Lurona city [southern shores of Fuminao Legacy Kingdom], local time [1793.12.--] [New Year Celebrations]

The black shapes in the sky dived down. In the first place, they were visible only because of the multitude of lights constantly fighting to illuminate the vicinity, and the flashlights blinking all around like stroboscopes when different teams communicated with each other.

Thus, he was sure none of the beasts were targeting his team directly. As the chaos ensued in the streets, he concentrated on his ‘Lesser Sound detect’ Spell. He started to slightly modify the Spell’s structure.

The density of the air and Magicules in the ‘Air bubble’ that the Spell incorporated was directly influencing the frequency of sounds that were causing visible disruptions on its surface. Of course, there was also a Soul component to the detection, as soundwaves caused more Mana in the bubble to disconnect from his Soul and return information, but it was irrelevant in this case. What he needed to do right now, was to separate different frequencies intentionally. The original Spell construct was already cutting off non-audible sounds from the visual cues, so he just needed to modify it further.

The tests he did for his ‘Sound detection’ beads weren’t relevant, as they relied mostly on the Soul connection to Mana. As so, it became the first live test of his understanding of this Spell structure. He already knew how the Mana was flowing, how and where the Air-Magicules were formed, and which components were responsible for other physical effects. All that was left, was to apply that knowledge in a new way.

After a minute, he cursed.

As the ‘Air bubble’ started to destabilize, he promised himself to ask Makani to show him how his Spells from the Sound branch of Matrices work. Zeph spent another half a minute shuffling the Spell framework back into its original shape and started to progressively modify the flow of Mana once again. This time, instead of using standard pivot points to change the conformation of the protein-like structure of the Spell, he concentrated on the ‘active sites’ where Magicules were forming. Not wanting to waste any more time, he manually applied his Willpower to create streams, distributing the Magicules equally over the whole bubble. As the air and Mana density equalized in the sphere, the disruptions on the surface started to calm down.

The problem was, he had no idea which frequencies were being ignored by the Spell now. The cacophony in the background made it extremely difficult to connect the changes to individual sounds. People were shouting, the beasts screeching. A constant beat of their wings was like a low, constant buzz in the air. The river was stirring. The impact sounds, booming.

As always, live tests showed just how far his theory was from reality.

Of course, even if he was focused on the Spell’s structure, he was still sparing attention to his environment. And not only him. Gru’s two miniature eyes, breaking Zeph’s skin close to the corners of his own eyes, also noticed a movement to their right.

The Soul-transfer warning wasn’t necessary, as he jumped back, thrusting his heavy spear at the air in front of him to speed up his movement a bit more. The beast caught the center of the shaft with its face. It flew so fast that the sturdy metal bar easily broke its skull, which cushioned the collision enough for Zeph to barely keep his grip on the weapon. Not with his right hand, though – the force ripped the spear from his grasp, throwing his left arm in an arc and twisting it backwards as he fought to hold onto it.

As he started to pivot to the side – his spear dragging him along and trying to dislocate his arm – he spread his legs and did a few semi-controlled barrel rolls midair while pointing the spear up above his head, before crashing on the snow-covered ground. Instead of allowing the inertia to do its thing, he used it to roll to his knees – now that he knew in which direction the ground was – and slid to a stop a few meters away from his previous position. Microplates, torn off from his greaves, littered the carved snow tracks he left behind.

His Flexibility was the only reason he wasn’t harmed in the exchange. He mentally thanked Aisha for her guidance while looking at the corpse that hit the nearby warehouse moments ago.

You have killed [Chiropterida – lvl 64].

You have earned [Soul fragments]!

You have earned 2 [Universal Points]!

The fuck… he thought, looking at the body with surprise. A Pterosaur?

He ignored the shouts from his team and moved closer while reconstructing his Matrix and manual Spells. He opted to use ‘life detection’ beads instead of Sound Spell this time – it was a fiasco if he ever saw one. Even his Veil lost coherency from the fast movement, but he was able to establish order within a few seconds of being ‘hit’, pulling back his Mana with Willpower.

No… It’s a mammal… he analyzed, seeing the body. It was quite big – the torso was the size of a short human from Earth. The shape was quite reminiscent of the ancient flying lizards – much thinner than that of a bat. The visible, if broken, bone structure of the leather wings was the first giveaway. They were probably half-folded behind the beast’s back as it attacked but snapped forward during the sudden deacceleration as it hit the wall. The breasts and fur on the torso were another clue. Sadly, the head was an unrecognizable mess. Whatever this thing was, it would surely be categorized as a mammal on Earth. Even if it bore some characteristics of a reptile.

He wasn’t going to gauge their race affiliation, but the body was absolutely alien to him, making him curious. Too much bare skin on the legs, too much fur on the main body. The long neck. And, of course, fragments of a giant beak in the general vicinity of the obliterated head…

Well, those should be quite unwieldy… Small mercies. Whatever. He shook his head and looked around. The beast wave started to cover the not-so-much-illuminated mist above, obscuring the weak light of the moon. They were much faster than predicted, as avian-type predators tend to.

They would be slowed down between the buildings. But my reaction speed… he analyzed, slightly surprised by the speed of his thoughts. Even with his Power, he shouldn’t be able to react to the diving animal. Not at those speeds. Moreover, even as he visually analyzed the body of their attacker, not even ten seconds has passed going by the positions of his people.

Zeph could feel the adrenaline coursing through his body. But that level of time-dilation… Suddenly, he was very glad for the upgrades he took.

It’s not the time for this, the logical part of his brain said. We cannot be scattered like that… He wasn’t the only person that was attacked. The small plaza was enough for the beasts to feel safe enough to dive-bomb them.

He immediately directed his closest team members with a few, universal hand gestures. He hoped that the ‘military’ part of the Guild had some signs and protocols already prepared, but those kinds of mechanics weren’t standardized. And for a good reason.

He didn’t use his flashlight to not confuse his team – they only had a few very simple signals, hidden inside nonsensical sequences, and most of them were designed for communication between teams.

Now that he knew what to expect, dodging attacks became easier. Although, the beasts were still too fast to attack with Spells, and he wasn’t going to risk another melee clash. The idea of pushing them into the river was busted. The space between the laboratory and other buildings wasn’t much in the first place, so the access to the river was limited, even if it rounded the building slightly and was visible from the plaza.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

But Irra’s plan started to bear fruit. The white strands started to accumulate on the animals, slowing them down. A few of the more persistent ones even crashed into the buildings, unable to ascend fast enough after another dive. The ones that survived the close encounter with the city’s sturdy architecture, were quickly finished off by archers.

Some of the animals started to fall around the laboratory, and Zeph could hear loud splashes coming from behind the building. At least Aisha has better luck with the river idea, he thought, vigilantly scanning the vicinity.

As the team converged near the entrance to the laboratory building, keeping a healthy distance from each other to avoid presenting multiple targets to the beasts that still harassed them, Zeph saw another team entering the plaza from the corner to their right. They were barely recognizable in the mist, but the flashlights helped tremendously.

They flashed a series of signals.

An incorrect one.

He glanced at his signal officer and nodded, seeing as the man was already looking in his direction. The reply included one of the signals informing that they made a mistake.

But not only there was no answer from the newcomers, the people didn’t stop moving in their direction.

Zeph sprinted to the front just as the first arrows were fired by his teammates. The enemy started running, so he quickly connected his Veil tendril to the furthest explosive beads, packing them full of Mana, and started constructing Heat Beam. It would be weak, but he didn’t manage to learn the Force version in time.

As the explosions reverberated through the plaza, stopping the charge, Zeph was yanked back by one of his men. A Chiropterida silently swept in a blur right before their faces. Zeph managed to keep his balance as he landed from the forced jump, and immediately started to re-construct Heat Beam. The melee fighters were keeping ranged specialists safe as they concentrated on attacking, and Zeph had full trust in his guardian.

They were much, much stronger physically than he was. Each one of them.

He constructed the Spell successfully, but it still took almost ten seconds. Only a few silhouettes were still standing, gathered in one place and hiding from the arrows under a Spell. That simplifies things, he thought, finishing the construct.

The mist distorted in a visible, straight line as his Veil was funneled into the Spell. The distortion reached the enemy in but a second; just as the heated, humid air near him started to expand violently.

Another explosion thundered through the plaza, throwing enemy warriors to the sides as the mist was pushed back in a spherical wave. Zeph would be lucky if even one of the fighters was incapacitated, but that wasn’t his intention in the first place.

The arrows dropped on them with vengeance. Their protection Spells were obliterated, and it would take too long to reform them, even if anyone was in a state of mind to actually power their enchantments.

But the leader wasn’t going to pass without leaving a gift. In his last effort, he threw something in their direction, right before an arrow took him to the head.

Even before the item landed, Zeph felt a powerful pulse of Mana-X.

His eyes opened wide as he looked up. The Chiropteridas that started dispersing over the area suddenly turned as one in their direction. Even the river started stirring like boiling water, big waves forming on its surface. Shit!

The ground shook slightly as something heavy landed behind him with a sickening sound of crushed bones and tearing flesh. He turned, only to be manhandled by their neighborhood Warrior Priestess, covered in the blood of Chiropterida that she used to cushion her landing. She unceremoniously threw him over her shoulder and immediately bolted towards the laboratory. “Everyone to the buildings!” She hollered in deafening voice.

The beasts descended on the plaza – not diving, but slowing down to land – all the while fighting between each other for access to the item the man had thrown. Something jumped out of the river with a loud splash, catching a Chiropterida that was flying by, and sending a column of fluorescent water up into the air, illuminating the panicked expressions of Kwan’s warriors running right behind them.

========Theron Nalani PoV=========

Idiots, he thought, staring at the mayhem on the other side of the river through his spyglass. The mist wasn’t that much of a problem for people with his Magicule specialization.

What are they trying to accomplish? No, more importantly, what were they thinking? Attacking Warrior Priestess with two under-leveled people… Someone has to be really desperate.

The attack was a total and utter disaster. They thought she would be distracted by the reaction of the beasts to the Undead Heart, but they didn’t even manage to land a hit before she obliterated them with one swing of her weapon. There was no hiding from people like her.

In the beginning, he was tempted to use the chaos of the coming attack to get rid of that Nether-infected foreigner. That is, until he noticed how close the Priestess was. If he could, he would stay a range away from that mad dog at all times.

It’s definitely not the work of those scheming bastards, that’s for sure. He spat to the side. Lucas and his goons have tried to kill that Einar guy and put the blame on him. The whole mission was a trap. Now, he was not only jobless, he couldn’t bear to look for a new job. He had enough of scheming for the rest of his life. At least he wasn’t wanted.

But after witnessing the Netherling inside that guy, he decided that this will be his last ‘job’ before leaving the city. He will make sure that the infected dies before even getting close to awakening the larvae.

The fact that all of his problems and failures were caused by that man, could also have some influence over his decision. Only a slight one, though.

Nalani wasn’t a hypocrite who couldn’t accept their own pettiness.

How is this guy even alive, is beyond me. Wasn’t the substance absolutely deadly without the living component? He shook his head. Whatever. Nether shenanigans. Haa…

He sighed internally. It would be much easier if someone would believe him, but not only was his reputation at the bottom, especially because he was dabbling in that line of work, but Zora would definitely support that guy. It was made perfectly clear by how fast she rushed to his side after learning of his predicament. Although, he heard about that from a second-hand informant…

He brought down the spyglass. He could no longer see anything. The bloody struggle for dominance took over the plaza. Even some of the aquatic creatures started to crawl up the shore. The only other faction that could readily use Undead Heart would be Landlord Oric’s fanatics. Hmm… but that is as unlikely as any other option, taking into account how many of them were purged from the city in the past… On the other hand, they attacked the Priestess only, which would make sense…

In the end, he just shrugged. For the first time in years, he wasn’t interested in the exact political maneuvering happening behind the events. That burden was no longer necessary – he would leave all that behind soon enough. He had to admit, it was a really nice feeling. Not having to worry overmuch.

All he had to do now, was to wait until Einar starts his training outside of the city.

I think I deserve some free time. He grinned at the thought. When was the last time I allowed myself to indulge? Hmm… he thought while standing up. After searching his memory for a moment, he shrugged. Too long ago, it seems…

================================

The doors were barricaded right behind the last warrior that filtered inside. The rush was real, everyone dispersing to secure the windows, even though they were already barred.

Aisha put him on the floor and leaned heavily on her weapon, exhausted. It seemed that the jump down the roof cost her a lot.

“What was that thing? I am not exactly sure what is happening…” Zeph asked, confused slightly. The bloody battle outside was quite intimidating, sure, but he had no idea why everyone panicked this much.

“That was an Undead Heart,” she said, sighing even deeper and dropping her head. “With a critically high Soul contamination of some kind… It’s the best lure known to the races; for animals that don’t have prior experience with the Undead, at least… The situation will escalate fast.” She straightened up slowly, and lazily put the warhaxammer shaft on her shoulder. “We should move higher. I am sure the marine life will try to flood the plaza…”

She started walking for the stairs and Zeph followed.

“So, what now? We wait until they eat up… that heart, or something, and then finish off the survivors?”

Something hit the wall from outside with great force, causing some dust to fall from the ceiling.

Aisha sighed again. “Well… yes. But what we will be fighting with are not the survivors. Do you know how Undead are created?”

“Like hell I would. You never talked about them.”

“Oh, right.” She made a thoughtful expression. “I didn’t want you to have funny ideas… I will simplify. If a Soul conglomeration forms, it has a chance to attach itself to a dead body rich with life energy. Especially if structural information inside the conglomeration aligns with the body structure and if the brain is intact. The exact process of this phenomenon isn’t that well studied, but it is agreed that the environment on Corora prevents it for the most part. This changes if something dies right by the Undead, though. The heart is also an information-processing unit, keeping the Soul conglomeration solidly attached. It will be able to tell what is happening around, one way or another.”

Oh… Oh, no… Isn’t that bad? “Are we going to have a zombie horde event now?” he asked with some dread.

Aisha chuckled. “Don’t worry. The intact Souls of the deceased are in no danger of becoming a part of a conglomeration. Most of the spare Soul fragments should be taken by the System Onji, too. The conglomeration will not have much left to increase in size or seed another one. Even if the animals sever the heart into a few parts, I don’t expect there to be more than twenty Zombies. I am more worried about our marine visitors and what that entails…” She frowned. “I am sure that the heart is extremely toxic. It only makes sense to increase the efficiency of the attack. Anything that dies from taking a bite will turn, the conglomeration fragment inside will take over. The marine life won’t be able to harm anyone on the land, but they are quite uniquely gifted in propagating Soul conglomeration seeds… If the enemy is working around that, and they succeed, we may have to kill most of the Chiropteridas one more time… and then, some more humanoid zombies. And it’s not necessarily as easy as smashing their heads… Ugh. It actually can become a horde fight,” she laughed awkwardly, and somewhat sadly.

Zeph sighed, it certainly sounded like a lot of work. “Just great…”