The ghast leapt toward the gaunt bulwark, disemboweling several lesser gaunts that had the audacity to step between it and its massive prey. Detecting the challenge, the bulwark roared and pushed past its brethren, seeking to crush this upstart. Within seconds of their clash, the entire plaza became a mass of clashing bodies, gaunts being ripped to shreds by groups of ghouls. However, the larger gaunts were individually much stronger than the ghouls, picking up and dashing the undead against the streets and walls, leaving gore in their wake.
Surveying the battlefield, Lanek noticed that the lesser gaunts he had faced in the past were not in the majority here. In fact, he spied more specialized gaunts than their lesser cousins in the plaza. As he watched, an influx of lesser gaunts entered the plaza, slowly pushing the ghouls back as the gaunts began to outnumber the ghouls.
Sanguineus growled and Lanek could feel the wolf’s desire to tear its hated foe apart. However, the wolf kept himself under control and resisted the urge to manifest in order to charge into combat.
Lanek’s eyes returned to the center of the plaza when he heard a loud bellow, only to see the ghast flip away from the battle, leaving three massive slashes in the bulwark’s belly. As it landed, the ghast howled into the air. With a start, Lanek realized he had heard that sound before. It was the sound he had heard echoing that night he had spent in the adventurer’s guild, the one that sounded like it was hunting gaunts.
Echoing howls suddenly sounded from the distance, heralding several additional packs of ghouls, each led by a ghast, charging toward the plaza. Lanek wanted to flee from the growing battle, but the incoming packs had cut the area off, the melee between the two forces spreading out into the streets bordering the plaza. His eyes widened when he saw several spears and arrows strike the bulwark, only to bounce off.
He followed the flight path back to their origin, spying a score of ash goblins entering the fray. Even stranger, the ghouls were fighting alongside the goblins, not seeming to care that a potential meal was standing right next to them.
So, the dungeon monsters don’t fight each other? That means that the gaunts are not just outside of the System, but they don’t belong to the Depths either. Just what are these things and why are they attacking everything? Hell, even the visions from Sanguineus showed the gaunts invading some place centuries ago, possibly even before Caelis fell.
Looking at the battlefield below him, Lanek decided to take a risk and join in, preferably without getting swarmed. He summoned Sanguineus to him and asked, “I know you couldn’t climb up here on your own, but can you get down without hurting yourself?” The wolf nodded. “Good, I want the two of you to climb down the backside of this building and start picking off stragglers, I don’t care if they are ghouls or gaunts. Stay together and do not go into the plaza. In case you get in over your heads, I want you to stay close enough to dismiss yourselves, understand?” Pulses of assent responded to his query before the pair leapt off the building.
Lanek focused on the center of the battle, at the ghast and bulwark continuing their brutal dance. He pointed and called forth [Ethereal Salvo] twice in rapid succession, launching six projectiles in a loose spread. As soon as the projectiles were off, Lanek leapt to the next rooftop as his MP dropped to 20 and he heard deafening explosions ripple through the plaza. Notifications began blinking, but there would be time to look at those later. In this situation, Lanek was grateful that the notifications didn’t just pop up in his vision. If they did, he would have been dead a while ago.
Looking into the plaza, he saw utter carnage as gaunts and ghouls alike were spread limply across the ground, body parts missing and large furrows dug into flesh. However, the ghast and the bulwark continued their battle uninterrupted. Apparently, Lanek was not enough of a threat to distract them from each other, despite the damage his attacks had caused them. He was relieved at that, he wasn’t sure what he would have done if they had both turned on him, but it had been a calculated risk on his part as he saw how much the two groups hated each other.
A growl caused him to turn, just in time to see a ghoul clambering on the roof. It looks like I got someone’s attention, not that that’s a good thing.
The ghoul lunged at him, before backpedaling as the chain whip swiped at its eyes. It circled him on the rooftop, trying to get closer while also dodging the flashing metal chain. When Lanek withdrew the whip to ready another strike, he could see the ghoul focus on the chain. The creature rushed forward, obviously coming to the conclusion that the whip would not be able to kill it.
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Lanek grinned at the monster, sending the whip straight into its chest, tearing the soul out of the creature and absorbing it into himself via the Vessel. He felt the exhilarating rush of energy as his soul became stronger and his mana was replenished. Not wanting to remain in one place for long, Lanek launched himself to the next building, launching another six projectiles at the plaza while midair. He didn’t bother aiming, the plaza was still a seething mass of gnashing, clawing bodies and there was very little chance of missing.
He hit the neighboring rooftop, rolled, and continued running. He came to a stop several rooftops later, once he was sure there had been pursuit. His [Stealth] skill was paying off today as he could see several ghouls heading toward the building he had launched his attack from, and none approaching his current location. Crouching down, he made his way to the edge of the roof, spying a single ghoul set upon by a trio of gaunts.
While the gaunts closed in on the ghoul, Lanek’s whip launched down, spearing the trailing gaunt and replenishing his MP. Before the fallen gaunt’s companions could respond, the ghoul launched itself at them, bearing one to the ground. Not one to let an opportunity slide, Lanek harvested the sole standing gaunt’s soul before moving on. While leaping to the next building, he saw Sanguineus and Kazuma pouncing on both the ghoul and remaining gaunt.
From his perch on this new building, Lanek could see where the gaunts were coming from. A wave of the creatures was flooding the city through a large breach in the city walls. Seeing the number of gaunts charging toward the plaza, Lanek knew that the ghouls, ghasts, and goblins would not last. While he had no love for the dungeon monsters, they were preferable to gaunts. Something about the gaunts just felt wrong. Perverse.
Instead of focusing on the plaza, his next salvos rained into the reinforcements. If he could thin the reinforcements a bit, maybe the dungeon could push the gaunts back. Lanek only hoped that the lack of large groups of monsters in the dungeon had been normal and that the packs that had gathered had only been the Ashen Depths responding to the invaders. If that was the case, once the gaunts were defeated the monsters would roam once more, letting him explore the plaza without a horde trying to kill him.
He launched the next two salvos at the approaching horde, delaying their approach. Immediately after his attack he ducked into the shadows, quietly moving to another roof. The gaunts shrieked in rage while Lanek smiled grimly at his stats. 19 spirit. One more soul will give me my MP back and add another projectile to [Ethereal Salvo]. I still won’t be able to cast it more than twice before needing to get my MP back, but I can see the explosive radius increasing and seven grenades are better than six.
Lanek moved along the path of gaunts, staying hidden while approaching the breach in the wall. Along the way, he found more dungeon creatures assaulting the invaders, everything from ash goblins and ghouls to several crypt stalkers were arriving on the scene. One gaunt climbed onto the roof near his hiding spot, causing Lanek to plunge the blade of Sanguineus’ Vessel into the monster from the shadows, bringing his SPI to 20.
The gaunts’ advance was beginning to stall, but Lanek could see that it would only be temporary. The closer he got to the breach in the walls, the more gaunts he could see clamoring at the breach. What looked like thousand of lesser gaunts interspersed with hundreds of their evolved kin were set to enter the city.
With a deep breath, Lanek leveled the next two salvos directly at the breach. Anticipating the devastation of those seven projectiles diving into such a close packed horde, Lanek watched them streak off. At the last moment before impact, all of the projectiles veered away from their target and flying into the hands of a floating creature before dissipating into nothingness.
The floating creature merely looked at Lanek and his blood ran cold. He could barely hold it together enough to use [Identify].
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lvl ???
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Oh shit. Nothing? Not even a species name?
The creature smirked at him, as if detecting his attempt to [Identify] it. Lanek found himself rooted to the spot, trying to take in what he was seeing. How the monster floated, Lanek had no clue as it did not have wings or anything else he could see. Its hands were the typical over-sized and clawed gaunt hands, but this creature had more than the others. In total, the monster had six arms, all tipped in those nasty claws.
Unlike its brethren, this creature was not completely white. It had a band of red across its eyes and down the backs of each arm, ending at the wrists. While he watched, the gaunt raised two of its six arms and pointed directly at him. Lanek turned to dive off the roof as the creatures hands started to glow. He hit the ground in a roll leapt toward the next building when an explosion behind launched him into the next building, smashing him through a wall.
Dazed, Lanek felt Sanguineus and Kazuma dismiss themselves in order to regain their forms right in front of him, guarding his prone form. He coughed up blood and knocked back all of the healing potions he had, staring at the crater that now lay where several buildings had once been.