Chapter 92: 2-41 Pallid

Erin considered it one of her many great fortunes in receiving a map that could help her in getting to The Singularity. Perhaps lady luck had shown her sympathy and maybe it was just pure happenstance. Either way, Erin cared not for the reason. She was just simply relieved that in her time of great need, she had what she needed. However, she didn’t have everything she needed.

For one, the only weapons Erin had were her silver steel saber and a magic sword in the guise of a rusted weapon. The former couldn’t be said to be much of a weapon. Till now, she failed to find any ways to lift the spell of the magic sword. Weapons aside, her level was barely the baseline of The Singularity’s threat. For all she knew, she could be torn asunder the moment she entered the basin.

As she rode fast and stout through the unpaved path towards her goal, she clutched the satchel on her right hip. The satchel contained vials of aphrodisiac. Those were his contingency in the events that she had truly overstepped her boundaries. She needed power no more than ever and for once, she needed strength not for herself or her pride, but for a girl she had come to love and care for greatly. Ironically, she needed Lust Deviant. Her battle with Aedan had proven that Lust Deviant wasn’t purely carnal. She had mistaken that should Lust Deviant activate, she would be helpless against anyone who meant harm to her but thanks to Aedan, she found it out to be contrary. Her survival instincts took over and channeled the power given by Lust Deviant towards self-preservation.

But lately, in the past few days, Lust Deviant has remained tame. She laughed at herself for shunning Lust Deviant. Now, she wished with every fiber of her body for Lust Deviant to awaken. Should that fail to transpire naturally, she would force it to. She didn’t know if aphrodisiacs would work but considering she had already colluded with a zealous religious order, this wouldn’t be her most absurd idea.

The winds began to change as she closed in on The Singularity. The breeze carried a smell that Erin could only describe as stale and pungent, an odour that would twist one’s expression. A smell that Erin had become far too accustomed to. It was the smell of death. From the map given by Rosemary, she was still miles away from The Singularity but the terrain had already shifted greatly. She was no longer in a forgiving territory. As evidence, a large figure lunged at her from among the trees. She only had a brief moment to appraise her sudden assailant but in that split second, she saw its level, twenty-three.

Erin pulled the rein on her horse and her mount grazed to a stop, right before the point of her assailant’s lunge. Erin dismounted her horse and sent the frightened creature back the way it sprinted from. While this would slow her pace considerably, she also didn’t like the notion of sending the poor horse to its death. With her saber drawn, Erin confronted her assailant, a tiger-like monster in all black that stood over six feet tall, a Dusk Claw. Erin remembered encountering the same monster in Green Scar but only that they were considerably smaller.

The Dusk Claw looked to be ready to pounce at any moment. However, as it did so, another monster emerged from the vegetation. Erin heard it coming but she couldn’t smell it. The deathly smell had made almost all perception through the sense of smell nigh-impossible. The monster that emerged was a few feet taller than the Dusk Claw.

“A Spiked Grizzly?” Erin remarked in her heart. The Spiked Grizzly was the same level as the Dusk Claw but obviously, it was stronger. It trapped the Dusk Claw under its gigantic paw and ripped its head off with a single bite. The Spiked Grizzly was without a doubt a shrunken relative of the Razor Grizzly. It looked the same as its gigantic cousin save for its lack of razor for claws and its razor-back. Instead of razors, small spikes adorned its back. As much as she found a slight admiration for the novelty of monsters, she shuffled the Spiked Grizzly off its mortal coil with a decapitation using Arcane Edge: Aura Shot. It was savoring on the Dusk Blade’s head and didn’t seem to view Erin as a threat, a severe and its last mistake.

[Experience gained +25% - Level Progression: 45%]

With the obstacles out of the way, Erin proceeded her journey on foot. She did not run but instead kept her pace to walking. Running would tire herself out much too quickly and it also subjected her to a much shorter window of response time should another ambush occur. In fact, just a mile later, she had already been attacked by Serks, Rot-rats, Rock Apes alike. The monsters were all higher level than their counterparts in Green Scar. The comfort she had was that the monsters didn’t have higher intelligence. They were stronger and faster but only a little. Their movements were far too obvious to elude Erin’s sharp focus. They all fell to her blade.

[Experience gained +60% - Level Progression: 105%]

[Erinthea: Level 18 increase to Level 19]

[Skill Points gained +2]

[Ability Points gained +2]

[Level Progression: 5%]

Erin had to admit, she was grateful for the monsters standing in her path. They yielded plenty of experience and hopefully by the time she reached her destination, she would be at a level that she didn’t need to resort to an absurd method.

Another peculiar thing she noticed was a set of tracks leading to The Singularity. Judging by the tracks’ slightly deep indent on the soil, it could be a simple cart or a carriage. Regardless, Erin couldn’t understand why anyone would venture through these parts in a vehicle. The manner of terrains around these parts was untamed and unkind. Wheels would be at impasses on many parts. Given the erratic patterns of the tracks, Erin could only surmise the individuals onboard their vehicle to be desperate, enough to choose The Singularity as their destination. Erin doubted the individuals had the same intention as her. Nevertheless, in the current dire strait, it was of paramount importance to determine whether these individuals were friends or foes.

As Erin walked, fogs began to appear and since the last Rock Ape that jumped at her a branch directly above her, no other monsters attacked her. The tracks of the vehicle led further in but going by the many splinters she had come across, she gathered it wouldn’t be long before she saw the wreckage of the cart.

Erin seized this transient moment of serenity to provide herself with sustenance on the move. She was short on time but she needed all that she could muster. Therefore, having her meal as she walked was the best option she had. While chewing her dry and near flavourless provision, she thought back on Lyra. No doubt her lover would be furious by now trying to follow her. Rosemary and Iris would definitely be stopping her. As for Celia, she might still be in her sleep or she could be awake. Either way, her mind wouldn’t last long. The juvenile mind was far too fragile for just any treatment, especially if it was a curse that had taken its roots deep. There was no telling what would happen if they let miasma fester within Celia. At best, she would depart from this world. At worst, she could be turned into a thrall of the Necromancer. The many treatments Celia received from Saphielle had treated the symptoms but to truly treat her damaged mind and dispel the miasma at its core, Mist Pearls would be needed and the Necromancer eliminated.

Her thoughts then moved to Green Scar. She was only adequate in arithmetic but by now, the monster horde would have arrived in the town of Green Scar. Her hope lied with Aedan and the Ruvans. She prayed for the victory and for the casualties to be kept to the minimum. In her wishful thinking, she hoped there would be none.

Erin’s thoughts of her friends and acquaintances came to an end when a series of growls entered her ears. They weren’t the growls of any beast she was familiar with. She focused her gaze on the path in front of her, blurred by the incessant growing fog. Among growls, there was the sound of flesh being torn asunder and the spill of blood. Considering her distance from the noise, she managed to pick up whiffs of fresh blood, humans’. Her vision of the growling source became clear as she neared. A wreckage of a carriage came into her sights. Monsters were lurking among it, beasts that greatly resemble gray fur wolves of humanoid shapes.

Sixth Sense was silent of the danger but her innate instinct compelled her to take cover, and she picked a fallen log beside the unpaved road. The log was large enough to hide her from the beasts who were busy devouring the victims of the crash that the beasts themselves presumably caused.

Erin was struck with a queer feeling. When saw those beasts, she froze; something that had not happened to her in a long time. Ever since she began honing her swordsmanship, she had become fearless to most threats. Against a stronger opponent, she would feel only thrill and excitement. But here, she felt no excitement nor thrill. If she had to label her fear, it would be primal. She chose to hide instead of standing her ground. She didn’t understand why, at least not entirely. She appraised the beasts the moment she laid eyes on them.

Wulvers, they were called. Unlike werewolves, which were human-turned-beasts, Wulvers were simply beasts with a body that allowed them to be bipedal or quadrupedal. There were six of those Wulvers in the brief glance she had, all ranging around the level in the twenties.

Erin had her grip around her saber. Even so, her hands didn’t stop trembling. She didn’t doubt her ability to slay all six of those beasts but nevertheless, something in her compelled her body to hide. She struggled to still her hands but her fear moved on. She could no longer hear the growls but the paws imprinting themselves on the soil were clear to her ears. Somehow, the Wulvers had picked on her presence and were slowly approaching her.

With a deep breath and great conviction, she dug her nails into her palm and forced herself to confront the Wulvers. She rose from where she hid with a cry. A Wulver lunged at the same moment. Her resolve was met with the Wulver’s, the beast’s jaws inches away from tearing into her throat. But her speed prevailed. Her blade, coated with Arcane Edge, carved into the Wulver’s head first.

[Experience gained +25% - Level Progression: 30%]

When the Wulvers saw one of their own being so easily slain, they halted their approach. Their gaze stayed on Erin and they once began to let their growl leak through their clenching bloodstained sharp teeth.

“Hesitating are they? Interesting,” Erin remarked. Now she understood a little of her primal fear. The enemies in front of her weren’t complete dullards. They were relentless but not mindless. They had the capacity to study their opponent. The first Wulver was in all likelihood a test for their prey’s capabilities. Now they knew, they had become cautious. They had the speed, strength, most of important of all, a semblance of intelligence.

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The Wulvers began to spread out, slowly circling around Erin. Without any choice, Erin drew her other sword too, the rusted blade. The blade wouldn’t cut in this state but it would serve adequately as a tool for defense, especially against the Wulvers’ vicious bites. The bigger problem was the fact the Wulvers had opposable thumbs. They could easily grasp their opponents.

The Wulver directly behind Erin dropped onto all fours with its hind legs bent. Erin quickly turned around with her saber swinging just as the Wulver lunged. The Wulver slowed the swing with one of its forelimbs, enough delay for it to dodge the swing. Another Wulver pounced with her back turned. Erin blocked the bite with her rusted sword. Sure enough, the rusted sword was still dull but still sturdy as its original form. The rest of the Wulvers attacked in this window.

Erin let both of her swords go and conjured lightning into her palms. She sent two Wulvers flying away with Lightning Bolts but not enough to kill them. She donned her tails in Arcane Armor and smashed them against the fifth Wulver against its head. It stumbled back. She grabbed her saber and swung down at the dazed Wulver, decapitating it.

[Experience gained +25% - Level Progression: 55%]

Before Erin could return to her stance, the Wulvers had attacked again. This time, her speed failed her, and the Wulver bit into her right arm. She gritted her teeth against the pain. She plunged her saber into the Wulver holding to her arm with its jaws.

[Experience gained +25% - Level Progression: 80%]

“Ugh!? Fuck!” Erin cursed out as the deceased Wulver’s jaws did not loosen even after losing its life. The Wulver fell to the ground and dragged Erin down with it. The Wulver was heavy and even though the weight was still within Erin’s ability, it did slow her movement considerably. The remaining three Wulvers pounced at her.

Erin screamed and lifted the dead Wulver clinging onto her arm with all her might. She bashed the carcass against three of its kind. The force from the swing, coupled with the carcass’ weight, the carcass flew off too but not before tearing off a chunk of flesh from Erin’s arm. The shock came first before the pain and her scream was soundless from all the sudden surge of agony. She was even gasping for air.

The three Wulvers recollected their bearings and raised themselves from the ground, but Erin remained on the ground. The incessant had taken away the strength in her legs.

Erin was no less determined to see this battle through. She was greatly injured and even now, her primal fear was telling her to run. However, she was hellbent on taking the three down. Her pride as a swordsman took precedence. The feeling was queer but not unfamiliar. She just needed to be accustomed to it once again.

The Wulvers had similar looks of conviction to have Erin as their meal. Their growls turned into snarls as they slowly approached the seemingly hopeless Fox-kin. Had they been any less intelligent, they would have charged right at her and fell prey to one of her many creative ways of using her blade. They knew their prey weren’t like the ones they fed on from the wreckage.

Erin covered herself in Arcane Armor and cast Mystic Blade on her saber.

But then a sinister and hollow roar resounded from the distance. The Wulvers instantly stopped in their tracks. They looked around, terror in their darting gazes. Once the roar resounded again, they howled back but instead of going towards the roar, they ran away from it.

Erin sent her gaze to her right, where the roar came from. Aside from the roar, she could hear bushes rustling and branches breaking, and these sounds were only getting louder and louder. Whatever that scared the Wulvers away, it was closing on her fast.

Erin forced herself to her feet and ran. Every step hurt her wound. She dispelled Mystic Blade and Arcane Armor and focused on healing her wound with Spirit Mend, all the while the sounds behind were getting closer.

But the moment she heard a clear hiss behind her, she stopped. The creature had caught up to her.

Erin laughed to herself. She stopped her healing and turned around to face her opponent. And she laughed even louder.

The creature was a Serk but not just any Serk. It was a Pallid Serk but pallid only in appearance. It was four times the size of a normal Serk and it had a longer body. The glaring difference lied in the cracks all over its body, which were leaking gray smoke. Another cause of concern was its level. The Pallid Serk was level thirty-five, higher than the Razor Grizzly.

 

Erinthea - Faerie-kin: Three-Tailed Fox-kin

Level: 19 | Status: Moderate Exhaustion, Gravely Wounded

Might: 20 | Arcane: 27 | Finesse: 24

Magic Arts
Spirit Magic Lv. 8 | Arcane Edge Lv. 5 | Arcane Armor Lv. 10 | Lightning Magic Lv. 4 | Arcane Aegis Lv. 1

Combat Arts
Sword Art Lv. 7 | Fleet Foot Lv. 5 | Brawler Lv. 5

Innate Skills
Appraisal Lv. Ex | Night Vision Lv. Ex | Sixth Sense Lv. Ex | Toxin Resistance Lv. 2 | Lust Deviant Lv. Ex

Unique Talent
Mystic Blade Lv. Ex | Revenant Lv. Ex

 

Level Progression: 80%

Remaining Skill Points: 2

Remaining Ability Points: 2

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