No way groups of the little shits were called a Mayhem. Nathan almost chuckled at the term—sure, they could cause a lot of trouble for some weak-willed bastard; however, Nathan was anything but.
The new quest aligned with his current goals, so he didn't really fuss over the addition. He'd been about to go on a spree either way and at least now he'd get better rewards for clearing out the entire 'mayhem' rather than just fulfilling his quota and having to survive the rest.
Alright, what to do and how to do it?
Nathan pinched the bridge of his nose as he considered his options. Sure, he could go at them now. It was brighter than he'd have liked, the crimson sky brightening up the clearing. It was probably the most sky Nathan had seen, excluding the time he'd been at the shore.
Nighttime.
He knew that the imps themselves probably had night vision; however, nothing compared to natural daylight, so he'd have a better chance at eradicating them.
Worst case scenario: there are a hundred of those demons out there. How am I going to handle them?
That was the question, wasn't it? He needed a way to win and to win fast—a drawn-out battle didn't favor him at all. Nathan mulled through his options before settling on one.
That's what'll do.
He smiled before turning his head sideways; now it was just left for the purple to come up. In the meantime, he watched the imps carefully, trying to get any advantage he could.
The imps seemed to be coordinated and well-organized. He'd spotted the source of the smoke after a couple of moments of focused scanning. A couple of imps surrounded what looked like a pot; some were stirring whatever was in the pot while others were fanning the flames.
Cooks.
He'd looked around trying to see what they'd used to start the fire and almost facepalmed.
Rocks.
The bastards had used rocks. Nathan shook his head, straining his eyes as he looked closer from the tree he hid behind. He spotted a couple of chopped logs close to the cooking area that were covered in a black substance.
Probably some kind of fuel.
He tore his eyes off the cooks—nothing important that he'd learned there. His eyes sought the other imps. Some were building walls with logs while a couple of them were guarding entrances and exits. He hadn't seen any oversized imp that he could term a 'master imp'. They all just looked the same.
This entire thing felt off though. It seemed like the lesser demons weren't as mindless as he'd thought. Nope, they seemed more like an invading force, prepared to conquer and take over territory.
They'd kill the humans too—they'd come after him when he'd first appeared here, defenseless and weak. He'd survived, and that experience was all he needed to know that they couldn't be allowed to live. The imps wouldn't be peaceful neighbors. They'd come after him and any other human in this forest with the aim to kill. Probably what had happened to those other people who had skipped the tutorial: they'd met something that far eclipsed them in savagery.
Kill or be killed.
---
Nighttime came fast. Nathan had pretty much kept his eyes peeled for danger or sneak attacks in case the imps had noticed him and decided to be subtle with their approach.
Showtime.
Nathan took deep breaths as he focused on his targets: the three guards stationed at the wall-less entrance. The rest of the camp seemed much quieter than during the daytime. He'd waited a couple of hours after the sky changed colors to know if the guards ever stopped... guarding. The answer: nope. The guards seemed to have shifts; he'd witnessed three swaps within the time he'd been waiting.
He couldn't tell any physiological difference between the new guards and the old, meaning that it would've been something he'd have missed if he wasn't looking for it. The first step was to take out the guards, fast and quietly.
He wished that he could just go berserker mode, but his brain was still fully intact and logic dictated that he wasn't strong enough to handle that. Nathan moved through the side. He was no rogue, but he'd do his best to imitate. Red eyes stared away from his direction.
He continued to creep up to them, making sure his footsteps were light.
A screen popped up once he got closer to the trio.
Imp (Lesser Demon)
Level 4
Imp (Lesser Demon)
Level 6
Imp (Lesser Demon)
Level 4
Huh, the trio were roughly the same level as him—two below him with one a level higher. He'd have to go for the middle one first. The two he was sure he could handle quickly. Battling the level 6 imp might take a while if it was alerted to his presence too early. Hell, it could probably hold him off while the others alerted the rest of the camp.
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Swift and clean.
He couldn't give them time to breathe or screech. He had to attack fast and hard. The time for planning had gone. Time to walk the walk.
Nathan began creeping up closer and closer to the imps. Nighttime or no nighttime, he was close enough that if they just turned sideways, they'd see him. All that made Nathan's heart beat faster in his chest as he closed the distance. The spot he'd chosen to start his charge was already in sight. He was about two steps from the spot before the lead imp sniffed, walking closer to the spot before looking Nathan's way, red orbs meeting his human ones.
Overcome and adapt.
It didn't matter that the imp had spotted him—it was already dead. Nathan dashed forward, his sword rising high as he slashed towards the unprotected neck of the lead imp. It tried to raise its hands but didn't get there in time. Nathan's sword cleaved through its head like butter, the head rolling on the floor as its body dropped.
Too slow.
With the biggest threat out of the way, he faced the other two who'd already recovered from their shock. One looked ready to screech but couldn't do so as there was now a sword running right through its throat. The screech died in its throat as Nathan pulled his sword back. A feeling of euphoria passed through Nathan, but he shut it down quickly, focusing on his remaining foe.
The last imp seemed to ask itself the question that all creatures did when faced with a predator higher up the chain than them. Flight or fight—it chose flight. It turned to flee towards the camp. Made it three steps. It seemed to be going the fastest it'd ever gone in its life before everything suddenly blacked out.
Nathan looked at the decapitated corpse of the imp. Sure, it had made it three steps; its head, on the other hand, had probably done three more steps before coming to a stop.
Nothing personal.
The entire scuffle had lasted less than two minutes and had been quiet enough that no other imp had noticed—a fact that made Nathan smile. He stepped over the dead body as he made his way into the camp when a loud screech disturbed the silent night.
Of course, it went off the rails.
A single imp seemed to be looking at him in horror, but he wasn't quite sure what horror was supposed to look like on their faces.
Status
Name: Nathan Orion
Moniker: N/A
Level: 6
Archetype: Blood Berserker
Class: Blood Pawn
Imprints: Balls of Steel, SkullCrusher
Strength: 9
Dexterity: 8
Vitality: 9
Stamina: 8
Perception: 7
Dao: N/A
Ra'hal coins: 1300
Free points: 5
Okay, a bit of a time crunch here so:
2 points to dexterity
2 points to strength
Dexterity: 8 -> 10
Strength: 9 -> 11
##
Free points: 1
Nathan closed the stat screen with a thought, the fuzzy feeling starting to envelop him, but he pushed it to the back of his mind.
He kept his eyes trained on the still-screeching imp—who needed alarm bells when you had something like that? By now he was sure the entire camp had heard the screech and would come for him. Before then though, there was something he had to do.
The screeching ended as soon as Nathan's blade finished bisecting the imp. Nathan glared at the body that had been cut in half furiously, but the harm had already been done.
He took cover at the walls of the closest mud house. The other imps hadn't yet bothered to investigate what had happened, and Nathan couldn't really blame them. He himself knew what it meant to work all day and have someone try to disturb you when you needed rest.
The irresponsibility didn't last too long though, as a new screech replaced the silence of the night. Multiple screeches joined the single one, and soon enough Nathan heard enough footsteps heading towards the bodies to know that the camp was out.
A short, loud screech filled the air, higher pitched than the rest. As soon as that screech stopped, so did the others. Nathan believed that was the loudest screech he'd heard before, so he peeked at the side of the wall.
Yep, that's a master imp alright.
The imp in question was bigger than the rest. While the other imps would only get close to his torso standing straight, this one looked like it'd be Nathan's height or just a little bit shorter. It was bigger too, with larger wings and two stubs on its head compared to the completely round heads of the other imps.
It let out a couple of screeches, receiving responding screeches from the other imps gathered around it. It let out another screech and two imps pulled away from the crowd of thirty or more imps from Nathan's rough estimate. The two dashed in different directions.
It let out another screech, and a single imp was pushed forward by the crowd of imps who seemed to put a little distance between themselves and the imp pushed to the front.
Nathan nearly gagged when he saw why. The master imp's clawed hand moved forward lightning-quick before crushing the pushed-out imp's skull like it was a pumpkin.
If he were to hazard a guess, he'd say that was their head of security, and he'd probably lost his life for messing up. Reminded him of when he still pushed product for Sparrow, Black Knight, or whatever he went by these days. They all ruled by fear.
I'm definitely not going to work for anyone like that again. Scratch that—I'll never work for anybody again.
If Nathan thought the master imp was grim, he had a quick rethink when he saw two other master imps about to join the crowd.
I sure hate to be me right about now!
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He let his chest rise until it couldn't anymore before letting it out. It was a meditation technique he'd picked up from a friend in high school, Kora. Of course, it was a girl—Nathan wasn't going to do something like meditation if he didn't like the girl. Plus, it was the way they got to spend time together.
Nathan shook his head. The master imps had started to mobilize their forces, each taking ten or so imps with them and heading in the three directions possible in the camp, as the fourth led outside.
Five imps were stationed there too, probably to prevent him from escaping. He highly doubted that they'd be enough to stop him though, and if Nathan was being honest, he'd rather go against the five than any of the other groups.
Overcome and adapt.
He'd hoped that he'd just have to battle the imps and one master imp, and the presence of three more seriously changed things. The system had said to slay five master imps. Five. If three were here, then where were the other two? He'd assumed he'd see master imps in different camps or out in the wilderness like the mayhem of ones that had attacked him.
The most obvious explanation was that the imps sent out patrols on different shifts, some with master imps, some without—and if the remaining two master imps weren't here, then where would they be?
Hunting. The ugly things would be hunting, and he'd best take advantage of their absence.
Kill or be killed.
Nathan had no interest in dying tonight, which meant that this would probably be the last night for these imps. With his sword at the ready, Nathan dashed forward.