You Call This a Party? Gross.

Fuuma’s disappointment was immeasurable.

The party before him was anything but a party. Fuuma had a party. They were coordinated, with a clear hierarchy. The miscreants before him were a loud and arguing dwarf, a childish mage arguing with the dwarf, a lizard man, straight up leaving the meeting to steal something, and the orc, who was respectful, but whose presence made the sisters pulse with anger.

“I told you, I should be doing the talking!” Artemis yelled.

“Why!? Ye ain't the leader,” Dige roared back. “You gotta be a hero to speak properly!”

“You have no tact! Even Mars could get through a conversation without insulting someone!”

“Leave me out of this,” Mars grumbled.

“First, you called him a girl, like you do with me. I’m a boy, by the way.” This was met with an affirming nod. “Then you insinuate that the guy is sleeping with his party members, which apparently you’ve been doing often?”

“You humans have hangups.”

“And then you called him a ‘weak skinny bastard’ when he’s clearly stronger than you. You do realize we’re supposed to get along, right?”

“That was friendly banter! And he’s not. I could take him.”

Fuuma gauged his interface to see the stats over Dige’s head. Yeah, not likely. In fact, again, the orc was the only one with some perceivable skills and levels on him. Forget the child and manchild. He was going for the straight shooter.

“Mars, was it?” Fuuma bowed. “It’ll be a pleasure to work with you.”

“Yeah, sure.” Mars bowed slightly. “Are these all the men you have?”

“There have been a lot of casualties. We're hoping to hold the pass for the next week or two until reinforcements come.”

“I see. There’s not much room for entrenchment. Just the hill and walls here. I assume there are obstacles to blowing out the path?”

“Pretty much. On the other hand.” Fuuma brought the orc close to whisper. “This gig has been great for leveling up. Kuroni, Tama, and I are level 76 now.”

“Level?” What was he talking about? Did that make him strong? “All three of you are warriors?”

Fuuma gestured to bring the two in. Though Mars recognized their disgust, they approached with obedience and respect like any loyal servant would. They bowed just like their master did, which annoyed Mars, as his hand remained outstretched. 

“It’s an honor to work with another hero,” said Kuroni, her brow twitching. “Allow us to assist you however we can.”

“Don’t expect us to do all of the work, though,” Tama added. “This stuff’s exhausting.”

“Right,” Mars sighed. The other two were still arguing. What an embarrassment. “So, based on what we have, we’ll hold this vantage point as they come up the pass?”

Fuuma nodded. “That’s right.”

“Has anyone been scaling the mountain cliffs?”

“Not as far as I know?”

“Flyers? Wyverns? Artillery?”

“Nope. Just waves upon waves of enemies.” Fuuma twitched. He could see the veins popping on the orc’s bald head, as if he said something insulting. It was easy to ping Mars as a military type, an officer of some kind. A curiosity to be sure. “What rank are you, Mars? I should refer to you by your station if it's high enough.”

“Oh,” Mars’ frustration ceased, his lips turning back to a tusky grin. “You can refer to me as Murderer Chief.”

Fuuma’s curiosity returned to dread, and the disgust returned to the ninjas' faces. Nope, they were all trash. A new plan of action was needed, and the boy’s head churned for a moment before he clasped his hands.

“Alright, Murderer Chief,” he said. “Here’s what we’re doing.”

Fuuma laid out protocols and defense plans the soldiers had been following and passed it on to Dige’s group. They were allowed to use means necessary to defeat the darkness so long as it maintained the integrity of the pass. Fuuma’s group was based more on surprise and long-range firepower, so Dige’s group would have to be the new vanguard. First line defense. Any decent party should be able to hold for the duration of the raid.

“What do you think is down there?” Dige asked, looking down the pass. “Should we go down there and kick their ass?”

“No, don’t be stupid,” Mars replied.

Gunch sat with legs dangling off the cliff edge, looking into the abyss. “I’m bored.”

Artemis observed the distant darkness in the same manner the soldiers had for months, trembling and with a foreboding sense of unease, a previous memory obscured by new hostilities. The boy clung to his ornate wizard staff, its enhancement jewels jingling from side to side. Was this what he expected?

“So when does the thing happen?” Dige asked. “Are we just standing here?”

“They didn’t say,” Mars mumbled. “Fresh meat, you use magic, right?”

“Uh, that’s right!” Artemis stood to attention.

“This is a perfect vantage point for area of effect spells. Can you use a gust or flame spell to spread down this path?”

“I can do wind!”

“How fast?”

“Uh, as fast as you need it?”

"That's not an answer."

"Look, I'm the magic user! I swear, I have your guys back. There's no reason to worry."

“Hmmm, very well. Dwarf and I will beat off anyone who gets close. Lizard, what are you contributing?”

“I stab.” The lizard played with his knife, tongue drooping needlessly from his mouth. “I loot bodies.”

“Right, so it’s us three.” Mars thought about it. Three party members and 80 heavily armored soldiers further up. For a small pass, it should be enough to hold with another wall, but everything in Mars' senses told him to back away. Were they depending on this so-called firepower? The men? "I have a bad feeling about this."

A low bellowing roar rumbled across the landscape, and the misty darkness spread forward a few meters up, building its presence upon the pass until, like the day before, a legion of monsters leapt from the haze, scrawny, black-fleshed demons wielding sabers as tall as their bodies. Nothing too impressive at first, but given their number and the weight of their weaponry, they weren't creatures to be underestimated.

The gap closed in less than a minute as the fodder hobbled up the pass in a column three wide. Their maneuverability was limited, their swinging space inhibited. They could lay into the first few ranks with guts and determination.

Artemis stood in the rear as the orc and dwarf brandished their weapons. Despite the number difference, their spirits were completely unhindered. It even encouraged him to stand up straighter as well. Their confidence boosted Artemis's morale. This was it. He could handle it. His conviction turned into words, and he requested magic from Marine. Magic flowed seamlessly into his staff’s jewel, ready to be unleashed.

“From a raging storm,” he proclaimed. “Gust of Wind!”

The air shot forward like a cannon, flying straight and true down the pass, crashing into the enemy line. Its force was strong, pushing the enemy forces back a couple of steps. For a few seconds, the monsters looked truly inconvenienced, as if left out on a windy beach during a bright summer's day, until eventually, the gust dissipated, and the demons stood angrier than ever.

Artemis was as white as a ghost. All three of them were.