A stream of lightning fired from Exile's axe as he forced his way forwards. 'Whatever that sound came from, we have to get out of here before it arrives!' Exile frowned as he slammed his shield into the wrist of a Deep Stalker that was aiming for him. Before the creature could retaliate, a shard of ice pierced its head. Exile glanced over his shoulder to nod at Noslin for her assistance as the creature died.

"We have to move faster!" Exile shouted as he let off another Electrosphere. "Something big is coming!"

​​

Noslin frowned as she heard his warning. So far, nothing seemed amiss to her. However, she also knew that Exile would not choose a time like this to play a prank. Luckily, the other leaders were already leading their Pantheons out of the ruins and along the walled-off route she had created. 'Hm... The others might not have realised it, but he probably has...'

Exile hacked away as he continued to accumulate damage. 'My health has already dropped to 82/150... And Noslin must be running out of DP. Such big spells must have an extreme cost.' Exile's mind was fixed on figuring out their chances of getting out of here alive. I'm assuming the creature I heard must be a boss monster. If it gets here, then we're definitely doomed.'

As he glanced around at their progress, he began to think about Noslin's power. 'She would win if she could contain the fight to a short battle. But if it became a prolonged one, I would win. She only appears stronger on the surface.' He was glad to discover that they were more or less equal in status when it came to battle prowess.

Eventually, Noslin stopped deploying her abilities as freely as before. This led to the other players having to work for their survival as they deployed whatever means they had left to hold out against the horde. 'It should be about time...'

Exile spun to face the crowd of players as he fired a lightning bolt into the air above his head. Noslin frowned when she saw that. 'Why would he waste DP like that!' However, moments later, a horn sounded in those ruins.

'Good job, Clay!' Exile grinned. The lightning bolt was a predetermined move that acted as a flare if they lost sight of each other. The players glanced around in shock as they all received a +5 bonus to Speed from The Raider's Horn that Clay carried. Some of the other leaders even tried to see who had used such a miraculous item with greed in their eyes.

The extra boost allowed them to move faster. Many of them even wondered why they had moved away from the statue in the first place. However, Noslin shook her head when she heard these complaints. The statue that his the Autosphere station was in an open area. Meaning they would have been surrounded more easily.

'We had to move away to really put this place to the test...' Noslin grimaced as she realised this exploration was a complete failure. They made no gains, no route was discovered to the surface and players had been killed, causing a drop in overall strength. 'It's going to take much more than what we have now to get through here. At least half of us would have to reach Tier 1...'

However, Exile was not as optimistic about their chances. 'We probably could have managed this area if the council hadn't made that vote. But this... It feels like the whole area has become a place that only Tier 1's really have a chance of surviving. I doubt it was designed to be explored by so many players at once. It's only because of our numbers that we've survived this long...'

Exile shook his head as he prepared himself to deal with several Deep Stalkers that were preparing to jump on him. He let out a low grunt as three of them connected with his shield at once and forced him back. 'Damn! I can't hold them!' While he was locked in a struggle with them, another tore at his exposed back, causing him to grunt with pain.

'We have to get clear somehow. Noslin and I don't have the strength to deal with this.' Just as he was stuck with the dilemma, a hail of divine spells rained down on the surrounding mobs. Giving him room to breathe. Clay rushed forward to place his hand on Exile's shoulder. He had dragged the members of Ragnarok forward to reach him in time.

"You know... If we leave the others, we might just make it..." Winter suddenly stated as she looked around with a grim expression. "They'll be a larger group and of more interest to these mobs. We could definitely escape with them as bait."

Clay shot a dark look in her direction. "If they get killed, it will put us all in a bad spot when dealing with the Pantheons on the other team. We have to get as many out safely as possible!"

Winter sneered at Clay's words and was fully prepared to start a riot. She was certain that there would be other players willing to make a run for it as long as she took the lead. However, that would mean she had wasted her time joining this Pantheon, as she would likely get booted out if she went through with it.

"Just calm down... If it really looks hopeless, then nobody will blame us for making a run for it. But now is not the time with so many still fighting." Midas said as he nudged Winter in her ribs.

"So, what's the plan, then?" Beans asked as she nervously looked around. "We're isolated again from the rest..."

The rest frowned as the Pantheon surrounded their group to hold off the Deep Walkers. Nobody had any good ideas in that sitiuation.

"It doesn't matter now anyway..." Exile said grimly. "We're out of time..."