and it turned right towards Sofie. Sofie stepped to the side and slashed long and hard against the side of the large tusked boar. Instead of blood, a trail of black smoke could visibly be seen leaking from the wound. The boar's eyes flashed bright red, and the hog spun around on the spot and charged back toward Matthew.

"I got him!" Matthew shouted as the hog ran back towards him, "Get ready!" He warned as the bat cracked across the hog's head again. The hog angrily squealed as it turned back towards Emily. The process repeated as she sliced into it again, and black smoke leaked freely from the now deeper wound. The hog spun around on the spot, but Emily was more prepared and sliced again. The hog disappeared into a puff of smoke. A small purple crystal clattered to the floor where the boar had been just a moment before.

Tutorial Black Boar Defeated

4 exp gained!

The notification popped before each of them, as both of the other boars' eyes flashed red, and they turned.

"Watch out. The hogs are both charging forward!" Matthew and Sofie both turned just in time as Chase's warning rang out. Matthew hit his target away from the rest while Sofie sidestepped and slashed. The pair worked together and quickly passed the boar back and forth as the third hit a second wall and turned back towards the pair.

"The other one is coming back," Chase warned.

"I've got him!" Gary said excitedly. Then he moved his arm forward in a sweeping motion. "Thorn Whip!" He exclaimed while casting his Druidic spell. As he did, a thorny vine sprang up between two stone bricks and slammed heavily across the hog. The boar squealed as black smoke immediately began coming from several wounds. Consistent with the previous behavior, it turned around to charge in the other direction, but Gary clicked his tongue derisively.

"Vine Wrap!" Gary commanded, and the thorny whip wrapped itself swiftly around the boar. He clenched his fist, and the vine visibly tightened around the hog. A final squeal came out, and then it was over. The hog puffed into a ball of black smoke while the sound of a small crystal clattered to the floor. Simultaneously, Sofie and Matthew finished fighting the other boar, and it, too, disappeared into a cloud of inky smoke.

Congratulations! You have leveled up!