To his disappointment, Ali found himself loading up cargo in the warehouse. After the Thunder Badgers joined the Dark Cult, the ranking of him and his companions dropped further. At this point, they were all seen as too weak to contribute to the upcoming battles with the Lightning Clan. It didn't help that, with what they achieved in the Lightning Clan headquarters, they managed to cut down on the thugs the crime syndicate could deploy, further rendering them useless. Therefore, they, like many others of similar ranks, were assigned the dull duties of maintaining the goods in the warehouse. While the battles were fierce outside, the four of them were tasked with organizing the crates of weapons, healing items and other key items needed to win the battles. Despite pleading to be involved in combat, none of them could persuade Menna. Even the others, with their new C tier items, were still weak compared to many others in the organization.
Our shift is finally coming to an end! I need to sleep in my bed!
When the floor shook, Ali looked at his companions, noting that their expressions matched his own thoughts. The group immediately ran to the exit where they climbed the stairs to the main level. As he opened the door to the lobby, Ali found himself staring at grotesque humanoids attacking Dark Cult members. The humanoids resembled burnt corpses but their agility was what caught Ali’s attention. He didn’t think these things could move as quickly as they did but they quickly closed the gap with any foe they focused on. Then, one of the creatures noticed Ali.
What are these?
A part of Ali was relieved that he reacted quick enough to the attack. The corpses didn’t hesitate in going for the killing blow but his blade managed to parry the strike enough for the blow to go wide of his face. As he tried to parry the next attack, Kamis charged the corpse, sending it flying back into the lobby. The bulky teenager then raised his shield as he held the narrow doorway. One corpse continually attacked the shield.
“Kamis, are you okay?” asked Belen with concern.
“Don’t worry! I can deal with one of these things just fine.”
Ali couldn’t believe how quickly Kamis had grown. He knew the old Kamis wouldn’t have held on but the current version did so with little effort. While the bulky teenager did receive a decent shield for his reward, Kamis’ hard work couldn’t be discounted. All that hard work was paying off now that they faced corpses of unknown origin.
“Don’t use fire element attacks! They get stronger!”
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Hearing the words from someone in the lobby, Ali was relieved he only used his sword for the parry. If he had attacked, the corpse might have become too strong for even Kamis. Yet, they couldn’t hope to remain in their spot indefinitely. The corpses, once they overwhelmed those in the lobby, could find ways to encircle them. Once encircled, it was only a matter of time before they met the same fate as many others in the lobby.
“Push them back, Kamis,” said Belen. “We have to reinforce the others in the lobby.”
Reluctantly, Kamis pushed the corpse back, granting the group access to the lobby. Ali had returned his sword to his inventory and returned to relying on his air slash. Meanwhile, Tian went to assist the other Dark Cult members by distracting the corpses. The battle was fierce but Ali only had time to focus on his own battles. The corpses were surprisingly resilient and could take several of his air slashes. Given that the corpses attacked relentlessly, Ali found even defeating one was challenging. As he readied himself against a second corpse, a water element projectile hit and killed the abomination instantly. A dozen projectiles later, all the corpses in the lobby were eliminated.
“Don’t stand around!” ordered Meneo. “Assist the wounded and get them to the infirmary!”
Following the order, everyone went to work in dealing with the battle’s aftermath. The infirmary would soon be filled with many wounded but Ali recognized that many more had died. After assisting in disposing of the corpses, he learned that fifty of these abominations attacked. They vary in strength so he had been lucky to fight the one he could beat. Many Dark Cult members weren’t as lucky. As he went to deliver supplies to the infirmary, Ali overheard a conversation between Meneo and a messenger.
“These ash corpses are all over the city. They have even halted our fight with the Lightning Clan. Our forces are requesting reinforcements.”
“You’ve seen our casualties here. No one can guarantee more of them won’t target our base again.”
Fearing of punishment, Ali didn’t stay long enough to overhear the entire conversation. However, he caught enough to know that the corpses were all over the slums and posed a real threat. He couldn’t help but wonder if his desire to join the battle might actually happen, only this wasn’t the battle he wanted. The idea of a horde of ash corpses terrified him. Once he finished delivering the medical supplies, he regrouped with the others in the lobby. As soon as he arrived, Meneo stepped forward.
“I’ve learned that these corpses are known as ash corpses and they are currently terrorizing the slums. Our forces have requested reinforcements and you have all been selected to aid them. Head there at once and know that we have a temporary truce with the Lightning Clan. Currently, these ash corpses are our greatest threat. Understood?”
Once they were dismissed, Ali’s group went to get supplies before they headed out with the others. The streets were littered with bodies of civilians and the occasional ash corpses. In small numbers, the corpses were easily disposed of, allowing the large group to make a lot of progress to its destination. The smooth trip ended when a horde of ash corpses suddenly appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the group.
“Stay behind me,” said Kamis calmly as he stood in front of Ali and the others.