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Chapter 3: The Lifesaving Eighteen Touches
Due to the varying types of powerful beings from other realms with whom they have agreements, the servitors that warlocks can summon differ greatly. Each type of servitor has distinct characteristics and abilities; some excel in close combat while others assist their masters in wielding magic.
The servitor of the orc warlock Ding Ding Xiao Ge was an Ice Witch—a fairly common type of servitor likely originating from a frigid plane perpetually blanketed by snow and ice. This devilish entity was entirely azure, marked with cyan streaks across its face, possessing cloven hooves akin to a goat's and a pair of stunted, fleshy wings. Most of her voluptuous figure was exposed, save for crucial areas covered thinly by crystalline plates, presenting a provocatively evil allure.
At the sight of the Ice Witch, Nocturne in B-flat Minor whistled appreciatively. "Well, well," he remarked flippantly, "you're quite the pal. We help you out, and you’ve been sitting on this gem? Why didn't you bring her out sooner?"
"…the more people… the more I lag… fewer is better…" Ding Ding Xiao Ge finally replied, his words measured and slow.
The Ice Witch naturally commanded certain ice-based spells. Typically, she would use "Ice Spear" to attack enemies from afar—an advanced version of the basic single-target spell "Ice Arrow." Not only did it deal greater damage, but it also encased the injured parts of the enemy in a layer of hard ice, slowing them down. This was precisely why we had summoned her.
Among us, only Ding Ding Xiao Ge’s servitor possessed the ability to attack from a distance. Our plan was simple: use the Ice Witch’s "Ice Spear" to lure our target along with several nearby skeleton warriors into our trap, then surround and eliminate them.
In a real battle, given the reaction speed of an orc warlock, there was about a fifty percent chance he’d be torn apart by the enemy within two rounds—another fifty percent chance he’d be minced before he could react at all. But implementing this tactic finally gave him a chance to engage the enemy directly. Overjoyed, he accepted the task and immediately summoned his servitor.
Ding Ding Xiao Ge was a sluggish yet deep individual. Time seemed to have a different meaning for him than it did for us. Bound by an invisible web, he drifted like a leaf accidentally caught in the river of time, always trailing behind its current, moving slowly and leisurely without haste or urgency.
Such an unconventional traveler through space and time inevitably imparted a philosophical dimension to his servitor, evident in the manner it cast its spells.
A blue light, exuding cold air, began to coalesce in the hands of the Ice Witch. We could feel numerous frosty magical elements gathering in her grasp. Suddenly, one of the skeleton warriors ahead turned completely blue, clearly under attack. A resilient layer of blue crystal enveloped him, instantly slowing his movements. Following that, a blue ice spear imbued with intense chill shot forth from her hands, speeding towards the already-damaged skeleton warrior. The most bewildering part was when the spear vanished into thin air just before hitting its target.
You might think I’m mad, but that’s exactly what happened. Ding Ding Xiao Ge’s Ice Witch struck her target first, then unleashed her magic—a sequence that left me utterly dumbfounded.
To wield magic to such an extent—"striking after moving first"—with profound and mysterious skill should indicate mastery over the secrets of time, even the power to alter its flow. Such prowess should belong to godlike beings. What baffled me further was that Ding Ding Xiao Ge preferred expending immense energy to warp time’s flow rather than enhancing the potency of the "Ice Spear."
Perhaps, for true sages, all techniques of slaughter are trivial and ugly details, far less meaningful than contemplating the essence of time and space itself...
I couldn’t help but feel a newfound respect for this seemingly dim-witted orc warlock.
However, my admiration quickly dissipated, replaced by irritation:
"You idiot, you hit the wrong spot!"
Ahead of us, five or six skeletons were clustered together, with another group wandering not far to their left.
Originally, we intended to attack the nearest skeleton, drawing in at most six enemies. With our current combat strength, defeating these lumbering undead wouldn’t pose much difficulty.
But unexpectedly, Ding Ding Xiao Ge targeted another skeleton pacing back and forth, now positioned between the two groups.
This spelled trouble!
As soon as he attacked, both groups of skeleton warriors simultaneously detected our presence. They chattered excitedly, their exposed jawbones grinding against each other, emitting eerie "clicking" sounds. They swiftly charged at us, brandishing crude and heavy weapons.
"Damn! Too many!" Nocturne in B-flat Minor cried out in alarm, unsheathing his shortsword and shouting orders. "Retreat! Warlock, leave your servitor behind, set her to auto-attack!"
Even Millionfold, who usually strutted around trying to impress the ladies, abandoned his dignity and bolted—though I suspect sheer terror made him forget any notions of maintaining composure.
Amidst the chaos, I glanced hurriedly and saw our orc warlock Ding Ding Xiao Ge. His behavior was peculiar; he stood by the wall of the cavern, wildly bumping his head against it, his braids flying. Despite the frantic motions of his feet, he remained rooted to the spot, seemingly oblivious to his awkward predicament, continuing to ram himself into the wall.
"Ding Ding Xiao Ge, what are you doing? Get over here!" Even though the trap we found ourselves in was partly his fault, I didn’t want to watch him get torn apart by the approaching skeletons. Just as I gritted my teeth and prepared to pull him back, something extraordinary happened again...
The orc warlock by the wall suddenly vanished into thin air, like a shadow dissolving without a trace.
I'd seen Planewalkers traverse space-time, disappearing on the spot like dissipating mist. But vanishing so abruptly—I'd never witnessed that before.
"...the skeleton... I hit... was the closest one... who knew... my delay... would last so long..." As I looked around in panic, Ding Ding Xiao Ge reappeared beside me, his face fallen as he spoke slowly. He seemed to have a strange fondness for his stationary running technique - Moonwalk(as Nocturne in B-flat Minor called it), stopping again after uttering those words. In the blink of an eye, he teleported next to me, repeating the process multiple times.
It appeared that this elusive, oddly maneuvering fellow required no concern from me.
Ding Ding Xiao Ge’s servitor bought us precious time. When the horde of skeleton warriors rushed in, mercilessly tearing apart the voluptuous Ice Witch, we managed to retreat to the wooden walkway. In her final moments, the Ice Witch fired two more ice spears, reducing the skeleton warrior’s health by half.
"Warriors block the path! Warlocks stay back and summon again! Druids prepare healing spells! Millionfold, hand over any mana potions to Fairy Dropped Face First!" Nocturne in B-flat Minor shouted commands. Without hesitation, we followed suit.
The wooden aerial corridor could accommodate at most three people walking abreast, meaning Millionfold and I would face only three skeleton monsters at a time. With the advantage of terrain, the enemy couldn’t overwhelm us with numbers. My heart felt considerably steadier.
This wasn’t a pleasant fight.
Though the skeleton monsters moved clumsily and their attack patterns were straightforward—simply swinging hammers and pickaxes wildly—if we were on open ground, even fighting two monsters a level higher than me would be manageable.
But this was merely hypothetical. We weren’t facing one or two opponents but a large crowd. Nor were we on open ground; we were confined to a narrow corridor. While the cramped space meant we didn’t face all the enemies at once, it also deprived us of room to evade, forcing us to absorb fierce blows with our flesh and blood, desperately avoiding critical hits within a small range.
Although their accuracy wasn’t high, their relentless strikes carried fearsome strength. Once they landed a blow, it inflicted significant damage.
That wasn’t all. Besides their heavy weapons, we had to endure the putrid stench emanating from their decaying bones. This suffocating odor seemed laced with some corrosive toxin, rapidly deteriorating our armor.
At this point, any thought was superfluous. There was no alternative but to bravely stand and fight, overwhelming these senseless monsters with fearlessness and fervor, killing their already-dead bodies once more.
That’s exactly what I did.
I steadied myself, muscles taut and aching. The idea of conserving stamina for emergencies didn’t cross my mind because this was the direst moment. I recklessly expended my inner energy, using the "Slashing" skill without restraint. When my energy depleted, I relied solely on brute force, waiting for my warrior’s strength to recover enough to use it again.
The tauren warrior beside me did the same. Though fear flickered in his eyes, his massive wooden pole was already smeared with fragments of the skeleton monsters’ bones.
We exchanged blows with the skeleton monsters, weapons swinging between us. Their heavy weapons crashed onto our shoulders and chests, sometimes causing pain so intense I thought my arms might snap. But we had no time to dwell on pain or fear, only red-eyed determination to return the damage tenfold. Symbols indicating life reduction hovered above us like vultures circling for carrion. When they stopped appearing above someone’s head, it meant another strong body had lost its soul.
Despite our frenzied efforts troubling our foes—two skeletons were reduced to bone shards shortly after engagement, and a third wobbled under Millionfold’s heavy blows—the fight was costly for us. Every time we defeated an enemy, another grotesque figure squeezed in to fill the void, attacking us with equal savagery. Only two of us stood guard at the front, with no retreat possible.
Relying solely on Millionfold’s supply of health potions wouldn’t sustain us this long—it wasn’t that his stockpile was insufficient, but our consumption rate far exceeded the rate at which we could replenish. The reason we still stood was due to the elven maiden Fairy Dropped Face First behind us, ceaselessly restoring our health with her magic.
Fighting alongside Longbow Sunshot, I’d once experienced healing magic from a follower of the supreme deity. This direct infusion of life force into the soul took effect quickly, restoring hundreds of health points in one go.
The healing spells of the elven druid came from the blessings of the nature goddess Netheria. Though they couldn’t directly heal souls, they accelerated physical recovery, mending wounds faster. While not as immediately effective as a cleric’s holy healing magic, this process lasted longer, allowing us to regain health lost from severe blows more quickly.
We should consider ourselves fortunate that among these terrifying undead, none were skilled in ranged attacks, relying solely on melee combat to confront us head-on. If even one of them had been an archer or spellcaster, adding extra firepower to the three skeletal fighters we were fighting, we’d have been routed long ago.
Even so, we encountered perilous situations multiple times during the battle. On several occasions, my health plummeted to a dangerous 5%, and only the human race’s "resilience" trait allowed me to survive near-death states until potion effects kicked in.
"My intuition tells me if this keeps up, we’re all done for!" Millionfold screamed in terror, his hands ruthlessly smashing a skeleton into bone dust.
"I don’t want to hear your damn premonitions anymore! Every time you start spouting them, we end up in deep trouble!" I yelled furiously, hastily gulping down a snotty-looking potion. "...Only women believe in that crap!"
"We’re girls, not ‘women’!" the druid girl protested angrily behind me, stamping her foot, yet continuously casting green healing waves on Millionfold.
Just as we were about to collapse, a heart-stirring, resounding song erupted from Nocturne in B-flat Minor, piercing through our ears:
"...One touch, two touches, touched the edge of sister’s hair..."
Hearing his song, Fairy Dropped Face First was momentarily stunned, nearly casting a healing spell on the skeleton monster in front of me.
Soon, we discovered the purpose of this battle hymn. Within the gnome bard’s song range, our muscles seemed harder, and an invisible film enveloped us, protecting our bodies. When the skeletons’ weapons struck us, the pain no longer felt as sharp. I could even sense my skin solidifying like rock, providing armor-like protection.
"You had an Iron Wall Battle Hymn all along? Why didn’t you use it earlier and spare us the danger?" Millionfold bellowed angrily at Nocturne.
"I was... hehe... tweaking the source file of the battle hymn, adjusted it a bit. The system default was too cliché," Nocturne paused his singing momentarily, smirking, then resumed with a lewd voice:
"...Three touches, four touches, touched the edge of sister’s cheek..."
After hearing Nocturne’s song, Fairy Dropped Face First blushed furiously. Stamping her feet, she scolded him indignantly, "Where... where did you get such... such lyrics?"
The gnome bard wore a proud expression, almost boasting, "Finding this tune wasn’t easy. Couldn't download it anywhere. I barely managed to find it at an old record market—it’s a rare, out-of-print classic... Seven touches, eight touches..."
"No more... stop singing..." the elven druid maiden said, flushed with embarrassment, lunging forward to cover the bard’s mouth and silence his song.
"Don’t! Let him finish... Without his battle hymn, we can’t hold out here..." Millionfold urgently shouted.
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