Chapter 264: Frenzied Attacks

The moment of impasse lasted no less than a heartbeat, yet within that brief interval, the tension in the ruined temple became almost unbearable...

Nine humans stood against three formidable Netherytes, while dozens of lesser Ratchyrs watched from the shadows, their tiny eyes glinting beneath the crimson gloom.

Then, perhaps after recognizing that the carnage scattered across their territory had been caused by these nine intruders, one of the great creatures turned towards the horde and opened its snout.

Kaeloris noticed the movement and immediately glanced at Aelric. "What is it trying to do?"

Aelric did not answer at once. His green eyes remained fixed on the creature, and for once, the usual indolence that softened his expression had disappeared.

When he eventually spoke, his voice carried such grim certainty that it sounded like a death sentence delivered by an executioner who had grown tired of repeating himself.

"Trying to start a war."

The instant those words left his mouth, the creature released a sharp, resonant click that struck the temple like a signal bell. And as though a dam had suddenly burst, the colony erupted into a frenzied assault...

Ratchyrs poured across the cracked floor, their wings beating furiously as they stirred dust from the flagstones. Their shrieks tangled with the clatter of claws and the frantic clicking of their echolocation, transforming the ruined chamber into a den of cacophonous madness.

Only moments earlier, the creatures had been watchful scavengers, hesitant to approach while Aelric remained among the intruders. Now, however, they surged forward like an inferno unleashed, a tide of coarse fur, leathery wings, and yellowed incisors.

The presence of their leaders emboldened them, and whatever restraint they had previously demonstrated vanished beneath a collective hunger for violence...

"Get into formation!" Regaleon shouted, his golden eyes blazing with determination.

The group immediately snapped into position, their bodies falling into stances drilled into them through hours of rigorous training and desperate fighting.

Like components of a well-oiled mechanism, they moved with a coordination that belied their exhaustion and the terror threatening to overwhelm them.

The silver-haired Knight stepped to the front, his armour catching the scarlet light as he raised his halberd...

Without hesitation, Vaelorin took position to his right, flames gathering around his staff, while Caelestra and Kaeloris prepared their attacks from behind them...

Aureleah slipped towards the flank, searching for an angle from which she could intercept the creatures before they encircled the group...

Valmyr planted himself near Sylveris, whose ivory fangs gleamed between her tightly clenched fingers, while Veyrath secured his position beside her, regarding the approaching swarm with the grim resignation of a man who had just discovered that survival required considerably more effort than complaining.

Nobody wasted precious seconds manifesting their Soul Essences. They had already prepared themselves for battle, and that advantage allowed them to meet the advancing horde before it could exploit their hesitation.

Unfortunately, even the finest formation could only do so much against an enemy whose numbers threatened to turn the entire chamber into a feeding ground.

The Ratchyrs drew closer until, like a violent sea breaking against a rocky shore, they overwhelmed the group in a deluge of claws, fur, and teeth...

Regaleon stepped into the charge without hesitation, setting his halberd across his body. The first Ratchyr leapt for his face, its jaws spread wide enough to reveal a repulsive arrangement of yellowed incisors.

Regaleon pivoted at the last second and swept his weapon forward, striking the creature with sufficient force to hurl it into two others. Their bodies collided in a tangle of wings and squeals before tumbling across the broken floor.

Yet the brief satisfaction of repelling the attack proved premature.

While Regaleon remained focused on the first beast, another Ratchyr darted through the opening between his halberd’s haft and his armoured side.

For a creature of its size, its speed was astonishing. It twisted its body in an unnaturally contorted manner, slipped past his guard, and clamped its incisors onto the plate covering his ribs.

Regaleon felt the impact before he could comprehend what had happened.

The creature’s jaws tightened, and, like brittle sugar glass beneath a hammer, his Count Tier Armour gave way, splintering in a burst of golden light.

"What in the—"

He barely had time to process his disbelief before pain flared along his side. The Ratchyr wrenched its head backwards, carrying fragments of his Soul Essence between its teeth.

Regaleon staggered half a step, his golden eyes widening in shock. The pain itself was manageable, but the breach of his armour was another matter entirely.

His Soul Essence was something that had endured countless impacts throughout their exile beneath the Scarlet Canopy, and seeing it bitten apart by something resembling an oversized rat was a humiliation he would have preferred to postpone indefinitely.

Unfortunately, the Nether Lands had never demonstrated much respect for personal dignity.

Encouraged by its success, the Ratchyr lunged at him again.

This time, however, Regaleon was prepared. He caught its charge against the Halberd’s haft and shoved violently, sending the creature crashing onto the flagstones with a piercing squeak.

Before it could recover, the edge of his weapon flashed with a silver glint as he activated Silver Sheen, and he drove the blade into its flank...

SHRIKKK!!!

The Ratchyr shrieked wildly before collapsing. Black blood spread beneath its body, seeping into the dust and gathering between the cracks in the stone.

Just like that, it became the first member of the colony to die...

Regaleon drew a sharp breath and glanced at the damaged section of his armour. The exposed area made him acutely conscious of his vulnerability, and he knew that another bite in the same place could transform a manageable wound into something considerably more catastrophic.

After that moment of stunned realization, he tightened his grip on the halberd and adjusted his stance, carefully compensating for the gap in his defence.

If these Netherytes possessed an Impulse that enabled them to chew through Soul Essences as though they were nothing more than glorified paper, then a single mistake might cost him far more than his pride.

And he could not afford another.

With that thought firmly established, Regaleon raised his halberd to meet the next wave head-on...

Meanwhile, a burst of heat swept across the chamber, illuminating the suspended dust in a brief orange glare...

Vaelorin had positioned himself beside a broken pillar, where the narrowing space prevented the Ratchyrs from surrounding him simultaneously.

His Soul Essence blazed with flames that coiled around his Staff like restless serpents, casting sharp shadows across his flushed face.

"Come on, then!" he shouted at the creatures rapidly approaching his position. "Let’s see how fond you are of fire!"

It was a bold declaration, although perhaps not the most tactically sophisticated statement to make while surrounded by dozens of predators.

Nevertheless, Vaelorin had never been particularly skilled at keeping his mouth shut when his temper was involved.

However, rather than inspiring fear in the Netherytes, his challenge seemed to make them even more feral.

Their shrieks sharpened, and their wings beat with renewed urgency, as though his words had activated some instinctive response buried deep within their nature.

Whether they interpreted the flames as a threat or simply regarded the prospect of overcoming a fire-wielding opponent as a challenge, the result was equally unpleasant.

A dozen creatures rushed him together, their claws scraping the stone as their wings battered the air. They came from different angles, some darting low while others launched themselves from broken masonry, hoping to overwhelm him through sheer numbers.

Vaelorin reacted immediately, thrusting his Fiery Staff forward and activating Solar Lance...

WHOOSH!!!

A lance of gold-red flames tore across the floor towards the surging tide. The leading Ratchyr twisted aside, but the heat caught its wing membrane and ignited the thin leather. It tumbled into a squealing heap, frantically beating at the flames with its forelimbs.

The other two split apart. One skittered towards Vaelorin’s left, while the second sprang directly at his chest.

Vaelorin turned sharply, his Staff flaring as he swept a ribbon of fire across their path. Several Ratchyrs recoiled instantly, their fur smouldering, but the delay proved barely sufficient.

The creatures behind them continued pressing forward, seemingly indifferent to the fate of their injured companions.

Before Vaelorin could exploit the opening, the first Ratchyr had already circled behind him. Its claws scraped against the stone as it launched itself towards the back of his knee.

Fortunately, Vaelorin sensed the movement at the last instant. He dropped his weight and twisted aside, allowing the creature to sail past him before it struck the pillar with a heavy thud. He then spun around and unleashed a short, concentrated burst of flame into its side.

Upon catching fire, the Ratchyr convulsed, then collapsed, smoke curling from its scorched fur as it laid dead next to the broken pillar...