Not having a choice, Lance rushed forwards. The Splitting Arrow in his hand was fired at half draw, his hand flicking to the quiver by his side to extract another pair of arrows. He loosed them into the horde charging at them, not even paying attention to what his arrows were doing or the targets beyond a basic intuitive glare.

Another pair of arrows, as the quiver split the magical ones and sent shards of metal spinning through the crowd. He drew and fired, falling back as one arrow lodged in an open mouth and another missed the group entirely to his surprise.

Then, he had no more time.

The first gnoll reached for him, claws extended and Lance had to beat the attack aside with his bow. He ducked right, the short sword he conjured plunging into a stomach and breaking, leaving a gaping wound that bled even more freely as the Mana Object dissipated.

Of course it didn’t work. He had not studied swords, not really learnt how they worked.

A claw tore into his shoulder, having bounced off the breastplate he wore. It shrieked a little as the Ring of Protection he wore helped slow down the attack, but it still left his shoulder bloody, though his bones held up well enough.

Then, something took him off his feet. He was on the ground, his bow kicked aside as a gnoll lunged downwards. Another Mana Object – Arrow formed in his hand, this one plunging upwards to catch a swinging arm. It shiriekd, and he caught the monster with a rising kick, pushing it away.

He scrambled backwards, trying to stand as a Fire Bolt caught one of the monsters attempting to close on him in the side of the head. Lance heard another scream, the sound of falling bodies behind him. They had reached the casters – and he had no more time to watch.

Gripping the arrow in one hand, he stabbed and waved it at the monsters attempting toc lose on him. Watched as it was broken, but he at least managed to grab his short sword from its sheath. He drew and cut, swinging and stabbing, only to be slammed into the ground by a monster he never saw from the side.

Sword was torn from his arm, claws slipping past his breastplate through the side into his side. He screamed, choking on blood and pain, as he struggled and kicked, attempting to free himself.

He needn’t have bothered, as the claws tore themselves free from his side.

Pain.

And luck, for the claws had skittered as they came across his Adaptive Bones, hardened from being shattered before. He kicked and dodged, trying to conjure a weapon into his arms and unable.

Then, recollection, and he gestured at the creature snapping at him. Mana Disruption tore through the gnoll – yellow and black spotted like a hyena – it screamed and staggered back, fouling up the attacks of the others around it.

At which point they were suddenly engulfed by a cloud of fast moving gas, ones that made the howling, growling creatures choke. They clawed at their throats and eyes, even as Lance’s own eyes watered and his throat burned.

Scrambling onto his hands and knees and forcing himself to stand and scoop up his fallen bow, Lance was surprised to see three of the gnolls nearby twitching and burning, as lightning flowed from Yanesh’s grimacing face in a continuous stream. Sweat pooled across his skin, dripping down and mixing with the blood from a cut as he chanelled the lightning spell.

Matt was on the other side of Keeley, sprawled on the ground as one of his legs had been damaged but he was still firing, his arrows flickering through the arrow to land into the crowd still around the pair of melee fighters.

Living melee fighters, for Lance spotted the twisting, cutting and living Blood Thorns of Neil’s upgrade, as it sucked and supped on the spilled blood around the group. In the meantime, the occasional gnoll that was thrown aside and bashed away indicated an extra strong, screaming warrior woman was still somewhere in that pile.

Realising the first wave had been blunted, Lance snatched an arrow from the ground and grinned grimly as he fired into the pile of monsters still choking.

Time to get back their upper hand.