Chapter 13

The Core Leechers unfurled. Like a scene from out of a nightmare, their bodies contorted and cracked, showing their true forms. Where moments before they’d looked like face hugger eggs, only with four clawed hands keeping them attached to the tendrils, now they stretched and uncurled, wet muscles contorting, revealing themselves to be four-legged creatures with elongated, flattened bodies and… no heads. Honestly, they looked like a horror version of the flying carpet from Aladdin, made from muscles and nightmares. Briefly, I noted a central, dark-red core near the belly of one Leecher, glinting with teeth. So, they did have mouths. Lovely.

As one, the monsters screeched and started running in our direction. With long, contorting leaps, their short legs ate up the short distance faster than they had any right to.

Nix and Haddock shot glancing, nervous looks in my direction, and at the tight tunnel waiting right behind Nix. Elio, meanwhile, took it as his cue to step into motion. Ciara having returned to his side, whispering frantically to him.

He spoke up with a grandiose tone. “Years from now, should you miraculously survive, you may look back at this moment with fondness. Remembering how you were fortunate enough to become a spectator to this, the first step of my ascension.” Softly, almost fondly, he whispered. “Missile Storm.”

The Core Leechers streamed toward us. As they had to circle around the lake, they didn’t advance as a collective mass, but instead in two lines, one moving left, the other right, with quite a bit of space in between each monster.

The air near the closest edge to the lake cracked. A hundred meters above, darkened skies laced with lightning-bright veins billowed and unfurled.

“Behold my power and weep!” Elio cried, lost in the sensation.

The missile storm erupted. Within seconds, a lethal rain exploded from the skies, pummelling the area near the edge of the lake with hundreds of droplets. Some were sharp, piercing through skin. Others were blunt and crashed onto Leechers with massive force. For one second, five, the entire area was hidden from view by the hostile downpour. Then the skies broke and faded into nothingness, as abruptly as they’d emerged.

Two Leecher bodies lay broken and unmoving. One was dragging itself forward by the front legs only, back legs broken and dangling. Either Elio had missed the remaining four unhurt monsters, or they’d powered through the barrage.

I clammed a hand over my mouth to keep the laughter from emerging. The look on his face! He’d stood there, arms raised like some sort of all-powerful cartoon figure. Now, his arms fell, as Ciara whispered to him and he realized they weren’t all dead.

His voice was uncertain, near-broken as he spoke again. “I… the cooldown. I cannot cast it again before-“

“Move, Mr. di Fiore.” Ciara said, pulling at his arms. She’d seen the writing on the walls and started to run, package in tow.

I patted Nix on the shoulder. “Your turn. Then, once you’ve done your bit, you move behind me. We’ve got this!”

She smiled at me. Well, I imagined that it was supposed to be a smile. It was either that, or a particularly painful bout of indigestion. Regardless, we sprinted into the tunnel part of Haddock’s creation.

We stopped right at the hindmost edge of the tunnel. Haddock spoke up. “I’ve got enough mana for a final wall, love. Block them off entirely if it’s needed.”

Nix bared her teeth at the simple, gently sloping tunnel laid before us, rough walls placed directly onto mud. Fifty meters of tight tunnel before it started widening. “Oh, it won’t be needed. I am going to level the ugly things.”

The seconds ticked by, painfully slow.

I growled. “Remember. Unleash that shit, and then run behind me.”

Finally, the first monster emerged at the tunnel opening, screeching inhumanly as it came.

It felt like a movie. Like somebody had activated super slow-motion, and then, the moment the Leecher reached the tunnel, actively increased the speed again.

I almost missed the whispered words from Nix. “Flash Flood.”

Like a biblical flood, it came from the heavens. This wasn’t like Elio’s talent, a massive build-up to a powerful unleashing. This was a gigantic faucet, turned on and then given a massive push in the right direction. At least half the water that emerged from above spilled out on either side of the tunnel. Yet what remained hit the ground hard and rushed toward the funnel opening at the far end, demonstrating an output and force that I could barely fathom. Parts of the water nearly reached the top of the three-meter walls.

The Leechers? Gone. Or, at least entirely out of sight. The mass of water hid everything and anything. Right this moment, I expected them all to be tossed across the ground at high speeds, breaking bone and tearing themselves up.

“I’m out. No more mana.” Nix croaked. Then she shuffled back behind me, patting me on the back. “I… hope that was all. If not, good luck.”

I stepped forward, feeling the weight of the shield pull at my arm. I felt awkward and clunky, especially knowing that I might have to fight for my life in a moment. But at the same time, the heft felt good. Solid. In comparison, the swordbreaker in my right hand felt flimsy, more gardening tool than defensive weapon.

Already, I could tell that I was more than when I’d entered this world. I was tougher. Felt like I’d be able to take a full twelve rounds of punishment from some of the heftiest bastards back in the gym. But feelings were one thing. I’d spent enough time testing myself to know just how easy it was to misjudge my own capabilities. This… would be the actual test.

The flood disappeared as fast as it had arrived, water bursting out of view and down toward the lake below, exploding out the tunnel mouth at top speed. At first, it seemed that the tunnel had been cleared. Then, the Core Leechers stood up.

The damn beasts had already shown that they were bestial contortionists. Now, they proved that they also possessed the mental faculties to truly abuse that. The three remaining monsters had flung themselves flat against the tunnel floor and hammered their claws into the soft soil to fix themselves in place, keep from being torn away. Their bodies looked deflated, drenched and battered. But their trick had worked. Three had made it. Two, one of them the one with the broken legs, were nowhere to be seen.

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My mouth felt dry. My legs were shaking. But I didn’t back down. Now? Now, it was my time to show what I was made of.

The beasts loped forward, muscles rearranging as they ran, increasing in speed by the second. Then, they spread out, side by side.

I hunkered down, right at the centre of the tunnel, bone shield placed in front of me. My feet were in the classic boxing position, legs spread well apart for balance, dominant foot at the back, left foot forward, ready for small adjustments and movements as necessary.

They were almost upon me. Then, the trio of beasts slowed down somewhat, all at the same time.

“Great. Pack animals.” I just had time to think the thought, before the first one leapt straight at me, and the two others sprinted to either side of me.

I barely managed to activate Wave of Reflection in time. Half of my mind was in shock, barely adjusting to what was happening. Then, reflexes took over, and I adjusted the shield, hunkered down to fend off the attack.

One set of claws scratched down one side of the shield, tearing a long line into the leather covering. The other punched straight through the shield, cutting into the side of my forearm. I ground my teeth, focusing on the Leecher exclusively, eyes on the set of teeth in its midriff now hitting the shield.

The response from my talent arrived, delayed perhaps half a second. A dark wave of energy burst out, aimed straight at the centre of the monster.

The Leecher’s entire body shuddered, then seemed to deflate, as the dark energy poured past and into it, removing something vital. I cried out in equal parts shock and triumph as the shield suddenly became a lot heavier and started to drag my arm down. Then, a line of fire cut across my left leg, and I stumbled back, leg refusing to carry my full weight.

I limped back, Leecher still attached by one set of claws to the shield. Snarling, I realized it was actually dead, and I used my swordbreaker to pry it off the shield.

Then I found myself surrounded, turning one way, then the other, with a badly bleeding leg. One Leecher was in front of me, one behind.

My mind worked on overdrive to realize what had happened. Were the beasts really clever enough to plan this? Then I noticed. No. One of the damn things sprouted two arrows. Ciara had actually hit one, forced it back. Meanwhile, the other one snuck past me and got my leg good in the process. My identify activated again, showing that they were the Level 12 one, with the other being Level 8.