The scream filled the night and would have been enough to freeze the blood in the veins of most individuals, Lanek included, if he hadn’t already butchered quite a few of the creatures in this village. Despite the creature’s challenge, Lanek remained hidden. There was no sense in revealing himself and giving up the advantage that a sneak attack could provide after all. He wasn’t a knight and even though his shinobi class didn’t give him anything for punching down due to a code of honor, that code didn’t seem to mind if he shanked an unsuspecting target in the back.
With a thought, he had his animal companions fall back into the mist, but remain close enough on each side to keep the husks from scattering. As his animal companions faded into the mist, the door to the largest building in the town center, which was presumably the village chief’s home, was pulled open with enough force to rip it from its hinges. A tall, gaunt man strode from the structure, face distorted in rage. From this distance, Lanek couldn’t make out any mutations or alterations, just a pale man that was unnaturally tall and wore the simple clothes of a villager. There were no fancy markings or eldritch runes on his clothing. Lanek would have been tempted to see the creature as an abnormally tall, but mundane, human if he hadn’t felt its attack or witnessed the husks make way for it.
[Identify] has been blocked.
That’s probably not a great sign. I wonder if that’s a skill or because of his boss?
The man-thing walked to the center of the town square, gazing into the mist before raising its hands into the air, purple energy crackling between his fingers. With a shout, he brought his hands down. As he did so, the husks all began to swell before exploding into chunks of bone and viscera, leaving behind purple orbs the size of a man’s head. The orbs spun around the square before joining together near the master and expanding into an oval tear.
From this tear in the fabric of reality, creatures began to emerge. Lanek swore silently as he saw the familiar forms of Void Shifters enter the world. Instead of panicking, however, Lanek simply started to laugh derisively from his perch. His laugh echoed through the fog, making it difficult to pinpoint his location.
“Shifters? I gotta say, not the first time I’ve dealt with them and I wasn’t impressed the first time. What kind of half-assed cult do you have here?” Lanek called. He wasn’t taking the monsters or their boss lightly, but he had already seen that this creature was easily goaded.
Sure enough, the creature spun toward Lanek’s general direction and snarled at the shifters. The monster rushed headlong into the fog, intent on killing the interloper. Hidden in the fog, Kazuma and Sanguineus struck silently, the cat’s lightning-imbued first strike putting an end to two of the monsters while the wolf’s buffs took another one down in seconds. Maximilian crushed his first target with ease, allowing Lanek to finish off the final two with his [Assassinate] skill in quick succession.
The creature in the square looked around uncertainly, the silence from the fog unnerving it. It had expected to hear the sounds of battle and the screams of his adversary. Suddenly, a shifter’s body was thrown from the mist, skidding to a stop in front of its summoner. The monster got a close and detailed look at the rends in the shifter’s flesh and the pulped torso that remained once Maximilian was finished with it.
While the creature was inspecting the corpse, Lanek had left his rooftop and was circling the town square from within the fog. He made his way to the rear of the large building the monster had emerged from, easing into it from a second floor window.
Meanwhile, Sanguineus, Maximilian, and Kazuma stalked the mist. They made sure to get close enough to make their silhouettes visible to the summoner before disappearing back into the fog completely. The summoner, clearly shaken, returned his attention to the rift. Mere moments later, more creatures began rapidly exiting the portal, including shifters and strange mutated spider creatures. The latter were half the size of the shifters, but much faster, scuttling into the fog in large packs. However, as fast as they were, they could not keep up with Lanek’s animal companions.
As Lanek paid attention to the pulses of information and emotion coming through his bonds, he could see what the summoner was planning. It wanted to bog his companions down with spiders so the heavier hitting shifters could finish them off. Lanek found the idea laughable, until the leader of the cult began lashing out at his companions’ minds and souls with the same attack he had used on Lanek. While their souls were safe thanks to their bond with Lanek, their minds did not have the same protection. Kazuma hissed before shaking off the effects while Sanguineus slowed substantially in his movements, confusion seemingly settling in.
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However, Maximilian was affected the most, stumbling and losing much of his coordination. Lanek did not know if it was because of his young age or if demigryph’s had lower resolve attributes than the others, but he was concerned. That concern rapidly became alarm as he felt and heard Maximilian’s pain as a shifter’s tentacle slammed into the side of his head and several spiders managed to bit into his legs.
Growling in barely-restrained anger, Lanek recalled Maximilian. He sighed in relief as he felt Maximilian’s wounds and felt no trace of major injuries or poison. The demigryph would heal quickly.
With Maximilian rescued, Lanek made his way through the house until he could get a good view of the village square, watching the monsters come out of the portal. He attempted to identify the monsters, but as with his attempt on the summoner, he found his ability blocked. That means it’s probably Xancre’s doing.
The tide of spiders spilling out of the portal began to slow, its energy fading before collapsing entirely. However, the Void creatures’ numbers were already overwhelming to the point where Kazuma and Sanguineus were having a much harder time keeping ahead of their foes. When they maneuvered around one group, they quickly found themselves facing another group that was cutting off their movements. The monsters still couldn’t see the two animals, but they didn’t need to when they could just flood the fog with bodies.
Mind racing, Lanek climbed out of the window and onto the roof of the structure, a plan taking shape. Backing to the far side of the roof from the summoner, he took a deep breath and began running toward the opposite end, his shinobi class making his footfalls silent. While he ran, he felt Maximilian’s power surge into him. Lanek was confused for only a moment before he realized that he was being empowered by his companion as he charged forward.
Reaching the edge of the roof, Lanek leapt up as high as he could, his arc aimed at the summoner. He dropped like a meteor, his spear piercing down into the monster’s body with enough force to pass from the side of its neck and out near the opposite hip, pinning it to the ground.
The monster did not die immediately, its unnatural body writhing and kicking at the ground in an attempt to free itself. Its spine popped and snapped as it turned to face its assailant, locking its eyes on Lanek. With eye contact established, it lashed out at his mind with a power born of desperation, causing Lanek to release the spear and stumble back a step. Despite Lanek losing his grip on the spear, the creature no longer had the physical strength to free itself. While the monster struck out at Lanek’s mind, he released Maximilian, ordering him to aid the others.
It won’t be enough, you will die here. Traitor. Betrayer.
Traitor, is it? The Void betrayed me first and I have no problem returning the favor.
Xancre will come for you. No matter how long it takes or where you flee, he will find you.
Ah, so I’m guessing Xancre is the one who violated my trust. Yeah, when you get back to him I want you to pass on a message. Don’t worry, it’s very simple and straightforward. Tell him that Lanek says to go fuck himself.
The monster’s attack intensified, the pressure on Lanek’s mind now being the sole focus of its power. No longer was it dividing its strength between his mind and soul. To make matters worse, familiar whispers began to echo around him, but they weren’t laughing this time. They were snarling and growling, hissing and cursing. Threats of retaliation and sadistic torture for him and everyone he knew assailed him from every side.
Grimacing under the assault, Lanek forced himself to step forward, calling forth his sword. With a shout he brought the blade down on the monster’s skull, easily splitting it in two. The mental assault ended abruptly, the creature going limp. Withdrawing his blade, Lanek almost vomited at the sight of the contents of the monster’s skull. Where the monster’s brain should have been was a large slug-like being, coiled in on itself to fit. Lanek’s blow had split it into several pieces.
You have defeated a Vanguard of Xancre. Extra experience awarded for defeating an enemy more than 10 levels above you. Shinobi grants you 100% bonus experience for defeating an enemy more than 10 levels above you.
Congratulations, you have leveled up!
Soulbinder lvl 44 → lvl 52
Shinobi lvl 15 → lvl 20
Beastmaster lvl 1 → 10
Shinobi is now eligible for evolution.