128: First Contact

It almost seemed like a blur to Alexandra. Getting off the train at the station, dragging all their gear onto a different train heading north, getting off that one, bringing their stuff to the armoury, then immediately putting it all on. They were there for a reason, and there was no point in wasting time.

Soon enough, Alexandra felt uncharacteristically strong. The steel armour gleaming over her form brought with it a power in her muscles that wasn’t there before. All of it felt light as cloth, yet didn’t impede in the slightest. Every step she took was sure and delicate, and a quick experiment proved that she could, indeed, pluck a fly right out of the air with a gauntleted hand- quite easily, in fact.

It had been a little embarrassing to strip to nothing in a room full of strangers to then be strategically dressed and armoured in nothing but Eris’s creations, with a lot of the people in the room being the ones to make sure all the straps were positioned and buckled properly, but at least it made the process go rather quickly. Even when Jaxie, Claire, Nima and Meghan were getting the exact same treatment beside her.

From their Vitality and stamina-regenerating socks to the rings and earrings that increased every single one of Alexandra’s core stats to the maximum amount of A+, save for Mind, Control and Craftsmanship which were useless to her, Alexandra was feeling so much power it was almost disorienting. Based on the reactions of each of her party members, they were feeling the same way. 

However, none of them talked about it. There was definitely time to talk, as they, along with Naomi, Rebecca, Nima’s roommate Jason, and a number of other level-seven-or-above students were escorted through the Syndicate-occupied fields and towards the wall that had been set up to serve as the containment line. However, none of them did- not even as they all handed over the letters they wrote to Elmas, who would hold onto all of them and only distribute them if the worst happened.

Alexandra supposed she was a little like Jaxie in that way- she didn’t write a letter to the Berserker in the same way that the Berserker didn’t write one for her. If something was going to happen, they would be together anyway.

Though, as they walked closer to the large, thirty-foot stone wall that had been erected sometime within the last few days, part of Alexandra wished otherwise. Part of her wanted to write out a letter to both Eris and Jaxie, calling them out for just how cruel they were. How evil and awful. 

Both of them had been content to leave her aside, until Eris was suddenly able to see that Alexandra was apparently tainted with Envy. Then, they were practically fawning over her. It was disgusting. Neither of them gave a shit until some magical skill told them that Alexandra was hurting. Then, they pretended to care. Breakfast dates, nighttime cuddles, morning fucks, along with kisses and hugs whenever they happened to meet up with each other. Even now, Jaxie was holding Alexandra’s hand while they walked towards the reinforced gates built into the containment line wall. 

It was a cruelty that Alexandra wouldn’t have wished for anyone. A disgusting facsimile of love from the people she cared about most, who would never treat her the way they treated each other.

But Alexandra still didn’t hate it as much as she hated herself for clinging onto Jaxie’s hand like a lifeline- desperate for any measure of affection, no matter how fake.

Gods, she was fucking pathetic.

“This will be different from normal protocol,” the captain leading them, whose name Alexandra didn’t quite catch, spoke loudly. “Normally, the wall is manned by ranged combatants who will eliminate anything before it gets close, and the only melee combatants that go beyond the wall are ones part of groups for direct missions. The last thing we are aiming for here is level progression- especially if it comes with this kind of risk. However, this is an abnormal circumstance so an exception is being made.”

The captain pointed towards the large gate.

“The fifteen of you will all exit that gate and take up a defensive position just outside the wall. None of you are to go further than one hundred feet from the wall, for any reason. Nobody on the wall is to interfere with any of your combat with any Fodders that arrive, but they will seek to eliminate any DT’s that show up before they may cause you harm. As for the lot of you…”

She turned back to the armoured and equipped group.

“Miss Kerrot, Qualley, Gargrave, Massato and Leghume are hereby going to be referred to as Hope squad. They are the focus of this endeavour. If at all possible, the five of them are to engage and eliminate every single Fodder that approaches the wall in this segment. Any Fodders that ignore them and attack you, or go straight for the wall, are yours to engage as you see fit. However, you are to remain aware of Hope squad’s situation at all times. If there is any circumstance where any of them require assistance, you are to provide it. Their level progression is more important than yours, but not as important as their lives.”

The captain then turned to the five at the front.

“Speaking of which- you five are almost guaranteed to level up. Likely more than once. Even though you are only to be fighting Fodders, the Hollow gives a very, very large amount of level progression- far more than even the Obelisk. Whenever any of you level up, you will be temporarily incapacitated at which time the support squad behind you will step in to ensure that the situation is handled. As for any new skills that any of you receive, you are not to attempt to use them during this time. If it can be helped, you are to only use your level one abilities, no matter what you may receive.”

“Why?” Meghan asked.

“Simple. The last place you want to be testing out new abilities is in the middle of a battle with the most dangerous enemies you have ever faced. You will only use what you know you can rely on.”

“Okay, fair enough.”

“Now,” the captain continued. “All of you will remain outside the gate for twenty minutes, or until circumstances call for your retreat. At that time, the defenders atop the wall will take over extermination and will eradicate anything within your vicinity. You will retreat through the gate, be thoroughly examined and cleaned of any hazardous material, and then return to the command tent just over there for debriefing. If necessary, you may test any new skills or abilities you may have received, restock on special items that may have been used, and then regroup with the support squad for another twenty-minute deployment outside the wall. Understood?”

All of them nodded.

“Then move to the gate and stand ready.”

Still hand in hand with Jaxie, the two of them led the advance and stopped just outside the large doors. How they managed to make a thirty foot tall, six-foot thick, solid stone concrete wall with no visible seams in a matter of days was beyond Alexandra, but she had bigger worries right now. As the last of the group got into position, the captain shouted from behind all of them.

“Hope squad, support squad, bear arms!”

Alexandra was forced to let go of Jaxie’s hand as she drew her sword. A simple, very plain-looking steel blade with a leather bound grip. As basic as a sword could possibly be, just like all of the equipment Eris made for the Hope squad. The only things of note were the antlers engraved, stitched, or carved into all the pieces. An incredibly simple design marking the base of the blade just above the hilt and the face of the metal-plated shield, but one that sparked an odd sense of comfort. 

Eris made these. Nobody else. Eris. 

Jaxie flipped down the visor of her full-face helmet, wearing an otherwise identical set of armour to Alexandra. So did Nima, again wearing a similar set, though the helmet was more open to allow for a greater field of vision. Meghan and Claire both adjusted their own helmets as well, again being the open kind to allow for maximum visibility. Meghan had commented before that the helmets made them look stupid, but she didn’t seem to be complaining now. Instead, both casters were double-checking the straps of the armour buckled over special robes.

It wasn’t much armour, only the essential pieces. Leather bracers, greaves, and breastplates and the aforementioned helmets. Metal armour apparently didn’t attune to the types of stat modifications that casters required, whereas robes and clothing did. Leather could get away with it, but not as efficiently. Unfortunately, trying to wear a full set of robes or clothing designed for casters underneath a full set of armour was dysfunctional at the best of times, not to mention the fact that it diluted the magic of both. So, just a few pieces were all that could be spared.

Alexandra used the pommel stone of her sword to flip down the visor of her helmet- reducing her field of vision to what the multiple slits and holes in the metal allowed. Part of her was mourning the loss of much of her vision, but the other parts were thankful for the added protection. After all, ideally, she’d be the one getting piled on by every single threat. She couldn’t afford a weakness in her armour.

“Defenders, clear the area!”

“Area clear!” came the reply from atop the wall. Since Alexandra hadn’t seen them firing down bows or spells all that much in the moments leading up to now, that was as clear an indication of any that this section was relatively sparse. On one hand, it was bad. They needed to slay the Hollow to get level progression, so the more, the better. On the other hand, the more Hollow that attacked them meant- well… the more Hollow that attacked them.

At least for this first time, Alexandra was more than okay with a little scarcity in their opponents.

“Open the gate!”

Alexandra expected a loud, rumbling roar of stone on stone as the huge gates swung inwards at a snail’s pace. In reality, they eased open with nary a sound and at a shocking speed. Alexandra led the advance as the group stepped beyond the wall, and past the containment line.

She expected darkness, with rotting grass covering the farmland and twisted abominations descending upon them like a tide. She’d be able to smell the death and decay in the air and feel the corruption rolling over her skin, trying to find purchase.

There was none of that. It was normal, recently harvested farmland that had likely been in the process of getting prepared for the winter. Nothing was dead or tainted. Nothing, except for one thing.

While the soil may not have been corrupted and there may not have been visible monsters charging at them, that didn’t mean the monsters hadn’t already tried coming in this direction. Alexandra herself had seen the defenders on the wall shooting down at the occasional unseen threat. The remnants left behind were scattered across the field. And they were confusing.

One charred body seemed like it might have been a cow, or maybe a pig. It was hard to tell with the way that the body opened up right down the middle, with each half having grown new sets of limbs in odd numbers. The skin was mottled gray with patchy black fur, and one half ended in six legs where only three had hooves. The others were just fleshy stumps that actually seemed to have teeth growing out like the head of a mace. That half also had the head of the creature, which damned near looked like it had melted and caved in on itself with teeth that poked all the way up through the skull to extend out like spiny barbs from the top. Eye sockets were stretched out and merged with the nostrils of the beast, but no eyes were actually visible. Instead, from the mouth that hung open and dead on the ground were five visible tongues- four of which seemed to have glassy black orbs that could very well have been new eyes.

As for the other half of the creature, it split off right at the neck like it ran face-first into an axe blade and got bisected to the hindquarters. That half only seemed to grow one extra leg to support it, but that leg ended in four different feet- two with hooves and two with bony horns that curled upwards like fishing hooks. The body of that other half was covered in blisters and buboes and tumors and pimples the size of apples. Some of them even had floppy ears or tiny appendages that may have been tails. Where it had split off at the neck, though, the second body ended in a large spike as flesh seemed to be melted into bone and turned into a weapon.

All in all, it was a truly hideous, horrific abomination of a creature, and Alexandra was grateful that it was dead in the dirt. Much like the other, even more disfigured monstrosity about ten feet behind it, which Alexandra found herself hard-pressed to determine if it was originally a wolf or a horse. Or the other body twenty feet away. Or the other one. Or the other one.

“That’s horrifying…” Claire mumbled from behind Alexandra, voicing the words of all of them. Well, except for Meghan.

“That’s both disgusting and awesome.”

“Movement! Three hundred yards out!” 

Alexandra’s eyes followed the shout from the top of the wall and narrowed to a boulder rolling across the fields in their direction. Only a few moments later did she realize that it wasn’t, in fact, a boulder. At least this one could still be identified as having originally been a bear.

The head was fully intact- almost unusually so compared to the multiple bodies nearby that were twisted beyond recognition. Beady eyes, fuzzy round ears and a broad snout. Of course, that was the extent of any recognition for the original creature, since the head seemed to be serving as the new kneecap of a huge leg that likely reached over fifteen feet in length. It was as thick around as a fence post, sprouting from where the neck of the bear head would be, as well as the mouth of the bear like its tongue had morphed to become the continuation of the limb past the joint of the skull. Then there was another joint about three feet down, and another joint five feet after that. The four-piece-segmented leg ended in a huge mass that seemed to be an approximation of a bear’s paw, but looked more like a giant head of lettuce that grew claws.

The body of the bear, if it could be called that much, seemed to be little more than a gigantic round tumor that was being rolled across the ground, propelled by the spindly, multi-jointed leg that moved with shocking speed. However, as it rolled, Alexandra could see other limbs flailing and reaching from the ball, each of them getting repeatedly smooshed into the dirt as the once-bear bowled towards them. Alexandra raised her blade and her shield.

“Stand ready!” She called, stepping forward and to the side to plant herself at a slight angle from the group.

Provoke   {Active}

Taunt one hostile creature into focusing their attacks on you for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 20 seconds.

The bear changed directions, picking up speed as the tendril-like limb slammed repeatedly into the ground to adjust course and add more momentum. Even with the limited field of view from the visor, Alexandra could see Jaxie pull up beside her, both her new axes in hand and ready to hack the thing into pieces when it eventually collided with-

An ear-splitting crack thundered over the field, making Alexandra’s ears ring for a moment while a flash of light existed for what may have been a single millisecond. Immediately following it, Alexandra watched the bear explode.

Half of the body was immediately blasted away into a cloud of red mist as the lightning made contact- effectively reducing the total mass by at least fifty percent. The remainder didn’t even have the opportunity to keep rolling- it slumped into itself and ground into the dirt as hundreds of pounds of flesh skidded to a sloppy, bloody, electrocuted halt. Glancing back, Alexandra saw Claire holding her staff with the top facing outwards at where the monster used to be. The Evoker held the same surprised expression that Alexandra felt on her own face.

“Wow. I- uhh… wasn’t expecting it to be that stro-”

Claire’s sentence turned into a wheeze like she had been kicked between the legs, and she fell like it, too. Alexandra could only watch as Claire collapsed onto one knee, shaking and shuddering for about two seconds before eventually pulling in a loud, desperate gasp. It was Naomi that spoke up from the support squad a moment later.

“Okay, I knew it would be fast, but I didn’t think it’d be the very first damned Fodder to level her up.”

“Ooh, looks like the thunder brought friends!” Meghan pointed her wand outwards, prompting Alexandra to look back at the field and see a few more large shapes starting to close the distance.

“Claire?” Alexandra asked their primary ranged striker who was shakily getting to her feet.

“I’m okay, I’m okay…”

“Yeah, well you got your level up, now it’s my turn-” Meghan casually stepped in front of the tall Evoker and pointed her wand outwards. At the same time, a ghostly wolf prodded up until it was standing a number of paces in front of both Alexandra and Jaxie. “I’ll take the fugly bitch on the right, Nima can get that skinny horse bastard in the middle, and then you two lovebirds can make out or something while you kill that fatass on the left.”

Jasmine squinted her eyes. “What even is that supposed to be? Is that a bull?”

“It’s level progression- that’s what it is.” Meghan scoffed. “Now let’s break in our new equipment. Lowest level buys dinner.”