Chapter 17 - Out To Play

Tal waited a little while before growing restless. Vangrec still wasn’t back yet, and while there was no real reason he had to remain waiting, it felt wrong not to wait for the hospitable dwarf. Despite that, he felt uncomfortable sitting alone, especially while listening to the laughter that bloomed around him.

To occupy himself, he began to go over his profile. He still had a notification blinking in the corner of his vision that he couldn’t find a way to dismiss. Of course, he didn’t need to check the notification to know it was the Quest urging him to find a shrine, but he did so all the same.

Restore Connection (Quest)

1 / ?

Description: Convert or create a shrine and devote it to your Deity. More details will become available when in the vicinity of a shrine.

Reward: (Variable). I did tell you that you haven’t seen the last of me…

'Of course, nothing has changed.' he thought. As much as he yearned for more power, that was not to say he lacked any sense of worry. Venturing into unknown waters to 'devote' a shrine to a being of unknown intentions was the very definition of worrying. He still hadn't decided if following through with the quest was worth it - maybe if the reward section weren't so vague, he would be able to make up his mind. But really, he only needed enough power to protect himself from all this world's hidden dangers, dangers seemingly intent on seeking him out.

He minimised the prompt and gazed upon his general status sheet. He had thought he was making great strides in filling out his level and attributes, but now he wasn't quite so sure of himself. His mere level 4 seemed pitiful, and now that he was among company, he couldn't help wondering how he compared to the others around him. Especially after he was so easily handled by the woman that had come through the portal after him. Next to her, he felt utterly helpless.

Tal looked around at the other camp inhabitants. It was hard to get a read on what their stats might be. 'I'd kill for some sort of status inspecting skill right now. Surely I can find that somewhere. Some of those people in the tower definitely must have had it.' he thought.

At the moment, he wasn't even sure who he should be comparing himself to; he was sure many of them might be focused on developing skills in non-martial areas. 'Hopefully', he thought, 'Vangrec might be able to help me in that regard too.'

That made him think of the Dwarf. 'Just where has he gotten to?' he thought. He couldn't see him among the crowd, though, granted, it would be hard to locate anyone through the bustle. But he couldn't stay still any longer.

Tal rose to his feet and was about to start looking for Vangrec when it happened. A blood-curdling scream rang out. Like a deer in headlights, everyone froze. Parents immediately looked for their children, promptly looking relieved when they located them. All but one.

"Alonia!? Where the hell is my baby girl?" a father yelled.

Parents ran back and forth, gathering and escorting their children to their respective caravans. Some returned, bursting from within with a choice weapon in hand.

The father looked toward the source of the scream anxiously, but its origin was beyond the circle of caravans, and nothing could be seen with them in the way.

"You! What have you done with my girl!" he bellowed, moving in long strides toward Tal.

"I…Nothing! I swear. I've been with Vangrec and Draenor all night. And-"

"The boy has nothing to do with this." Draenor interrupted him, a thick river of blood gushing from a puncture on his shoulder, leading the mob of armed parents toward the two. "I've been keeping a keen eye on him all night. No - Trust me, this is something else. And you, boy, you promised to help fight. Go get your sword, then come back here. We're going to need all the help we can get. But, first, we need to find the guards."

As if to mark his words, a distant shriek punctured the silence from beyond the border of caravans. "Here! On me!" Then, the night was suddenly alive in a flurry of activity; a stampede of rushing footfalls, the clang of metal colliding with something just as hard, an inhuman roar, a piercing screech.

Tal needed no further encouragement. He ran to his makeshift room and tore open the doors.

"Tal! What's wrong? Tell me it's not as bad as it sounds."

"I know just as much as you. I promise. But…it doesn't look good. Something dangerous is going on. That's all I know." he spoke, picking up his sword and running back outside.

The dwarves were working on one of the caravans, shifting it ever so slightly to the side so they could get through to outside. Tal moved to join them as swiftly as he could, and soon enough, there was a gap in their camp big enough to squeeze through.

"Not too wide", Draenor advised, "we don't want whatever is out there having an easy time getting their way inside."

The light from the camp flooded outside, illuminating the bloodstained field of grass beyond.

"You, you and you - stay here and defend this point. The rest of you - with me." Draenor commanded wordlessly, and the group complied.

Someone from within the group lit and passed out large torches, and at Draenor's lead, they began advancing into the dark of the night.

Tal looked back at the camp as they edged away from it. It shone as a beacon of light in the dark. There were many tiny slits on the outside of every third caravan that Tal deduced must be some sort of defence against the outside - but they were uninhabited.

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It didn't take long to find the conflict. Or what was left of it. A double ring of guards encapsulated the slight, trembling figure in their midst. Most of the guards hobbled from various wounds sprouting from their flesh, but that didn't interrupt them from vigilantly scanning the perimeter.

It didn't take long to figure out why; the field was littered with the corpses of strange beasts Tal had never seen before.

Tal's pulse quickened at the sight. His heart strained in his chest. Something surged from within.

'AT LAST! LET ME OUT. LET ME OUT.'

'Tal, we have a problem…' his sword joined the other voice in his mind.

'You think? Shit. Now is not the time for this.' he replied.

'I'll try to keep it at bay, but-'

An indomitable hunger raged from within, bringing dark spots to his vision. Tal took deep breaths, trying to subdue his racing thoughts and clear his head of the invasive presence. It took only a moment to get the alien feeling in check, though he could still feel it lurking just beyond the surface.

Tal advanced uneasily as Draenor quickly led their group to join the formation of guards, a sharp contrast to the careful, glacial pace at which the guards retreated toward the camp.

A familiar voice spoke from inside the group as their mob joined ranks with the more trained guards. "Damn, child somehow got past the guards and out of the camp. I knew something was wrong when I saw none of them at their post. She's damn lucky they were able to find her in time."

"Vangrec!? I had your assurances we wouldn't be encountering any of these hellbeasts for quite some time yet! Care to tell me what the hell is going on?"

"We shouldn't be! I've never heard of any coming this close - ever. And there's another thing," he paused, "these creatures, I've seen them before. But these ones… they're acting different - unnatural."

"Just perfect! You can tell me the details later. Let's just focus on getting back behind the fortifications."

"Sir," a voice from one of the guards spoke, "we can't just leave Djorn's body out there."

"He's dead, son. You saw his fall just as well as I did. We have to leave him." Vangrec replied.

With that, the group began moving at a reinvigorated pace toward the camp, the more wounded soldiers being supported by the mob's reinforcements.

Then, they stopped. Glowing eyes shone a sinister red from within the darkness. They closed the distance, advancing on the small militia at a frightening pace. The camp's light radiated just enough to fully make out their figures.

"Oh gods, no. Please. There's more," moaned one of the more heavily injured guards, finishing with a whispered prayer.

Vangrec gave the command, and the formation shifted slightly, placing more of the small militia - and Tal - toward the front of the group.

From his vantage point, Tal got a better view of the now charging creatures and what he saw brought his panic back into full force. Though there were only 8 of them, their sheer size and bloodlust were unmatched.

Blackspots swarmed his vision once again. Vertigo overcame his every sense.

'LET ME OUT.'

He blinked his eyes furiously, staggering ever so slightly. Finally, he planted his feet, redoubling his focus on the encroaching beasts.

They were roughly humanoid in shape. Their skin was an ugly shade of yellow, reminiscent of a pus-covered wound. A pair of jagged horns rose from each of their heads - most of them stained with a trickling red fluid. A thick exoskeleton, the same colour as their skin, armoured their extremities. Most disturbingly, however, was the wide smirk stretched across each of their faces.

"Tell me this isn't your idea of a welcome party," he muttered, trying his best to keep the quiver from his voice.

Alongside him, the militia readied their weapons. They didn't move from their positions, instead listening to Vangrec's instructions and tightening their formation. The most inexperienced troops, Tal included, moved to the edges of edges formation. Those wielding spears moved to the second outermost layer, holding their weapons such that they protruded from any gaps. But the feral-looking creatures were too close for any further adjustments.

Without warning, the creatures broke into a full sprint, closing the small distance in a mere moment.

"Stones! There's no time. Turn! Face! Ready yourself!" Vangrec yelled. Then, a flurry of resounding curses.

Tal swept his sword forward, preparing to use his 7 levels in sword mastery - 7 levels that suddenly seemed woefully insufficient for the beasts charging toward him.

They hit the front of the force with a resounding clash, instantly skewering two of the guards on their protruding horns. But as the guards fell, well-placed spear blows struck forward, avenging their fallen compatriots. Just like that, four lifeless bodies were on the floor, leaking their sustenance into the ground below.

The battle quickly descended into chaos after the initial exchange of blows.

The monsters quickly fanned out, spreading to the more vulnerable points in the hastily assembled formation.

'LET. ME. OUT!'

Tal froze as one of the beasts met his eyes. The creature noticed his uneasiness, and its lips curled upward as it advanced.

But Tal wasn't frozen from any sort of fear. The black spots were back, stronger than ever, blotting his vision out completely. There was no accompanying dizziness this time, only the vague feeling of slipping into the realms of unconsciousness.

***

The Null smiled, forcing the lips of its mortal shell into a concave configuration. They quickly stopped the abnormal mannerism, finding it ill-suited. Unfortunately, the introspection of their new form didn't last long. Their change in stance, however, was enough to alert the oncoming beast to some sort of change.

That didn't deter the beast nearly enough, though. It angeled its head downward and barreled toward its prey; it knew an easy target when it saw one. It was surprising then, to find that it had somehow missed the pesky human in its charge.

The Null dropped the sword. They wanted to feel this. They had spent far too long only watching from behind the scenes.

They used their opponent's moments of surprise to do what they did best; considering the best avenue of attack. They took a deep breath through their nose, savouring the moment in an oddly human fashion.

Then, they struck forward just above the creature's ribs with a closed fist. As the blow connected, they used their momentum and twisted just enough to send their elbow sailing forward for a follow-up blow to the creature's windpipe.

The monster looked down in shock at the sickening crunch. Its eyes flashed a deeper red, and its skin paled ever so slightly. Afterwards, it looked up with foggy eyes but otherwise unbothered - as if its crushed throat was of no consequence.

Surprise radiated through The Null's hivemind. In all their collective consciousness, the immediate death of the creature had been all but inevitable.

Yet the creature remained standing; it lurched forward - in a much more disjointed fashion - but attacking nevertheless. It extended a hand toward the human's throat, its claws glittering with the blood of its previous victim.

The Null read its opponent's movement, rapidly darting away. But, there was one variable they hadn't considered in their rush of freedom, and it was their turn to fall victim to surprise.

A guard faltered as the battle raged around them, knocked off-balance in his duel. The guard fell, arms flying out, seeking anything that might slow his fall and perhaps preserve his life. The flat of his palm found fabric, and he pulled with all the desperation of a man who knew they're nearing their final moments.

The Null stumbled as the hand yanked, smoothly rolling themselves into a controlled fall.

The beast moved forward robotically. It loomed over them, readying a kick that would send the human's corpse flying.

The Null looked up, "Playtime is over", they growled.