Shattered Republic ( Part 6 )
After giving everyone a brief overview of the System inside him and what it had been doing ,Jack summoned the blue screen that only he could see.
[
System Notification
Rejuvenation Bars ; 1/1
Level up Requirement ; points x 100
]
He remembered how healing his ankle had brought the number of rejuvenation bars to zero.
In the time that they had been preoccupied with the first floor , the System seemed to have replenished that number of rejuvenation bars.
It was however unfortunate that he did not have the required amount of points to level up the talent. This would have given him more of those healing bars.
[
System Information
Points;
Source : Completing System quests , defeating foes ,System maintenance rewards.
]
“ So this System is inside your body , alongside that girl Aiko ?” Hamilton asked him as the two men cautiously approached the gaping hole at the centre of the room.
They were greeted by the horrific sight of charred bodies strewn all over the ground floor , and the low growls of a beast nearby .
“ And I fear I may have only one shot at healing my body , if I get severely wounded,’ Jack answered , wondering whether the Rejuvenation Talent consumed the rejuvenation bars per complete heal or gradually depending on the severity of the wound and the rate at which it needed to be healed.
He hoped for the first option , but braced himself for the latter.
“ She called it a Dread Ghost and now I see why ,” Hamilton was shocked at the sight of carnage beneath him , “ So what plan do you have this time?”
“ I need to see the beast first,” Jack turned back and Hamilton followed.
“ Will it be a shit plan?”
“Probably,”
“ So ?” Linzy asked Jack when he arrived.
“We have to move carefully. How is Cynthia’s condition?”
“ I can manage,” Cynthia tried lifting her body to no avail. She had lost too much blood resulting in a severe case of anaemia. Her body was just too weak and perpetually fatigued.
“ No you cannot. I will carry you on my back ,” Hamilton stepped in.
Jack sighed at this but said nothing. He knew that Cynthia would slow the man down but still he could not bring himself to raise the issue. With the look that she was giving him as well , Jack knew that Cynthia herself shared his concerns.
“The System grants me the ability to learn the enemy’s weaknesses once I have it in sight , so I will lead the way ,” Jack explained and after getting no objections , headed for the next stairway. He took a painful look at the corpse of Timothy as it lay in his path . The burnt part of his face was charred down to the bone.
“ Rest in peace sir ,” he whispered, then soldiered on.
His resolve was hardening , and as such he was able to quickly bring his thoughts back to the important matter at hand.
The more the group walked down the stairs , the hotter the air became. They all started sweating , breathing heavily as the levels of oxygen were replaced with carbon dioxide with each step taken. At the ends of the hallway , the walls themselves had lost their vibrant creamy colour , eaten away by the festering flames burning sparsely along their surface.
Jack grasped the wooden spike he had broken from the underbelly of one of the desks at the first floor with even greater force as he made the bold move towards the curve of the wall.
Out here and so close to the open , he could hear the low sounds of the monster without obstruction. They seemed to be coming from the far end of the floor , towards the exit.
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He craned his head forward and his eyes fell upon the new beast.
It definitely lived up to its name.
The main form of its body was the blend of a white humanoid frame with heavy chains wrapped around its body and an empty black skeleton whose bones burnt quietly in crimson flames.
These two forms kept interchanging , and with the aid of Perception , Jack was able to tie the phenomenon to the moonlight coming through the windows . Whenever it stepped into the light,the skeleton form vanished and the chained form appeared. This changed when it slipped into the shadows , where the burning fires of its body lit up its unholy bones. It explained what Aiko had said about its fire, fearing the light.
“ It cannot use fire when it is in the light ,” he said , his eyes narrowing down to the target with an even keener gaze. With Perception , he saw that it was a threat level 5.
“Careful ,” Linzy whispered as she swiftly pulled him back to the hallway. Before he could ask why , she pointed at a flickering bulb at a far corner .
The bulb then exploded as a Wailing Hound stepped out of the shadows and slowly walked towards its master.
“ Thanks , that was a close call ,”
Linzy nodded .
“ The beast is called a Dread Ghost just as Aiko told us. It's flames are very dangerous , but it can only use them when it stands in the shadows. We could have stayed close to the windows , but there is a Wailing Hound around as well,” Jack relayed the situation to the group.
“ We are very lucky that the first hound has still not made its appearance yet. If we are to deal with this new hound , then we should work as fast as fucking possible,” Hamilton said.
“ One jab through the skull has killed its species before ,” Jack looked at the weapon he held in his hands.
“Are you out of your mind , that Dread Ghost will burn you to death before you even get close to the Wailing Hound,” Linzy did not like the plan Jack was cooking.
“ I agree with Linzy on this , even if the ghost does not attack , the fucking wolf won’t stand idle and let you stab it in the head ,”Hamilton supported.
“ We need to draw the hound closer , then distract the Dread Ghost long enough for me to end the hound. Trust me in this , it won’t be like the last time ,” Jack insisted. He did not completely trust the System , but so far it had been delivering on his expectations of it without fail.
“ Then don’t die ,” Cynthia said from Hamilton’s back.
Jack smiled ,“ Hamilton ,when I kill the hound , get Cynthia out of here as fast as possible .”
“ And Linzy ?”
“ Well the monster has to be distracted now doesn’t it ?” Linzy answered Hamilton herself. She offered to do what she knew Jack was unable to ask.
“ You’re putting her life in fucking danger ,” Hamilton protested.
“ I’m putting it there myself ,” Linzy smiled reassuringly at Hamilton , “ Now what’s the plan?” She turned to Jack.
The man hesitated.
“Jack ?” Linzy called .
“The water sprinklers , they were able to put out the creatures' fire before,” Jack sighed and broke his silence ,
“ The Wailing Hound is probably causing interference with the ground floor’s automatic fire alarm system ,so you will have to turn it on manually. This will turn on the water sprinklers in the ceiling and it will be enough to keep the Dread Ghost occupied for me to end the hound .”
“ Another shit plan ,” Hamilton almost laughed.
“ Yet here you are ,” Jack gave the required response.
Linzy took every step that drew her closer to the Dread Ghost with great care. The heat increased rapidly with proximity to the monster , drenching her face with unending sweat. Her eyes turned sour when some of it trickled into them , but she willed herself past the discomfort.
The fire alarm button was just within reach.
Hamilton stood ready to bolt Cynthia out of the building. His eyes were fixed on Linzy , hoping that she would not be exposed. Her bravery was commendable , not even he could have tried what she was doing despite being a mage.
“ Come on , almost there ,” Jack whispered , watching with bated breath.
The Wailing Hound had drifted to the corner nearer to them. This was good , it meant that it was far enough from Linzy , and close enough that he could get to it and finish it before the Dread Ghost knew what was happening. He hated putting Lindsy to this task , yet she’d likely perish if she didn’t do it.
Linzy reached the alarm , concealed in its glass container. She gave one last glance to Jack . Once this was started there would be no going back.
Jack nodded.
‘Hiiyaaaah !” Lindsy smashed her clenched fist through the glass container and hit the button . The Wailing Hound turned to her but Jack was on it before the water from the sprinklers could hit the floor.
The Dread Ghost roared , racing through the shadows towards Linzy. The flames on its bones rose with rage.
Jack aimed the wooden spike at the hound’s head , aiming to end it in one strike. His speed had considerably increased , and even though the hound managed to dodge , the spike still found its mark on its delicate shoulder blade.
In agony , the hound shrieked a deafening wail and violently twisted its body. Jack , who had been holding on to the wooden spike, was thrown off his feet and his face hit the floor with a sickening thump.
Linzy breathed a sigh of relief when the Dread Ghost suddenly halted its march. The Twelve foot colossus stumbled back as the flames on its skeleton were extinguished under the sprinkling water.
She did not wait around to see what would happen next , and bolted past the monster headed for the exit. She stopped at the main door and waited for the rest to catch up. They needed to hurry , before the Dread Ghost recovered and blew up the entire place .
Hamilton followed , his eyes locked on the exit beyond the Dread Ghost. The weight of Cynthia seemed to lighten under the copious amounts of adrenaline firing through his blood.
The Dread Ghost, angry and throwing blind fists in the air as the water fell on it , caught Hamilton by the side with a gut wrenching swerve. It was a clean blow that sent him crashing into the desks nearby.
He coughed after impact , badly wounded but grateful that his bones were still intact. One of the benefits of being born with elemental power as a mage was that it came with enhanced durability.