In the quiet stillness of the early morning, Alex was jolted awake by a sudden, violent tremor that reverberated through the earth beneath his sleeping bag. The peaceful tranquility of the camp was shattered by the deafening roar of an explosion, followed by the cacophony of terrified shouts that echoed ominously through the air. His heart pounded in his chest like a drum as he scrambled to his feet, his senses heightened by the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

His echolocation, a skill he had honed, was activated quickly and it began to paint a vivid picture of the chaos unfolding around him. He could sense the shifts in the air and the panicked movements of his fellow campers. His mind raced as he quickly prepared himself for the impending battle, his every instinct screaming at him to fight, to protect, to survive.

A chilling realization dawned upon him as he noticed a gaping hole in the once sturdy wall that had been their fortress. The undead, grotesque creatures of nightmares were pouring in through the breach, their relentless advance fueled by an insatiable hunger. With only a fraction of the camp's defenders ready for combat, the undead were making significant inroads into their sanctuary.

Donning his battle gear with practiced ease, Alex stepped out into the heart of the chaos. His gaze was immediately drawn to the epicenter of the destruction, a monstrous forty-foot giant that towered over the battlefield. This abhorrent undead behemoth, the very embodiment of terror, stood head and shoulders above its grotesque brethren, wielding a massive, misshapen club with deadly intent.

The giant moved with a terrifying grace, trampling over its own kind in its single-minded determination to face the camp's defenders. The sight was enough to freeze the blood in one's veins, yet the brave climbers, the camp's most skilled fighters, were undeterred. They focused their efforts on the giant, their weapons slashing and striking at its putrid flesh.

Yet, the giant seemed impervious to their attacks. Its flesh, a writhing mass of decay and corruption, seemed to absorb the blows, shrugging them off with an eerie indifference. The sight of the giant, standing tall amidst the chaos, its grotesque form illuminated by the flickering firelight, was a testament to the grim reality they were facing.

Alex ran forward and scanned his battery. He grimaced at realizing that it was only half charged.

“We need to rebuild the defenses. Seal the wall. Mages with control abilities stop the giant. We need to slow it down. Stun it if possible,” shouted a man to Alex’s side.

Earth mages reacted quickly. Their powers focused on the feet of the giant. The ground softened and water bubbled turning the ground into mud. It affected the undead nearby as well causing their attacks to miss and their steps to falter as they fell to the ground. Other mages cast unique spells and built off each other’s magic. Their magic worked to slow the undead’s advances and kill them as well.

Alex kept his feet moving as he called upon the low charge of the battery behind him. With a quick motion, he flicked the thing on and fought.

<<<>>>

Angela was exhausted. The long day of travel had weighed on her. She had assisted in carting items and was on constant edge as fighters around her and the crafter group battled the undead. It took her some time to get used to the noise around her. The non-crafters provided a well-maintained shield that kept them from immediate danger. Still, she and the others had to be watchful in case something went wrong.

And now something was going wrong. After the long day of travel, Angela was settling into her dreams when shouts were heard outside her pitched tent and the ground shook. Adrenaline flooded her system as her body went into overdrive. Her mind went to Elize and her experience within. Adrian had taken over the city and shaken it to its core. Everywhere around her was a point of danger.

Angela had forced herself out of the tent after a time, her hands trembling as she clutched her bag in one hand and her hammer in the other. The sounds of the battle were deafening, and the ground shook again, stronger this time. She flinched, looking up in time to see the giant stomping through the wall. Stone was flung in all directions causing the fighters to flinch back and bring up shields.

The battle was not as bad as she feared but not something she wished they had to face during their travels. The giant had only breached a single wall allowing only one point of entry for the attackers and one place for the caravan to seal back up. Magic lit up the sky brightening up the bleak sky. Angela started to search around the camp. Crafters were running around with grim expressions on their faces. She realized quickly that she needed to join them. Help them in any way that she could. The sooner they could deal with the current situation the sooner they could prepare for the next one to come.

<<<>>>

Lightning cascaded through the undead. A barbarian charged past Alex swinging his axe around the nearby undead. The stunned enemies were shattered by the weapon sweeping through their ranks. Some were able to put up more of a defense then others, raising shields both physical and magical in nature. Other climbers joined Alex and pushed back the enemies. He scanned the area constantly to get a feel for the fight. He could only occupy so much space and fight within it. On the other side of the battle the undead were being pushed back quicker than his but the giant was still untouched. Few wanted to get so close. Those that did were either fast or dead.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

The giant stood above the rest in height and in level. Its level 25 status made it the hardest enemy most of them had fought. Added with the fact that its natural tendency toward defense and strength made it difficult to deal with. Alex had fired a bolt of lightning at the giant and it had ignored the attack completely. He had decided then like some of the others that it was best to deal with the smaller guys first.

The undead giant’s club hit the ground and its quake echoed through the battlefield. The ground was churned up around the impact zone. Alex stabbed the undead around him, carefully avoiding the ire of the giant. The area was starting to thin as more people woke, readied, and fought. The fighters around Alex were well trained and as experienced as he.

“Reseal the wall! Fire mages don’t stop bombarding the giant. How goes our traps?” yelled a swordman directing a group around himself.

Alex listened in as he cut down a few more ghouls.

“They are almost ready sir. The other teams are in position.”

“As soon as the giant falls I want swords aimed at its neck and its hands to be tied down. Activate the traps!”

Spikes rose from the ground and the giant’s feet and the dirt rolled toward the undead. The giant shifted trying to get its feet upright. Then the second stage of the trap activated. Nets both magical and physical spun around the giants legs and pulled back and downward. The fighters heaved and the giant fell backward. It dropped with a thud sending undead flying. A few seconds later swordsmen jumped in, and rangers fired at the giant’s head at close range.

Fighters roared as swords hit against giant’s neck. The giant struggled against its bindings. But the efforts of the fighters were relentless. All of their attacks were focused and thrown with their full force. They needed to take down the giant now. It was far too big of an opponent to leave alone. Fire mages showered the creature with scorching balls of fire, causing the giant to bellow in agony. The unearthly shrieks of the undead giant reverberated around the battlefield, sending a chilling sensation down the spines of even the most stalwart fighters. But they did not back down.

"Keep on the neck!" the commander's voice cut through the din of battle, pulling the fighters back to the task at hand. They increased their fervor, their swords hacking and slashing at the giant's neck, each strike bringing them closer to their goal.

The fire mages directed another barrage of flaming projectiles at the giant. As the flames licked its flesh, the smell of burning rot filled the air. The sight was ghastly, but it was the only way to fell this abomination. The giant reacted by sweeping it’s club across the defenders. Everyone around braced for the attack. With their current skills they could not hope to stop the club’s motion. A group of climbers were flung backward as the attack came.

"Prepare for the final blow!" cried the commander. Alex saw the giant's struggles weaken. Its movements grew slow, its roars diminished to groans. He knew it was only a matter of moments before the end. Their efforts reminded him of his own work that he needed to contribute. He turned back to his fight, his heart pounding with the mix of adrenaline and the coming victory.

And then, with a loud, resounding roar that echoed through the battlefield, the commander shouted, "Now!"

A unified barrage of arrows and spells hurtled through the air, all aimed at the giant's now exposed neck. They had forced open a hole in the creature. It created a weakness and an opening which they hoped to exploit. The combined force cuts through the remaining flesh and bone. With one last deafening roar, the undead giant's head fell to the ground, severed from its body.

The death of the giant sped up their efforts tremendously. The climbers, once preoccupied with the looming threat of the giant, could now redirect their energies toward rebuilding the walls and the lingering undead that surrounded them. Alex, too, threw himself into the fray, wielding his lightning with a careful precision, mindful of his depleting reserves.

His knives, however, were proving to be a hindrance. Unlike the lightning, which could incapacitate multiple foes at once, the knives were limited by Alex’s own speed. Alex was not a ranger, and the Tower provided minimal assistance in honing his knife skills. This served as a poignant reminder of his need to further develop his magical abilities.

His reliance on his magic was evident, and until he could summon it at will, a sense of unease would continue to linger. His confidence, it seemed, was intrinsically tied to his magical prowess. Only when he could wield his magic without constraint, would he truly feel self-assured and ready to face any challenge that came his way.

The Earth mages reinforced the existing walls and started to rebuild the current ones. It effectively trapped the remaining undead forces leaving them with no back up. In a few short minutes their camp was returned to a sense of normalcy. Some fighters kept working and chipping away at the forces beyond the wall. Alex wanted to return to sleep but the sun was starting to rise signaling the soon start of their marching.

He started to pack up his bags and prepare for the day. As he finished he moved on to helping others prepare for the march. Most were tired but ready to go. The battle had taken a lot out of them already and they still had more wilderness to travel. The carts were tied together, and the path was carved by a few leading the group. Among them was the Archer. They cleared the undead and left a few alive. The total number of undead had dropped significantly allowing them to march onward. As Alex matched their pace he was finally able to pull up his status.

<<<>>>

Name: Alex

Path: Magic (Sub-Path: Lightning)

Rating: G

Level: 21 (92%)

Abilities (1/1):

Manipulate Electricity [F]

Tower Points: 1120

Percent Soul Captured: 2%

<<<>>>

It was small improvements all around, but he appreciated them. Alex hoped that today he would be able to cross the threshold into level 22. Depending on the enemy variety and levels it was likely that he could make it there before lunchtime.