Antelligent Design

107. Go Time

With the Wizard Lizard and its collection of friendly mage slaves occupied with drenching the gigantic croc in their midst with Mana, now seems like the perfect time to rip into the horde. Claws crossed they won’t be able to divert their attention to us whilst engaged in this sort of activity.

[Let’s hit ’em hard!] I roar at my pets and open up the condensed Water Cannon I’ve been working on.

The super dense beam of water blasts out and drills into the back of a particularly annoying-looking giant centipede before I turn the spell to the side and begin scything through the ranks of monsters. With an excited grin on his face, Tiny climbs to his feet and thrust his hands forward, unleashing his lightning to the limit.

At the same time, Crinis sets loose her tentacles, allowing the curled limbs to emerge from the very shadows of the monsters before us, grasping them tightly and rending them apart before they even realise they are under attack.

Gwehehehehe!

Yesssss. Feel our power! Behold our might! Surprise attack right in the commercial district! How you like them apples, huh? Bet you don’t like it much! You’ll regret attacking my colony.

Cackling to myself, I continue to play the concentrated beam of water on the monsters, sweeping it back and forth in slow arcs. Spray fountains into the air, covering monsters as far as fifty metres away in droplets of water that leave them vulnerable to the oncoming lightning onslaught.

There is something cathartic about unleashing this level of mayhem against an enemy so much larger and more powerful than myself. Part of me rejoices in this risk-taking behaviour. Exposing myself to danger was becoming habit forming.

At least Tiny is happy…

As much as the giant bat-faced ape loves to get his fists on the enemy, he also enjoys a good roasting from time to time. It isn’t quite as satisfying for him, but nevertheless, he gains a great deal of joy from it. For her part, Crinis is eerily silent, almost quivering with barely concealed rage as she unleashes her dark arts upon the hapless foes. So numerous are her tentacles, I’m forced to avoid severing them with my Water Cannon and direct the spray away.

Our onslaught is so rapid and overwhelming that the monsters don’t know how to respond at first. Milling about in confusion, turning this way and that, seemingly devoid of direction. And perhaps they are! If the big croc and the Ka’armodo are busy doing the Mana thing, then regardless of which of them is responsible for voodoo’ing these monsters into line, they aren’t getting directions from either right now!

This is the time to strike!

[Let’s go loud! Tiny, once you’re out of electricity, get your fists in there. Try to cover us, Crinis, I’m going in!]

Tiny’s grin grows so wide, every one of his fangs is revealed as he doubles his efforts to output his Lightning Mana as fast as possible. We might be able to harvest some serious XP if the response is going to be this slow!

I start to step forward whilst maintaining my concentration on the spell. The effective range on the Water Cannon isn’t as much as I’d like, and if I want to keep cutting through the monsters then I need to close the distance. The first targets of our assault are already beyond saving. We need to press deeper into the belly of the beast in order to find more victims.

With Crinis staying slightly behind to position for our escape, we step into the mass of monsters until a wide semi-circle of carnage has been created before us. The notifications of the bushy bearded one ring constantly in my mind. I push them to one side. No need to get distracted by that miscellaneous noise, I’ll check my status after we get out.

At this point, the monsters begin to turn and push back into us. The lethargy is gradually falling away from them and being replaced with a more customary aggression and rage as the light returns to their eyes. Growls and roars begin to fill the air, along with the clicking of mandibles and stomping of feet.

I notice the change immediately and snap my Mana Sense back on. It still seems as if the Ka’armodo is performing its grand working, the Mana continuing to flood toward the centre of the horde. The area around here is going to be dead Mana-wise after this is done.

I take a moment to consider my options. The monsters are fighting back, which is bad, but the Ka’armodo is still distracted, which is good. The farther we push the more vulnerable we’ll be, which is bad, but the more we push in the more damage we can inflict, which is good.

Gah!

[Keep swinging, Tiny! We’ll hit ’em for two more minutes and then skedaddle!] I holler to my pets.

Tiny roars and starts throwing his fists around with wild abandon, fresh out of electricity with which to aim at his opponents. Bellowing with anger, the monsters around him engage, trying to bite, claw and beat the giant ape into submission. Reluctantly I let my spell fade in order to relieve the pressure on my sub-brains. After maintaining the Water Mana Construct and pumping out condensed Mana for so long, they are reaching their limits.

I do get them to keep the Water Mana Construct formed, just in case.

With the jet of piercing water no longer holding them back, the monsters start to collapse toward me, baring their fangs at Crinis and I. Settle down, monsters, you’re about to catch these face-hands.

Receive the Severing Bite of my Justice!

CHOMP!

We’re in deep now and getting deeper. More and more monsters are responding to our aggression and piling into the melee that’s developed. Crinis does her best to keep us from being surrounded, but as time goes on, she’s forced to dedicate more tentacles to defending herself as foes swarm around her.

Things are getting dicey. As an evolved rabbit attempts to kick my head in, sending shockwaves through my carapace that are absorbed by my inner plating, I think that perhaps we are in a little too deep. I twist my body to avoid the claws of a Wolf Dragon Hound and sever the rabbit’s legs.

Time to enact our exit strategy.

[Tiny! Scream!] I shout.

Immediately, the giant ape throws his head back and unleashes his Sonic Scream. The mind-numbing blast of sound explodes out, stunning everything within earshot and making my head ring.

[Break free! Time to get out of here!]

Following my own advice, I stumble only a little due to the stun before I manage to shake off both the effects and the monsters hanging onto me. Satisfied with the havoc caused and the damage inflicted, Tiny and I run for the hills.

That’s when a magic fence popped up.