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Spearbound Ch. 38
🕑 Added 2024-11-09 23:17:04 +0000 UTCKade flipped his [Soulrend] so the blade was facing away from the karnathi. He was almost certain that a soft strike would immediately reap its life. That was usually his goal, but since he wanted to save these cannon fodder for the chick, he would need to keep them at the edge of life and death.
The karnathi visible to him raised its club-like weapon as if it would ever have a chance to use it. Kade drove the blunt end of his spear directly at the karnathi’s face.
Purple blood sprayed out as the karnathi flew back, its face severely damaged. It knocked over several of his brethren standing behind it before slamming into the wall and sliding down. It was out for the count, but he managed to avoid killing it since it hadn’t turned into a white powder.
Kade quickly counted the number of karnathis that were waiting for him. “I thought there were far more of you. This is going to be more disappointing than I thought.”
The karnathis didn’t have a chance to react to his words.
Several seconds later, all five of them were lying motionless on the floor with heavy injuries, keeping them unconscious.
Kade was sure this was only a small part of the group that had entered. The rest must have continued deeper into the tunnels.
He wished all of them had waited to ambush him. The karnathis that proceeded ahead could have occupied the chambers available.
The chick had been docile, other than small squawks every time the butt end of his [Soulrend] impacted a karnathi, but now it was shrieking as it tried to wiggle out of his grip.
Kade glanced at it to see what the big deal was and saw it shrieking at the downed karnathis. It tried to resemble the adult ember falcons he dealt with in the chamber, but the sparks flying off its feathers were more adorable than threatening.
“You need to relax, baby chick,” Kade said as he lightly tapped the bottom of its beak, interrupting its squawking. “I have a job for you. Kill these karnathis.”
He knew the chick couldn’t understand him, but their fragile bond was enough to convey what he wanted of it.
The chick puffed up in his arms before trying to free itself. This time, Kade didn’t stop it.
It landed on the karnathi closest to them before sinking its talons into its head. The chick spread its wings as wide as possible—which wasn’t that wide—and raised its head to the ceiling, squawking in triumph.
Kade winced when the chick proceeded to jump up and down on the helpless karnathi, joyfully squawking every time its talons sank into the karnathi’s head. The talons were far too small to kill the karnathi in one attempt.
He was all for getting rid of the monsters, but the chick’s prolonged attack was too much, even for him.
At least it’s eager.
He was about to teach it how to kill the target quickly when the karnathi turned into a white powder. The chick froze in shock as they stared at the powder it stood on. It looked at him in confusion after a moment.
“Do the same to the rest,” Kade motioned at the rest of the karnathis. The chick was eager to follow his command and jumped on the next one.
He quickly figured out that the chick was learning. It targeted the correct spots and killed the second karnathi within a few jumps.
Kade let it learn by trial and error.
The chick was on the fourth karnathi when the interface unexpectedly appeared.
Party member Eliza has destroyed a Pillar of Stability!
Destroy the Pillars of Stability (0/2)—> (1/2)
Kade froze, feeling guilty that he had forgotten the objectives in the Rift Zone to play around in the tunnels.
“Nice job, Eliza. What did this pillar look like?”
The reply was almost immediate.
Eliza: Underwhelming. Imagine the Washington Monument, but skinnier.
In fact, Kade could not imagine the Washington Monument. He had never seen it in real life or in pictures. He might be wrong about the pictures, but even if he had seen it, it would have been in school and long since disappeared from his memory.
However, he knew it was reasonably tall… at least, he thought it was.
“Were there any obstacles in the way before you could destroy it?”
Eliza: An entire city. It was a shame that they were so uncooperative. Luckily, they had explosive fumes running through the sewers underneath the city. It was easy to ignite that and get past the defenses.
Kade hadn’t expected that. He supposed that if an outpost existed, larger settlements would be needed to support it.
The chick interrupted him with a loud screech. He glanced at it to see that all five karnathis were gone, replaced with the white powder.
The chick seemed stronger. It was still extremely small, but it no longer felt as fragile to him. This must be the bond giving him the info, since it changed little visually.
Kade smirked when the chick squawked in victory as it jumped between the piles of white powder, literally stepping on the remains.
“You look like you’re strong enough now. Keep up.” Kade traveled deeper into the tunnels. He didn’t expect to get anymore chances to enter new chambers, but there was always a slim possibility. With the rewards the past two had given him, it will be worthwhile to make sure.
He glanced back at the chick running after him, keeping up with the long strides with its short legs.
Kade supposed the second reward was still up for debate. Still, he recalled the other two eggs that were an option.
I wonder if the different colors meant they were of other elements.
He looked at the chick following him again. It was puffing itself up and flapping its wings ineffectively as it tried to make threatening screeches at the empty tunnel before them.
It alerted all enemies in the tunnel of their approach, but luckily for the chick, he didn’t mind.
I wonder if the other eggs had chicks that were less psychotic.
Eliza: Why are you so close to me? We decided it was impractical to meet up in this Rift Zone.
Kade immediately pulled up Eliza’s location on the interface. He ignored the arrow and looked at the distance below.
Eliza Brooks is 1,025 miles away.
The last he saw the number, it was over three thousand miles. He knew for sure he hadn’t traveled that far in the tunnels, so something unnatural was happening while he was in them.
“How long has it been since we entered the Rift Zone? I’m exploring some tunnels right now, and I think it’s causing me to travel much faster than I realize.”
Eliza: I’m not sure. If I had to guess, I would say around two days?
Kade knew he hadn’t been here for that long. There was something definitely off about the tunnels.
“I’m stuck in some tunnels right now, and apparently, that’s bringing me to where you are. At this pace, I should be close to you in around a day. I’ll see you soon if I can find an exit there.”
Eliza: Are you really stuck in a tunnel right now?
“Yes, really.” Kade knew that was stretching the truth, but he had no option but to explore the tunnel deeper... no other options at all.
Eliza didn’t respond, and that was just as well. The chick started screeching in excitement as it somehow lifted itself off the ground with frantic flaps of its immature wings.
Kade quickly grabbed the chick before tucking it in the crook of his arm and keeping it there, much to its displeasure.
He could see some karnathis that were staring at him in the distance. This time, he felt they would be a challenge.
However, Kade cared little for them. He was more excited about the two statues they were guarding.
“Hey, baby chick,” he got its attention. “I need you to stay back here and only approach me if you feel you are in danger. Got that?”
The chick looked ready to squawk out a protest, but the glare Kade was giving it was enough for it to slump into a smaller ball than it already was.
He didn’t mind as long as it understood his orders were meant to be obeyed. “Stay put, and maybe I’ll leave one of them to you.”
Kade placed the chick on the ground and made sure it didn’t move before walking to the karnathis with a smile. It hadn’t been that long, but it was long enough for him to miss using his [Soulrend] in a fight that meant something.
Comments
Serendipity Seeker
Thanks for the corrections!
Alexander C Hyde
Shouldn’t the chick get a name?
Alexander C Hyde
Eliza: I’m not sure. (If) I had to guess, I would say around two days?
