The obliteration of the group of undead skeletons brought immediate relief to the raid party. The cowardly teammates relaxed, momentarily forgetting their desperate desire to flee the gate.
Sqwrr! A loud, shrill whistle echoed piercingly in the air. The adventurers instinctively turned their attention to the direction from which the sound emanated. In the distance, a formidable herd of undead skeletons was rushing towards them. The legions' temperament was not one of friendship but a primal desire to lay waste to the intruders. The undead skeletons were clearly not welcoming to creatures outside their kind.
"What the heck! A larger wave of undead skeletons!" SheCyclones cried out, palpable fear and apprehension gripping her core.
"Brainboss didn't mention anything about the creatures coming at us in waves. We've been set up to die," Am_I_Me said, taking off towards the gate, her voice filled with despair.
Once again, the team disbanded, and it was the same seven members who, once again, took to their heels, heading frantically towards the vortex. Leading the cowardly seven was Am_I_Me, a lady who was a Criminal-class special character.
Ivan chased after them, desperately trying to convince them to stay and fight the incoming undead.
Wanyama and Baka were hesitant, wrestling with the decision of whether to face the incoming adversary or flee. Ivan successfully convinced one of the cowardly seven to stop fleeing. She turned around, giving her full attention to Ivan.
Ivan didn't know what to say to her. He stopped running, halting beside her. He helplessly watched as his cowardly teammates reached the vortex. The cowards tried to pass through the vortex, but they couldn't exit. It appeared as if they were passing through a doorframe placed in the centre of a room, eternally trapped.
Ivan's heart filled with fright and apprehension. He had planned that if the battle was going against him and his teammates, they would at least flee to safety through the vortex.
[Remember: The undead skeletons are not bold enough to exit the Vate Prison Realm.]
Now his failsafe hopes had been utterly dashed. The only option was for the team to face the undead creatures, clear every level in the gate, and exit through the vortex at the final level.
Troy_to_Me, one of the cowardly six, broke down in tears, screaming in raw despair at the top of her voice. The others with her just stared blankly at the incoming adversaries, utterly devoid of the motivation to fight and survive.
Baka and Wanyama decided to unite the team at the vortex. They brought along Ivan and Am_I_Me to this strategic unification point.
Baka quietly said to Wanyama, "We're just three guys in this team of ten."
It was then that Wanyama realised that it was he, Baka, and Ivan who were the only men in this team, and the others were all ladies.
"I'm not being misogynistic, but I've seen braver ladies than this bunch here with us," Baka expressed his disappointment to Wanyama in a quiet, resigned tone.
Wanyama sighed, his mood crestfallen because most of his teammates were genuine cowards. Ivan got close to Baka and, with a whisper, suggested to him that he try making the teammates introduce themselves.
Baka invoked his innate ability again: Dragon Authority.
"Everyone, my name is Baka, and I'm a Draconic. I have special flame abilities that can help us survive this attack. But my effort alone doesn't mean we will survive this assault. I need support attacks and cover. You, my teammates, can provide these needs and ensure that we survive. I want us to introduce ourselves," Baka said with intimidating authority, his voice resonating with power.
His gaze fell on Ivan. He would have started with the others who hadn't shown bravery earlier, but he knew he would fail. He had to psychologically win their trust before he could compel them to introduce themselves.
"My name is Black Riot 79. I'm a Martial Artist special character. I have a weapon suited for one-on-one combat," Ivan introduced himself, his voice steady.
Wanyama was next. Wanyama was a Combustionist-class special character. His attacks required that he make direct contact with the target, planting explosive runes with a touch of his palm. He could trigger the runes to explode at will at any time, as long as the target was within a five-hundred-metre range.
BlueBlack was the next to introduce herself. Baka had made this decision because Ivan informed him that she had stopped along the way after he had convinced her to halt her flight. She introduced herself, stating that she was a Void-walker-class special character. Sadly, she was tied to base rank, and her powers were limited. She could only traverse a short distance through the void.
To give a suitable example, if she had to pass through a toll gate but had no money to pay, the solution would be for her to simply enter the void and exit on the other side of the toll gate. The requirement was that the target distance didn't exceed five metres.
Following the order of introduction, the other teammates were Alita72, an Archer-class special character; Am_I_Me, a Criminal-class special character; Onelight, a Healer-class special character; Sarah-Ze-Beauty, a Gunslinger-class special character; SheCyclones, a Wind Mage-class special character; and finally, Troy_to_Me, another Gunslinger-class special character.
Baka racked his brain to find the best tactic to employ for the team to battle the incoming adversary. If a regular human being or most special characters who lacked battle experience were in Baka's shoes, they wouldn't think properly and would eventually give up. Baka was different. His subclass came with innate battle confidence and calmness.
"Black Riot and I will take the lead because we are best suited for close combat. The rest of you should cover us and give us support attacks since your powers favour ranged combat," Baka instructed, having meticulously considered the strengths and weaknesses of his teammates.
Baka turned to Wanyama and said, "Wanyama, I need you to engrave rocks with your runes and launch them at the enemy. I will help clear them out."
"Unfortunately, I can only plant runes on five inanimate objects. After I've exhausted this use period, I'll have to wait fifteen minutes for it to recover. However, I can endlessly plant runes on animate objects."
Baka shook his head, disappointed but undeterred. "No problem. Make use of what you have. We'll work with what we have. BlueBlack, I forgot about you. You'll be with us at the front. Retreat when you feel you can't handle the heat. Onelight, your service would be called upon at critical moments."
Everything was thought to be settled, but it was just a fleeting thought. Apart from BlueBlack, the other adventurers positioned for ranged attack didn't want to fight. They were too scared to engage.
Baka was disappointed, but he still forged ahead, running directly towards the incoming skeletons. Ivan's morale was significantly weakened by their sudden refusal to cooperate, and so he stayed behind. Wanyama couldn't follow because he was practically useless in that moment; he couldn't even use his remaining AOE skill because of the lack of coordinated effort.
BlueBlack was the only adventurer brave enough to follow Baka. Baka saw the lady follow him. He felt that if he led by example, the others would eventually join him in battle. So, he continued his charge.