CHAPTER 101: Their First Scyrric

“This world was paid for by us Scyrric, native. Everything on it is now ours. Including you!” hissed the lizard man in the lead, with a tag of “Unit Leader [8]”. He looked to have a second tier class.

All 20 in the unit felt like they were Tier 2, from the two shield bearers just behind the leader, to the four mages, and four warrior looking classes behind them. There were two more that looked like trackers by the way they moved so close to the ground and checked all directions instead of looking ahead. Lamar couldn’t understand what their classes meant. They used English words that shouldn’t have been put together like that. “Chicken Grumbler” and “Cheeky Canary” were the trackers.

The rest looked to be laborers. The classes of “Refuse Bin,” “Buttress Support,” “Hot Dog Tongs” caused Lamar to want to walk away from this encounter. Maybe he could offer to give the [System] some lessons in language after this.

Lamar’s casual thoughts when face to face with these creatures made him wonder if he was getting too full of himself from teaming with Adam.

Even though the leader looked like a lizard, he walked upright on two legs with joints that looked slightly different than pictures of dinosaurs, as far as Lamar could see through the uniform he wore. He had hands and opposable thumbs, though each digit was more talon than finger. All their faces were stretched out, with the leaders having an almost beak shape for a mouth and most of those behind having rounder features.

There was no hair or ears, but their eyes were sharp and predatory. Their uniforms were made up of a vest, belt, and pants. They wore no shoes as their toe claws looked to be part of how they moved and probably attacked. Their tails also varied, with some having longer tails, like the ones he assumed were trackers, to the thick and stubby tails that the laborers had. The warriors had metal implements on the ends of their tails while the leader just had armor on his.

“I don’t remember getting money for our planet,” Nick said flippantly, brandishing two long knives.

“Why would slaves get money? You are belongings,” the unit leader said, almost confused.

“Then who did you pay?” asked Nick. “I want my cut from him.”

“Bah,” spat the Scyrric. “It matters not to you. You submit or you die. I no longer talking with soon to be slaves or meat for our beasts.”

Lamar shrugged, partly because this was a pointless conversation, and partly because he was trying to dislodge Swan. She was tightly gripping his sleeve, while trying to hide behind him. He could feel her shaking in fear.

He wanted to be polite to her, to reassure her, but really, he didn’t have time, and she was preventing him from notching an arrow. Lamar was the second largest of Adam’s group, behind Lucas, though he usually kept to the back and spoke less often than the rest. He made a solid shield for the woman.

“Excuse me,” Lamar said to Swan softly, using a bit more force to pull his arm from Swan’s hold on him.

In a fast motion he had his bow out of his pack. A quick yank at the bottom of his pack released an attached quiver that contained 40 arrows. The big disadvantage with arrows was how hard it was to carry enough. These arrows had Testudinate metal for the head and elven wood for the shafts. As long as he could retrieve them, they shouldn’t go dull for a while.

Nick was still arguing with the lizard, egging him on. That wasn’t Lamar’s style. Very quickly he activated [Steady Shot] to ensure his accuracy, and [Quick Release] to get more speed.

Lamar also had a skill called [Deep Blade] that was meant to increase penetration for knives and swords, but since his arrowheads were sharp, he figured it would work on them. He didn’t bother using it though. For these invaders, thinking there was no threat from the humans, his first two skills would be enough.

“…you dare claim that to these superior ones right here?” the unit leader was snarling at whatever Nick had just said.

“Superior? All I see are corpses,” Nick smirked as Lamar released two arrows very quickly.

One took a shield carrying Scyrric in the eye, and another in the throat. The lizards were even more surprised than he was as both arrows continued through their targets. The arrow that entered an eye slowed more as it came out the back of the skull but still had though force to hit one of the large laborers in the face, punching deeply behind its snout. The throat arrow was less impeded and fully passed through a mage looking Scyrric, also hitting a laborer behind them.

Scyrric Shield Wearer [5] slain. 1,264 XP gained.

Scyrric Damage Blocker [6] slain. 1,497 XP gained.

Scyrric Elemental Mage [2] slain. 1,037 XP gained.

Idly, Lamar wondered if the skill [Deep Cut] would have increased the penetration on all targets hit or just the first one, even though it already had enough force to pass completely through. Jumping about five meters to his right, away from Nick who had just activated his stealth skills while the lizards looked at those falling from the arrows, Lamar fired another arrow.

Scyrric Fire Shaper [4] slain. 1,204 XP gained.

Scyrric Air Blower [1] slain. 893 XP gained.

Two more of the mages fell as a single arrow passed through the sides of their heads like a bullet, splattering the insides away from him. Lamar heard Nick curse as some of the splatter hit him as he came out of stealth between two of the warrior lizards. There were two quick flashes of red on his hands as Nick used [Unseen Blow] and [Deadly Blow] to jab his knives into the necks of the warriors. Nick quickly stepped back, using the bodies of the falling warriors to hide so he could once more use [Dim Presence] and [Mask Signs].

The Scyrric still had barely responded. The unit leader, contrary to his title, seemed at a loss for what to do. The labor looking lizards were turning to find cover, which was unlikely since they were in the middle of a road. The mage was preparing a spell to send at Lamar but fell to an arrow before he could even cast it. The warriors were looking for Nick.

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The only ones that responded to the threat were the trackers. One went for Lamar and the other for Swan.

“Not a chance,” said Nick, as he once more popped into view, this time at the side of the tracker. It had maybe 60% of Nick’s 184 Agility and would have reached Swan before she could turn. Nick even had time to shake his head as his knives hamstrung the Scyrric. When the tracker tried to pull himself forward using his arms and tail, those were cut to uselessness too.

The fight had only begun and had been so rapid that Swan barely had time to land on her butt and try to scramble back. Seeing the Scyrric charge her, and Nick appear, caused her to scream. The scream drew the attention of the warriors who had been charging Nick, and he once more slipped out of sight.

Lamar, on the other hand, was forced to defend in melee combat with his bow as the other tracker arrived at him. A quick jump back didn’t bring any space as the tracker was at full speed to reach him. He blocked the invader’s short sword swing. It flashed red just before connecting with the bow.

Surprise caused the lizard man to pause for just a second as the sword bounced off Lamar’s bow shaft. This allowed Lamar to flip the clasp that took tension off the string, turning the bow shaft into a short staff with sharpened ends.

Lamar wasn’t as focused on close combat, but he had spent plenty of time training with the others. He liked to think that he was only a small step down from Nick with knives and was on par with the warriors using a sword. Training with the bow-staff was a new experience, but with 143 Agility and 91 Strength, he was usually going to be strong enough to deflect blows or fast enough to evade.

The tracker was speed focused, so Lamar didn’t bother evading and instead let the sword strike the bow a few more times before he felt the flow of the fight. Once comfortable with the lizards fighting style, he spun to dodge the next strike.

The Scyrric expected another block, and his momentum shifted his stance more than was smart as Lamar brought a sharp tip of the bow into the tracker’s elbow. There was a resistance to the skin and scales that Lamar felt. He didn’t get penetration but the strength behind the attack bent the elbow wrong and caused it to drop its sword.

Lamar yanked his own knife from the belt with his left hand, and while the tracker stumbled, Lamar finally used [Deep Blade] and jabbed the knife into the exposed neck. The blade then sliced forward, halfway beheading the invader. As it fell to the ground, green blood leaked out.

Scyrric Chicken Grumbler [12] slain. 1,851 XP gained.

Dropping his knife, Lamar flipped the clasp to reset the bowstring tension. He saw that Nick had already taken care of the two remaining warriors. That left Lamar to fire several more arrows at the still fleeing laborers. Using only [Steady Shot] this time, he reduced the force he fired with and pinned the lizard men’s legs to the ground. They were strong enough to pull them out, but it gave Nick enough time to hamstring them before they could get to their feet.

With that, all that was left was the unit leader, standing in the road in front of the church, moving his beak-ish mouth open and closed without any sound coming out. Lamar couldn’t tell if it was more like a strangled bird or a bubbling fish. Nick approached him while wiping his knife blades on a cloth to clean them.

“As I was saying…well, I forget. Something about superior corpses. I don’t actually care since you weren’t giving me enough material to be clever with,” said Nick.

The dirtier knife was pressed against the Scyrric’s neck from behind. That was when the unit leader found his words.

“I understand now. You are with him. The aberration that the invasion Commander wants captured. This should be outside the operation area we allow for him. If you tell me how he has come to power so early in the [System] then I would be willing to accept you into my next unit. You would not need to be a slave like the rest of you natives.”

The leader’s words didn’t even seem like bargaining for his life. He really believed everything he said, and Lamar suspected he found this offer generous. No reassurances to survive, just to be placed in the front of a combat unit.

“Would you betray your own people?” asked Nick.

“Only a barbarian would ask that question of the Scyrric. We are superior, one of the ruling races. You are naught but natives to be ground and used as we see fit. Nothing, especially not the aberration, brings you close to the honor my smallest toe has.”

“I have a close friend who’s a barbarian. I can tell you that with him around you’ll never have this planet,” Nick said. Lamar saw an uncharacteristic anger in Nick. The Scyrric laughed.

“The aberration will not last long. We have humored him, not bringing forces to bear. Once he falls to one of the many traps our commanders and the red clan have set, the rest of you natives serving him will be taken. Half will be killed as an example, and the rest will have their eyes and tongues removed, forced to service in the pits of…”

Scyrric Unit Leader [8] slain. 1,557 shared XP gained.

The leader wasn’t able to finish speaking as an arrow tore through his mouth while Nick’s knife cut his throat. Lamar was breathing heavily and had to calm himself as he thought of his parents, brother, and sister. This wasn’t a fight they could afford to lose. Adam had the right of it, even if his immutable anger stemmed from something else.

“I’ve got enough for two more levels,” said Nick.

To distract himself, Lamar opened his status window and noticed he had enough for one more level. Nick must have been closer to leveling at the start of the fight. Increasing his class level by one, Lamar looked over his status.

Name: Lamar Cook [36]

Age: 18

Race: Human

Appointment: Huntsman

Class: Hunter [27] (Common)

Body [9]

Strength: 92

Agility: 146

Vitality: 72

Intelligence: 26

Wisdom: 27

Skill Points: 6

Skills:

Notice Signs +5: Increases perception, allowing unusual aspects in a short range to come to the caster’s attention.

[+3] 60% increase in range

[+2] 40% increase in age of noticed aspects

Steady Shot +5: Increases accuracy when using ranged attacks.

[+3] 30% reduction in penalty for further distances

[+2] 10% increase in power

Quick Release +5: Attacks are released with increased velocity.

[+5] 25% power increase when a direct impact.

Evidence +5: Increases perception, allowing the caster to see through nearby tampering or the hiding of presence, traps, or any other type of concealment.

[+3] 60% increase in range

[+2] 40% increase in age of noticed aspects

Deep Blade +3: Increases penetration power when using a blade.

[+3] 15% increase to power when penetrating with skill

Disorient: Causes an enemy in combat to become confused for a short period. Reduction in health and emotional changes can end the effect.

Distract: Forces an enemy in combat with the caster to pay attention to something else for 2 seconds.

Creep: When used, the caster walks more cautiously, avoiding perceived dangers and becoming less noticeable.

Withdraw +5: Enables the caster to move away from their current position and to a potentially safer location. Movement is faster than the caster could make on their own, and the location doesn’t require the caster to be aware of the safer location prior to skill use.

[+3] 60% movement speed increase

[+2] 40% range on perceived safer locations

After checking out his status, Lamar looked over at Nick, who nodded to him. Then they both looked towards Swan. She was still trying to drag herself backwards in terror from the mess in the street. Her head swiveled between Nick and Lamar with wide eyes.

“Yeah, now comes the hard part,” Lamar muttered as he headed over to her.