The Bloodforged Kin

Chapter 232 - 226: Maisy - Abominable Losses

"We need to attack! Everyone, now!"

The giant creatures - Abominable Snowmen, The System had called them - had arrived at regular intervals. The battles had been difficult and the last two had only just been defeated when the others arrived. Her animals weren't built for taking on large creatures that towered over even the Thunderclaw Bears. The losses had been horrendous and the cold attacks had devastated large portions of her territory. Even now, she saw that her domain had shrunk in size, reducing the power of the animals that remained.

Now there was one more approaching, this one larger than all the rest. It was moving slowly - Maisy could see it in the far distance through the eyes of her Skyreaver Raptors. She had no understand of human timescales, so she didn't have words to communicate that it would be here in roughly 20 minutes. Instead she only knew 'Soon, but not very soon.'

"We need strategy!" Solstice's patience had run thin and he knew he was risking insubordination, but he couldn't hold back and wouldn't lie. "Have the badgers build rapid fortifications! The lynxes can exploit its weakness to flame while the raptors attack the eyes. The owls can confuse it repeatedly and the Bloodthorn Vines can burrow into its flesh, sapping its strength. Once it falls to its knees, Heartmane and Stonefist can attack while the herd strikes from a distance. We can destroy it, but we must do it intelligently!"

Maisy yowled in frustration, both at his defiance of her orders and her own unsurety on what to do. She was a lone huntress and knew how to face larger creatures head-on. You didn't build fortifications or conduct strategies. You attacked and attacked until one of you was dead, and if you were the one to die you made your opponent pay a heavy toll. Solstice's methods felt weak to her and she couldn't afford to lose any more strength. Already she felt herself weaker than when the day had started and she could see the loyalty of those under her dropping. They didn't need tactics, they needed to see a resounding and unforgettable victory.

They needed to show power beyond anything they'd demonstrated thus far, and she needed to lead them if she was going to retain control. In her anger she swiped at Solstice, the stag jumping backwards in surprise. She'd had her claws out.

"I said we attack! Everyone, all at once. Wait for it to enter my domain and we surround it. I will lead, but all will be expected to participate." As the thought occurred to her she realized a command was needed. She sent a message out to all who resided in her domain.

"It will arrive soon and all will meet it. Attack with everything you have. Any who do not attack will be dealt with after we have defeated it. This is not the time for weakness, this is the time for strength. Fight or die."

Solstice whinnied and stomped his hooves, shaking his antlers in irritation. Maisy eyed him dangerously, ready to pounce. He was the greatest among her people and it would be a great loss to kill him, but she would brook no dissention when death was so close.

He eyed her sideways, large eyes rolling in fear and anger, but his protestations slowed, then stopped. A large plume of breath filled the air as he exhaled, then calmed. He dipped his head, even bending his front legs to bow slightly. He didn't say anything, but didn't need to. It would be as she commanded. He sent a message to his herd, instructing them to line up behind the creatures that were surely amassing at the edge of her territory.

Maisy had been fighting constantly and her energy was waning, but she knew she had to rally her strength for this final battle - and she hoped desperately that it was the final one. All of her skills had reached level 5, and one had even evolved to its next level. She reviewed them one more time, taking strength from the changes that would give her more power.

Name: Regenerative Sleep

Type: Healing Skill

Level: 5

Description: Your healing during rest reaches an almost supernatural level. Not only does each hour of sleep restore health and mend minor wounds, but your body also enters a deep regenerative state, recharging mental and physical stamina far faster than normal.

New Effects:

Time Dilation:

The effects of sleep are amplified, speeding up recovery time in reduced time. Each hour of sleep will have the effect of 8 hours of rest.

Body Renewal:

Recover lost limbs and heal from extensive injuries during long rest cycles. Requires a minimum of 24 hours of uninterrupted sleep, depending on the severity of the injury.

That one had been hard-won, only growing because of the massive amount of injuries she'd been taking and the limited amount of rest time she'd had. She moved to the next two, purring with excitement.

Skill Name: Void Claws of the Rift

Type: Offensive Skill

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Level: 1

New Description: Your claws have evolved to an even higher level of power allowing you to manipulate both physical and arcane matter with supreme precision. They can now tear through the very fabric of space, opening rifts to teleport yourself and one other person, bypassing most barriers with ease. Every strike distorts the environment, destabilizing your foes' armor and magical defenses.

New Effect:

Spatial Rifts

: Your claws can open small rifts in reality, allowing you to teleport short distances (up to 30 meters) or attack enemies from different angles without them seeing your movement.

Rift Slash

: Every 5th strike creates a destabilizing rift, weakening the armor or magical defenses of enemies for 15 seconds.

Reality Tear:

Each attack has a 15% chance to create a temporary rift in reality, making enemies vulnerable to additional incoming attacks for 10 seconds.

Skill Name: Shadow Pounce

Type: Offensive Skill

Level: 5

Description: Your affinity with shadows has deepened, enabling you to blend into darkness with such finesse that your ambushes now feel as if they come from the void itself. Leaping from shadows, you strike with deadly precision, exploiting the moment of surprise to land critical hits. Now, your presence induces fear, weakening your foes and making them vulnerable to further assaults.

Effect:

Surprise Ambush

: You can leap from any shadow within 30 meters, landing an attack that has a 15% increased critical hit chance.

Fear Inducement

: Enemies caught unaware by your Shadow Pounce have a 30% chance to be momentarily disoriented, reducing their ability to retaliate for a 5 seconds.

Enhanced Stealth

: While hidden in shadows, you gain a +10 bonus to stealth, making it more difficult to be detected before the attack.

Shadow Cloak:

After performing a successful Shadow Pounce, you can cloak yourself in shadows, becoming invisible in low-light conditions for 5 seconds, further enhancing your chances for repeated surprise attacks.

She felt that her Arcane Sheen skill was on the verge of evolving, but that was another skill that only grew by her taking the brunt of the attacks. It was her only defensive skill and she admired the arcane sheen that glimmered across her fur. Her self-admirations were cut short by a message from Solstice.

"It has arrived."

Maisy stretched, muscles bunching tightly underneath her fur. It was time. They would be victorious or they would die. The thought didn't make her nervous, this was the way of things - of all things.

"I am coming." She leapt, disappearing into the shadows.

The giant kicked and badgers went flying, their tough, compact bodies bouncing across the ground. It roared as Cinder Lynxes latched onto its legs, their bodies alight with fire and filling the area with the scent of burning fur and flesh.

The Frostfang Wolves nipped and bit, lunging in to tear small chunks from its legs and dodging out of the way before the next kick could find them. It waved as Skyreaver Raptors dove and tore at its eyes, many of them caught up in its fists, their crunched and broken bodies hurled at the others. The Sonic Shrieks of the raptors and the Echoing Calls of the Whispering Owls were useless against this beast, its intelligence too high for their confusing effects to take root.

Just as ineffectual were the Abyss Vipers, their fangs barely penetrating the monster's thick hide, their venom dribbling down its flesh without entering its bloodstream. The alien screams of the Bloodthorn Vines carried across the communal communication network as they were ripped from the ground, their vines rending and tearing when they couldn't pull themselves out of its legs fast enough.

The Radiant Stags were spearing it from afar with beams of golden light, each one leaving a smoking hole that seemed to cause more irritation than damage. Arcane Scamperers covered its body like a living suit, tearing out chunks of flesh and releasing constant orbs of Arcane Burst energy to singe it. Their ability to Quickstep prevented them from being caught, but they covered it so thickly that, more often than not, their rapid dash found them on the backs of other Scamperers or launched into the air, falling from great heights with shrill screams. Many didn't rise, their backs and legs broken by the long fall.

"Where are you, Mistress?" Solstice's cry was desperate.

"I am here. I must wait."

"We need you now."

"You are holding, you will need me more soon."

The battle raged and creatures fell, but the damage began to accumulate on the snowman. She waited - she hated waiting and every instinct was crying out for her to join the fray, but she was, to her very soul, a hunter. She knew to time her moment perfectly, and cats were, above all, patient. Even as its eyes lit up and carved through the skies, sending raptors and owls falling by the score, she waited. Butterflies flitted around its head, blinding and confusing it, but still she waited. It would be soon, and she would be needed then.

Finally, the moment Maisy knew must come arrived. It hunched over and power began to grow around it.

"Back! Into the trees!" Maisy's command was followed instantly and the flood of animals was a tide that buried even each other in their panicked haste to flee. Scamperers Quickstepped like a waterfall down the creature, but even they weren't quick enough for all of them to dodge what came next.