"Watch out, smash em or freeze em should work the best!" I yell out as the wave of the oversized bugs gets close.
Using my Advanced Identify skill had provided some information on the insects and I decided to stay inside and help there, I mean a two foot long cockroach dripping sickly looking ooze from it's face is cause for a moment of hesitation but when there is an army of them appearing out of the darkness, I can wait for them to get closer. The worst part of it is the sound of carapace sliding across concrete, the tik tak of claw tips on the roadway, antennae waving in the air like short whips, matallic looking wings making fluttering movements, all while they move towards us at a frantic quick march.
At first there were just a couple of them, skittering and following along behind last group up six people up to the gate, the guards took care of them with a crunch. Next there were groups of three or four crawling across the line up of cars or zig zagging across the road following a trail we couldn't see. sometimes dissappearing over the barrier between east and west. When the larger group showed up I had my first premonition of what was to come.
Diseased - Frightened Cockroach Level 3 Scout / Strength - Speed / Skills: Diseased Bite - Rush / Weakness: Blunt Damage - Cold
The next group had a gigantaroach leading them straight down the road, if you listened you could just hear it chitter, a sound like dry branches rubbing across a window back and forth. The big guy was tracking each of the previous groups
Diseased - Cockroach Level 4 Strong Boss Crusher / Strength - Vitality / Specialty: Crushing Bite / Skills: Command - Force Whip - Piercing Thrust / Weakness: Blunt Damage - Cold
On top of the garrison wall, if you can call joined together cars and minivans about 10 feet tall a wall, Craig yells "Fireball!" While lifting his claw footed staff. The dark gem of the staff lights up and, as he thrusts the staff forwards a globe of flame slightly larger than a bowling ball flies out towards the creepy crawlies. It moves fast but you can just make out the packed together forms in the flickering flames and sparks before it reaches them.
The ball of fire hits the concrete and flaming plasma goes everywhere mixed together with chunks of molten concrete. The carapace of the cockroaches seems to repel the flames, not impeding them at all other than throwing a few of them around.
Two military flares go soaring up to light up the area above, the bugs fill the roadway from the middle barrier across the 4 lanes running up to the vehicles lined together on the shoulder of the road. From my spot at the gate it looks like they are crawling over one another as they move forward, some of the smaller ones are just riding on the bigger ones. The light from the flares seems to have more effect than the fire, scattering the closely packed creatures and slowing down the group a tiny bit, then they surge forward again, probably the back ones pushing forwards like bulldozers.
"They don't like the light!" Shouts one of the staff wielding defenders. The length of rebar gripped in his hands is shaking just a bit as he stands near the gate closest to the roaches.
Two hand held spotlights from the guards on the wall spear out into the darkness, exposing hundreds maybe thousands of the shiny frantic insects. The sniper in his post on top of the semi trailer opens fire, each hit damaging one or two of the critters but not making more then a dent in the numbers. Joan shouts out, she must have a skill as I could hear her clearly "They seem to avoid the light, use the spotlights to get them to go around us, watch out for any that get inside! Anyone with some type of light get it turned on."
Another person on the wall holds a wand up and with a flick and a word the end lights up getting brighter and brighter as he concentrates on it. People are turning on all kinds of lanterns and flashlights I think the garrison lights are even getting brighter.
The noise of the scrabbling insects and their high pitched chittering is all around us as thousands of claws and legs fight for purchase .....Do insects have claws? The lights are working to direct them towards the open lane and they are tumbling over the middle barrier as they crawl over themselves in their rush, this feels less like an attack and more like a stampede.
As they stream by I send out another Advance Identify
Blinded Diseased Frightened / Cockroach Soldier Level 3 / Strength - Speed / Skills: Shield Bite - Rush / Weakness: Blunt Damage - Cold
Someone on the wall adds "They aren't climbing!" I groan expecting the bugs to begin doing just that once someone states it for everyone to hear. The ten foot wall of welded together cars is seamed to the road smoothly and doesn't allow any of the roaches to get through but you can hear them smashing into the metal on the other side, it sounds like a massive hail storm with the ping....ping....ping sounding off.
"Some are starting to fly"....."Watch out"...."I hate bugs"...."I wasn't supposed to be here today!" People are beginning to panic.
Stashing my notebook in my inventory I stand up, My Duster unbuttoned and weapons ready I realize my Class is wrong and with a thought I switch back to my Shrouded Skirmisher Class, both of my aura's come into effect the first one is my Superior Stealth and the other a Freezing aura which inflicts a cold and slow effect on everything nearby. Looking up I can see the first of the airborne roaches, they look like well.....giant long flat beetles with big whips on either side of their head. Their flying looks more like gliding as if they hopped as high as they could, and then drifted over towards the other side.
With a thought and a small pinch of Mana Energy I summon my shiny new Class Item Rifle, fresh out of inventory it's loaded with 104 shots when set to rifle, the enemy is too small to use the artillery version, sadly.
Moving to the center of the compound and with my Perception, Class skills, as well as a bit of Luck, hmmm maybe a lot of luck. I open fire and target the bugs as they floated...flew....maybe glide above us is the correct word. With high enough attributes you can track them by sound, their wings making a whistling fluttering noise as they move through the air.
The newest version of my rifle is slightly heavier, a longer front grip and a contoured stock to help position and aim, reminiscent of a AR-15 and a Sniper rifle had a baby. The most notable difference is its missing magazine and two adjustable bipod legs in case your going all sniper mode. Attached under the barrel is a mounted bayonet for close up work, overall It is a very dangerous military looking set-up.
Crouching on one knee I aim into the sky, the individual roaches are easy to spot against the bright light of both moons. Taking a practice shot at the first one I see shows me that a hit not only penetrates their armor the force of the round pops each roach like a fat mosquito spraying the area below them with their remains. That is not good.
They aren't attacking or landing inside the common area so I switch to targets that are just past me and over the wall so their bodies and bits don't land on the defenders. Tracking and downing insect after insect with a noise like a two liter pop bottle exploding, a rain of bug bits and nasty stuff falls all over. Each bug has a core from small to medium in size and a variety of colors, it begins to look like a meteor shower as a few other people with weapons join in. Most peoples hits are just making the roaches glide off course, It's good target practice and the last time I was in an Insect horde I was able to level up quickly, Level 5 should be here anytime.
The west side of the Garrison where the dead bugs are landing is littered with a variety of corpses, bits, and cores glowing in the dark they are like shining little gems sitting in pools of guck and blood. As the wave of cockroaches coming around the side and the leaders spot the cores lying amongst the dead a frenzied race starts up, as soon as they swallow the cores they start to level, gain skills, or just grow bigger. With Mana Sight I watch as each roach who gets a core is surrounded by a haze of silvery Mana Energy and they change, some become reflective others grow tusks or claws and one has a greenish sickly cloud surrounding it. The process drives them into a rage and the upgraded bugs turn and rip into the next ones that come around the wall. The process repeats itself resulting in more cores and more chaos. With thousands of the black bugs the survivors start becoming tougher and higher levels, Exactly what I need, bigger levels mean more experience. Taking aim I take out the bigger or meaner looking ones, a few take two shots to put down but they are to engaged in their battle to track back to me.
More and more people are on this side now so I assume the horde is now past the garrison up on the wall we watch the mass buggicide.Every now and then someone fires into the madness to take out a weakened or nearly dead bug, I stay focused on the larger ones trying to get my level up but it's only really level 3's and 4's so no luck, sending my rifle back to inventory to reload I can sense the Mana Energy draining as the rifle reloads.
From the other side of the Garrison I hear someone shout "Frogs! giant fucking frogs!"
Craig who must of followed the cockroaches to this side comments "Well i guess maybe that is what made the roaches run, do frogs eat cockroaches?"
"No Idea." I answer, watching the darkness I can just make out my traveling companion Corbie The Raven is stalking the higher leveled bugs as they appear slicing down from above and crushing them in his beak. Yelling at him "Leave some for me you asshat!" The monstrous black Raven responds with a "Kraaaaa!"
Summoning out my rifle I start picking off the level threes and fours that are left, with my Superior Class Skill each shot destroys the little guys as they don't really stand a chance. If you listen closely you can hear them pop with each shot I fire.
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Class Item - Superior Mana Energy Rifle/Artillery/Melee
-Three Offensive Uses - Artillery 26 rounds, Rifle 104 rounds, Bayonet with extended reach (length increased by Mana Energy). Damage high to very high. Each attack can add affinities or skills. Reloads in spatial storage or with Mana Energy.
-Defensive - Rifle emits a controlled passive field that extends out from the unit, the defensive field is adjustable and obscures the vision of anyone targeting the position. Field can extend out to weakly cover a eight foot by eight foot area, smaller field offers higher protection. Field will block all non Mana Energy attacks. Drains Mana Energy on each defense block.
Class Skill - Superior Enhanced Attack
Attacking an enemy or target, this skill increases accuracy, speed, penetration, damage, and enhancements. Most strikes will result in critical or debilitating results. May be used with any attack armed or unarmed. Skill attacks will have available affinities added. Skill may highlight critical, sensitive, or weak strike zones. Skill drains Mana Energy with each use.
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Finishing off the last of the higher leveled roaches I can hear the battle continuing on the other side. The odd croaks and ribbits of frogs and the occasional shot from the defenders. Staring around at the mess I notice that the re-bar crew, the guys using the lengths of steel as weapons appear to be outside battling a troop of amphibian behemoths which must of been following the bugs. The gates are open and all over the roadway are damaged and dead cockroaches.
Corbie The Raven is hopping around picking up any core he can find and finishing off the nearly dead, Hopefully no one attacks him. He must be getting close to Level Six he has been Level Five for awhile.
Corbie / Swift Shadow Raven Level 5 / Agility - Speed - Vitality / Specialty - Shadow Strike / Keen Eye Sight - Blend with the dark - Fatal Slash - Shadow Bite - Grasp and Tear / Deadly
I shout out to him "Greedy guts, keep an eye on this side and let me know if they head back this way." he doesn't bother even Kraaaaing at me. I hop down off the car wall and jog over to the east side, and with a jump up I land next to one of the gunners. "Do they need any help?"
"We got em on the run....well hop...haha there were nine or ten of them chasing the cockroaches but they don't seem to have much to hurt us with, though they absorb damage like a tank" Looking out I see 7 frogs about four feet tall and almost as wide, their main attack seems to be their tongue, though one of them has a mean set of jagged teeth kind of like a shark, but the re-bar crew has them at a standstill with a couple of dead ones lying close by them.
Angry Whip Toad Level 3 / Agility - Dexterity / Skills: Tongue Whip - Regeneration / Weakness: Fire - Piercing / Weak
Another shot from the sniper and I see a hole appear in the biggest toad, the round travels through and out the other side, you can hear it ricochet off the pavement, as we watch the hole slowly closes, with a croak the beast turns around and as one the whole group turns about and hop back the way they came. They make a splut splut sound as they land and leap.
Once all the enemies are gone or dead I can see John and crew rummaging around the three corpses and grabbing the cores. One person is grabbing bits of toad and bug so they must have a skill for finding the usable parts like I do, well mine started with Mana Sense but it works, some type of skinning or scavenging skill maybe.
With a swoosh Corbie The Raven lands nearby "Kraaa aaa" with a chuckle I reply "Then you shouldn't of eaten so many, I don't care that they were delicious, now you are full and lazy."
With everyone busy I look at a few notifications, skipping the kill notifications I have a few new skills
SKILL LEARNED - MOVING TARGET
SKILL LEARNED - CHERRY PICKING
YOU ARE A DEFENDER OF 'MIDDLE OF THE ROAD' GARRISON YOUR DAMAGE IS INCREASED AGAINST ATTACKERS
SKILL INCREASED - PRECISION TARGETING > ADVANCED PRECISION TARGETING
EXPERIENCE SHARED TO PARTY - 4 MEMBERS
A long chunk of the notifications of shared experience, no wonder I didn't get a level I think Corbie and I fed Sam, Thomas, and Craig experience. I don't remember adding Craig to the party. At least Karen isn't there any longer Good riddance. Two new skills to add to my list is nice. Loads of kill notices, I may need to go hunting things a bit tougher though to make progress.
The few wounded people are being helped, and people are already cleaning up the inside of the Garrison. wandering outside to the West side I use Mana Sense and begin to harvest some carapace, wings, and the pointy bits of legs, here and there a few other bits were glowing. One had some type of poison sack the identified as Diseased Glands and another had wings that were sharpened and enhanced by Mana Energy, I think. Finding more like that, I used one to slice a few of the carcasses in half, being a bit more careful after that. Lots of crafting items here.
after a few minutes people began to join me on this side and I switched to guarding them as they gathered up what they could, I warned them about the wings. It takes about a half an hour and the roadway is mostly clear, the flares are out and once more we are a lonely beacon of light and safety in the darkness. People are milling about tiredly using almost dead cell phones or staring into space as they look at their notifications. Occasionally someone exclaims about a level or a skill, using my Identification randomly around I discover most people are level two or three, with a mix of classes but not many warrior or fighting types. They are still Secretary, Driver, Crafter, Cashier, Smoker, Gardener, and other basic real life Classes. I saw one Druid, another Ranged Warrior like my original class, a Manager, and a Bouncer among others.
At one of the tables a generic crafter was attaching some of the salvaged razor wings to a short length of rebar, he was talking about making weapons out of system materials to increase damage, then he went off on a rant about what he's seen groups do in movies. I think he has the right idea, those wings are sharp, they couldn't cut through my gloves but they sliced the insects up pretty good.
Grabbing another bad coffee from the food area I settled in at one of the tables and tried to calm down. My senses were picking up more hostile intent from all around and I could just make out the sound of cars coming from the south where the onramp is. They'll just miss us as they get up to speed as they are going the wrong way, but I don't think they'll miss the Garrison if they are paying any attention.