The four unlikely companions regrouped in the center of the store. Lucius and Jack were back on their feet, and after a short discussion, everyone agreed they had made Patrick wait long enough.
"My main attributes have more than doubled, if we take advantage of my aspect as well, I think we can try fighting the larger abyss creatures!" Lucius suggested.
"Sounds good to me, bud! How do you wanna do this, the same as before?" Asked Jack.
"Yeah, grab the hammer so we can pull the nails out of the windowsill, and Mary, please keep the bathroom door shut behind us." Lucius wouldn't take any chances, if something went wrong and they failed, he didn't want it to doom Mary and James too.
The boys came up with a simple strategy, then made their way into the bathroom. Jack held the makeshift shield, the one he had previously crafted from cabinet doors, and manned the window.
Taking a deep breath, and pointing his face towards the window, he shouted, "Dinners ready!", to provoke the creatures outside.
bzzzzzZZZZZZ. The buzzing started off faint but the volume increased rapidly, the creatures were coming!
A hideous, eight-clawed creature, covered in a dark black shell and armed with a spear-like mouth, came rushing through the window. Luckily for the boys, the adult abyss creatures were large enough that only one could fit through the opening at a time. Once the creature was inside, Jack drew its attention, slamming his shield against the cage and letting fly a few choice words that could even make a giant abyss crab monster blush.
The creature turned to face the noise and tried to rush at Jack, soon discovering it was trapped. That discovery triggered it to shift into its second strategy, and a faint pulsing red light began to emit from its body. Jack lifted his shield, tracking the angle of the creature’s mouth to ensure an effective block. But he wouldn’t get the chance to test his shield—not this time. The creature had barely begun to build up power for its attack when something ripped out from inside it, exploding out of its left eye. It was the tip of Lucius’s spear; his sneak attack had been a success, and the strike was a critical hit.
You have defeated adult abyssal insectum level 8.
The boys cheered—their plan had worked! They felt an immense sense of achievement. The adult abyss creatures had been a terrifying threat, constantly lingering in their minds since the first encounter. Now they had a way to overcome them; they could repeat this strategy and wipe out the remainder of the swarm!
And that’s exactly what the boys did.
...
You have defeated adult abyssal insectum level 5.
You have defeated adult abyssal insectum level 8.
You have defeated adult abyssal insectum level 7.
You have reached level 17! You have 5 attribute points available for distribution!
Through effort your stamina has increased to level 12!
Through effort you have raised Assassinate to level 3.
...
The boys quickly dispatched a dozen or so creatures; a continuous stream of blood, broken carapace, and system messages filled their senses. Even Jack gained a few points in stamina and dexterity from his hard work. He also gained the talent Shield Bearer when one of the higher-leveled adult abyss creatures managed to fire off a shot before Lucius could kill it. It seemed Jack had a habit of getting stronger after being attacked. "I must have been a Saiyan in a former life!" he joked.
The boys were on top of the world, they had overcome the evil creatures that had trapped them for so long, and they could finally save Patrick! Mary and James would be so happy.
Stolen novel; please report.
Lucius and Jack left the bodies on the floor, they were done using the trap so they didn't feel the need to clear it out, they left the bathroom together to deliver the good new.
"I think we got them all," said Lucius. "But just in case, let me and Jack be the ones to go out and get Patrick. We’ll bring the weapons and shields. If there are one or two abyss creatures hiding out there, we can take care of them."
"I wanna come too—it’s my dad! I can hold a shield!" said James, but the stern look on his mother’s face was enough to convince him otherwise. He slumped his shoulders in frustration.
"Please be careful," Mary told the boys, excitement audible in her voice. She was finally going to be reunited with Patrick! She knew that as long as they were together, as a family, she would be willing to face anything, even the end of the world. "You are both my heroes; thank you so much," she said, giving them each a big hug. She got blue monster blood all over her dress—she was too happy to care.
The four of them worked together to clear the barricade from in front of the only exit, ripping off the tape and moving the plastic tables back into the break room. The boys drank some water, grabbed a spear and a shield each, and did a final reconnaissance at every available window. They searched high and low for any signs of creatures they might have missed but found nothing.
Lastly, Lucius assigned his newly acquired attribute points. He carefully added them, one at a time; a faint sheen of sweat could be seen on his scrunched brow. He was being overly careful now, like he was defusing a bomb. He decided to add all five points to vitality. He was getting stronger fast, but with such low vitality, he felt like he could be taken out with a single hit.
The feeling of raising his Vitality was entirely different from either strength or dexterity, instead of the cold, tingling, rush of power, Lucius felt a warm spring of energy bubbling up inside of him. His eyes started to glaze over as he let out a satisfied shudder.
After he finished, Lucius took a quick glance at his current attributes:
Strength 22 Vitality 8 Dexterity 24 Intelligence 5 Creativity 6 Luck 1 Stamina 12 Magic Power 0 Magic Resist 5 ... ... Free Attributes 0
Lucius had some idea but couldn’t fully grasp just how impressive his achievement was. The circumstances—the swarm of relatively fragile, low-level abyss creatures, combined with Lucius’s unique aspect and a heavy dose of creativity and luck—had led to an impossibly fast power-up. Most inhabitants of newly integrated planets took months, if not years, to reach Lucius’s current strength. He had done it in a single day, powering up his body so fast it had almost killed him..
Having done everything they could think of to ensure their safety, the boys gave each other one final look, each nodding with confidence. They opened the door and stepped outside, pausing just beyond the doorway to scan their surroundings for any hint of danger. They were close to the building, so if something jumped out to attack, they could quickly escape back to safety. The world was mostly quiet; they could hear the buzzing of the electric signs on the wall outside the store, the chirping of various birds and insects, and even a strange, deep thundering noise, like the footsteps of a giant. The sound was faint and distant, barely reaching them.
"That doesn’t sound good," Jack voiced what they were both thinking.
Lucius felt Sense Danger gently pulse every time he heard the sound, like an anxious heartbeat assuring him that whatever it was, it was deadly. "We should hurry," he urged.
The boys moved slowly toward the car where Patrick had been trapped for so long. They could see him waving his arms but couldn’t quite tell what he was trying to express from so far away. When they reached the halfway point, Patrick’s movements became frantic, and Sense Danger suddenly exploded in Lucius’s chest.
Lucius stopped immediately. "Something’s wrong!" he shouted, grabbing Jack’s shoulder to stop him from continuing. The next moment, they understood why Patrick was so frantic: A large creature buzzed into the air, it had been hidden from their view because it was on top of the canopy that covered the gas pumps. It was only one creature, but the problem was, this wasn’t a juvenile or even an adult. It was the same type of creature as the ones before, but it was much larger than any they’d seen—at least five times the size of the largest adult abyss creature, with a dark purple carapace and terrifying red spikes jutting from its shell.
But the size wasn’t the worst part. The worst part, by far, was that it was smart. The creature buzzed through the air, at least twice as fast as the smaller creatures, circling behind the boys and blocking their escape route back to the store!
The speed of the creature was disheartening, they would never be able to outrun it. Even with Lucius's impressively high dexterity, he knew he couldn't run from such a fast flying creature. He could probably escape with his aspect, but that would leave Jack to die. Lucius found himself wishing that he had come out alone, but it was too late for regrets. In that moment, they had two choices, fight or die.