Queen RAAAAAAAA!!!
From the centre of the enormous cave, the queen let out a deafening roar. signalling for her minions to charge, the queen followed behind her army of minions. Looking at the several thousand squirming bodies approaching him, a chill shot up Solomon's spine. Glancing behind himself at the collapsed characters and injured newbies, he realised they'd been forced into a corner.
Solomon: Alice, Gareth, Take everyone back into the tunnel. Do it quickly!
Still staring down the approaching horde, Solomon gave out an order. In his head, Solomon was already trying to think of a way out of this situation. luckily, even with their superior speed, it would take a few minutes for the insects to reach them. While Solomon was strategizing, Alice and Gareth were following his command. Very rapidly, the unconscious bodies of the characters were moved into the tunnel.
Pluvia: what's the plan?
Walking over to Solomon's side, Pluvia also stared out at the approaching enemies. Particularly, her eyes were focused on the queen in their centre. Even Pluvia's normally indifferent face had disappeared, turning into a concerned expression. measuring the power of these bugs, she had a rough understanding of the danger they posed. having long since known the normal parasites were weaker than a normal human, she wasn't too concerned about them. though they were huge in number, the overwhelming difference in power wouldn't change no matter how many there were. looking at the larger parasites, totalling 30, she was slightly concerned. each of them had the strength of a weak G rank. individually they wouldn't be an issue, but if they coordinated, even she would struggle against them. but even those, were not her main fear. It was the queen in their midst that was making her nervous. the power it gave off was somewhere between G and F rank. Easily double her own strength. looking at Solomon, she hoped he could come up with a tactic to deal with these difficult enemies.
Solomon: honestly, there isn't one. no matter how clever we try to be, the normal parasites will just group up and ruin our plans.
hearing the exasperation in Solomon's voice, a sense of panic was beginning to creep into Pluvias heart. though she personally wasn't afraid of fighting these bugs, the risk of her teammates dying was quite high. In the case that she was killed, she would just return to dragons fire. But for everyone else, that would be the end. just thinking about that possibility, Pluvia found herself feeling uneasy. Realising she had developed this sense of comradery with everyone, she was surprised. feeling her welled up emotion, she knew she'd become attached to the team.
Pluvia: what are going to do then? run away?
Looking out at the approaching parasite army, she knew they couldn't kill them all. even with their considerable strength, the combination of their overwhelming numbers and their queen's strength was too much for them to handle.
Solomon: no, we've already detoured too much. if we waste even more time, I'm not sure we can escape before the bombs drop.
As was shown in the movie, the whole of Manhattan would be reduced to rubble at 6:42 in the morning. though they luckily had entered the world at 8:00 it was already 10:30.
Pluvia: what do we do then? Just hold up in the tunnel and hope we can survive?
Considering that option, Solomon shook his head.
Solomon: we can't do that. if the queen charges in, it'll massacre us.
confused by Solomon's conclusion, Pluvia questioned him.
Pluvia: how do you figure that? though it's stronger than us, it's not that much stronger.
Solomon: I agree with you, But in the tunnel we can't use our strongest moves. if we did the tunnel would collapse on us. but the queen being a physical fighter could still go all out.
Nodding her head, Pluvia understood Solomon's reasoning.
Solomon: That queens the biggest problem for us... wait, that's it! it's the queen!
trying to think of a method to deal with the queen, Solomon happened upon a eureka moment. Out of all these enemies, the only real danger came from the queen. if she didn't exist they could easily hold up in the tunnel and kill the weaker parasites over a longer time.
Pluvia: what is it? did you figure something out?
Happy that Solomon had come up with something, Pluvia was anxious to know what it was.
Solomon: I've got a plan!
Turning towards Pluvia, Solomon grabbed a hold of her shoulder. Looking into her eyes, his expression was intense. being caught off guard, Pluvia was unsure how to react to the sudden closeness. Catching onto her awkwardness, Solomon let go of Pluvia.
Solomon: sorry, I wasn't thinking.
apologising, Solomon quickly moved on to explaining his plan.
Solomon: anyway, here's my plan. Alice and Gareth will stay in the tunnel protecting everyone. while they do that, you and I will charge for the queen.
condensing his plan as much as possible, Solomon explained it to her. But Pluvia was very confused after hearing it.
pluvia: so the plans to just charge at the queen?
Solomon: that's a simple way of putting it, but yes.
Nodding, Solomon confirmed Pluvia's question.
pluvia: then what was that a minute ago about. you looked like you had a really important discovery.
Not wanting to use up too much of their already limited time, Solomon explained his reasoning.
Solomon: id did think of something. out of all of these enemies, who's the only one who poses a risk to us?
Pluvia: the queen obviously.
following along, Pluvia answered his question.
Solomon: exactly, so one we've got rid of it, what can the rest of the bugs do to us?
Pluvia: ah, that's it!
like Solomon, Pluvia also had a eureka moment.
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Solomon: so that's the plan. we take out the queen, then we retreat back to the tunnel. from there we can easily kill the rest of them.
now understanding my plan, Pluvia was happy to go along with it.
Pluvia: alright, we'll go with that then, But I have one condition.
happy that the plan had been decided upon, Solomon, was curious as to what Pluvia's condition was.
Solomon: what is it?
Pluvia: you've got to let me take the lead. As you know, even if I die I'll just return to Dragons fire. So it's best if I draw its attention and face it physically.
Looking over at Solomon, Pluvia expected he would argue with her. she knew that he disliked hiding behind his allies. so she was ready to convince him to follow her condition.
Solomon: alright.
But contrary to her expectation, he didn't say anything against it. slightly stunned, Pluvia stared dumbly at him for a second. looking at her face, Solomon felt a little guilty. He didn't like letting Pluvia take the most dangerous position, But it was unavoidable. The queen being like the parasites would probably rely on its insane speed to fight. As that was the case, they needed the frontline fighter to be able to match her physically. So even though Solomon did have considerable physical strength, Facing the queen head-on would be suicide for him. Pluvia, on the other hand, was a full-blooded dragon. Because of that, her defence and attack would be insanely high. Even her speed was higher than the average G rank. So it wasn't as much of a choice as it seemed. They wouldn't have a chance to survive otherwise.
Gareth: Solomon! we've moved everyone!
From behind them, Gareth called out to Solomon and Pluvia. Turning towards him, they saw that everyone had been moved into the cave. though all of the characters were unconscious, Tony and Gareth were just about recovering. leaving them in the tunnel entrance, Alice and Gareth had walked over to us.
Solomon: good, then let me explain my plan.
Looking at the front most parasites, there was only 2 minutes left to prepare. using the few remaining minutes, Solomon explained the plan to them.
Solomon: Okay, so you're going to hold up in the tunnel when the parasites get here. With Alice's summons, these parasites shouldn't be an issue for you.
Alice: wait, what do you mean "You're"? Aren't you staying with us?
Picking up on the meaning in Solomon's words, Alice felt an uncomfortable foreboding. Looking into Solomon's serious eyes, the feeling only intensified.
Solomon: that's right, you and Gareth are going to stay in the tunnel. As for Pluvia and I, we'll be going after the queen.
Having her worries confirmed, Alice's face filled with dread. Though she knew Solomon was very strong, she didn't think he was even half as powerful as the queen. from her perspective, the oppressive feeling coming from the queen was many times stronger than the feeling coming from Solomon. What she didn't realise is that she had never been on the receiving side of Solomon's full out assault. So she didn't know that Solomon's power was actually equal to half of the queens. Not to mention that with Pluvia's assistance, their combined power was no less than the queens. after all, even if the queen was between G and F rank, they were both peak G rank fighters. even weak F ranks would struggle against the two of them. Closing the gap further, they knew that the queen's intellect would be lower than theirs. Even if it had ten times the intelligence of a normal parasite, it would only be as smart as a young child. So if they used their wit, outsmarting the queen would be a piece of cake. In the end, the queen strength wasn't as overwhelmingly as it seemed. but even if that was the reality, Alice didn't have that understanding.
Alice: YOU CAN'T!!! It's too dangerous!
Unable to contain herself, Alice pleaded with Solomon. feeling the pain in her heart, she let her emotions get the best of her.
Solomon: there's no other choice. someone has to kill the queen. if not us then who can?
by asking Alice this question, he'd backed her into a corner. out of everyone there, who had better qualifications to fight the queen than Pluvia and himself. unable to argue back, Alice's face reddened further. Trying her best to find an excuse, Alice ran through dozens of possibilities in her head. But no matter what crazy ideas she came up with, they wouldn't persuade Solomon to give up his plan. Eventually accepting it, her eyes became detached. Seeing this change in expression, Solomon felt a grating pain in his chest. Having promised that he'd protect her, he felt hurt seeing her like this.
Solomon: it's okay, I'm not going to leave you.
taking a step forwards, Solomon reached out to Alice. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he brought her into his embrace.
Alice: eh.
Surprised by his sudden action, Alice let out a squeak. Finding herself in such a situation while death was looming over everyone, Alice wasn't sure how to react. Giving into the warm feeling coming through Solomon's body, she leant into his chest.
Alice: I know.
Accepting Solomon's plan in her heart, Alice pushed Solomon away.
Gareth: Ahum!
Clearing his throat, Gareth reminded the two lovebirds of where they were. Quickly distancing herself from Solomon, Alice's face had turned bright red.
Solomon: uh, anyway. Now that the plans been sorted, let's move out!
Looking over at the Parasite army, Solomon saw they were only 20 seconds away.
Everyone: Right!
Knowing their roles, Everyone got into position. Moving back to the narrow tunnel entrance, Gareth crouched down. Pulling out his Gun, he prepared himself for the slaughter to come. In this situation, Solomon regretted Gareth's choice in guns. If he had a G rank machine gun, then his fighting ability against these parasites would be insane. he might even be able to hold off the tunnel on his own. Unfortunately, it was too late now. Standing a couple meter in front of Gareth, Alice had slipped two cards out of her sleeve.
Alice: Come forth, Hackmon, necro.
With an abbreviated chant, the two cards turned into wisps of green energy. Forming into two formations on the ground, her summons rose out of them. On one side, the cloak wearing necromancer, Necro! And on the other side, the small metallic Dragon, Hackmon! since training before, Alice had significantly improved her energy store. though it still regenerated at the same rate, her rift energy had almost doubled in size. even continuously using her effect cards, she would still be able to fight for an hour.
Necro and Hackmon: greetings master.
Bowing their heads, Alice's summons greeted her. But before she could reply to them, they both felt the overwhelming presence in the room. looking around, they caught sight of the approaching army of dog sized insects. Seeing the surprised look on her summons faces, Alice quickly explained the situation to them.
Pluvia: are you ready for this?
Standing a dozen meters in front of Alice, Pluvia and Gareth were looking down at the Parasites. Because of the semi-circular shape of the cave, they had the high ground advantage. but even so, the horde of black bodies was very intimidating.
Solomon: yeah, I'm ready.
Seeing the approaching enemies, the fire in Solomon's heart had relit itself. No matter how he tried to supress it, the thirst for battle would continue to grow stronger. the instincts from his raceless enhancement were beginning to affect his mentality. because he now had several races, their instincts were stacking on top of each other. Because of that, the effects were amplifying each other. On one side this let him have better fighting instincts, but on the flipside, he would struggle to suppress his desire to kill. Feeling the increasingly powerful waves of anticipation and fear, Solomon was anxious to begin his slaughter.
Pluvia: haha, you seem really fired up. Well I can't just let myself be outdone now, can I?
Seeing the ferocious expression on Solomon's face, Pluvia let a grin sneak up to her lips. Facing the horde, she only had a few seconds before entered her range. Much like Solomon, her instincts were flaring up. Being in a difficult situation after so long had gotten her blood boiling. letting her instincts take over, she had a thought occur to her.
Pluvia: hey Solomon, how about a friendly competition?
Leaning forward, Pluvia's body began changing into a dragon.
Solomon: what competition?
Like Pluvia, Solomon was beginning to exhibit signs of changing. Though he wouldn't fully transform until he activated his fur of the eternal moonlight skill, his hair and nails were starting to grow longer.
Pluvia: who can kill the most parasites.
Solomon: You're on!
Having talked through the last few second of preparation, the closest Parasite was now within their range.
Taking the initiative, Pluvia Transformed into her dragon form. Becoming an 8-foot tall dragon, she dashed forwards. Covering the 30-foot distance to the parasites in an instant.
Solomon: Fur of the eternal moonlight!
Activating his racial skill, Solomon, like Pluvia, changed forms. Growing a few feet taller, long silver hair sprouted out of every part of his body. along with the elongated mouth and claws like nails, he looked like a werewolf. leaning forwards, Solomon felt a 7th of his qi disappear. but even so, he didn't feel any weaker. instead, he felt many times stronger. Driving his elongated legs into the ground, Solomon shot forth. like an arrow released from a bow, he flew a dozen meters in seconds. Bellowing a war cry, he smashed into the endless sea of insects.
Solomon: AAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHH!!!