The monsters stood at hip height to Leo, their small bodies resembling lumpy stones. They wielded small blades and clubs in their clawed hands. Their body mostly consisted of a large mouth, riddled with fangs.
The small group ran towards Leo, screeching as they brandished their weapons. He would certainly be more intimidated if they didn’t look like eggs. Leo did need to exercise caution in this fight, being surrounded by forest next to a large city, alongside being side by side with Marem. Although, the eggish appearance of these little beasts gave him an idea.
Leo shot his arm forward, aimed at the nearest gremlin. He proceeded to grab the top of its head, as the little egg swung violently at Leo’s arm. With just a light shove to the ground, the egg was cracked. Though what Leo hadn’t expected was the interior of the monster being nothing but stone, as its remains littered the ground.
Despite the death of their comrade, the others still rushed forward. It wasn’t difficult for Leo to smash the rockmen, though the angle of attack was certainly uncomfortable. When he finished off the last one, he turned to see how Marem was faring.
He saw two of them nearby and approaching, with one further away. He was a bit shocked that she hadn’t killed any yet, but he waited to see if she needed help. It was only when he saw her launch one like a golf ball that he decided to step in. Her attacks did keep them away, but their stone bodies were too tough to be bludgeoned by a staff.
It only took a few presses to destroy the rest, as the pathway was now littered with gravel. Leo checked to see his latest exp gain for an insight into these monsters.
[ARMURION X 2 | GAINED 8,000 EXP]
[ROCK BOYS X 7 | GAINED 1,400 EXP]
He had to give it credit, if anything was a rock boy it would be those things. Though looking at the lackluster exp gain, he doubted these small guys would be enough to take down an entire city.
“Hey, you got any clue what happened here?” he asked Marem.
She stammered, “No, this place shouldn’t be a ghost town, it should be full of life right now. What the hell happened?”
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“Hopefully we can find someone in town to tell us what went down,” said Leo.
He continued to walk towards the town, Marem following close behind. Marem held her staff with a firm grip, and darting eyes, as Leo marched onwards. With the woods no longer safe, Leo didn’t think it was a good idea to try camping out. He hoped there could be somewhere safe to sleep in the town, or at the very least some survivors.
The two moved quickly, as the sun set and the moon began to rise. Marem pulled out a torch from her bag, lighting it as they moved. Leo didn’t like being visible to any potential danger, but he knew it would be better than leaving her in the dark. He knew that at least if anything was hidden in the dark, it wouldn’t expect him to be able to see it.
They arrived at the town entrance without any other encounters, though it was clear this place was not safe. The sign that welcomed visitors was stained with blood. Nearby houses and pathways suffered extensive damage. The two moved inwards, acting quietly so as to not draw anymore attention.
Traveling down the main path, Leo saw what appeared to be a city frozen in time. Market stalls still had generous helpings of fruit filled on the stands, as if the vendors had disappeared without a trace. However signs of a struggle were apparent throughout the city, with dozens of buildings being damaged or covered in blood stains. He and Marem stuck close together, afraid of what may wander deeper within the city.
Though as they ventured deeper, looking for any sign of life, Leo couldn’t help but notice something odd. If something had gone through here, attacking and rampaging, then where were the bodies? Dried blood decorated the walls as if it were a tapestry of death, yet there wasn’t a corpse in sight.
“How come there’s so much blood but not a single person, dead or alive?” he asked.
“No, I’ve studied all manner of monsters, but never heard of something that does this,” she whispered back.
Leo felt his heart rate rise, while he went into this world blind it was discomforting when even a native doesn’t know what’s going on. The two of them continued down the main street of the city, as they passed by where all of the stores and vendors were located. They looked into nearby buildings, where there were no signs of broken doors or looting, but what unsettled them was the restaurants, tables filled with rotting food yet not a single person in sight.
When the two had gotten further in the city, the main pathway becoming more and more narrow, they saw the first sign of life. A rock fell down in front of them, causing both of them to freeze as it tumbled to the ground. Marem couldn’t see, but Leo was able to find the source of the rocks. Leo could see it, a young kid on the second floor of a building throwing stones from the window.
Leo began to call out to the child, but as if reading his mind, the kid held a finger up to his mouth. Having been properly shushed, the kid whisper-shouted to Leo and Marem.
“Get inside, it’s dangerous!” he said.
Then the window he had peeked out of closed, leaving no sign of the kid. Leo and Marem didn’t know what to do, until they heard the light creak of wood a few moments later. The door of the building the kid was in opened slightly, as if inviting them in. She moved in first, not wanting to stay out in the dark. Leo hesitated for a moment, but he followed closely behind Marem.