Ascension of the Nephilim

The orcs attacked the weeping trio.

Each of them were hiding on different spots and there some distance between them. The three could do nothing but raise their weapons and charged towards the orcs. In desperation, the three ran forward to meet the rushing group of orcs heading towards them.

Martha watched from afar and kept waiting. In her hands were her arrows as she watched for the battle to begin.

All of the three H had a sword in one hand and a shield on the other. The first thing they did was charge to a place where all three of them would be together.

They dove right in the charging orcs using their shields to ram those in front and use their swords to make wide swings that will force the others to take a step back.

Hunter raced forward in desperation and faced a large shield orc who blocked the way.

His plan was to bump the orc and run to the side to reach and make a desperate dash to reach his companions.

He harnessed his entire power into his arm and legs as he rammed the shield orc.

The shield orc laughed and held his massive shield. The orc itself was a rather humungous one for its race and looked down on Hunter.

BANG!

The shield orc was thrown upwards from the sever bump that he began to whirl over the charging figure of Hunter.

Hunter was surprised and his charge continued forward with tremendous power and met a stunned light orc magi. The orc magi was casting a buffing spell to fortify the defenses of the shield orc in front of him.The surprise caught the magi unprepared and Hunter's shield smashed right in front of the orcs face.

BANG!

The orc magi flew a few distance and struck those behind him.

Hunter was stunned. That was the same skill that Diana revealed. [Knights Charge]!

A similar scene occurred on Hems and Hemsey's fights. Their desperate charge were surprisingly effective.

Martha watched in expectation. The three didn't know exactly how many levels they grew. They only felt a surge of power. But what they did not know was that Martha already gauged that their levels was at the maximum. They were level twenty and even has so much energy that if they do a Class change, Martha gauged that they would hit level twenty two or three at the very least.

They were no longer normal knights but could even apply to be a Baron of their own!

The strength they wielded had officially stepped in to the level of strength that Captains had even without the Rank up.

Martha noticed this but didn't tell them. She had a plan to bring out the best in them in the only way she knew.

The three were stupefied for a split second but began to move faster to fight.

The teaching and training they had with their Lord Kyros, Aron and Branze were finally taking root.

Unlike the three noble sons, these three were vassals and had been trained in the ways of combat since they were young. Even before becoming vampires, their adventures in the Temple had already given them a few level up. They were at level 18 after all that they had gained in the Temple. They should have turned level twenty-three after Kyros killed the servant of the Blood Calamity. But the requirements of Class up stopped them.

But because they had Kyros's blood, a portion of this excess power managed to make them grow stronger. The power of the captain smashed against their large enemies. But they not only had the higher stats that those reaching level twenty had, they also had the blessing of the Coven which increased their stats by a few points.

Their battle plan changed once they realized what they could do and began to attack more aggressively.

The powerful moves made the orcs all the more weary. These vampires were audibly crying and the orcs thought them to be the enslaved pawns of Cracky. But then, they killed a few orcs easily.

"Be careful!" The orcs began to rush and crowd to attack the three in a coordinated manner.

But even the, the three continued to fight and push through to reach the area where all three of them could gather and fight with each others back against each other.

The orc captains finally took action.

"Those are captains! Let us deal with them!" A shield orc shouted and made his way towards them.

Martha watched and readied herself.

Along the way she had been collecting small rocks which she kept in her pouch, unseen to these three. She stood up and brought out her bow.

In truth, she was just as nervous as the Three H. While the three H were giving themselves into battle, Martha was also putting the lives of these three in the line.

"If any of them die, I would also face the backlash of the vow I made to Lord Kyros and could probably die." She told herself as she held the rocks and took aim.

Kyros had told her of the new abilities he gained as an archer and had thanked her for her amazing skill.

But Martha was the one who was amazed.

Kyros had detailed how he could easily command the arrows to move and make adjustments while on air. Kyros also told her how he could tell where the wind blew.

Martha was confused and began to ask questions and Kyros simply answered, that he may have learned much since his bloodline was something that could draw power from the actual gods that made bows and taught the various Codes that they acquire through Class ups or receiving blessings from Totems and Idols.

Martha was obsessed with something. She knew that Kyros's blood was something that broke common sense.

"I have the blood of Lord Kyros, the Nephilim. I should have a small chance of acquiring his potential." Martha hoped.

She looked at the ongoing battle. Despite the abilities of the three H, Martha knew that they would eventually die. She however, ordered them to fight so to train them in the only way she knew how.

She knew she had the Path of Combat and also knew that she had awakened it earlier on. But now, she needed to work on the Path of Molding and the Path of Foresight. Diana had her way. She brought them all to combat to mold them as a nurturing hen would over her chicks. But Martha didn't have Molding to begin with. So she only used her experience in the Path of Combat as the source of inspiration.

She reflected and realized that her Path of Combat appeared on various life-threatening experiences. At the brink of death, when she found powerful strength within her to overcome her adversary. And with that, she led the three H to fight in bloody combat with the hopes of letting these three experience the same awakening she did.

For her part, she also needed to awaken her Path of Foresight which she concluded was necessary to mold. By understanding the ways of Fate, she could understand how to change it. And when it reaches a certain level, she could cultivate it in a way that would affect the Fate of others.

The problem was she didn't know how to activate it. And so she relied in a primitive method.

"My Path of Combat awakened when I was pressed in dire situations. My choice is to press myself even harder. With the lives of these three linked to mine, I won't be fighting so my Path of Combat won't be the one that is tested, right? But how do I help them awaken it? What is the Path of Combat?" She began to think.

She looked at the battle and couldn't see the Path of Combat working. Her powers didn't work.

"I have always known how to respond in combat. That should be my Path of Combat. But what about for others? How do I teach them? I eed to understand how Fate works! The victories of Lord Kyros was never because of his ability in the Path of Combat, but in the Path of Foresight! If I want to stand by my Lord, be it as his aunt, or his Coven, I need to understand and see Fate not just for myself, but for others!" She gritted her teeth and tried to see what shot these rocks could do in helping his team survive.

The three H's were losing. They were being surrounded and they had received wounds. The armor they wore had many dents and opening as their blood was leaking out. Several times they nearly died and would make a desperate move or would sacrifice a lesser wound to stay alive.

But even then, the three H managed to fight back and killed a few.

"Surround them with Shield Orcs! They are bleeding and desperate. Instead of fighting them, let them die on their own!" One of the Orc Captains ordered.

And so each of the group were surrounded by shield orcs that encircled them.

The archers and magis didn't fight as they tight spaces could cause friendly fire. 

"Where is your leader?" The orc demanded. As they were looking for the undead, they knew that the can't track vampires through scent.

Hunter, Hems and Hemsey didn't answer but could only stand their ground. They cursed at themselves. Martha had shown them the bitter truth. They were truly not worthy of Lord Kyros's gifts. They had fought so hard but could not even awaken the Path of Combat.

The shield orcs would suddenly give way and one of the orcs would attack with spears, maces, swords and axes.

The three were soon becoming more and more worn out as they received more wounds.

As their shouts of pain could be heard, Martha's heart was in pain for seeing what her plans was leading too. But instead of panicking, Martha grew calm. She gazed at the flow of the battle and kept holding on the rock and her bow bent as she tried to pierce through the shroud of Fate.

More critical moments was shown and the three H were closer to death than they ever was. As their screams grew worse and moments of near-death appeared, Martha had no choice but to save them. Her plan had failed.

In desperation, Martha harnessed her own Path of Combat and decided to save the three H. 

She opened her eyes and was about to deliver her rock attack but then she realized she could see the flow of the battle. It was then she realized what she had failed to communicate to them.

"I see it! The flow of their battle!" Martha rejoiced.