World Filter

Goosebumps broke out across Mark's skin as he looked up at the creature. Its cloak hid most of its body, only the icy night breeze revealing enough to make out two pairs of arms protruding from its shoulders. The alienness of the situation finally set in, and Mark found his resolve hardening.

A glimpse of dull light flashed beneath the creature's cloak, the light catching on something eerily reminiscent of cold, hard steel.

Unfortunately, the Corrupted didn't give him very long to inspect it because the next thing Mark knew, an excited howl echoed through the night.

The Corrupted dove down from its perch, landing in the center of their formation. Its shoulders were hunched, and its demeanor was that of a strolling pace. That changed quickly, though, when the creature broke out into a mad dash towards the heart of their camp

Mark had no time to hesitate as he extended his senses and rushed to unravel a secondary construct around the tenders' hut.

At the same time, he called down the link.

'Jon! Sam!' He echoed, unable to restrain the urgency in his voice.

In the same breath, he found himself shouting for the others to move.

"All Tenders, inside now! Fighters focus on that creature, don't let it advance!"

The next person to respond was Jason, who broke from the outer formation, rushing towards the creature.

Its speed saw it crash down in the middle of their people before anyone could get close enough. The small thing's stature was in no way a disadvantage because what it lacked in size, it made up for in speed.

One of the Aura users from Tyler's Tigers moved to intercept, by virtue of being the closest, and got several cuts before being kicked to the side. Another woman moved into its path, and a flash of metal flicked across her face and chest. The armor there was unable even to slow the attack, and the Aura user fell back, covered in wounds.

Mark's eyes narrowed at the four short blades that flashed in the creature's taloned hands.

Before they could even take stock of their injuries, Mark moved his Prana to begin repairing the damage to their ranks.

And while he didn't take long, that gap was enough for the creature to slip through the defenses and into their back line.

Unrestrained, it tore into people, cutting wherever it could manage to reach. Eyes, faces, hands, anywhere it could find an opening. Over a dozen people were injured in just a few seconds, and Mark could keep pace, but if they wanted to win this, they needed to move past defending.

Luckily, Jason arrived by this time, with Tyler hot on his heels. The two of them went straight for the kill. Amber and Aura mixed through the air, but contrary to Mark's expectations, the beast froze and braced itself, taking the hits head-on. Tyler's body swelled as his transformation completed in less than a second, while Jason's blade arced straight for the creature's head. The only sound was the resounding clash of steel and bone as the strike ground to a standstill.

A harsh exhale rattled from the Corrupted's throat, followed by a low snicker. It had stopped both attacks single-handedly, its body language radiating amusement. The next instant erupted into a rapid exchange of blows—too relentless for either Jason or Tyler to withstand alone.

Mark felt the harsh pressure from each strike rippling out in concussive waves, but he didn't have the time to pay them any mind.

Helping heal everyone that was injured was the priority until Tyler went hurtling backwards, crashing into one of he old homes. Stone and debris went flying in all directions, creating plumes of dust that washed over the area.

Shouts came from all around as vision became obscured and people scattered. Fighters moved in from the edges to hedge in the beast, but during all of this, Jason kept fighting.

Before he was knocked away, Tyler had managed to tear a portion of the cloak, revealing more of its form.

Honestly, Mark had never seen anything like it. Hunched like a twisted goat forced onto two legs, it bore spiraling horns that jutted from its skull and a ragged tail that twitched behind it. Patchy fur clung to sweat-slick skin, and when its canary-yellow eyes locked on him, the horizontal pupils made his stomach lurch. The blades in its four arms were little more than daggers a few inches long, yet each slash carried enough force to push even Jason to his limit. Worse still, Jason was the wrong match. He usually crushed opponents with raw strength, but against the creature's speed, outmaneuvering it was impossible.

It also meant that when the thing escaped from Jason's reach, it happily tore into the crowds of gathered fighters. More and more wounds began appearing within their ranks, some worse than others, but Mark started to notice a worrying pattern. None of the wounds was highly lethal. Now, this could be attributed to aim, or lack of knowledge on human vitals. However, Mark had a disturbing hunch it was something more. From what he could see, the creature was merely playing with them, wearing an expression Mark could only describe as mirthful as it tore through their defenses. The only conclusion was that the creature was trying to inflict as much damage as possible without killing anyone. Corruption came off it in waves, and with each new injury, it seemed to rejoice.

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The hairs on Mark's neck rose as he realized what it was doing.

This thing wasn't fighting them; it was toying with them.

It was trying to spread as much pain and chaos as it could. Mark's pupils narrowed, and he noticed the way his eyes seemed to keep roaming the area. It had not targeted Mark yet, but it seemed to be watching him with keen interest when their gazes met.

As though saying, 'Are you really letting me do this?'

Mark's frustration rose when he realized thousand he realized that if they could pin this thing down, it would only drag things out. Making up his mind, Mark brought his Mana around.

"Fine, you want me to get involved?!" he muttered to himself, calling to his Warden who arrived faithfully.

Mark's entire construct wavered, and a third delicate membrane formed around the area they were fighting.

Since they were already within his construct, Mark pushed its nature to the limits and brought the space under his control. Force sapped from the Corrupted movements, slowing it considerably. At the same time, Mark weaved a [Telekintic control] and grabbed hold of the creature.

It let out a sudden growl as Mark got hold of it, but it wasn't panicking yet.

"Everyone, move in and kill it. I have it locked down," he shouted.

Fortunately, no one got the chance to act, because before they could even respond, a savage howl tore from the Corrupted throat.

Corruption swelled around the beast, naturally overwhelming the Mana. Mark's spell quickly began to unravel, but, by this stage, Mark's control was considerable. So, as was the strength of his will. So before the magic could completely evaporate, he triggered [Light control] and sent a shaft of condensed radiance at the thing. The attack hit, and flesh bubbled, but to Mark's horror, the creature moved its body before the attack hit. Narrowly escaping and death blow and receiving it on its shoulder.

The roar that left the creature's mouth then was nothing like what Mark had heard up til now. Its scream climbed into the skies, comparable to a creature far larger than its minute stature.

In a matter of seconds, the jovial chortle had turned to one of extreme rage, and it tore free from Mark's control.

Gone was its casual trot, replaced by an aggressive charge in Mark's direction. Easily sidestepping those that got in its way.

Refusing to panic, Mark unleashed his Mana into the earth. Pulling it under his control, even with the Corruption permeating the stone. Mark snapped his fingers and sent a ripple through the ground, causing cracks to spread out in all directions.

The creature stumbled on the sudden uneven ground, and Mark followed it up with several dozen [forcebolts]. Most were battered aside with the creature's blade, but a few peppered its limbs.

It didn't take long for the creature to regain its balance and come charging at Mark again—but by then, Jason was already at his side.
"All units, focus on slowing it down!" Jason shouted.

Amber liquid surged upward, hardening into a wall of resin that sealed them inside. If this had been anywhere else, Mark might have sighed in relief, but instead, he layered his own protection over the shell.

Through the glistening barrier, they could still see the Corrupted bearing down, individuals throwing themselves in its path to slow it. When it finally arrived, Mark grunted as a projectile slammed into their defenses. He realized too late that it had hurled one of its daggers. The improvised missile punched through the layered barriers with sheer strength, narrowly missing his leg. Instead, it carved across the top of his thigh, opening a deep wound and spattering blood across the ground.

Mark dropped to one knee, but his eyes never left the creature. It was already exploiting the weak point its dagger had made, tearing through the resin.

The balance of the fight shifted instantly. What had been a shield now became a prison. Jason couldn't swing wide in the confined space, and it didn't matter anyway. The Corrupted slid under his guard and smashed the handle of its blade into his throat. Jason collapsed, choking and sputtering, while the monster turned on Mark.

Mark drew his dagger—the one Jon had forged from their combined power—but even that was no match for three other blades. He managed to deflect the first strike, but the second pierced straight into his stomach, while the third slashed toward his neck.

He had seen the attack coming, and he hadn't been idle. All this time, Mark had been stalling—waiting. The moment he sensed his allies closing in, he unleashed a pulse of blinding light from his left hand. At the same instant, the amber dome split apart as cracks raced through it. Jon's bulk smashed through the side, tackling Mark out of reach of the lethal swing and throwing himself between Mark and the Corrupted.

In the same motion, Jon flicked his wrist, a golden blade of Aura slashing through the air. Mark blinked in disbelief; for a heartbeat, he swore he saw a second Jonathan strike from an impossible angle, an afterimage sculpted in radiant light. The blow sheared clean through one of the Corrupted's arms, yet before Mark could process it, a ball of fire plummeted from above.

Flames roared down, consuming everything. Mark shut his eyes and raised a construct to shield himself and Jon, but the protection proved unnecessary. The fire wasn't meant for them; it burned only the Corrupted. A concussive blast hurled the creature into the mountainside. When the smoke cleared, Sam stood tall, her form wreathed in pale blue fire, her eyes alive with flame.

"Everyone, form clusters! Don't let this thing catch you alone, it's far from dead. Jason, work with Gibby to organize a team defense. Mark, Nathan, Jon, you're with me."

Her voice left no room for argument. Teams shifted into place without hesitation, seizing the precious moments her entrance had bought.

High above, the Corrupted clawed its way out of the crater it had left in the stone wall, three stories up. It looked down at them, a strange light flickering in its eyes, and then bleated.

What came next froze them all. Instead of charging, the creature turned, hatred smoldering in its gaze, and vaulted off the mountainside into the darkness.

Jonathan's eyes followed it, Aura lingering at his fingertips before fading.

Mark's first instinct was to give chase, but he quickly understood why they couldn't. Too many unknowns. Too much to protect here. Sam's shoulders sagged slightly as she turned to him.
"Are you okay?" she asked.

Mark nodded. "I'll heal quickly. I need to check on the others. I didn't see anything lethal, but I have to make sure."

Not everyone agreed with standing down. Voices rose from the regrouping crowd as Terry pushed forward, fists clenched. Mark had seen him try to bar the Corrupted's path earlier, only to be swatted aside. Now he stalked toward them, anger burning in his eyes.