NOVEL NEXT Chapter 80: Fighting the Shamblers
"On second thought," Lucas said,"wake them slowly. No sudden movements."
The Forest Shamblers stood motionless at the edge of their camp, their glowing eyes fixed on the group. Lucas's began to think about everything he knew about these creatures from the game.
Forest Shamblers were territorial but not inherently aggressive.
They responded to sudden movements and loud noises, which triggered their predatory instincts. But if you stayed calm, stayed still, sometimes they'd just... observe and move on.
Sometimes.
Garrett was frozen in place, his hand hovering near his sword. "What do we do?"
"Nothing," Lucas whispered. "Don't move. Don't attack. Just... wait a moment."
The largest Shambler tilted its head, studying them with alien intelligence.
Bits of moss fell from its shoulder as it shifted weight. The sound of wood creaking filled the air because its joints were moving like old tree branches in wind.
One of the Shamblers was positioned directly behind where Celeste slept. If it decided to attack...
Don't think about it. Stay calm.
The lead Shambler took a step forward. Then another. It was now less than ten feet from the fire pit.
Lucas could see details now that made his skin crawl. The creature's "skin" wasn't just bark, it was made of hundreds of tiny rootlets woven together.
Small insects crawled through the gaps, and mushrooms grew from its shoulders like epaulettes.
Behind him, Lucas heard a sharp intake of breath. Someone had woken up.
"Nobody move," Lucas said. "Stay in your bedrolls. Stay still."
The Shambler's head snapped toward the sound, its wooden teeth clicking together. For a long moment, nothing happened.
Then Celeste sat up.
"Lucas?" she said groggily. "What's..."
Her eyes focused on the creature looming over the camp, and her scream shattered the night's silence.
Everything happened at once.
The Shamblers attacked. The lead creature lunged toward Celeste with arms outstretched, those wooden claws reaching for her throat.
Lucas rushed at them. He crossed the distance in a heartbeat, his enhanced agility carrying him between Celeste and the Shambler.
His sword came up, meeting the creature's arm with a impact that sent vibrations up through his hands.
The blade bit deep into the bark-like flesh, but the Shambler didn't even flinch. It simply yanked its arm back, pulling Lucas's sword with it, and swung its other arm in a wide arc aimed at his head.
Lucas ducked, releasing his grip on his sword and rolling backward. He came up empty-handed, watching as the Shambler pulled his blade from its arm and tossed it aside like trash.
The camp had erupted into chaos. Damion was on his feet, his sword was already blazing in his hands as he faced off against one of the other Shamblers. Zacard had his spear out and was keeping a third at bay with quick, probing strikes.
The fourth Shambler had Garrett cornered against a tree and its wooden claws were slashing at him as he desperately parried with his sword.
"[Fireball]!" Damion shouted, launching a sphere of flame at his opponent.
The Shambler didn't dodge. The fireball struck it dead center, and for a moment, Lucas thought they had a chance.
Then he saw the creature's moss-covered body absorbing the flames, the fire spreading across its surface but causing no real damage.
If anything, the Shambler seemed to grow larger, the heat causing its plant matter to expand.
"Fire doesn't work!" Lucas shouted. "They're too wet. The moisture protects them!"
The lead Shambler advanced on Lucas again, and he scrambled backward, looking for any kind of weapon. His hand closed around a thick branch from their firewood pile.
Better than nothing.
He swung it like a club as the Shambler lunged, catching it across what passed for its face. The branch shattered on impact, sending splinters everywhere, but at least it made the creature hesitate.
"Lucas!" Celeste's voice cut through the chaos. "Duck!"
He dropped flat instantly, and a blade of ice shot over his head, slamming into the Shambler's chest. The ice spread rapidly across the creature's torso.
The Shambler staggered, its movements suddenly sluggish. The wood creaking sound became sharper, more brittle.
Ice. Of course. Freeze the moisture, freeze the creature.
"Celeste! More ice magic!" Lucas called out. "Everyone, aim for freezing attacks if you have them!"
Celeste stood near her bedroll, her hands already moving through another spell pattern. Her face was set in grim determination, all traces of sleepiness gone.
"[Frost Lance]!" She thrust her hands forward, and three more ice projectiles shot toward the Shambler, each one finding its mark.
The creature's movements grew slower with each hit, frost now covering more than half its body.
Across the camp, Lydia had retrieved Lucas's sword and was engaging one of the other Shamblers.
"[Light Beam]!" she shouted, and brilliant white light erupted from her body.
The Shambler she was fighting recoiled, its glowing eyes dimming as if pained by the intensity.
It stumbled backward, giving Lydia the opening she needed to drive Lucas's sword deep into what passed for its neck.
Dark sap spurted from the wound, and the Shambler collapsed with a sound like a falling tree.
"Weak to light magic too!" Lydia called out. "They're plant-based. It seems light magic disrupts their structure!"
The lead Shambler, now nearly completely frozen, took one more step toward Lucas before its leg shattered like frozen wood. It toppled forward, hitting the ground and breaking into several large pieces.
Two down. Two to go.
Damion had switched tactics, using his fire magic to create a barrier of heat between himself and his opponent rather than direct attacks.
The Shambler seemed confused by the waves of distortion.That confusion gave Zacard the opportunity he needed.
He circled around behind the creature and drove his spear through its back, the lightning-charged tip punching through bark and emerging from its chest.
"[Lightning Bolt]!" Zacard channeled his magic through the spear, and electricity arced through the Shambler's body.
The moisture in its system conducted the current perfectly, and the creature seized up, smoke rising from its joints.
Zacard yanked his spear free and the Shambler collapsed, twitching.
Three down.