Monsters poured out of the side streets into the East part of the plaza. What?! There were slimes on top of wolves’ heads. I quickly drew my sword. I didn’t have time to think if this was an event by the Almighty System or an attack by someone. I had to act.

A wolf lunged at me. I stabbed it, but the blue slime on its head flew off towards me. I was forced to let go of my sword and spin to the side. Two more wolves rushed at me. I flicked both my hands, one to each side. Acid Shot. Acid Shot. Four monsters disintegrated. I noted they weren’t leaving behind crystals.

“Form up! Form up!” One guard Captain was shouting. The various Union teams were trying to rally together. The guard Captain was attacked from behind. He went down screaming as a brown slime sat on his head, melting his brains inside of its body as roots ripped him apart.

Was there a boss monster? A controller? I tried to spot a pattern in the attacks, nothing.

“Champion! Save me!” A woman fell a short distance away as wolves teared her apart.

Acid Shot. Acid Shot. She was bleeding to death or already dead. DAMMIMT! I spun around, Acid Shot. The wolf dodged. What?! I was forced to quickly retreat as it raced at me while its eyes were watching my hands.

You want to go? Let’s go! I quickly reversed directions and moved forward. The wolf leapt with a blue slime on its head. “Ah!” I let out a shout and punched the wolf in the chest with my right hand. It went tumbling away as the slime leapt off for me. I brought up my other hand and smacked it away.

My skin began to smoke from the residual acid as the slime splattered on the stones of the plaza. Dammit, I was being forced to fight in melee, but I needed to keep up my energy reserves in case a level 3 or higher showed up. I couldn’t afford to be caught with an empty tank.

I saw as a guard screamed as his legs had been melted off and the slime was slowly working its way up his body. I saw the crushed body of what could have only been a pregnant woman. Probably from the initial panic. Each scene increased my rage.

This was my city. Whoever did this was getting skinned and salted. Then restored. I would spend a million points on their suffering to draw it out as much as possible. I kept looking around to try and spot the controller or a boss monster.

My gaze fell on Ken across the plaza. Wolves with slimes on them were racing around both him and his guards. I raced over. Two guards fell as wolves and slimes impacted them. They died screaming, adding to the chorus of screams throughout the plaza.

I debated on if I should use Air Burst, but I could only use it once with my energy reserves. I needed to save it for now, no matter what. It was not do or die for me just yet. The last two guards went down. Another wolf ran in and bit into Ken’s groin as a slime began melting him. I reached him and kicked the wolf and slime away. Wincing as the acid partially ate through my boots.

His screams had stopped. He was dead. My rage had long past critical levels. This was an organized attack and Ken had been targeted. I looked around and thankfully the Union teams and the guard was getting things under control. There were only so many monsters. After the initial shock, people organized. That initial shock was brutal. Screams continued around the plaza.

Well, time to break out the crystal reserves and clean up. I began making my way in that direction. I noted two guards on the ground sleeping. A skill. This had been a person. Ruth had the Sleep skill. Ruth, you messed up big time.

You better run and keep running until you run right off into one of those void cracks or death gets you. Since if I got you, it would be far worse. I raced into the treasury. More killed guards and one was asleep. The doors were melted, and the chests gone.

I quickly exited the building and Tyrese was there. “The treasury has been robbed. There are no spare crystals.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“The injured-“

“Triage. Work it out with-never mind, Ken was killed. Sort it out. I need to find the person responsible for this.”

“Who was it?”

“It was either Ruth or Neo Brasilia, due to the Sleep skill being used.”

“But she-“

“Don’t worry about it right now. Sort out the plaza. Save who you can.” Where would these bastards run to? They had to go West to leave the treasury without entering the plaza, but would they try and loop around? They could try and hide in the city, but there would be a manhunt. After the monsters, we needed to secure the gates and the city.

Think. Come on Michael, think. If it was Ruth, she would escape to the East. If it was Neo Brasilia they would escape to the South. Which one was it? They might exit the city and loop around outside as well. I raced over to where Laura was trying to organize relief efforts.

“Laura gather up your teams.”

“My teams are shredded. They were targeted first. Dammit!”

“We need to intercept the people responsible. I need help.”

“Give me a minute.”

“Quickly, time is against us. I won’t let them escape.” She nodded and quickly began shouting at her surviving Union members. The ones uninjured quickly came over.

“Quiet! We don’t have much time. Whoever did this robbed the city treasury and killed Ken on purpose. They will be fleeing towards one of the city gates.” I counted ten people. “We will form three teams. First team will be five of you. Go to the West gate. Clear the buildings for monsters near the gate and check outside as well.”

“Second team will go North and guard that gate. Both teams stay through the night. No one leaves the city. Anyone coming in, check their background. I will head South and then cut to the East.”

“That leaves the South gate unguarded,” Gertrude spoke up. I was glad to see she had survived.

“Yes, it does. If they are headed in that direction, they will flee directly. But I suspect they will go for the East gate. Anything else?”

“Capture or kill?”

“Kill. They have monsters under their command. No chances can be taken. Don’t hesitate. Not even for a second.” There were a lot of nods at that.

“Go. Laura arrange with Tyrese to sweep the city for monsters.”

“It is massive.”

“I know, but we have to try. I need a sword.”

“Take mine. I will see what I can organize here. Good luck. Get them.” I gave her a nod and took the offered sword putting it in my sheath.

“I will.” I ran to the South. I quickly went up inside to a second-floor window. I then stood on the windowsill and leapt up. I grabbed the corner of the building and pulled myself up on the roof. Everything was flat and gave me an amazing view. Since all the buildings were the same height, nothing blocked my line of sight.

A monster was watching the plaza from the East. I wouldn’t worry about that for now. I began scanning the rest of the rooftops searching for clues. Another monster to the West. Another to the South. Curving around and through the streets. I wouldn’t be able to clear the gaps between buildigns. I leapt down to the ground and began running South.

I climbed up on the roof tops twice more. Having scouts up above. Clever, but it revealed your path. I am going to catch you and salt you. It was only a question of how much they would suffer before I killed them.

I left the monsters alone so I wouldn’t alert my target. I saw a cart in the distance down the streets. There were a lot of people running with the cart and most had slimes on their heads. One cloaked figure at the front and another inside the cart. I have you now. I killed a wolf in front of me. The time of subtlety and stealth was over.

I raced forward. The cart was passing through the wall tunnel, and I slowed down in case of an ambush. Nothing that I could see. The cart came to a stop as a cloaked figure pushed off two chests from the back of the cart. I noted two chests nearby.

At most they could have a wolf hidden inside each of them. Even if it was oil or a bomb, I would just use Aqua Shield and survive. They weren’t getting away.

“Champion Michael,” the figure said. There was a moment of shock as I recognized that voice. How had he survived?

“Chase,” I said. Crystal powder clearly had more uses than potion making. Blood crystal powder, it was obvious now.

“Chase is dead. I am the Ritualist.” You think you can just declare a pretentious name in front of me? Well, let’s see how long that lasts when I melt you.

“That confirms the monsters were your doing. You-“ I had stop and calm myself. I needed focus and clarity right now, not rage. “You are going to die today.” I began to walk forward alert for any hand movements. The nice thing about the tunnel through the wall was that I couldn’t be flanked or mobbed.

“Me die? I don’t think so.” I paused and looked around, but no monsters hiding or on the ceiling. I trusted my high Perception to spot anything. That was when the chests burst open.

How had so much slime fit in the chests. I stumbled a bit as a mental attack hit me. Making it hard to focus. Acid Shot. Acid Shot.

I sprayed the large brown slimes closing in from both directions with acid. I was trapped and the brown slimes weren’t dying quickly enough. Focus. The mental attack was making it hard. Thorny roots began to reach for me from all directions.

I pulled out my sword and began to cut them down. Acid Shot. I unleashed multiple orbs of acid. You think you can trap me!?