novelraw Chapter 38: The Explosive Gambit
Chapter 38: The Explosive Gambit
Verso had spent the entire day yesterday replaying his death in his head.
The hunt had been a miserable failure and had given him a cold reminder that raw power meant nothing if the enemy was too fast to hit.
He had woken up today with new resolve as he came up with a new idea.
If he couldn’t out maneuver the gargoyles, he would just simply erase the space that they occupied.
------
He was back at the crater now, crouching behind the same floating boulder as yesterday.
As he looked over the edge, he saw the muscular and sculpted gargoyles from yesterday as they were roaming in the clearing.
Looking at them, his mind was already running at full capacity trying to come up with a plan.
’I just have to make do without the surprise element.’ Verso thought.
He had realized yesterday that summoning the twelve foot Goliaths right at the start was his biggest mistake.
Their massive size caused a miniature earthquake every time they touched the ground, alerting every gargoyle in the clearing which took way his chance to catch them off guard.
"I think this should work." Verso whispered.
He decided to make use of his entire army, treating every soul he had farmed over the last two weeks as expendables.
With a smile, he reached into his soul space and signaled the first wave.
Soon, ten seven foot golems materialized in a line formation.
These golems were not supposed to fight but rather play the role of bait as Verso commanded them to charge directly into the center of the clearing.
The golems launched themselves forward, their stone bodies accelerating at incredible speeds, each step shaking the earth ever so slightly.
Sensing the vibrations, the gargoyles reacted instantly.
Several of them snapped their heads toward the golems, let out screeching cry before snapping their wings open and taking flight.
Making the first move, they dove straight toward the minor golems like grey streaks of lightning.
While all of this was happening, Verso remained hidden. He was watching this engagement as he waited for the perfect time to make his second move.
As the gargoyles began to claw at the minor golems, he signaled the heavy hitters.
Suddenly, two of his twelve foot goliaths appeared near the clearing, their golden runes already burning with a dangerous flare.
Instead of ordering them to use their beams he ordered them to sprint towards the fight.
’I am not sure if this will work.’
Verso thought, his heart thudding in his chest.
Yesterday, he had seen how a direct hit from a mana beam had not been enough to kill a gargoyle.
These beasts had naturally high endurance stats which boggled his mind.
So in his head, if a concentrated beam couldn’t do it, his only remaining option was dropping a nuke on them.
"Let’s see how many waves they survive."
Just as the two giant golems reached the center of the battlefield, where they were being targeted by the flying predators, Verso triggered the command.
’Self Destruct.’
The giants’ runes became blindingly bright, turning from gold to a searing white.
BOOM.
A massive explosion rocked the clearing, sending a shockwave that shook the boulder Verso was hiding behind.
The ground shook violently as a cloud of dust and pulverized stone erupted into the air.
A sudden, agonizing spike of pain shot through Verso’s chest.
[Summon ’Stone Golem’ Dead.]
[Summon ’Minor Stone Golem’ Dead.]
[Summon ’Minor Stone Golem’ Dead.]
...
The feedback from twelve summons being vaporized at once felt like a hot iron being driven into his stomach.
He slumped against the rock trying to catch his breath as he ignored the massive amounts of system messages being voiced out in head.
He quickly looked back up as he didn’t want to give the dust a chance to settle.
"Wave two. Now!"
He summoned another ten minor golems and his remaining six giant golems.
He knew it would be a lethal mistake to assume the first blast had finished the job so he commanded the entire group to rush into the clearing immediately.
As his army of golems moved shaking the ground, Verso moved with them. He abandoned his cover and parkoured across a series of rocks to a different vantage point.
’I can’t let them get me.’
He knew he was the weakest link in this entire team.
Even with the cleaver, he was too slow to parry a gargoyle and his stats were not enough to stand up against them.
So to ensure the success of his gambit, he relocated.
He reached his new cover just as the dust in the clearing began to thin.
He squinted through the haze and saw three gargoyles still in the air.
Luckily, they were in bad shape. Webs of deep cracks covered their stone bodies and their movement was erratic as if their wings were on the verge of shattering.
On the ground, four more gargoyles were struggling to stand. Some were missing limbs while others had their wings torn completely off.
It looked as if they had taken the blunt force of the first explosion.
"Get them first!"
Verso sent the mental command to his minor golems as all ten of them charged towards the gargoyles on the ground, their heavy fists raised to finish the job.
But just as they reached the wounded beasts, the three gargoyles in the air let out a piercing shriek and dove down in an attempt to shield their fallen kin as they started tearing through the minor golems.
’What do I do?’ Verso’s mind raced.
If he lost the golems now, the giants would be left without cover. He looked at the six goliaths currently entering the clearing.
He had wanted to use these giants to use their mana beams at the gargoyles and finish them of safely.
"I guess I have no other choice."
Verso sent the final, brutal command to all of them.
"Blow it all up!"
The six goliaths stopped in their tracks. Their runes flared in unison as they turned the clearing into a miniature sun.
BOOM!!!!
The shockwave was so massive that it flattened everything in its path.
Floating rocks in the area were all blown backwards and the grey stone of the clearing was scorched black.
A massive, crushing ache appeared in Verso’s chest. It felt like his heart was being squeezed by a giant’s hand.
He fell to his knees, his vision flickering as he listened to the endless chime of the system messages ringing in his skull.
He didn’t care about the pain nor did he care about the loss of his army.
"Please... please... please..." He whispered, his eyes fixed on the smoke.
He ignored the all the summon dead notifications he was getting, searching for the only one that mattered.
[Mutant Beast Slain: Stone Gargoyle.]
[Mutant Beast Slain: Stone Gargoyle.]
[Mutant Beast Slain: Stone Gargoyle.]
...
The notifications kept coming as Verso let out a ragged blood stained laugh.
The gambit had finally paid off and now he had found another civilization of monsters to hunt.