Arrival: A LitRPG Series, page 11
On the far side of the lake, the strip of land changed into a series of long steps stretching hundreds of feet across. Water flowed down all but the center-most portion of the stairway into either half of the lake, keeping the reservoir at max capacity. The steps were made of a pure white material that matched the reflecting starlight. To the left of the stairway was an elegant gazebo made of the same material as the stairs. In the center of the gazebo floated a large blue orb that bathed the structure in an azure light.
Leo’s gaze traced up the sleek staircase and fell on a creature staring directly down at him. It stood proudly on four legs, looking with large eyes of garnet red. Its long fur coat was the same shade as freshly fallen snow, and the fur partially hid the dark grey skin of the beast’s feline structured face in much the same manner as a tightly woven scarf. Atop the creature’s head rose a thin blade-shaped horn, and from its back split off two long cat-like tails that swished back and forth as it studied Leo with a look of faint interest.
Race: Chari
Racial Ranking: ??
Monster Class: ??
Level: ??
Disposition: ??
Description: ??
Leo was at a loss; he had thought observation was an all or nothing skill. Did he receive partial information on his target, or had the creature chosen to reveal that bit of information to him?
The Chari sank to its haunches before sweeping its gaze over the assembled mass of Thunder Rocs sprawling beneath its perch. Under its casual scrutiny, the horde of crazed electric chicks had gone shockingly silent. It felt like the birds were reining in their energy in deference to the beast, and only the slight twitch or spark could be seen. He didn’t feel any hostility coming from the creature, and the whole scene reminded Leo of a bunch of ADHD students trying to stop themselves from doing something stupid in front of a teacher.
Sparky gave off a soft squawk and stepped forward. The Chari’s eyes snapped over to the movement and the bird met the creature’s imposing gaze in wary defiance. A sudden wave of pressure bore down on them, dropping Leo to his hands and knees as his limbs felt like they had grown lead weights.
Struggling to draw breath under the immense weight, Leo tilted his head up to the source of the pressure. The two large, red eyes of the Chari filled his vision with their ominous glow. Sparky took a half-step back from the force as the rest of the Thunder Roc chicks cowered in fear. A bristle of electricity ran through her feathers and she drew herself up to her full height. Just as Leo was about to choke out for the bird not to do anything stupid, the pressure abated and the Chari turned its head up to stare at the night sky.
Leo took in a few shuddering breaths while he followed the direction of the beast’s gaze. The clouds above swirled and flashed with light as a figure large enough to blot out the moon made a swooping descent. As it glided down, large columns of electricity shot away from the beast, temporarily obscuring Leo’s vision in their blinding flashes. He held a hand to shade his eyes as he stared at the incoming creature. Needing to confirm his suspicions, he spared a glance at Sparky to see her reaction. The bird was gazing up in abject excitement while letting out the occasional happy chirrup. Looks like I’ll have to meet the mom after all, he thought in defeat.
The adult Thunder Roc touched the ground dozens of yards away, the flapping of its gigantic wings creating hurricane force winds that blew up clouds of dirt and shattered the stillness of the lake water with large swells. While Sparky was built like an overgrown newborn chick, its mother resembled the body structure of a hawk. The shape of its feathers flickered like tongues of yellow flame, each an almost incorporeal mass of power and energy.
Leo looked toward the Chari, wondering if he was going to see a monster showdown, but the creature seemed more annoyed by the dramatic entrance than threatened. He turned back to the adult Thunder Roc and cast observation.
Name: Amira
Race: Thunder Roc
Racial Ranking: ??
Monster Class: Threat
Level: ??
Disposition: ??
Description: ??
As if noticing him cast the skill, Amira tilted her head toward Leo and he felt the judging weight of her gaze. A tingling sensation ran the course of his body and he somehow knew the bird was also pulling up his information. He paled as his brain started to comprehend the implications of what had just happened.
If the Thunder Roc had enough intelligence to scan and understand his information, that meant the creatures standing before him weren’t simple beasts driven by instinct, but individuals capable of thought and learning. The beasts he had faced previously hadn’t seemed to hold any semblance of intelligence beyond their primal instincts, but maybe the stronger a creature became the more it was capable of. Leo filed that train of thought away for a later study. He had more pressing concerns being stuck between these two imposing monsters.
Amira seemed to reach some sort of conclusion with her judgment, and the ground trembled slightly as she took four massive steps that closed the distance between Leo and herself. The bird was several stories tall, and he watched frozen in horror as she leaned her massive beak down directly over his head. He was at a loss what to do. He would die if he tried to fight this creature and die if he didn’t.
The Thunder Roc horde pressed in from all around him, cutting off any hope of escape as they waited for their human lightning rod to be devoured. He shut his eyes to the inevitable pillar of lightning about to fry him or the bite that would gobble his body whole. The large beak brushed against the back of his neck before clipping onto his deteriorating armor and hoisting him off the ground.
He opened his eyes, meeting the unified excited gaze of the Thunder Roc hatchlings some twenty-odd feet below. It was almost cute watching their heads move from side to side as he swayed limply in the air, except the motion made him feel like a worm about to be fed to a rabble of hungry chicks. Then Amira turned and walked toward the gazebo on the left side of the path.
Once there, she set Leo gently on the ground before lying down beside him. He looked at Amira, perplexed why the giant predator hadn’t yet taken him as a morsel or fed him to her family. The oversized bird met his gaze steadily with her giant yellow eyes, then swiveled her head deliberately at the stairway. He didn’t have much of a choice in the matter, and every second he was alive was a second he’d take.
Knowing that running was pointless, and his curiosity about what the hell was going on getting the better of him, he sat down beside the massive bird, contenting himself to watch whatever was about to unfold between the Chari and the horde of Thunder Roc hatchlings.
13
A second Chari trotted into view alongside the first. This one was much smaller than the other, only coming up to half of Leo’s height.
Name: Chari
Racial Ranking: Newborn (Pack Leader)
Monster Class: Threat
Level: 4
Disposition: Neutral
Description: Chari only congregate near mana wells. The density of the mana helps fuel the growth of their offspring, while the size of the gathered herd naturally creates a protective gravitational domain.
The smaller Chari attempted to mirror the regal pose of its larger counterpart. It stood as tall as it could while proudly gazing into some faraway space above the Thunder Rocs, as if the birds below weren’t worthy of its attention. Sparky seemed to get flustered by this, and she sent a small zap of electricity that splashed harmlessly on the stairs next to the young Chari’s paws.
Startled by the lightning, the creature flinched away, raising its front paws needlessly in an effort to evade the minuscule attack. Its reaction resulted in a series of amused squawking from the gaggle below. The Chari’s ears flicked as it attempted to ignore the antics of the Thunder Rocs and regain its poise. This time, instead of looking off into the distance, its gaze fell directly on Sparky.
The muffled sound of padded feet sounded from atop the summit as a swath of newborn Chari suddenly appeared alongside the others. They lined up at the top of the stairway, looking like a brigade of cavalry ready to charge. The sizes of the newcomers were all slightly smaller than their pack leader, and a quick observation told Leo their levels only ranged from two to three. They tried to mimic the confident composure of their leader, although a few of the smaller ones flicked their tails in obvious apprehension as they eyed the increasingly hyper birds below.
The air thickened with tension as the two hordes of monsters faced off. Leo was beginning to think the few hundred feet that separated him from the creatures wasn’t going to be enough. Just as he was about to scoot back, Amira let out a resounding cry, her call echoing across the summit with the intensity of a thunder clap. Almost immediately, the two groups surged forth.
Large bolts of electricity converged on the Chari’s location as the line of creatures scattered with cat-like reflexes. The majority rushed down the steps, looking to meet the charging birds head-on while a few others took to the air, white runic circles appearing beneath their paws and propelling them above the flock below.
Two Chari were hit with the initial barrage; one of them fumbled but quickly found its footing in time to avoid the attacks that followed, but the other wasn’t so lucky. Its stunned body came crashing down the stairway into the swarm below, where it was quickly peppered by more bolts until its white fur blackened.
Angered at seeing the death of their kin, the Chari struck back. Silver energy condensed around their bladed horns until they released it with a cleaving motion at the birds below. The silver energy sprang away in an arc, distorting the air around it as it flew almost too quickly to follow. The Thunder Rocs tried to scatter but several of the fast-moving distortions still found their mark. The ripple in reality seemed to implode whatever it touched. Those who were struck had their wings, feet and even entire midsection fold in on themselves with a sickening crunch. The pathetic squawks of their comrades as they were hit seemed to drive the flock into a fury, and they ramped up their assault with a vengeful cry.
Leo’s heart clenched from the gruesome spectacle. Now that he knew these creatures were capable of intelligent thought, this had become much more than just a mindless battle between monsters. He couldn’t fathom what purpose this slaughter held. Did Amira and the other overseer just find sick amusement in watching their young die?
The two groups on the ground made it into melee range. The Chari were outnumbered almost two to one, but they held a grace of movement that allowed them to slip under and between the Thunder Rocs before they got pinned down. They would dart around one bird and come up on an unsuspecting target with a quick slash, rending and crushing whatever segment of body their empowered horns touched. Then they would disengage to strike another target before they became a victim of the constant discharge of electricity that jumped from bird to bird.
The Chari in the sky seemed to fare better than their ground-based counterparts, the open air giving them more room and time to maneuver out of the way of the many lightning-based attacks. They provided a constant barrage of their own while zigzagging among the projectiles. It was a dangerous tradeoff though, as the unlucky few who were hit found their concentration broken from the runic pattern keeping them airborne. The white runes being emitted beneath their feet would shatter, sending them plummeting to the steps below, where if the fall didn’t kill them the horde of awaiting birds quickly did.
By an unspoken agreement, room was made for a duel between two combatants. Besides dodging occasional outside projectiles, the two individuals didn’t spare any attention on the rest of the battle, their focus wholly devoted to each other.
The Chari pack leader ran in a wide circle above Sparky’s head, sending down a consecutive barrage of its force-based attacks. Sparky nimbly ducked and dipped to avoid the incoming projectiles, using quick flaps of her wings or a sudden discharge of electricity to give her the required burst of speed needed to stay ahead.
She shot back multiple bolts in rapid succession, each one as large as Leo’s torso, but the Chari gracefully dodged each one, sometimes moving before the bolts were even on their way. Leo could almost sense amusement in the creature’s gaze at it sidestepped one of the bolts and casually swiped its glowing blade to deflect another.
He observed Sparky’s mood shift from excited to furious as she saw the clearly mocking way the Chari was treating their battle. She ruffled up her feathers and with a loud cry, similar to that of Amira’s, sent out a solid wave of electricity in all directions. The Chari’s eyes narrowed as it silently shot toward the dome of crackling yellow energy, multiple streams of silver coalescing on its blade-shaped horn as it met the attack head-on.
The two forces collided in a clap of force and a crackle of lightning. Sparky looked visibly deflated as she locked eyes with the Chari, who struggled to push back her attack. Small jolts of electricity jumped from the Chari’s horn to its pristine white fur, singeing the creature and making its red eyes wince in pain.
The clash of wills stretched on and even the furious battle raging around them paused as the opposing groups watched to see whose leader would emerge victorious. It had only been a few minutes, but already only half the original number of combatants remained.
The moment stretched on as the Chari continued to bear the full brunt of the assault, the wave of electricity pushing the feline back inch by inch. Just as it looked like it was going to be overwhelmed, the Chari’s red eyes flared to life and with a desperate heave of its head, it forced the mass of lightning to arc off to the sky and dissipate in the clouds overhead.
The white runes beneath the Chari’s feet began to falter, and the feline made a stumbling descent to the ground. It barely managed to avoid serious injury as the runic circles gave out entirely several feet above the marble floor.
Leo noticed Sparky’s mood shift from furious to smug as her opponent was finally forced down to her level. They were both breathing heavily with exertion as the Chari straightened itself on wobbly legs and continued their stare-down.
Sparky, clearly not one for waiting, attempted to close the distance as she shot forward with several rapid flaps of her wings. The Chari’s eyes widened at the swift and sudden movement. It brought its body low just in time to duck a talon swipe aimed at its head. As soon as Sparky missed, it struck back with an unempowered swipe of its blade. The horn managed to graze the bird’s torso as she took a retreating leap back.
Yellow blood trickled down the cut on her chest as Sparky pressed her assault. She flapped her wings, releasing two small blades of air that jetted toward the feline. Their proximity meant the surprise attack moved too quickly for the Chari to dodge. It just managed to move its head out of the way as the blades scored two deep lines into the side of its fur, tainting white with crimson.
With her opponent off-balance, Sparky rushed forward to finish the fight. The Chari narrowed its eye, blade glowing faintly as Sparky’s beak shot toward the feline’s eye. The air surrounding Sparky glowed with sudden power, freezing her in her tracks just before contact. One of the bird’s legs collapsed as she strained to finish off the equally frozen Chari, whose face shone with strain at keeping its aggressor at bay.
Leo looked at Amira, who stared impassively at the whole affair. She gave him a quick glance before turning her attention back to the battle. There appeared to be a glimmer of sadness in the creature’s eyes.
She had been stock-still during the whole spectacle, while the energy in her feathers seemed to be gradually losing some of its brilliance. He couldn’t tell if there were any changes with the adult Chari, which stood at the top of the stairs in the same regal pose as it had from the beginning. If they truly were capable of a higher plane of thought, then surely, they both must feel something watching this.
Leo couldn’t bring himself to watch this pointless slaughter any further. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the horrible animalistic cries of pain and torment.
It was only perhaps a minute later when movement beside him made him open them once more. The two large creatures had turned to look at each other, some sort of silent communication passing between them. Then Amira let out a solemn cry. This one was like the low rumble of deflated thunder, lacking a certain sense of power and grandeur that her earlier call had.
All at once, the fighting stopped. Sparky’s beak froze inches away from the opposing Chari’s throat. Some of the wounded creatures collapsed where they stood, their bodies too exhausted to support them any longer. Others just stood still, waiting for whatever came next.
Including the pack leaders, Leo counted only five surviving Chari and eight Thunder Rocs that had made it through the battle. He didn’t know how many both sides had started with, but based on the numerous dead, it was clear that each had been brought down to a sliver of its former number.
Amira rose to her full height, draping the battlefield in darkness as she spread out her massive wings to either side like a pair of banners. The young Chari and Thunder Rocs slowly hobbled over to her, the injured struggling desperately to regain their footing and join the assembly. Leo spotted Sparky in the small pack of monsters as they all gathered under the wing next to him; the young Thunder Roc had a slight limp in her left leg and showed none of her usual jubilance. He also noticed the young Chari pack leader—the feline’s fur was tarnished and the two gashes on its side still seeped blood. It still managed to keep its head held up high as it rejoined the survivors of its pack under the other wing.
Once all that were left living had assembled, Amira pulled back her wings and swung them forward in a blur. Strangely, the action didn’t cause the massive gust Leo had expected. She repeated the motion, flapping her massive wings at an increasing velocity until Leo couldn’t even perceive the motion.
Then all at once, she stopped and a deafening force crashed to life. Leo clamped his hands over his ears, trying to mute the roar of the gale as stone and dirt a few paces in front of him exploded from the attack. The massive blast of wind surged over the battlefield in a fraction of a second. Corpses that weren’t shredded to oblivion were flung far enough in the dawning sky to easily clear the edges of the island.
