The Emperor Class

No longer paralyzed by fear, Dreu slowly pushed himself up with his good arm. He then walked unsteadily towards the female cleric. Before he could say anything, the cleric rushed next to him and cast a healing spell. He felt his strength slowly recovering and, upon checking the gash on his arm, noticed the bleeding also stopped. His arm wasn’t back to a hundred percent but he didn’t feel as helpless as earlier.

“The footman is on our side,” he said to the cleric once he recovered enough of his strength to speak. “Please cast a buff on it that can aid it in battle.”

Dreu learned in the Adventurer’s Inn that most clerics were specialists where they either focused on only offensive buff spells or defensive buff spells. The specialization allowed them to attain better mastery than one going for jack of all trades. Seeing the Courage spell earlier, he assumed the cleric before him was a defensive type. The cleric looked at Dreu after hearing his request and studied him for a few seconds.

“Improved Armor,” the cleric announced after a nod.

A white light shimmered around the footman moments before the demon swung its warhammer down onto the footman. The footman initially raised the shield to intercept but, following the casted buff, it pivoted for its shoulder to take the hit. The warhammer bounced off and the footman used the chance to take a stab at the demon. Quick on its feet, the demon leaped back to avoid the stab. The footman didn’t pause and instead leaped right after the demon. Caught off balance, the demon tumbled onto the ground with the footman landing on top of it. The demon abandoned the warhammer as it tried using its claws to push the footman off. The footman abandoned its sword and shield to better wrestle the demon with its hands.

Dreu took a moment to check on the footman. There were now two statuses on his summon.

< Status:

-Possesses the combat ability of a Lv 2 Footman due to the new sword and shield equipped.

-Improved Armor: +25% Armor Defense (increased to +50% Armor Defense due to Footman Class trait) >

The sight of the footman pinning the demon to the ground gave Dreu renewed hope. Up until this moment, the young man was unsure if they could even survive this ordeal. The demon handled the front liners like they were merely ragdolls. Lacking front liners, it was just a matter of time before the demons killed the rest of them. The odds appeared so heavily against them until the footman showed up. He looked down to locate the equipment of the dead front liner. After he grabbed the ax and shield on the ground, Dreu turned towards the footman ready to assist.

Go! I will hold off this demon for as long as I can.

But, thought Dreu as he gripped his new weapon tightly.

This demon is also beyond what we can slay right now. I also cannot die while you still live. Go!

Dreu turned to the others. The cleric was nearly done healing the wounded front liner while the civilians hid behind the sorceress and ranger.

“Everyone! Run!”

The others remained frozen in place so Dreu grabbed a torch from one of the civilians. Following further urges from the young man, everyone understood what he meant. Dreu led the way and the others followed behind him. He only glanced behind him once seeing the footman still wrestle with the demon on the ground. The long reach the demon had with its claws proved ineffective when the two of them were in such close proximity. The footman was fully utilizing its large physique to keep the demon on the ground. Wishing the footman luck, Dreu led the human survivors deeper into the tunnel.

The group started with a slow walk but they eventually went into a run to get as much distance between themselves and the demon. While the group ran with renewed vigor, they could hear the demon growls and what one might interpret as curses echoing throughout the tunnel. Dreu urged everyone to keep running because he had doubts in his ability to summon another footman. The last one left him so drained and, if it wasn’t for the spell from the cleric, he doubted he could even stand. With what seemed like a second chance at life, he pushed himself despite the burning sensation of his muscles.

With no side passages, the group didn’t have to navigate to find its way out of the tunnels. Dreu noticed that, as soon as he was some distance away from the demon, he no longer had the choking sensation. His heart was beating quickly from physical exertion as opposed to the sight of that monstrosity. At the same time, he felt fatigue settling in. The adrenaline he felt earlier had more or less run its course and the young man knew it was a matter of time before his body decided it needed to rest. Sensing the others slowing down behind him, Dreu stopped to let them catch up.

“Let’s find a safe place to rest,” he suggested. “I don’t know if I can get up again if I lay down now. If we stop here, the demon can find us easily.”

The others agreed with Dreu so they all picked up the pace again. A few of the civilians were struggling so Dreu and the adventurers offered to give them a hand. The group exited the tunnels entering a dark forest. They kept running until they came across a cave. Once the Ranger confirmed the absence of any dangers, everyone headed inside and collapsed onto the ground as soon as they felt they were deep enough. Inside the dark cave, all the humans but one were sound asleep. For whatever reason, Dreu felt himself reinvigorated since he left the tunnels. Despite efforts to lie down and close his eyes, sleep kept alluding him. Eventually, he gave up sleeping altogether. With no intention of leaving the safety of the cave, Dreu decided that his time was best spent on the prompt window. A new class and ability would certainly make the prompt window worthwhile to look at.