Chapter 97: The Sunken turbine (2)

—Murk-Fin Ambushers—Level 29—

—Murk-Fin Ambushers—Level 26—

—Murk-Fin Ambushers—Level 31—

—Murk-Fin Ambushers—Level 32—

—Murk-Fin Ambushers—Level 27—

—Murk-Fin Ambushers—Level 33—

The first wave of Murk-Fin Ambushers slithered from the lake. Hundred pairs of unblinking eyes focused on the human trio. Reidar did not hesitate and used group rally to give an edge to Mara, Aaron and his summoned creatures.

Energy washed over Reidar, Aaron, Mara, and the summons in the area. Their senses sharpened, and a surge of aggressive confidence replaced their fear.

At that point, the Murk-Fin Ambushers reached them.

Reidar met the first with a Stone Bullet that shattered its skull.

[CRITICAL! Your stone bullet strikes Murk-Fin Ambushers for 598 blunt damage.]

[Murk-Fin Ambushers defeated.]

[You have earned 210 Survival Points earned.]

The ambushers recoiled but didn’t stop.

“Stay close to the primal pack!” Reidar said. “If we need to retreat, riding them would be the fastest way to do that!”

[Murk-Fin Ambushers defeated.]

[Murk-Fin Ambushers defeated.]

[Murk-Fin Ambushers defeated.]

The Ambushers kept coming from the lake. It was clear that their numbers were increasing.

A thicket of thorny vines burst from the ground and snaked around the lead creatures when Reidar used Root Grasp. The Ambushers screeched as thorns dug into their slick hides. They were pinned, but the rest of the monsters weren’t.

Aaron didn’t need Reidar to tell him, that a soft silver glow wrapped around him as he activated his skills. He shot forward, much faster than he had been before. He became a blur; even Reidar was having trouble seeing him.

<I need to increase my attributes.>

Aaron was headed for the monsters. His blade hit. In one clean swing, he took a Murk-Fin’s head clean off. Blood splattered the dirt, but that didn’t stop the other monsters.

He spun without stopping and sliced deep into another monster’s side.

Mara moved with him, her staff a simple but effective weapon. She jabbed the blunt end into a Murk-Fin’s wide mouth, staggering it.

When a second creature lunged at her from the side, the Primal Pack’s panther intercepted it. The giant cat was far stronger than her, and it was killing left and right. Protecting the woman was not hard at all. The summon’s claws tore through the monster’s throat before it could land a blow on the woman.

Reidar’s focus remained on the larger horde. With the front line entangled, he had clear targets. He channeled mana; the tip of his wand glowed with dark energy.

A spear of pure blackness shot from the crook. It was Void Javelin. It pierced through three Murk-Fins in a line, leaving smoking holes in their bodies before dissolving into nothing due to the effects of the skill.

[Murk-Fin Ambushers defeated.]

[Murk-Fin Ambushers defeated.]

[Arcane Leech effect has been triggered. 328 damage points converted into mana.]

[Murk-Fin Ambushers defeated.]

[Murk-Fin Ambushers defeated.]

[Murk-Fin Ambushers defeated.]

[Murk-Fin Ambushers defeated.]

Behind them, more Ambushers poured from the lake.

“More are coming!” Mara said.

[Arcane Leech effect has been triggered. 320 damage points converted into mana.]

[Arcane Leech effect has been triggered. 117 damage points converted into mana.]

“They’re trying to flank us!” Aaron said, parrying a clawed swipe that would have opened his gut.

The impact sent a rattling shock up his arm. Reidar knew that even if there was this huge level difference between him and the Murk-Fin Ambushers, he could not keep going like this.

However, he was not going to use his trait in front of these two, not now at least. Though it didn’t mean he couldn’t be prepared.

The guardian shade still hovered nearby, quietly siphoning mana and feeding it back to Reidar. That was all it was doing, but not for long. Reidar activated his trait, passing along Summon Bone Militia, Summon Primal Pack, and Summon Guardian Shade.

He couldn’t share Summon Rift-Sprite Contubernium yet, not with his proficiency so low. And that meant that any creatures the shade summoned would be weaker because of how Reidar’s skills worked, but even that would work.

If things got really bad, a flood of monsters would take down anything that came at them. For the time being, he would focus on improving his battle abilities without his summons. He could not always rely on them, after all. Besides, this way he would also improve the proficiency in his other skills.

Reidar saw a group of Ambushers ignoring the main fight, slithering wide to circle around their position.

His primal pack bear lumbered to meet them, its roar drowning out whatever shrieks and hisses those things made.

It swatted a Murk-Fin aside like a toy, leaving deep furrows in the creature’s hide. The wolf joined it by snapping its jaws at its tail, hamstringing it and leaving it vulnerable.

Even with the Primal Pack’s intervention, the sheer number of creatures was overwhelming. That meant that a Murk-Fin got able to spat a glob of viscous fluid that struck Aaron’s shoulder. The leather of his armor sizzled, smoking as the acid ate through it. He cried out, stumbling back.

Mara was there in an instant. She slammed her staff into the creature’s head, then placed a glowing hand on Aaron’s wound. Warm light pulsed, and the sizzling stopped, the damaged flesh knitting itself back together.

Reidar saw the press of bodies threatening to overwhelm them. He planted his feet, the ground around him glowing as he cast Circle of Renewal.

A thirty-meter ring of energy blossomed around them, and a rain of mana fell upon them, mending minor cuts and soothing their aching muscles.

The Murk-Fins pressed their attack. Several of them opened their wide mouths and released a thick, black ink that billowed into the air. The cloud spread fast, blanketing the shoreline in a disorienting, sightless black fog.

“I can’t see!”

Aaron stood back-to-back with Mara. “Stay close!”

Reidar felt a cold knot tighten in his gut. His ranged spells were useless without a target. He could hear the wet slap of the Ambushers’ bodies moving through the ink. A claw raked across his arm, drawing blood. He grunted, spinning away from the unseen attacker.

<Well, at least the fog will be useful for something else.>

He did not panic. He toggled his new skill. “Stone-Skin.”

<I’m not going to die because of these half-assed fuckers!>

His skin hardened, turning rough and tough like solid rock. His movements felt heavier, but not that much, honestly.

Another claw scraped his back. This time it sounded like metal on stone. The hit bounced right off, leaving just a scratch on his stone-like skin.

That made Reidar grin. Then he mentally turned to the guardian shade.

“Summon everything you can!”

From the lake, more shapes rose. A fresh wave of Ambushers slithered onto the shore, but they were not the only ones joining the fray.

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