Reunion a litrpg apocaly.., p.30
Reunion: A LitRPG Apocalypse Adventure (Electrified Book 2), page 30
Actually, she probably could’ve killed them all with a few fully powered Chain Lightnings. Maybe when she defeated them, she received all their points, which had to be a lot with how they exterminated everything outside of dungeons. They probably crushed a bunch of dungeons, too. If she got this many points from destroying watches, there probably wasn’t much point in putting herself in danger by clearing dungeons.
Well, aside from growing her crystal horde and maybe finding some interesting crafting material. Plus, a few levels would be nice. On the crafting material front, aside from the feathers that would’ve made for a nice nest, nothing stood out to her. Definitely nothing comparable to the serpent scale and spikes. Though being fair, that was an infant creature that could probably give most of these dinosaurs a run for their money.
That thing was also a special hidden boss. Maybe she should hunt some more. There was probably a hidden boss or two here, too. First, she needed to find a way to keep the Changed away.
A frown formed as she noticed a sudden uptick in flares to the north. Was Ione hunting? She supposed it didn’t really matter as long as she played it smart. If anything, it would only increase their confusion. Their watches would point here, yet flares sprouted to the north.
Still, her frown deepened as the number of flared kept rising far past the point Ione should have moved on. However, after several minutes of this, the number stalled as she sensed Ione moving southward.
She must have everything under control. If she needed assistance, she was sure she would call for help.
Suddenly, a searing pain shot through her, causing her to double over while clutching her chest. A whimper escaped her mouth, but a moment later, she froze, realizing the pain was not hers. In a panic, she checked her bond list to find Ione’s name flashing red.
Core hammering in her chest, Elysia spammed her link, trying to contact Ione, but she only received pain-filled out-of-focus images.
Without thinking, she slid down the massive tree before taking off in a sprint to the south where her bond was, unmoving.
Halfway there her logical mind wrestled back control, prompting her to prod the bond to find exactly where she was, only for a shiver to run up her spine as Ione was near the southern shore, probably surrounded by over a thousand Changed.
While trying her best to block out the pain and anger welling up in her through their bond, Elysia tried to formulate a plan. There was no way she could handle that many at once, but maybe she didn’t need to. All she needed to do was provide a distraction for Ione to escape.
Trying to sneak in would be pointless as they probably were tracking her right now with those damn watches. She had to go in hard and fast, doing as much damage as she could before retreating.
The moment they hurt Ione, they forfeited any mercy. If they died, that was on them. Just like her life was in her own hands. She had to make sure both she and Ione made it out of this. They had a wayward sister to meet up with and some elementals to spank.
43
Stupid disgusting fake elementals. They killed all her snacks. Her mother didn’t want to kill them, but to her, they committed a grave offense to her glorious self. No one was allowed to steal her meals. Well, aside from her mother, but she wouldn’t consider that stealing.
Far faster than any meal stealer could follow, Ione shot through the jungle, always finding the path of least resistance despite her increased size.
Suddenly, she dug her claws into the ground, stopping on a dime, then she lowered herself to the ground, trying to hide her beautiful but camouflage-challenged fur.
Her eyes zeroed in on a large group of fake elementals, however something was different with them, but she couldn’t put her claw on it. They felt much stronger than most but, at the same time, less disgusting. Stronger should mean more disgust like the other groups.
Curious, she stalked after them, always keeping several trees between them and her. Another oddity presented itself soon after. The other groups while they had inferior senses to her or her mother at least appeared alert of their surroundings ready to react to an attack. These disgusting fake elementals, however, seemed completely at ease.
Maybe they thought they were the top predator on the island. Of course, they were wrong, but they were disgusting fake elementals, so she couldn’t blame them for their mental deficiencies.
Hopefully, she and her mother would prove how wrong they were soon. As fun as it was to hunt the watches, it was growing boring. They needed a better challenge, which hopefully turned into a meal. Not that these things would provide a tasty snack. Just the thought made her want to throw up.
Though they at least didn’t repel her from the stench alone. Maybe they were trying to improve themselves. If she were them, she would try her best to shake off the disgustingness. Despite their efforts, they had a long way to go.
As she followed them, her superior senses pinpointed the direction they were going. These must be the elite group her mother mentioned. They were probably scouting the nearby territory, though based on their relaxed, almost lazy demeanor, they weren’t doing a good job. Not that they would have found her glorious self, even if they were trying.
Even if by some miracle they spotted her, she could always escape. No way could they match her speed if she wanted to perform what her mother called a tactical retreat. Of course, they would never truly run away. They were the queens of this island, after all. The system even confirmed it with their ranking.
Pride radiated through her, some of which she sent through her bond with her mother, as was her habit. She had to keep morale up. Ever since the disgusting fake elementals showed up, her mother appeared troubled. She kept glancing to the west as if she wanted to find something in that direction.
Of course, as a dutiful daughter, she knew why. Her mother wanted to reunite with her sister, and she would do her best to make sure it happened. Even she felt a faint connection somewhere to the west. Which made sense since her mother’s twin was family, too. She would protect her family, as was her duty.
The faster they conquered the disgusting fake elementals, the sooner they could reunite.
Determined to make her mother happy, Ione picked up the pace, hoping to reach her target faster. With her superior senses, she no longer needed to follow the group as she sensed a large clearing a couple of kilometers to the south.
Before she left them, her desire to prove her superiority got the best of her. She dug her claws into the packed ground, then shot toward them so fast she was nothing but a blur to them as she swiped her claw at the watch adorning a middle-aged woman’s wrist before pivoting on a dime to do the same to another watch. Even before the watches exploded and flared up into the sky, she made her escape.
More points for her family.
Ione skidded to a stop a kilometer from her target as another thought came to her. Why not target every watch? It would provide a delightful challenge and distraction. Maybe it would even scare them away, so she and her mother had the island to themselves.
Even if it didn’t scare them away, she would earn her family a ton more points. Just that strike raised their point total by almost a hundred. She wasn’t sure they were worth that much, but she couldn’t complain about easy gains. Still, she’d like a more challenging hunt.
Before she enacted her plan, she checked her bond to find her mother remained in the tree where she had left her. A pang of guilt hit her a moment later. She wished she could bring her mother on this glorious hunt, but if she triggered the watches while her mother remained in the tree, it would sow more confusion.
Despite their deficiencies, they probably figured out her mother was the source of the flares, but if her glorious self triggered a bunch, it might throw a wrench in their plans. They were tracking her mother, but not her, after all. They dared to track her mother. Now they must pay the price.
If only they weren’t so disgusting, she would kill them all. Sometimes she envied her mother’s ability to kill without dirtying her hands, but the more she fought with her unparalleled claws and teeth, the more she preferred a more paws-on fighting style.
In this case, a ranged attack would be preferable, but she could only use the tools available to her. Fortunately, all it took was a swipe of her claw at the watch without touching the disgusting fake elementals to trigger the flare.
She shot off to the north, deciding to hit the farthest groups from the camp near the southern shore first.
Within minutes, she reached her first target, which she dispatched with a quick claw to the two watches in the group of a dozen. Before they knew what happened, she moved on, doing the same to several more groups until she spotted something curious.
About a kilometer to the west, over fifty Changed gathered in a clearing surrounding something especially tasty. For a moment, she thought of fetching her mother, but in fear of losing out on the meal, she ventured forth.
An ear-rattling roar flattened her ears as she stalked toward her next targets.
She poked her snout out of the dense jungle, eyes practically sparkling upon sighting the Changed’s adversary. Towering over everyone on two legs, a monster with a far-too-big mouth and too-short arms stood against the combined effort of over fifty Changed.
Elements bounced off its sturdy scales as it whipped its tail with vicious intent. Several unlucky Changed earned themselves a hit to their torso, sending them flying several meters.
The creature wasn’t tanking the combined effort without some damage, however. With each volley, its scales dulled a little, and some scorched or frosted over, but it did little to slow its counterattacks.
Every whip of its tail incapacitated or killed a handful of Changed as they were too slow to react or unwilling to retreat.
Stupid disgusting fake elementals. This was no hunt. What was the point in throwing numbers at an obviously superior foe? Sure, they may kill it in the end, but she doubted even a quarter of them would survive. If they even managed to kill it at all. At the current rate, if they didn’t kill it within the next minute, they wouldn’t have enough left.
Unfortunately, a few seconds later her hopes that the superior, delicious hunter would survive took a turn for the worst. While it violently dispatched Changed with its tail, seemingly just as disgusted as her glorious self going by its lack of biting, at least another fifty Changed appeared at the edge of her senses.
Disgusting in both body and mind. Not only were they willing to sacrifice their own in the initial confrontation, but they also planned to throw even more numbers at the superior, delicious hunter.
She couldn’t allow that to happen. Her mother didn’t want to kill the disgusting fake elementals, but even she had to admit they earned their fate. Especially after all the meals they stole from her. As the superior being, she claimed the delicious hunter for herself.
Still, did she really want to dirty her claws on these disgusting creatures? There wasn’t even any honor in the hunt. They were so far below her they had no chance, even if they knew where she was. Sometimes she had to make sacrifices, though. Her lightning should burn off any bits of disgusting fake elementals she got on her unparalleled claws. At least, she hoped.
Decision made, Ione blurred forth. Far faster than anyone could react, she slashed through the throats of the dozen remaining Changed, scoring quick kills.
Golf ball-sized eyes looking comically small on its massive head followed her as she retreated back into the jungle. To give the delicious hunter a chance to make their hunt interesting, Ione shot off toward the pursuing Changed, now numbered in the hundreds.
If they were willing to sacrifice so many to the delicious hunter, she doubted the leaders would miss them. If they did, oh well. This was their punishment for ruining her meals and hunts.
She even had a route planned out with the tastiest dungeons ready for when her mother finally left the scaled treats. Now they had to dodge these stupid pests. Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t track her like her mother and would pay the ultimate price for their mistakes.
Like slaughtering livestock, Ione dispatched groups by the dozen with lightning-fast slashes to their necks before any of them could react. Disgust grew with each successive kill, but she pushed it down, knowing it was for the greater good.
Unfortunately, her plans took a turn when she realized the numbers converging on her location kept growing. The previous hundred were more than tripled, attracted by the growing number of flares in the sky.
Still, she kept killing, reaching a hundred kills within minutes. In the fog of the slaughter, she failed to notice several stronger presences converging on her location until it was almost too late.
Lightning sparked off her now-red fur as she stood panting in a clearing surrounded by bodies and dozens of flares high in the sky, broadcasting her location to everyone.
Almost a minute passed with no further attacks returning lucid thought to her mind and with it a deep sense of disgust. A shiver ran through her body as she shook, trying to dislodge the coating of red on her glorious fur, but the sticky substance refused to go away.
Overwhelmed, she almost missed several much stronger presences converging from the south, far faster than the usual disgusting fake elemental swarm. One of them even felt extra tasty, tempting her to attack, but something deep within her told her it would be a bad idea. Instead, she turned to the north and took off in a sprint.
Her pursuers somehow kept pace as she reached the beach and dove into the water. Despite her situation, relief coursed through her as the blood of the disgusting fake elementals washed away.
However, her relief turned into worry upon reaching an invisible barrier only a dozen meters from shore. Upon sensing her pursuers near the shore, Ione shot through the water, following the invisible barrier, hoping to elude them in the water, but they easily kept pace with her on the shore.
Soon she realized her mistake upon reaching the southern end of the island. Thousands of Changed stood on the shore as earth Changed erected a wall, blocking her path. On a dime, she turned to swim the back the way she came, only for another wall to ascend, boxing her in.
She poked her head above the surface, slitted violet eyes taking in the army of disgust surrounding her. As soon as she glanced at the walls, tempted to jump over them, razor-sharp spikes speared upward along each of them.
A moment later, the one bastion of tastiness in the sea of disgust reached the southern shore. The sea of disgust parted, revealing a green-haired man writhed in emerald lightning.
Almost instantly, her danger sense spiked, causing her to back against the invisible wall, tail puffed even underwater.
At least her mother wasn’t with her. As long as her mother remained safe, it didn’t matter what happened to her.
She would take as many of these disgusting fake elementals down with her to give her mother a chance.
44
Despite almost every part of her desiring to Smite the encampment, Elysia slowed down as she approached. She knew they knew where she was, so she was at a disadvantage, but going in blind was also stupid.
Besides, as she neared, the painful pinging through her bond with Ione lessened in intensity. It was still there, but whoever was hurting her bond must have noticed her approach.
Taking advantage of the lull, she sent a flurry of images to Ione asking her if she was okay and what the situation was like.
After a few seconds delay, almost hesitant, blurry images reached her. They showed thousands of Changed surrounding a blood-covered Ione. She wasn’t sure if the blood was hers or from the hundreds of dead Changed floating in the surrounding water.
Like Ione, the dammed section of the ocean was red. Spikes and frozen sections littered Ione’s surroundings, but none appeared to have hit her, though it was hard to tell with how red her fur was.
The last image showed a green-haired man with vibrant emerald lightning writhing his body. Hatred and hunger flowed through their bond as the last image reached her.
Elysia froze as she stared at the image. He didn’t feel like a Changed. Something about him felt similar to her but different. Her lightning felt almost prideful and violent, while his radiated a calm confidence.
Unlike Ione, she didn’t feel a powerful urge towards him, but a subtle pull directed her attention in his direction. However, that might be because most of her attention focused on Ione. She couldn’t even feel rage at him for some reason. Maybe the feeling his lightning gave off affected her more than she thought.
Taking advantage of the calm despite its worrying source, she continued her advance, now able to hear the sounds of battle. Oddly, despite being so close, no Changed teams appeared. Maybe because she was the only threat left that they knew of, so they grouped up to wait for her.
Ione was doing a number on them, too. As she neared, the pain through their bond vanished almost entirely. Excitement and murderous fury warred for supremacy now.
Somehow, Ione found fun in their situation. She was a predator after all, but she hoped Ione didn’t get carried away. No way could they beat everyone at the encampment, going by the images there were thousands and growing. They probably recalled everyone for the encounter.
The numbers alone made things impossible, and that wasn’t counting the strange man. Based on what Ione’s senses told her from the image, he was really powerful. Likely at the peak of the dungeon, and that was just his power. Who knew what tricks he had up his sleeves?
Their best option was to smash and make a run for it. The Changed likely knew it, too, but they had to take the chance.
Elysia asked for more images focused on the direction she was coming from before acting. If they were willing to give them time to prepare, she would take advantage of it.
The first image was Ione in the water, surrounded by even more bodies. Besides her panting, she didn’t seem in terrible shape.
