Chapter 636 (1/2)

Specs? Randidly asked quickly as he leaped sideways to escape the shockwave of the hand smashing down and crushing the two squad members. The sheer force of the thing stumbled all of the members of their expedition but Randidly, who moved quickly to avoid as soon as it moved.

Well, everyone else but Azriel.

Immense physical strength, practical immortality… but all of this was disproved by Aemont. Azriel said, landing behind the Propagator. She had rushed forward beneath its spindly limbs rather than avoiding and had hit it directly with her spear. The point skittered off of the strange blue-grey material that made up its body.

...but perhaps it is based upon truth. Still, attacks of a certain caliber should work-

Randidly wanted to explain to her that he knew how Aemont defeated the Propagator, and it wasn’t with power. It was with the extremely specific Skill Breath of the Spear Phantom. But once more, the Propagator blurred into motion.

Twisting around, it faced Azriel before she could move. After opening its mouth, it blasted out another roar that physically smashed her into the ground. Gritting his teeth, Randidly threw himself into motion.

Azriel was already standing again, but her clothes were ripped. Looming above, the Propagator raised its hand.

How the fuck was it so fast when its body was so large…?

Before Randidly could arrive, Sergeant Platton arrived. He smashed into the Propagator’s spindly torso, which was about as thin as its arms. Immediately, it seemed like a smoke bomb went off. A smoke thicker even than the mist earlier spread outwards to cover the group. Randidly sensed Azriel streaking off around to unite with their group.

“I said RETREAT,” Sergeant Platton hissed as they rushed through the cover of the mist. “We are nowhere near capable of defeating it, especially behind enemy lines. Plus, we need to report-”

GRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH.

The entire group was knocked off of their feet and fell into a tangle of limbs. The roar was the beat of a drum against the very planet they were standing on. In addition, the nearby smoke and mist were blasted away by the force.

The Propagator was straight up like a meerkat peeking out of its burrow. It rapidly twisted, until it spotted their group, regaining their feet. Its limbs seemed double jointed because its spine bent and it began to skitter towards the group on four limbs, its large head twisting around so its three orbs fixed on them.

In addition, the Propagators are in charge of the reproduction of the Wights. Azriel said while facing the oncoming force of nature. They gather the dead bodies of Wights and our people… to create new Wights. There is a theory that Wights-

“By the Spearman’s balls, that thing is creepy,” Skarch said, and Randidly chuckled in spite of himself.

Then he looked to the Sergeant. “If you cover us with smoke again, I think I have a way of keeping it from knocking away our cover.”

Platton gave Randidly a hard look. “You aren’t staying here-”

“I won’t have to,” Randidly countered. Truly, he wanted the chance to test himself against this opponent, but he had been knocked sideways by simply it yelling. The squad Sergeant Platton was moving with were people whose Level was in the upper 40s. And yet they were ripped to pieces with a single hand.

He just needed to stop its breath.

Then the Propagator was there, and they didn’t have the luxury of talking. It swiped an arm sideways, and Sergeant Platton moved to stop it. To even the Propagator’s surprise, its strike hit the Sergeant as everyone else scattered… and it stopped dead. The Sergeant spat a fat wad of phlegm on the thing’s body and then the smoke exploded outwards.

Randidly took a breath. Then his eyes began to glow. A silhouette appeared in his mind, proud and lonely. Aemont. A man who would die silently to take down an opponent. His spine was as tall as proud as a spear in Randidly’s mind, and just as deadly. The Skill took hold, and Randidly felt the target’s body stiffen in confusion.

Running quickly, Randidly caught up with the rest of the group. One of the subordinates of Sergeant Platton was supporting the Sergeant, which earned Randidly’s confused glance.

The Sergeant grimaced. “That puppet is not as strong as it looks. Mostly it relies on how hard its body is.”

“Puppet? Also, where did Silo go?” Skarch asked distractedly, casting her eyes around. The group was back in the smoke and had about three seconds head start. Randidly could feel the Propagator taking in a breath.

Randidly could sense Silo, so he pointed. Luckily, the guy still seemed mobile, although he was clearly limping away. Although Silo was about to stumble into a group of Wights. Luckily, the group took his point seriously and veered to the side, rushing through the mist.

The Propagator tried to roar. Randidly resisted.