Lanek had to restrain himself from rushing forward long enough to use [Identify] on the shambling horror. He didn’t care what the skill had to tell him in terms of how strong it was, he just wanted to know what it was that he was destroying. Regardless of the information provided, he would not leave until this foul thing was no more. Those children that had been fused into the abomination had pushed him over the edge.
Corpse Weaver
lvl 18
Corpse weavers are corrupted bodies raised through necromancy, creating a creature that exists only to kill and desires nothing more than the eradication of anything living. Corpse weavers start out similar to zombies in appearance while the bodies are fresh and become more akin to skeletal monsters when the flesh rots away completely. Aside from this cycle, there are no standard forms for these creatures as the core of the weaver will often add new bodies to its form to enhance its ability to survive and continue growing. These additions will often take the form of protection for the core, more offensive capabilities, or increased mobility.
Corpse weavers are among the most reviled undead as they begin their existence with a strong attachment to the living, often hunting their former families to incorporate their corpses in a twisted urge to be with them for eternity. This act of slaughter and desecration is seen as such a corruption of family ties that corpse weavers will be hunted relentlessly once discovered and triggers a taunt-like effect in its foes making them more likely to rush into battle rather than flee.
That last line section almost made him retch. It confirmed his worst fears, this wasn’t a random monster. The father had returned from the dead only to slaughter his wife and children and desecrate their corpses. He didn’t blame the father though, he had loved his family and something had destroyed his mind almost entirely, only leaving a corruption of that love behind.
To make matters worse, he felt a reaction as [Etheric Presence] activated, showing four souls in the amalgamation of bone. One in the main body, one in the centaur-like portion, and one in each of the small skeletons. This family had not only been desecrated, but their souls had also been imprisoned.
“Fuck. That.” he spat, drawing his kanabo. Kazuma and Sanguineus, sensing Lanek’s anger and desire to destroy this thing, flanked the creature on either side. He watched as the second set of arms turned the small skeletons to face the wolf and cat. Good. I won’t have to face everything at once.
You have failed to resist mental affliction [Taunt].
Abruptly, Lanek rushed in at the corpse weaver, changing course to dodge to the side as the woodcutting axe swung down at him. Nodding to himself, Lanek saw that the corpse weaver wasn’t as fast as the crypt stalker had been. Then again, it didn’t really need to be as its multiple independent means of attack could overwhelm someone if they had to face them alone regardless of the speed of each attack. He also suspected that this thing was more durable than the stalker as well.
From the corner of his eye, he watched one of the secondary arms swinging toward him, claws on the little skeleton extending for him before a swipe from one of Kazuma’s paws deflected it. He risked a glance at Sanguineus and saw a flurry of gray and red movement darting in and out of range of the other secondary arm, giving it no chance to redirect toward Lanek.
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Returning his attention to the core of the abomination, he barely managed to duck another axe swing. Stepping in, Lanek decided to forego finesse as it would be wasted on this creature. He needed all the power he could get, so he grasped the kanabo with both hands and swung it like a baseball bat. His arms tingled from the impact of the club slamming into the side of the weaver’s head.
Uh-oh. Lanek thought as the weaver’s skull barely moved and only a small sliver of bone was knocked from it. He stepped in, dodging both another overhead axe strike and swing of the weaver’s fist and swung for the arm holding the axe, but the creature twisted enough to take the blow on its shoulder instead. His strike did even less damage than it had done to the skull. This was bad, if he couldn't do more damage than this, then he was fighting a losing battle against the monstrosity.
Lanek took a step back to re-evaluate when he found himself suddenly crashing to the street several meters away, wiping blood from his mouth. What the hell was that?!
He looked up in time to see the creature’s front legs descend back to the ground. When Lanek had take a step back to get out of range of the axe the weaver had taken the opportunity to strike out with both of its front legs like a horse. He got back to his feet, glancing at his HP while both Kazuma and Sanguineus erupted in a flurry of attacks to give him time to recover. Damn, that one hit took 100 HP and dropped me to 90. I can’t tank another hit like that. Sanguineus can’t help me either, this thing has no blood to drain.
He slipped the kanabo back into his belt loop and unwound Sanguineus’ Vessel. The blade likely wouldn’t be as effective as a blunt weapon, but at least it kept him out of the corpse weaver’s reach. Following the guidance provided by his [Weapon Proficiency: Chain Whip] skill, he unleashed wide swings from a distance, taking every opportunity to disrupt an attack on his companions or trip the creature up. With every stumble and deflected attack, Kazuma and Sanguineus would strike at the main body. While they weren’t doing crippling damage, their teeth and claws were leaving visible gouges and cracks in the bone.
Lanek could feel his form improving rapidly, his whip flying more smoothly to strike from numerous angles, the force of his strikes increasing. He realized that the level disparity between himself and the weaver must be causing his weapon proficiency to level up at a faster rate. The man found himself immersing himself into the flow of his attacks and watched as the whip itself started to leave cracks and gouges in the bones of the weaver as well. We just might have this!
Suddenly, the weaver decided to ignore Lanek and Sanguineus, turning its body and all of its attention on Kazuma. It had apparently decided that it could take whatever punishment Lanek and the blood wolf could deal in the time it took it to eliminate the cat. Sadly, the corpse weaver wasn't wrong, they just weren't causing it any appreciable pain or damage. As fast as the mist cat was, he found himself pushed to his limits dodging bludgeoning strikes from the weaver’s large fist, swings from the axe, the four small clawed hands, two fang-filled maws, and the kicks from the front legs.
The mist cat put his all into the fight, but it was a losing battle. One moment the cat had been slipping around the axe and avoiding a kick and the next he was caught by one of the secondary arms. Sharpened finger bones sunk into the cat’s flanks and the needle-like teeth sank into Kazuma’s back. The feline yowled in agony, causing Sanguineus to rush desperately forward while Lanek recalled the cat. The other secondary arm warded them off while the weaver proceeded to punch at that cat, its strike passing harmlessly through the mist left behind as Kazuma returned to Lanek's soul. As soon as the cat returned to him, Lanek screamed in pain. He could feel every wound the cat had endured. Multiple broken ribs, punctured organs, and a severed spine. He was shocked that the cat still lived and began to sob at Kazuma’s agony and his own guilt at rushing into the fight. So caught up by the debilitating agony flowing from Kazuma’s soul into his, Lanek’s mind went blank.
Sanguineus, driven mad by the sight of his friend being hurt before him, rushed headlong at the weaver. Meanwhile, the weaver had been waiting for the wolf, kicking out with both of its back legs, making contact with the wolf’s shoulder and head with a sickening crack. Due to the wolf’s forward momentum, he did not fly backward but instead collapsed to the ground in a heap. He hadn’t made a sound, just collapsed limply to the ground.
The weaver turned and brought its axe down at the still wolf. Lanek was snapped out of his stupor by the constant panicked pulses of emotion from his soul from Kazuma, begging him to save their friend. Praying that it wasn’t too late, he ordered the wolf to return to his vessel, desperately hoping that it worked and that the wolf was not already dead.