Wielding a bow that radiated a bright, white light, Mikano came dashing through, arrows raining everywhere...
Swish, swish, swish...
With each shot landing onto their respective targets, the burning arrows melted the beasts' skin like acid melting stone. Feeling pain, they howled in anger, before retreating back. Now one member less, their posture changed into that of defence, back arching with fright.
"Hey y'all, is everyone alright...?"
A voice called out from the back of the boyish ranger, filled with concern. Peeking out from behind Mikano was none other than Duval, worried at the thought ofnhis new-found friends perishing at the hands of the shadow monsters. Seeing that they had no visible injuries, he heaved a sigh of relief, before changing his expression. Dragging out his sword, he poured a bottle of glowing water onto it, dousing it with whatever was in it. Reciting a prayer to Erudia, he charged straight into battle, ignoring the obviously panicking Mikano.
"Hey, you dumb oaf, wait for me!"
Seeing that it was completely useless, Mikano began raining down her arrows at the monsters, hoping to distract them as Duval began dispatching them one by one.
First to go was, unsurprisingly, the bird. Lightweight in appearance, it was also much less dense compared to the rest of its brethren, so it was no surprise that 5 arrows were all it took before it dissolved into smoke, not to mention the fact that it was indoors, dropping its mobility even lower.
Next was the bear, as its large mass forced it to become landlocked in the tiny cave. Within a few minutes, after being hacked and slashed many times by Duval, it roared a final cry of anger, before exploding into a cloud of ashes. By the time they looked over, the lizard was already kebab, for the combination of Natsuki and Vylara proved more than enough to conquer the damn beast:
One trapped it in a cage of vines, the other used their newfound powers to burn it into the ground
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Wiping his forehead, Duval turned his attention to the duo, his voice filled with concern. "Nothing happened tonyou lot, right...?"
Seeing that even Mikano, the trickster ifnthe duo, was worried, Natsuki and Vylara realised that it was more serious than they imagined. "W-what were those... 'things'?"
Seeing how confused they looked, Duval and Mikano looked at each other, confirming their suspicions. "You lot... aren't from here, are you...?"
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Slamming his tablet for what appeared to be the umpteenth time, Scaramond finally managed to make it work. "Finally, it's working again, albeit only showing a couple of names. Luckily for me, one of them happens to be nearby..."
Turning his gaze to the second occupant of the room, Scaramond called out to the old man. "Hey old man, looks like we'll finally be able to collect a soul..."
Looking up from his book, Knoxis turned his attention towards the gung-ho young man, eager to finally do his job. But unlike the mechanically modified man, he grew pensive, realising that the situation must be more than meets the eye
Oh well, at least he can help me find some clues on what is going on in this world...
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Walking down the busy street, Duncan Stillwell, aged beyond years, hobbled as he carried his weekly groceries in one hand. It had been over 50 years since he had hung up his sword, and as an 89-year-old ex-warrior, with his numerous hidden wounds, he was basically a cripple...
Still, it did not diminish his edge as a former warrior
"Help, help, help! Please save my child!"
Whipping his head, he saw how a runaway carriage was barrelling down the road, all the while as a wayward child was seen crossing the road, licking her candied oranges. Her mother lay distraught, pulling her hair as all she could do was watch as her child was about to be crushed into meat paste by the carriage. Just when she had given up all hope, she heard a whooshing sound as something flew past her.
Picking up her child, Duncan realised that he had sprained his ankle. Seeing that the child was safe, he closed his eyes, for even he knew that it was impossible to escape the running carriage, especially since he was nearly a century old. Closing his eyes, his thoughts turned back to his long-deceased wife, who perished fighting against the shadow monsters.
Ferra...
Soon, we'll meet again...
And with a final sickening crunch, the carriage ran over his decrepit body, ending his life, much to the shock of the observers...
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"Well, couldn't have done a better job myself. Now, let's see where I've kept the Soul Extractor..."
Taking out what looked very suspiciously like a vacuum cleaner, Scaramond aimed the nozzle at the old man's body and pulled the switch on. Once he was about to remove the canister and store it away, he finally realised what seemed to be wrong.
"Hang on, why does the indicator say that 'there's no soul'..."
Meanwhile, standing behind him, Knoxis' eyes furrowed, expression filled with a slight worry...