Chaper 227 - A Familiar Sight

Chaper 227 - A Familiar Sight

“Astrid!” Leena shouted. Lance in hand, she blasted forward. But Daniel was faster.

Lines flashed within his eyes as he swung his sword. But the offspring dodged by sinking into the ground. The mana within his container surged as he glided across the earth like a fish through water. He was fast. Fast enough that the nearest Seafarer couldn’t mount a proper defence.

The man rushed his shield to cover his chest. It was too late. The Offsprings bladed baton cut through the shield with ease, and continued further, severing the experienced soldier in a quarter.

Astrid ignored the blood dripping from her mouth as she swallowed a health potion. Her mother was currently in battle against five offspring. Judging by the intensity of the fight, they were even stronger than the monster now amongst Havel’s team.

Havel roared. Blood ejected from his body like a forever stream. The blood moved to his command, coiling around his hand, holding his weapons like a pervasive glue. Astrid didn’t know what it would do. Make sure his weapon wouldn’t be lost? She didn’t have to wait long to find out.

He bolted forward, leaving carters in the ground at every step. Like a red haze, his axe swiped at the offspring. He missed. Havel continued onward as if he was a wrathful bull wanting its prize.

While Havel was dealing with the earthen offspring, Astrid was forced to focus on a small valley. More offspring were approaching. Judging by their mana containers and vital hearts; they weren’t on the level of the earthen offspring, or the ones her mother was facing. But they were still strong for the current Astrid, and the Severing Paths.

“Astrid,” Daniel said. “If you can kill them, great. But we may need you to impede their movements more than that. It’s your call.”

He is trusting me with their lives, Astrid thought as she flared her mana.

Judging by aura, she was confident she could kill some of them. But then they would arrive. So she had to do both.

The monsters were moving at high speed through a valley to Astrid’s right. Based on the speed of the spawn, they were focused on Agility. Thankfully, Astrid had a few tricks up her sleeves to deal with speedsters.

Flexing her mind, Astrid connected her psychic energy to the trees surrounding them on all sides. Astrid ripped them from the earth, then threw them at the incoming offspring.

They grinned. Grabbing their curved blades, they slashed at the tree, only for it to explode in a mass of smattering leaves and tens of thousands of shard-like bark.

It covered the entire area, blocking the sightline for the spawn. Astrid fired concentrated bullets through the debris in the dozens. Each one blasted a hole through the fragmented bark, finding targets of flesh and bone.

Astrid wasn’t the only one.

Brett used the distraction to flit through the shadows, raking his daggers through the soft vitals of the offspring.

Daniel found a path through the bark, slicing an offspring’s arm off as if the monster had no defense at all.

Rachelle used the flammable material as fuel for her potent fire. Her flame’s blasted forth, transforming the bark into her own projectiles. Turning red and orange, the crackled and popped before shooting straight for the spawn. Like molten needles, they slammed into the oncoming monsters.

Along with Leena, they were a deadly projectile duo.

Losef braced himself. He crouched down like a spring ready to pop. When the enemies were weakened, fire erupted around his lance. He erupted forward like a blazing comet. Through the smoke and debris, his aim was true. He slammed his lance through the heart of a fin headed spawn.

Bellona had her focus locked onto another spawn offspring, but they were alone. Astrid wanted to help, but it seemed that the fearsome hand-wrapped woman had it all under control. It just so helped that the offspring was a magic user; useless against Bellona’s anti-magic.

Rob slammed his shield down. It sundered the earth. At the same time, a projectile struck his tower shield. The material absorbed the hit for a second until it seeped through the metal of his weapon, and into his arms. The defender slid back, scoring the soil below his feet.

Controlling Overload was quite simple. All she had to do was follow the instincts in her tempered mind. She thought of killing intent. A star appeared underneath the approaching spawn’s arm, right below its armpit.

The monster had long fins on its head, like that of dreadlocks. It gripped what appeared to be a ballistae. It was a weapon to be secured to a ship for hunting, but now it was in its hands. The monster was strong.

It thundered over with enough anger to contest against Havel. But the pirate berserker was busy. Astrid glanced to the side and noticed the bloody man was currently in a brutal melee against three other offspring.

The situation was turning from bad to worse. They had to move.

The spawn raised the ballista, hefting it by a handle secured to the top of the weapon. Then it fired. Astrid strained her mind. She turned her Anger up to eighty-percent. Instantly, she could feel her mind slipping, descending into madness.

In a hurry, she reduced it to sixty-percent, and slammed the projectile with the entire force of her mana. It wobbled the bolt fashioned of scrap relic-metal, and narrowly avoided Rob’s shaky shield. It flew by and bored through a nearby tree.

Cocking back the ballistae, it finally exposed its weakness. Astrid created a void bullet and fired it at the bullseye of her target. Her aim was true. With a wet tear, the monster dropped its weapon.

Then Kaylan arrived.

Lightning crackled from the souls of his feet as he met the dreadlocked spawn. His sword flashed. In an instant, Kaylan severed off the offspring's head.

“Mother is picking up the pace,” Kaylan said, “Make sure you don’t fall behind.”

Astrid grunted in affirmation. Astrid and the others followed Kaylan’s figure. It was as he said, Eli was moving far faster than before. To the point that the weaker men and women were falling behind. However, Eli didn’t stop.

Astrid glanced over her shoulder again. The soldiers they were leaving were in a desperate brawl. Astrid’s eyes locked onto one of the women. Astrid knew her. She wasn’t familiar with her, but Astrid did see her roaming around the middle district in the past.

Shit, Astrid thought, gritting her teeth. She pulled back for a second and fired multiple void-bullets at the spawn offspring. But it wasn’t enough.

Astrid turned on her heels and sent a blast of wild psychic energy toward the offspring. Thirty percent of her mana vanished in an instant. Thankfully, the resulting blast sent them hurtling back.

The warriors retreated, catching up. Astrid stayed near the back, stopping any of the spawn from reaching the weaker of the party.

Astrid sunk the ground behind her, sending a monster tumbling down into the trap she had made. Then Astrid moved her awareness into her mind. Whatever was creating the impenetrable barrier all across the bubble was nearing.

Eli dashed up a small hill, kicking the head off an offspring in the process before stopping at the apex.

Astrid joined her in the next moment while Kaylan's team, and Havel’s team, defended their rear.

“Oh-” Astrid frowned. In front of Astrid was wide open land. It was a crater, surrounded on all sides by steep climbs of sharp rock cliffs. One of them was where Astrid was standing.

In the centre was the culprit of Astrid’s misery.

It was a dungeon entrance and there was no monster around it. Whatever her target was, was coming from within...