56 Magick Beasts 3 (1/2)
woong woong
Jin's glaive hummed in response to his mana. He adjusted his stance as he held his s.h.i.+eld on the other hand. He silently wished that Sebastian and Aima had crafted another magick weapon for him in the form of a s.h.i.+eld. Though the mana expenditure would increase, the rea.s.surance it gave would have been worth it. He let a sigh out and shook his head. Now was not the time to dwell on the past. He stood with fellow guards behind a makes.h.i.+ft barricade.
”You're here Jin. Hold the line as if your line depends on it. It might actually be the case.” Elias walked towards him while holding a greatsword. It exuded a slightly greenish hue and was humming as well.
”You also have a magick weapon Elias? I never saw it before.” Jin couldn't hide his surprise.
”That's because I recently acquired it. It's from Leo's cache. He gave some of his magick weapons to me and Rivie. The others were given to some of the promising guards. 'There's no point h.o.a.rding them when Wildecross is about to fall', he said.”
”That's rea.s.suring. Do we have a plan to repel these beasts?”
Elias shook his head, causing his flowing mane to shake back and forth as well. ”Unfortunately our backs are pressed against the wall at this point. We need to survive this onslaught and regroup. Leo's currently scouting nearby for a safe area where the survivors can hole up. Rivie's managing the healers and the survivors. That leaves the defense to you and me.”
BAM! BAM!
Shadows broke free from the surrounding rubble and appeared in front of the barricade in a flash. The mutated beasts swung their limbs with such ferocity that the ground shook. Each time they hit the makes.h.i.+ft wall, cracks appeared to threaten the guards within.
”GET READY!” Elias shouted with fierceness. The rest of the guards didn't respond, but they held their weapons closer and swallowed their saliva.
BLAM! BOOOOMM!
The barricade finally gave way to reveal a dozen mutated beasts in front of the guards. They were the only thing left standing in between the mutated beasts and the monastery housing the survivors.
”GRWAAAA!!”
Elias let out another deafening roar as he leapt into the mutated beasts. With each swing of his greatsword, the mutated beasts were cut apart. When they tried to use their limbs to defend, it was cut without resistance whatsoever. A hissing sound could be heard when his magick weapon came in contact with the beasts.
Jin also ran to cover Elias' back. While dodging the beasts' attacks coming from all sides, he couldn't help but be surprised. 'Just how far did he have to jump? He's deliberately surrounded at all sides!'
Finally reaching beside Elias, he finally started using his skills. ”[Oakskin]! [Spear Slash]!”
With his physical reinforcement and his offensive skill, he became a whirlwind of death. b.l.o.o.d.y limbs flew in all directions each time he swung his glaive.
Peering over his shoulder, Elias saw the carnage Jin was currently unleas.h.i.+ng.
”Good job Jin! We'll draw their attention while the other guards attack them from the outskirts!”
After felling their fourth mutated beast, fatigue began to take its toll.
”[Oakskin]!” Jin constantly used his only defensive spell in the hopes of covering his gaps. Each swing became harder than the last and he was only running on adrenaline alone.
Although he didn't show it, Elias' exhaustion levels were also increasing. Instead of slas.h.i.+ng the beasts in half, he was only able to severe a few limbs at best with their exchanges.
”My magick weapon can poison them! Don't worry about killing them off. Weaken them for the others to deal the final blow!” Elias gave a desperate command to Jin.
The mutated beasts were indeed getting sluggish and struggled after their exchanges. With the loss of limbs and with the magick poison ravaging through their bodies, the rest of the guards were able to pick them off easily. However, it was not without any casualties. Each swing of the mutated beast's limbs left dead bodies in its wake. Those without magick weapons or abilities to defend themselves were easily obliterated as if they were mere fodder.
An adventurer who was with the defence force looked at the remaining mutated beasts. ”There's only two of them left. We can do this!”
The rest of the guards straightened their backs with their newfound confidence. With their numbers, they only needed a final push to defeat them.
The adventurer picked up his weapon and started running towards the two beasts. ”HUWAAA!!!”
Seeing someone lead the charge, the other guards ran to the beasts behind him.
”No! Stay back and defend the lines! Don't charge!” Elias saw their misguided confidence and tried to allay them.
Seeing the defensive line charge towards it, the mutated beasts suddenly perked up. As if on cue, both started to run towards the guards in a straight line, one after the other.
Before the two sides reached each other, the mutated beast in the front suddenly stopped. It started glowing and humming loudly.
BOOOOOOMMMM!!
A deafening explosion overturned the ground and the sky. Even Elias and Jin who were standing quite far fell on their knees. As the smoke cloud was starting to settle, a huge figure broke through the cloud.
”The second one!” Jin found himself shouting towards the guards or what remained of it.
Elias was already on his feet and started running towards it. However, even with his beast-like prowess, he was still limited by his exhaustion. He wouldn't make it in time to stop the mutated beast from breaching the monastery. In his mind the second beast had already detonated itself inside the monastery, fueling his rage.
A few steps outside the monastery, a lone figure cleared the smoke with her staff.
”[Gust]!”
This allowed the smoke to clear at a faster rate, allowing her to see the mutated beast who was now airborne.
”[Ice Lance]! [Ice Lance]! [Lightning Strike]!”
The red-headed female dwarf cast her spells one after the other. Even though the mutated beast was stationary mid-flight, she didn't want to take any risks. With its distance, even if it were to detonate now, it would still cause damage to the monastery which was behind her.