( Rocky''s POV )


    Rocky always knew Buhara had superhuman strength, however, when he saw Buhara chopping down wood the size of his body and splitting it down the middle with ease, Rocky realized just how strong that orc was.


    By the time, Erin and Rocky had rejoined with him, he had single handedly chopped down three trees and pruned off the branches as Rocky was left awestruck by his technique and efficiency.


    " Wow, Sir Buhara, your technique is amazing!" Erin eximed, as Buharaughed out loud after receiving thepliment and began flexing his muscles.


    " BUHAHAHAHARA, Back in my vige, I''ve chopped wood since I was a kid. The trees here are soft and weak. The trees in my home town are strong like Buhara" he said as he proved his point by pruning off an arm sized branch off the tree he chopped down like he was swatting a fly.


    "Alright, I think we can make three pikes with each tree at least, so as long as we finish within the next two hours, we should be able tofortablyplete this quest.


    Erin, you draw the outline along which we should chop the wood down and me and Buhara will follow it to the T" Rocky instructed, as Erin began notching a rough path for Buhara and Rocky to follow with his axe, while Rocky and Buhara did the heavy cutting as they began manufacturing the recement parts for the vige wall.


    Everything seemed to be going smoothly, there was smooth breeze flowing, friendship fostering, sweat pouring, however, never in his wildest dreams could Rocky have imagined that this perfect day was about to go majorly south-hill from here.


    *Crush*


    *Crackle*


    The sound of twigs snapping alerted Rocky as he turned towards the source of the sound where for a moment he saw nothing.


    The trio were pruning trees right at the edge of the abandoned forest, in a clearing that demarcated the ins from the forest, however, they were still very close to the forest tree-line.


    "Did you guys hear that as well?" Rocky asked Erin and Buhara, who were ncing in the same direction as him, as they too heard the sound.


    *SHUA*


    *SHUA*


    Two poison darts flew across Rocky''s face, missing him by mere millimeters, as goosebumps ran all over Rocky''s spine.


    *THUD*


    *THUD*


    Erin and Buhara copsed to the ground, darts sticking out of their necks, as rm bells began ringing in Rocky''s head as he instantly became alert.


    "RUNNNNN-"


    A voice shouted, as from within the tree line emerged a bruised and bleeding Sophia, who dashed straight towards Rocky, a grim expression on her face.


    "RUNNNNN-"


    She repeated as she moved towards him as following her were four men dressed in pitch ck robes, with a garment covering their hair and face, revealing only their eyes.


    ''Assassins-'' thought Rocky as he unsheathed his sword and crushed the green pendant that Pope Cole had given him to use incase of emergencies.


    " They''re too strong for you, run dammit" Sophia said, as she tugged at Rocky''s arm upon reaching his location, however, Rocky refused to budge, as he said "


    I don''t know what''s going on, but I don''t trust you-


    Also, Erin and Buhara are here, I would run if they could do so as well, but I''m never leaving a fallenrade behind"


    "FOOLISH, YOU''LL GET US BOTH KILLED" Cursed Sophia, as the assassin''s made the most of her slowing down, as they began to circle around the duo, cutting off a path of retreat.


    Everything was happening too fast for Rocky to properly process.


    His backpack was ced near his feet, he had taken it off because it was a hindrance to him while chopping wood….. and the emergency token given by the principal was inside it, as he could not ess it without opening the bag and reaching into it, which looked dangerous to do at the moment.


    Sophia was injured, she looked to be the main target that these assassins were chasing, however, Rocky suspected that it could be a trap as well as he refused to tag along with Sophia who was urging him to run.


    The green pendant, given to him by Pope Cole that he had crushed, seemed to do nothing significant at the moment as although Rocky had crushed it, he could see nor feel any major physical change.


    Finally, his opponent''s that were chasing Sophia. The group of assassin''s, seemed to circle the two champions, blocking off any escape routes, as they had sharp daggers in their hands.


    ''FUCK-'' Thought Rocky, as he cursed his own carelessness for not cing the emergency token in his pocket or system inventory and rather cing it in his bagpack.


    Nheless, despite his fears for his own life, he stood with a strong grip on his sword as he did not let his fear of mortality show on his face as he stared down at the assassin''s daring to make eye contact with him.


    " Who are these people?" Rocky asked Sophia, who seemed to be trembling.


    She had no weapon in hand, and had taken a flimsy battle stance, however, she seemed to be really shook as her body trembled violently.


    As Rocky looked towards her, he could make out that Sophia was not pretending and that by the horrified expression on her face it was clear that whoever these people were, she was scared of them too.


    " The crest on their chest ….. These are agents of Olympus. Someone from my own family has ordered a strike on me-" Sophia said, her voice breaking as Rocky observed the crest made on the assassin''s robes that looked like Mount Olympus.


    '' What?'' thought Rocky, as he moved two steps away from Sophia, bing even more suspicious of her, as he could not believe that the agents of Olympus would hunt down their own Champion.


    *SHUA*


    One of the assassin''s, threw a dagger towards Sophia, who barely deflected the attack, but in the moment that Rocky and Sophia were focused on him, the other three assassin''s moved in towards them, reaching their location in a heartbeat.


    *Block*


    "Aiiighhh" Sophia blocked one of the assassin''s, who were trying to plunge a dagger into her throat, but because she was fighting him bare handed, the dagger pierced her palms, leaving a bloody and nasty gash in her flesh.


    The other assassin, who tried to attack Rocky, was surprisingly repelled away by an invisible barrier at thest second as although Rocky himself did nothing, the gash that he would have received if the assassin manager tond his attack, was magically returned to him as a deep wound opened up in his chest, with blood spurting out.


    *AGGHHHHHHH*


    The assassin screamed, as Rocky finally realized the nature of the protective spell that Pope Cole had gifted him with!


    An invisible barrier protection spell that returned the damage of any attack with twice the efficiency.


    A God level protective artifact! One that would ensure Rocky''s safety in dangerous situations.


    However, while Rocky himself sighed in relief for having been saved, the brutal fight between Sophia and the two assassin''s trying to kill her was a sight that was imprinted deep into his own memory.


    A bleeding, struggling Sophia tried her best to save her own life, but she was no match for the stronger, faster opponents who inflicted several small wounds across her vital veins, before finally plunging a dagger into her chest, as Sophia copsed onto her knees, staring straight into Rocky''s eyes with a desperate expression on her face.


    " Save me-" she mouthed, before falling out unconscious, as Rocky felt the world spinning under his feet as he could absolutely not make any sense of this situation.