My eyes glided across an otherworldly scene of modern man in the close spaces of a ruin frad by a forest tinged blue. A space removed and alien, washed with moonlight.
Sixths [Twilight Saber] glinted in the twilight, sleek with scarlet blood. A stark contrast against the blue-green backdrop of the [Sleepywood]. My clones had wordlessly taken to the front without any complaint. They were, after all, expendable.
It was a good thing that they did. The monsters here were thicker in number. A degree more dangerous.
The trap we had found was a rather conspicuous ruin, with tall walls in a state of disrepair with a single broken stone gate. In fairness, it was so obvious a trap as to instead be a challenge. Like we had been prompted by the [Sleepywood] itself to dare try it.
I saw them as shadows first, more fluid, deeper than any others. A minute difference in their shade of black against the shadows of the ruins. They clung to the walls of what mightve been a small fort or keep, now covered in blue moss and rubble.
Ifrits, Rickson called out before . It was his [Search] that had initially brought us here. A vague confirmation of sothing of imnse interest, according to him. Apparently, his particular Skill had a reliance on PER, WIS, and INT. In the shadows.
His PER attribute was as high, if not higher than my own after these days leveling.
Get ready, Parker said, just as a shadow shot forward from the walls. The edge of the light from his [Glow Pendant] dissuaded the ifrits incorporeal form. Instead, he blocked another one of the creatures slipping out from a shadow nearby.
Sixth stabbed the squirming shadow, a violent hiss escaping the pierced ground. Smoke rose up from the edge of the [Twilight Saber], like the barest edge of a ray of sun. Burning. The ifrit crawled out of the shadow, face twisted in anger.
[Firebolt], Rose voiced beside . And the bolt of fla was brighter than I rembered. It exploded on another shadow snaking towards one of my other clones.
Everyone had at least one offensive or defensive Item now, if minor. Parker turned around as a clone warned him of an ifrit, striking the creature in the chest with a pair of chitinous gauntlets that had co from defeating a gloaming scythe. My clone moved in tandem, using an ill-fashioned wooden spear to stab forward between his strikes. It was enough to draw blood and eventually its death.
Rickson had two clones supporting him, taking on another ifrit. It erged from a shadow nearby but Rickson and my clones were ready for it, stabbing it with makeshift spears. I wouldve been happy with Ralphs bows but this would do in the anti. Without real weapons Ricksons idea of spears was ideal.
An ifrit appeared behind Rose, clawing its way from her shadow. My eyes went wide as [Solos Instinct] prompted . Rose behind
She whirled around. A black claw fell, accompanied by smiling teethand rebounded off a barrier of shadow. The ifrit recoiled as Roses [Coolshade Bracelet] twinkled. It was enough of a distraction for to plant my own spear into its neck, driving it to the ground. It struggled, unholy screams filling the quiet woods.
Its eyes shot to , a spark of malicious intelligence
I twisted the weapon, killing it imdiately. Black blood dribbled down and I took a breath, looking around. Three ifrit corpses and no rewards forthcoming. And this was just the outside.
So far everything had been handled as best as we couldve. No injuries, no freezing up, no costly mistakes. Just enough to learn. These days, we were working well as a team. My clones acted as a kind of multifunctional glue, filling every role unmanned, or covering every mistake they could.
These werent here when we scouted the place earlier. Parker frowned, kicking an ifrit corpse. One which had been pumled to the ground after being stabbed down.
We never got this close before, Rickson said, studying the ruins. He didnt wear his glasses anymore, theyd broken a while ago and he claid he could actually see better without them now. They mightve seen us and went into hiding.
Its dangerous. Parker sighed. The cautious deanor clashed with the black blood splatter across his face. He looked like a ss but his eyes were constant, unyielding.
Its always dangerous. Rose smiled. She perhaps had the sa dose of reality as I did. The apocalypse weighed on her, drained the light from her eyes, but propped up her back. Steeled the nerves.
Rickson shuffled, oddly more confident without the glasses. Its sothing incredibly valuable. He said plainly. Thats all Ill add. But I could see the eagerness in his posture.
Its alright, Ill lead, I said, gesturing to my clones.
And we entered the ruins, stepping through a gateway that was missing its arch. Buildings stood the test of ti, so reduced to empty space, others standing tall, the majority between either state. There were fading symbols on every inch of stone, any pattern or aning lost to the rubble.
A bright flash of sothing was our only warning against our enemy. Ahead of us, Seventh was missing an arm, blinking at the limb that had been instantly cauterized. He scread and I powered through the pain to stare at sothing I could only describe as a ghost.
If it were made of sunlight.
They stepped between rays of twilight in so kind of inverted version of the ifrits movent. And they had weapons, albeit made of the sa sunlight. A sword and shield, a spear. Bladed weaponry made from the sun, bright enough to blind our adjusted eyes.
Run! I yelled, imdiately recognizing a new foe.
Watch out Rose! Parker grabbed Rose as her [Coolshade Bracelet] flickered again, rebounding a sword strike made of sunlight.
Rickson ran after them, calling out ahead. There! He yelled. That building! It was one of the only ones still intact.
I was right behind him. One of them swooped down with a scream like a banshee and I yanked Rickson out of the way, into the shadow of the building, staring at the creature.
Human features, twisted by sothing. Epheral, as if made from light itself. It hesitated as we tensed, running, but it didnt move. And I slowed looking at it, then at the border of the buildings shadow. Then it scread and flew off.
I lingered but followed Rickson into the building.
What are they? Parker asked, looking through a stone window. He was grimacing, treating a burn across his arm. Their sword burned .
Rickson was out of breath. The [Sleepywood] is a haven for creatures of night and dawn. He said, repeating the description of the Dungeon. Im betting those are the creatures of the dawn. But damn. He finished, slumping.
They looked like ghosts, Rose said, glancing out the window. Everyone was in slight shock, but for better or worse, they were used to these situations now.
Evahn, you okay? Parker asked . I saw they took an arm.
Ill be fine, I replied wincing, idly rubbing the phantom pain of a missing arm. We have a bigger problem.
Eighth blinked as his spear went through the creature. It rushed down, moving freely in the twilight dimness, and swung for him again. He dodged, their movents widely projected.
It flew right into Ninths fistand phased through it.
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