Defiance of the Fall

Suddenly as he was approaching spikes shot out the ground . They looked like thin stalactites , so it seemed one of the demons was a rock mage . Not expecting the attack one of the spikes managed to stab into his gut before he could react .

His breastplate was high quality work , but unfortunately it only covered his upper torso . Therefore his only protection on the rest of his body was the common leather armor which barely impeded attacks . He broke off the one impaling him and then destroyed the other with a swing .

An arrow crackling with electricity zoomed toward his head as he was getting rid of the stone spears . He had to dodge before properly removing the tip of the spike from his stomach , making it do some extra damage while he rolled away .

As he got back to his feet the fire mage already seemed ready to fire his spell . But to Zac’s horror he wasn’t actually aiming at him or the camp , but straight up . The demon intended to use it as a signal flare while the others impeded him .

Zac desperately infused all the cosmic energy and heaviness he could into his arm and threw his axe with a grunt . The axe sounded like a propeller as it ripped through the air at the mage . The magic shield that stopped his knife shattered like a mirror , and the axe head slammed into the mage’s chest , instantly killing him .

Lucky for him the ball of flame snuffed out as soon as the mage died , just like how it did with the imps he had fought . There would be no signal flare or forest fire this time at least .

But Zac didn’t have time to breathe out in relief , as a barghest slammed straight into him . The demonic brutes could charge straight through smaller trees , so the force completely winded him . Had he been prepared he could have used the inscription on his chest piece , as his chest armor held one charge where it could nullify an attack . But Zac himself had to activate it and he wasn't prepared for the body slam .

An arrow shot into his stomach as he was pushed backward as well , piling on to his misery . Luckily his endurance was up in the high 70’s by now , and it didn’t get far into his body before stopping .

However , the arrow released a lightning shock right into his intestines , making him unable to breathe for a second . Zac coughed out a mouthful of blood but didn’t dare move the arrow , remembering that leaving the weapons in the wound when stabbed was safer . He could only break it off and ignore it for now . Instead , he punched the barghest which caused it to crash hard into the ground .

A flash of pain erupted on his back , and he noticed a gwyllgi had approached soundlessly from behind . Normally these beasts were of no concern , but he also had to worry about the mage and archer . There also were two more demons who still stayed put . One of them carried a two-handed sword , and with his muscular build looked very much like a classic warrior .

But the other’s gear gave Zac no indication of her means of attack . He assumed she was some sort of mage , as she held a tome in her hands .

Zac growled in annoyance and kept the barghest down on the ground with one hand and grabbed a knife out of his pouch with the other . With a quick stab he tore its throat out . It was still alive but wouldn’t be for long . He just barely dodged another arrow coming at him right after his kill , but simultaneously an earthen spike tore straight through the dying barghest and headed for his head .

Just as he was about to dodge a splitting pain in his mind made him completely blank out , and as he tried to dodge the incoming spike he realized his body didn’t respond .

But with a muffled roar Zac used all his will-power to force himself to move . He succeeded in breaking the odd restriction and managed to move his head away somewhat away from the stone spear . It still tore a huge gash in his left cheek , doubling the length of his mouth .

Breaking free from the binding left him with a pounding headache and a bit woozy , and he had to shrug his head to reorient himself .

A quick glance at the enemies showed that one of the demons who earlier had been staying put was puking blood while looking at Zac aghast . It was the one who was holding a tome looking mysterious . He didn’t have time to think about what kind of skill she used , as he was beset from both behind and the back .

A gwyllgi charged at him again , but this time he was prepared . With a quick stab blood gushed out of its chest , and it crashed into the ground . He took another arrow , this time to his leg , but it was a worthwhile price for another enemy down .

He grabbed the dying gwyllgi by its neck and used it as a shield while charging toward the group . Their distance wasn’t big and he was upon them before they could send another salvo of earthen spears and arrows .