Prambanan Ruins, 19th May 2145
An eerie silence followed, broken only by the distant rustling of leaves and the ominous feeling of impending danger.
Moments later, the chilling message sent by Gallus reached its intended recipients. From the shadows and corners of the ruins, figures emerged. It was a flock of Gallus with scarlet eyes gazing at the team, screeching and rushing toward the team.
Keith quickly responded by dashing forward to block the two Gallus that rushed, readying his shield as the Sharp Beak and Quick Kick hit Keith with tremendous force, causing Keith to stumble backward. Gritting his teeth, Keith regained his footing and raised his shield again, bracing himself for the next assault.
Meanwhile, Sylara from a distance already prepared to support by casting healing, Sylara NEXRUPIKA after a brief introduction called Lumikira was casting Luminescence Blessing which buffs Keith's Defense and regeneration rate. Justin and Angus move at the same time to attack Gallus, Angus Blunt Force hits the head of Gallus, causing it to stumble and add the lower defense status, while Justin double stabs once again and finds it preys on the Gallus's bodies, a shriek of agony could be heard.
Hearing the painful shriek, the second Gallus cast Agility on himself, enhancing his speed and maneuverability, and then prepared to enter a combination attack as the other Gallus was berserk and, in a frenzy, used his Spur Strike aimed at Keith. But just as he launched his attack, Elara who was from a distance gathering mana around her, cast Spark, the crackling spark found its mark, hitting the berserk Gallus before his spur strikes connected with Keith. The electricity coursed through Gallus’s body, causing him to convulse and momentarily lose control of his attack. Keith with his bolstered defense, was able to withstand the impact, though the force of the blow still reduced his endurance.
Seeing his teammates were unable to move because of the Spark-paralyzing effect. The second Gallus lunged forward with his Sharp Beak aimed at Keith, despite Keith’s effort to respond, the beak still punctured Keith's shoulder, leaving a gaping wound. A grimace of pain could be seen on Keith's face, the injury was significant, and it left him temporarily incapacitated. But regardless Keith still shouts the command to his teammates, “Focus on the others Gallus! I still can manage!”
Justin and Angus charged toward the paralyzed Gallus, they focused their attack on the most vulnerable area, aiming to deal critical damage. The paralyzed Gallus unable to defend itself, was quickly overwhelmed, and in a matter of minutes, it took its final breath, succumbing to the relentless assault.
Keith, on the other hand, continued to face the frenzied Gallus, who relentlessly attacked him despite the counterattack Keith launched towards him. Elara, cannot do much to help Keith as her magic fails to hit the Gallus. Sylara commanded Lumikira to assist Keith on the front line as she focused on both well-being and cast healing spells intermittently to help them endure the onslaught.
“Shit!” Justin shouted as his dagger missed the agile Gallus by a mere inch.
The Agility that Gallus casts makes this fight a lot harder, the party attacks miss from time to time, and the Gallus could easily take opportunities to attack nearby targets, however as the battle wore on, the agility spell eventually came to an end. The Gallus, no longer as nimble and elusive, found itself as the subject of a relentless assault from the five-member party.
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Exhausted and haggard from the intense battle, the team took a moment to catch their breath and regain their strength. The toll on their stamina was evident, but to be able to emerge victorious with no casualty was a victory itself. After a brief respite, the party gathered around the loot, and hopping found the jackpot like they had in the previous battle, however, this time, luck was not on their side. The loot was, as you mentioned, just so–so. They had obtained three low-tiered fire attribute mana stones, which while useful, was a normal drop.
In addition to the mana stones, the carcasses they found might still hold some useful materials, such as feathers, bones, or other components that could be used for consuming, crafting, or alchemical purposes.
Keith, who after being treated by Sylara the wound on his shoulder was already closed leaving only the hole mark in his armor, after putting the last carcasses in the storage transformed back the portable storage into card form called out to his comrade, “Let's move out from this area and find places to rest”
***
The team after scouting nearby areas, found a rest spot where there was no chaotic beast around. Justin who haggardly dragged his feet finally lay himself down on the grass.
“I really need to train my stamina” He grumbled.
The team only smiled upon hearing Justin's remark and then found themself a place to sit down. Time flies, the sun was already on the team's head when they found a spot to rest, and after a short break, Sylara prepared to take out portable stoves and kitchen sets from her portable storage, while Keith helped her to take out fresh water from the storage. The team divided the task of preparing the lunch.
Sylara skillfully began to cook the lunch for the team, as for the chaotic beast, some could be consumed directly after being hunted, but it still contained a risk. Normally the chaotic beast's meat still needed to be taken to the food processing factory for decontamination and preservation for it to be edible and safe.
While waiting for the meal, Justin said, “Angus bro, I could not notice but was amazed by your fast adjustment and coordination! This was our first time hunting together, but you seamlessly could integrate into the team!”
Hearing Justin remark, Angus could not help but smile and reply “Justin bro, it was all because of your perfect signal, I was just following you!”
Justin responded with a wide grin and gave Angus's thumbs-up before tossing a cold beverage his way.
Seeing both of them, Elara playfully remarked, “My, oh my… why do I feel a bromance is in the air! Angus, you better be careful with Justin!”
Justin quickly shouts back “What the fuck Elara! I am straight as an arrow!” while playfully giving her a middle finger gesture.
While replying to the middle finger gesture, Elara exclaimed “Straight arrow my ass, Justin! You’re the crookedest person I know, and I know you've been hanging out with the new member Guild receptionist! Everybody in the bastion knows what he does to a pretty boy!”
Angus was stupefied hearing Justin and Elara's remarks, he was awoken when Keith grumpily cleared his throat as he reminded them, they were in the new member company.
“Enough both of you!”
As Keith ends their bickering, Sylara comes with a dished fancily decorated, and mouth-watering aroma, it was Ayam Bakar Taliwang, a grilled chicken that has been grilled halfway, then tenderized with a pestle, then dipped in cooking oil for several seconds, before covered in sambal and then re-grilled. Regularly served with water spinach and deep-fried eggplants covered with chili sauce.
When the dishes were served Justin and Elara stopped their bickering and started to distribute the plates with plain rice and sambal to the team. It was a very nostalgic taste for Angus, as he now could enjoy the original taste of local cuisine. They chatted away while enjoying their lunch, for this special occasion, Sylara also prepared a dessert containing a few fruit slices that were mixed with spicy palm sugar dressing called Rujak by the locals.
After the earth and its inhabitants began to awaken, plants were the latest to be able to awake. Even so, because of the constant beast tide, an area for agriculture was limited, and fruits and vegetables became scarce. In the wild, some of the plants that were able to awaken even could produce unique fruits or vegetables that have an effect on Manafestator or NEXRUPIKA.
***