NOVEL NEXT Chapter 32: Monster surge
Atrox felt something in the air, like claws scraping against his soul, and he wasn't the only one. Kade froze like a rabbit in the maw of a beast, and the team had stopped their butchering to look for where the tune came from. It sounded like a tune from a pipe but powered by something unnatural.
Something was happening. The cave trembled, the light dimmed, and then a whoosh sounded, though there was no air movement. The tunnel where the monsters had fled trembled, an aura that made the air quiver flowed out, and then the monsters exploded outward in a stampede that shook the ground.
Atrox noticed something was wrong at the same time as the others, but they were closer to the monsters than he was. Garran raised his sword, his blue shield expanding in front of him just before the monsters fell upon him. Unlike before, when the monsters had predictable movements, now they moved as though they truly wanted to kill.
With a crack, one monster bent and slammed its two spiked arms on the shield, causing it to fracture and shatter. Then the monster lunged forward, driving Garran back with spikes that sizzled menacingly.
He yelled, "Overlap! Create overlapping shields!"
His team snapped out of their surprise and created bands of shields that overlapped and surrounded them. The monster surge slammed into the shields and kept hammering, each blow bone-shattering, as the first layer of shields snapped away into nothingness.
"What is happening? We have to help them!" Kade shouted. He raised his hand and threw a bolt of lightning into the midst of the monsters, tearing through flesh.
"Yes, right," Atrox said flatly. He'd have preferred to run, but Kade had already drawn the monsters' attention toward them. Before they could act, the low, gripping tone blasted out again, and the monsters seemed to gain new strength. They threw themselves forward like rabid beasts.
Covering the distance between them in a flash, the monsters were upon them. The controlling tune—because Atrox knew that's what it had to be—rang out again, and the monsters shot spikes from their bodies.
Atrox raised his hand and created a thick shield that deflected the spikes, but it was only a distraction. The monsters were already there, slamming thick arms down with bone-jarring strength.
"Shit! Their strength seems to have increased as well!" Atrox said. He grunted as they swung their arms, the shield trembling under the onslaught.
"Release the shield, and I'll take care of them! There aren't that many left!" Kade said. His hands shimmered with lightning, the energy twisting and gathering as he held it with both hands.
Atrox nodded without speaking and cut off the energy he was using to maintain the shield. It snapped away.
Woosh! Crackle!
Silver, blistering lightning filled the air like a web and then slammed into the monsters, twisting flesh and bone with a loud crack and sending up the smell of burnt flesh.
Most of the monsters were already twitching on the ground, so Atrox finished the rest with well-placed essence balls. "That was dangerous."
Kade shook his head, his eyes narrowed. "I've never seen anything like this before. Why did they suddenly turn on us like that?"
"Must be something to do with that tune. It changed their behavior," Atrox said. He looked around but didn't see anything amiss, except that the chamber now looked darker.
Garran and his team had already finished off the rest of the monsters as well, and the man wore a grim look as he hurried toward them. "I don't know what's going on, but let's get out of here first."
Atrox opened his mouth to suggest that rushing into a tight tunnel without a plan might not be the best idea, but he didn't get the chance. Another tune blasted out. The only way to describe this one was as a naked blade.
It shredded the air and came with a blast of wind that gathered behind them and pushed forward. Garran's team was flung forward, and Atrox jumped out of the way, but they weren't the target.
An echo sounded, and then, with a rumble, the tunnel collapsed in a rush of falling rocks, sending dust billowing outward.
Atrox took a deep breath. 'Something is targeting us. Is this because of me? What else could it be unless everyone here has a past like mine? Assassins sent after me by the clan? They don't want me to become a knight! My stepbrother, maybe?'
"Garran, do you know what's going on?" Kade growled.
"Shut it! It must be you guys tagging along—this has never happened before!" a woman in Garran's team snapped back, her grip on her sword tight as she faced Kade.
Tension shimmered between the two groups as they faced each other, ready to strike at any moment. Atrox took a deep breath. "Look, we need to get out of here before casting blame. I think something is here, directing the monsters. Maybe higher monsters?"
Garran and his team exchanged doubtful glances. "What do you suggest we do now?"
"We clear the way, of course. Our priority is to get out of this place. Some stand guard while others dig," Atrox said. He knew the only way to stop the rising tension was to keep everyone busy.
Garran nodded, directing his team to start digging while he, Atrox, and Kade stood guard. Atrox's mouth almost curled up. It seemed Garran still didn't trust them completely.
The team created small essence blades and began digging, using their hands to draw back the soil. Atrox looked away from them and focused on the bodies of the monsters. The only sound was the shifting rocks.
And then he saw it—darkness pulling together and outlining itself into a shape.