17: Who Let the dogs out

[Year 17 Month 9: 6 Months have passed]

[Blessed: 2612 – 32 + 258]

Codex had confirmed what we had been waiting to hear. “I am positive the Invasion has begun.” Sending me the information related to it, the newly specialised [Runic Researcher] continued, “The ambient corruption has hit an apparent threshold, and spiked to 10% before dropping sharply. I do not know the exact reason, but I suspect that there are waves occurring at this moment. It is a matter of time before the local region experiences them.”

Everyone in Runehold and Gorn was worried about the invasion, so I saw an increase in the number of citizens willing to be blessed at the dungeon obelisk. People were just trying to get whatever edge they could over the impending invasions.

Sure enough, a few days after Codex detected the surge in corruption, we received several reports from hunters and adventurers that kept the beast population regulated, of a strange new beast.

With the shape similar to that of a large hound, they were designated Stalkerhounds for the aura of darkness that they naturally generated. They were an estimate level of 15, but had some variance. We weren’t positive that they were a Vexus variant until I watched them consume some local wildlife.

Their mouths would open to reveal a maw of tendrils, they would worm into their food and insert themselves into the bones and blood, draining both of their fluids. Leaving behind a husk of flesh.

While their unique way of feeding wasn’t an immediate giveaway of their species, the results were. After consuming the bone marrow and blood of beasts, they would enter a short hibernation, and their bodies would begin to ooze the corrupted mana of the Vexus.

I had even watched one replicate, similar to bacteria, reproduction was asexual and only took a few days to morph into a weird creature with multiple of the same organs, before pulling themselves apart and separating into two different hounds.

Curiously, Codex was able to detect a slight dip in the corruption mana before they became two different monsters.

Warning Astrid of the incoming threat, she released a statement revealing the presence of Vexus nearby, but also assured that the fortifications would hold against the impending invasion.

And so everyone now knew, the next invasion had officially begun.

[Year 17 Month 11: 2 Months have passed]

[Blessed: 2838 – 56 + 152]

A few adventurers were lost in combat with the Vexus, but the occurrence of attacks was rather low and focused on the forested areas of the region.

It had been long enough for the city of Runehold to receive several messengers from the kingdom, and sure enough, they mentioned the coming of the Vexus. There were only a few bits of new information. One of which was that the wars that had swallowed most of the Avarian continent, with the incoming invasion, pretty much every battle ceased overnight, and according to Osbert, this was usual.

The ‘peacetimes’ that follow the slain invasion boss normally lead to a reshuffling in power, with different countries doing better than others. Although the second that another invasion began, they pretty much died down immediately, with the various nations focusing on their own countries’ defenses rather than expanding them.

The other, honestly more important information was on the Vexus themselves. So far, we had only seen stalkerhounds, but according to the kingdom, there were a few other variations that had been causing plenty of trouble to the major cities.

There were Vexus hounds that dug under fortifications and would randomly pop up from the earth. The stalkerhounds would work together with these variations, but so far, that was a rare occurrence.

While there were a few other sightings of other variations that were much stronger or larger, none of these could be confirmed, and so they stayed as suspicions and possibilities rather than probabilities.

Runehold and Gorn were fortunate that we were still relatively small when compared to the hundreds of thousands of people that lived on the coasts of the Avarian continent.

It was only a matter of time, though, before the attacks grew in strength and the canine Vexus would expand their hunting grounds. The beginning of invasions were always easy, but ramped up in difficulty after a year or two. I feared that the lack of other populated areas nearby would lead to a hard focus on both of the settlements under my influence, but so far, there was no need for my intervention on any front.

[Year 18 Month 3: 4 Months have passed]

[Blessed: 2934 – 78 + 92]

A few farmers had been caught outside of the walls when a small pack of stalkerhounds came from a nearby forest and were not intercepted before the workers had already been drained dry, leaving behind the fluidless sacs of meat.

From here on out, any citizens working jobs far from the walls were to be accompanied by at least a single guard. With most of Runehold’s guards being above average in levels as they dove the city dungeon in shifts to gain experience, even one guard could hold back a small group of stalkerhounds till others could help.

With Codex now splitting his attention between research and monitoring the Vexus situation, he would report when the monsters began to gather in large quantities.

Already, the stalker hounds were beginning to increase in numbers; when compared to the first couple of months, their packs went from an average of 7 hounds to 23.

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If it kept increasing, we would soon be fighting hundreds, just a repeat of the dungeon break all over again, but this time the Vexus wouldn’t be critically weak to fire.

Maybe… maybe I begin to fill in some of the extra room in the production facility. My current forges and storage rooms only take up 15% of the space, so I could fit in some emergency shelters.

“Metis?” I called, feeling her attention snap to me. I continued, “Since incoming traffic has decreased, I imagine your processing space has been greatly freed up?”

She responded with an affirmative, “Yes, I can currently split my attention several more times if needed.”

“Then, since Codex is busy with R&D and monitoring the Invasion, I want you to take the steel golems that are available and begin to retrofit the empty rooms in the facility. Suitable for long-term habitation.”