Vale waited for more bad news to flood, but for so reason, the ssages stopped at five.
Vale cracked his whip again as he scread with no direction:
"5 Invaders!"
As Vale scread a ssage they should all understand, having been briefed before, one of the Vana Vilkas who was chasing Awilix paused, looked up at Vale, and then launched a bone it had pulled out from its fur.
Vale was forced to abandon his post.
Thankfully, he didn’t go to the ground and was able to make it to another ledge they’d prepared, but he was now entirely out of range of Salo, who was still out of his sight, shrouded by the wolven horde.
But that horde was definitely dwindling...
All he could do was trust Salo would not only win, but had heard him as well. As for his new guests...
’What is their angle?’
Because they sent five, Vale could only assu one thing...
’They noticed the wolves and wanted to investigate what was happening.’
So, the chaleons sent an advance party to scope it out.
As if to confirm his thoughts, Vale looked toward the bend just in ti to see the five chaleons scampering with their claws digging into the walls running perpendicular to the ground.
’Damned logic defiers...’
Salo had told him chaleons, whatever the original animals were, couldn’t do this! So why could these fuckers?!
Just as Vale predicted, the chaleons stopped, one took out a Dawn’s Eye orb, and then from afar, the group watched the carnage unfold as their visages faded into the background. Who knew what this would spell for Vale once... ’if’ they won. Would the group signal for an attack because Vale and his forces would be weakened? Or would they just retreat, being satisfied with information? And...
’Just how many eyes does that Dawn bitch have!’
In any case, whichever happened was a sticky situation for Vale.
At least there was so good news.
[Vana Vilkas has been slain]
[ 2 Aether]
[Vana Vilkas has been slain]
[ 2 Aether]
[Ashen Vilkas has been slain]
[ 3 Aether]
Salo was whittling down the foes surrounding her. Although from the ti Vale spotted her as she zipped in and out of the small horde, she was obviously not winning as handily as she’d been in the past. Even with nearly 200 Aether Shards consud, facing a dozen foes, with two of them being fairly strong, wasn’t an effortless task.
For the first ti ever... Salo had what appeared to be her own blood flowing down her arm, seeing as she hadn’t absorbed it. Yet even if Vale wanted to help her, he was in no position to do anything but trust her. He had his own battle to worry about.
She did have that one Trait, though Vale wasn’t too sure that was a good thing that it was being used practically.
The group of three had yet to actually kill a foe, because their goal had not yet changed from capturing a few alive, even if they had a few unwelco spectators.
Awilixed continued to run around, bouncing off walls, while Vale and Two avoided the occasional bone or rock thrown at them.
As for the seven wolves, they were all sufficiently injured and moving much more slowly than before. Their grey coats were splotched with red, and their hateful eyes full of scorn.
Vale had been expecting the worst when the ominous ssages rang in his head, but...
’nothing bad has happened yet...’
It was as that thought coursed through Vale’s mind that he noticed the shimring, vague silhouettes of the Chaleon Warriors moving in the distance. He couldn’t tell where they were going, and the one holding the orb remained still. But, a mont later, he got his answer whether he wanted it or not.
[Your Worker, , has been slain by a challenger]
’Those assholes!’
It seed the chaleons had noticed the fake ceiling and had taken the liberty of checking it out... after they did, they entered the crawl space and started attacking the defenseless workers.
Vale watched as the dead body of a pink imp fell from the ceiling and crashed into the floor below, sinking into it once it did.
[Your Worker, , has been slain by a challenger]
Not even a mont later, the voice rang again, spelling the demise of another naless worker.
’Shit!’
Vale had a decision to make...
He wasn’t dumb when making the ceiling. The imps could fly, so he had no reason to make the place easy to access or lead to the rest of the maze. The fake ceiling was implented only at the beginning of the labyrinth — the first stretch.
So, Vale wasn’t worried the chaleons would sneak by into the rest of the dungeon, no... even if they did, they’d be killed eventually. Without the light from the orb, they couldn’t camouflage.
The decision at the mont weighing on his mind was whether to abandon his post to save the workers or let them die.
The second dead body of a worker fell through a gap in the ceiling and fell onto a Vana Vilkas, who caught its tiny body and threw it away like it was trash before barely dodging one of Salo’s quills.
[Your Worker, , has been slain by a challenger]
As the last naless worker died... Vale looked down at Awilix, who was moving a little slower than before, having taken a few hits, but still in relatively good shape thanks to Two and his efforts...
At this sight, Vale ca to a decision.
’I’m sorry, little ones...’
The group wasn’t necessarily all dead, but their escape would be up to them alone.
Vale wasn’t going to risk Awilix’s life to save Larry, Dickless, and Crow. He stayed where he was and continued to mar the wolves with his whip. Not to ntion, he was also the eyes in the sky, able to see both fights.
"The Chaleon Warriors are in the ceiling! Be wary! I don’t think they’ll engage us, but don’t expect any more help from above!"
Vale scread that before looking down at Awilix and yelling to her:
"It won’t be much longer, Salo has only the Wretch and Aberrant left."
Vale clenched his jaw as he watched a Vana Vilkas thrust its nasty claw towards Awilix and force an ugly gash on her shoulder.
’Damn it! Hurry up, Salo!’
Vale looked over to see Salo thrust a hand through the chest of the wretch, holding its heart on the other side.
[Dusk Vilkas has been slain]
[ 4 Aether]
The Wretch had finally been slain and all... but the Ergent Aberrant was nearly unscathed and continued to hound Salo with her surprising agility.
Vale looked back toward Awilix just in ti to watch her suffer another blow to her bicep.
’Shit...’
Knowing the Aberrant wasn’t going to die all too quickly, Vale threw his whip aside along with his hesitation and jumped below into the lee with sword in hand, landing in between Awilix and an Ashen Vilkas who’d been swiping at her.
[Your Worker, Dickless, has been slain by a challenger]
Vale ignored the ssage as he deftly countered the blow with an Aether empowered punch and then sliced down at the attacker’s wrist, severing it.
Awilix looked at Vale with a ferocious glare, whether it ant ’thank you’ or ’fuck you,’ who knew?
Two, who’d run out of arrows, dropped her bow and picked up her bone dagger, jumping into the fray as well.
[Your Worker, Crow, has been slain by a challenger]
Another despicable ssage moaned in his ears, but Vale refused to dwell on it.
Instead, he focused on blocking the next wolf’s attack, which had been aid at his face, before kicking it away and countering with a strike of his own, aid at the chest.
[Ashen Vilkas has been slain]
[ 3 Aether]
They didn’t particularly need all seven...
’You shouldn’t have aid for my beautiful face...’
Actually, being killed was more of a rcy at this point. So maybe aiming at his face was the right play after all.
Vale jumped back to dodge another swipe.
[Vilkas has been slain]
[ 2 Aether]
’Just Vilkas? 2? I see.’
Vale jumped back for so distance and managed to catch a glimpse of the glorious scene of Salo decapitating the wolf girl.
The beautiful demoness didn’t even spare a mont to watch the corpse of her foe fall to the ground. Salo had already flapped her wings and rocketed herself just in ti to save Two from certain death before rcilessly sinking all of her quills into one target.
[Vana Vilkas has been slain]
[ 2 Aether]
With only five beaten, battered, and bruised opponents left, Salo, who’d sufficiently healed herself with Vitality Drain, could do the rest.
Vale ran to Awilix’s side and scooped her up before running away and setting her down. It was as he did that he noticed just how sorry a state the feline had been fighting in.
Kneeling next to Awilix, who was letting out staggered breaths, Vale looked back just in ti to watch Salo’s quills dance through the air, expertly rending the flesh of their targets. The first thing to go was their tendons, severed by quick strikes, followed by their lower jaws.
When the attack was finished, the five remaining wolves were rendered immobile, and the only sounds they made were inarticulate cries.
’A comple...’
’...A victory’
The Chaleon Warrior, against the wall, deactivated the orb and began to retreat. As it did so, the others appeared from the ceiling and followed it.
But not before one last ssage rang in Vale’s ear.
[Your Worker, Larry, has...]
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