Death: Genesis 5: An Isekai LitRPG by Nicholas Searcy

Author:Nicholas Searcy [Searcy, Nicholas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Podium Publishing
Published: 2024-03-05T00:00:00+00:00

28

A Looming Shadow

Pudge stomped down on the charred ixilak drone, mercifully ending its life. The thing’s pitiful screeches immediately ceased, and its fuzzy black-and-gold body burst like a bubble, splattering its vulnerable insides across the ground. Looking around, Pudge saw Tygar lop the head off of another tenuous survivor while, a dozen feet away, Yoree futilely beat a corpse with his staff. Sasha stood in the center of the mass of slain giant bees, the butt of her own staff planted in the ground as she tilted her head to the side and muttered something incomprehensible even to Pudge’s sensitive ears. He was just about to ask her what she was doing when the wind began to pick up. At first, it was nothing more than a cool breeze—welcome after the heat of battle—but it soon became a gale. The ferocity of the localized windstorm continued to escalate until Pudge could feel the sharp winds tugging at his fur.

“Do not move,” she said, her porcine brow creased in intense concentration. Pudge wanted to ask for further information, but a moment later, the wind turned solid, becoming thin, translucent blades that immediately targeted the mound of corpses.

That’s when the carnage began.

Blood, charred bits of dismembered drone, and insectile limbs flew into the air as those wind blades chewed through any giant bees that may have survived. It only lasted a few seconds, but in that time, the overgrown garden became a charnel house of insectile slaughter. Then, suddenly, it was over. The wind died in an instant, and the bits and pieces of slain insect fell to the earth.

Pudge’s jaw dropped, and he heard himself growl, “Why did you not do that sooner?”

Indeed, they’d just fought a long, drawn-out battle with hundreds of deadly bees; if she had the power to end them all in an instant—which she clearly did—it would have been prudent to have done so sooner. The fact that she hadn’t had put everyone in grave danger, and that realization tapped into the deep well of anger Pudge usually kept hidden. He didn’t mind weakness. In fact, he felt a certain degree of responsibility to protect those who were incapable of protecting themselves. His mother had done the same for him, and he had no issues with embracing that bit of instinct. However, holding back when your strength could make the difference between a companion’s life and death—that was unforgivable.

He stepped toward the mage, and the temperature of the garden seemed to drop precipitously. The others might have been green novices, but even they were experienced enough to recognize the danger Pudge’s shift in attitude represented. And they reacted accordingly, closing ranks and taking up a defensive position. Tygar stepped in front of Sasha while an exhausted and still-injured Yoree planted himself at the rear. Doubtless, they had spent quite some time establishing that protocol.

Already, Pudge’s mind whirled with plans. He would have preferred to attack from stealth, but if it came to a frontal confrontation, so be it.

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