CHPT 419: Hybrid Assault

Following Claude's decimation of the first wave of Zombies, more came. Falling from the tree's and crawling out of rivers with a hunger that even the greatest feast couldn't satiate. Even so, Claude and his pack gave them a stomach full of everything they had. Every blade, every element, every arrowhead bathed in glowing runes, that they could physically muster. It seemed sufficient as they delved deeper into the Tangent. Even as the Zombies grew more powerful with greater weaponry.

Something was different now. Through experience-- loss, pain, brushes with death so close it's fingers had groped and grazed every inch of everyone's frames. Especially Claude. It had changed him. War had changed him. As a result, he was operating on what could only be described as a different frequency. And he wasn't alone in this.

What made matters worse-- for the enemy, was their terrain. The forest. It was awakening.....

***

"HOOAHG! ARRGAHSH!!" A Zombie across a river yelled inhuman orders at his ten or more followers, with each poorly enunciated bark it flung globules of glowing blue-black spittle as it aimed it's warhammer with horrifying ease. Even with a single arm lined with Griffon feathers, Claude could feel it's power. Even so. No System Notification, and no real terrain change.

"Not the Boss."

"[Correct.]"

Their search continued, with new undead obstacles in the way.

The Zombies took off across the river. As soon as they hit the rushing waters, Claude spoke through his pack bond. He was met with a growling grunt as a large body exploded through the overgrown bushes at his back.

A beast of a woman covered in thick silver armor blended with animal bones capping her shoulders and head. The bits of her skin that were visible under the greying sky were covered in silky auburn fur..... and frost.

The Zombies didn't even pay attention to her descent on them as they rushed across the river. Claude remained where he stood with Frosty, as bait. And naturally, they took it.

"AAAG--"

CRHSHSHSHSHHS!!!

The first Zombie that looked ready to make it to Claude barely got a foot out before the frosted Lupine Berserker hit the river with a Glacial Smash that killed four of the Zombies upon impact, freezing them solid beneath the rushing waves and shattering them into undead ice cubes. The others lost mobility as the ice climbed up their busted legs and ate away at the gangrenous skin covering their ribs.

More Zombies replaced them, summoned by their pseudo-leader. Claude heard them coming.

He left the frozen Zombies at the river, leaping over them on transformed legs pulsing with energy, Frosty followed eagerly. Beneath them, a volley of arrows hammered into the frozen Zombies, killing off the survivors with headshots made explosive by precise Wind Manipulation.

SPLSH!....SPLSH!....SPLSH!

Their heads popped like balloons, causing the rotted brain tissue and teeth to pad his landing.

[+2 Stat Points]

Claude's position as bait was over. The wave of Zombies rushed past their leader screaming from beaked mouths and patchy animal skin sewn skin.

FWOOO!

He threw his spear into the center Zombie. The blade bit through skull and bone, erupting from the other side and nearly reaching the leader behind before he yanked it back to himself with his Malevolence Tether and began hacking away at the others.

With Zombies, precision wasn't always required. He simply kept his distance and spun his spear fast enough that it looked like he was cloaked in a silver bladed aura, whenever a Zombie got too close, they lost a limb.... or a head.

[+150 EXP]

[+130 EXP]

[+200 EXP]

SWSH!....SWSWSWWWWSH!

The small horde was mowed down to favorable numbers quickly with the cover fire from Cassidy.

"NAGHH!!" One of the remaining four Zombies threw it's teamate at Claude hard enough to knock his spear out of his hand.

"OUgh!!" He grunted and threw the Zombie off to the side where Frosty impaled it with his tusks. Before he could reach for his spear, a Warhammer flew across his vision and decapitated the three remaining Zombies before flying straight for his face.

Claude could feel Ursula's presence as he leaned out of the way of the direct strike. He could feel her eyes in those tense moments, her muscles flexing-- like a memory in his own, a secondary means of communication. He could even feel the cold leather of her axes tightening in her hands as she raised it.

FWOOO!

The black and soot covered warhammer blew by his face in a gust of foul smelling wind. Before the Zombie leader could attack again, he grabbed it's hammer with his left hand and twisted his body to hold it's partially eroded face with his right.

He didn't need to hold it there for more than a second.

"uuRAGH!"

FWWWOWOWOCHK!

Two axes flew past him and slammed into it's face with a loud and wet cracking sound.

Before it's knee's could give out in death, Claude threw aside it's arm and lifted it overhimself by the throat.

Ma flew by in a blur and took the Zombie out of his grip to fly it over to the other side of the river where the forest was very alive and well. As she dropped it into the thriving woodland, Claude closed his hand into a fist and dozens of branches and vines within swallowed the dead creature whole.

CRSH!

[+200 EXP]

"[Overkill?]"

"Safety." Claude replied.

"Speaking of safety, I think this area's clear... and the next few areas. That was more than one group." Ursula huffed as she caught up him, trying not to trip over the dozens upon dozens of corpses.

"Agreed. I don't sense anything." Claude replied as Ursula came to a stop beside him, handing him his spear.

"Alright, we're clear!" Claude yelled out to the forest across the river.

"Heard ya." Cassidy said in a tone that told Claude he was yawning as the Wolfborn Bounty Hunter emerged from the bushes, wiping leaves and sticks from his leather long coat.

He stopped once he crossed the river and surveyed the area with a semi-shocked look on his face, "Was that quicker than the last one?"

"We're finding a rhythm. I can feel it.... sometimes." Claude mumbled, remembering how he felt Ursula's sensations and actions in a way that was more magnified than usual. Just like he'd felt what Frosty was dreaming.....

The blue skinned Banshee in black suddenly flew from the forest and tossed Ursula her axes, "Sometimes.... it looks like you're dancing." She added as she began moving melodically in the air, "A violently beautiful dance. Is it because of my music, do you still find it enjoyable, wolfman?"

Claude looked up at the Banshee, "Yes."

"Well, no offense, but us lesser traumatized folk find it brain-splitting." Ursula announced.

"What the buff lady said." Cassidy agreed. "..... Respectfully, of course."

Ma's elven ears twitched as she side eyed the Hunter and Berserker.

"Ignore them, Ma." Claude said, waving them off jokingly, "They're haters."

The two chuckled dryly, "Right...."

Frosty barked. Who it was in support of would remain a mystery.

Claude suddenly began moving deeper into the Tangent. The others followed with Ma hovering overhead, "Yes, that's right. You're all haters. My voice is beautiful!"

"As long as you keep telling us where death is, your voice can be whatever you want it to be." Cassidy said casually.

Ursula laughed, "Worst band in history."

***

Claude and the others traveled for another few miles. No action, no sign of it. Well not exactly. There was still oddities within. For one, the dead forest had become a rainforest. He could tell by the wilted plants, bushes and rise in humidity. Despite this change, one thing remained. No life. Not even the small bits of life that fed on the death in a sort of symbiotic relationship straight out of hell.

To put it plainly.

"There have been no Griffons. None." Claude suddenly announced.

"The magical Vultures?" Ursula asked.

"Huh... that's true." Cassidy replied.

"What does that mean?" Ursula asked, "No Zombies, right?"

"No. That doesn't make sense." Claude said, "Ma, can we get a overhead?"

"Mhm." The Banshee replied before taking to the skies in a flutter of black tatters and long flowing hair.

While they waited, Claude began working to bring life into the forest. There was something intensely therapeutic about the action of repairing the forests as he advanced deeper within. The feeling of finding that flame within and stoking it. It responded-- thanked him, in ways he couldn't humanely described. A clear response. A clear purpose. Rebirth.

There was something poetic there that he wasn't smart enough to understand. At least not now.

While Claude was in the middle of repairing a bed of flowers at the base of a tree, Ma came swooping down to them.

"Still no Undead from what I saw, but there was something else..."

Claude was on his feet before she finished speaking, "That works."

The Banshee led the group another few miles ahead, silence faded. There wasn't only the sound of their footsteps to listen to over dried earth. Now, a steady reverberation radiated from the earth and made his feet numb. It was so widespread and strong he couldn't locate it's source. Whatever it was, they all felt it. And it only grew as Ma drew them closer.

Past busted trees flattened earth and everything else that contributed to what looked like an arena.

"Yeaaaa, I know a Boss area when I see one." Ursula announced.

The group tensed. Even with the complete lack of any surrounding Zombies or evidence of life. They tensed. Weapons held at the ready, and eyes focused on the pond in the center of the deadened rainforest arena. Claude found himself focusing more on the sanded over grounds by the pond.

Natural Vision was pointless, the Undead could go unseen. Especially if they'd been that way for some time. Even so, Claude felt the urge to.

And there it was. At the bottom of the pond. Larger than Diamondback and swimming around in the black depths of the pond like a snake with legs. It's glowing green figure was centered by a dark blue orb that shifted and brightened in waves. It seemed to be glowing br--

FWWWSHHSHHS!

In a burst of water and body parts, the creature exploded from the pond and hit the ground so hard the tree's shook. It was massive, reptilian with a body as long as the trees in the distance. It's scales were a dark green, like age old moss drowned in ink. The only thing disrupting the scaled pattern was the appearance of razor toothed mouths running over it's legs, back and arms. Each mouth coughing feathers and Zombie parts up in highspeed projectile vomits of bile and burning acid.

RMBRMBRMBL!!!

The creature opened it's massive jaws and let out a crocodilian croaking roar.

[Tangent Boss Found! Fight with your Allies to slay the Undead Bladefiend and open the Tangent!]

The System notification threw him off. Undead Tangents weren't led by living creatures. Much less reptilian monsters.

Even so, no time to waste being shocked.

Claude used his Element to bind the creature in vines and wooden spikes.

"Cassidy--"

"Got it." The Hunter was moving before he finished to find a position of high ground in the trees where he could shoot freely.

"Ma, cover the backend. Me, Ursula and Frosty have everything else." As Claude spoke, he worked to keep up the natural binds. Even as the creature rolled and used it's extra mouths to bite through the wood and vine.

[50% MP Remaining]

Arrows suddenly rained down on the creature.

[48% MP Remaining...]

It failed to free itself. That was until a massively muscled undead arm ripped through one of its mouths. A blade edge emerged from its wrist, infected and smoking. It ripped through the vines like butter and turned them to blackened ashe instantly.

Another arm emerged, with a hooked blade curling out of it's elbow joint. The crocodillian monster shrieked in pain. A hideous mannish howl.

Claude suddenly realized it wasn't the creature's voice. A memory of the blue energy inside the monster hit his mind.

"The Boss is inside the Lizard! We may have to kill both at once."