The Only Son Amongst The Daughters Of Eros

The faint, unsettling sound of scratching claws and guttural hissing continued more and more, echoing around them and filling Aeric with a sense of unease.

Alzera kissed her teeth, preparing herself. "The Quest Lobbies' difficulty is increasing faster than usual. Faceless Lizards usually aren't seen until the fourth Lobby."

Aeric glanced at the interface that was in front of him and saw that the Quest Lobby was in a difficulty of 50% which was a 30% increase from the previous Lobby.

"We must be more unified than last time," Alzera said. "More fierce."

Hearing her, Aeric felt a chill crawl down his spine. Unlike the Beastlings from before, there was no mistaking the presence that lurked in this chamber. These weren't simple creatures; these were predators, stronger and deadlier.

And from what she had said, he knew that Alzera's experiences with them weren't very nice.

Kraaaaawwww!!

That sound again. Everyone fell silent and looked to their front, searching for the crux of the noise.

In the foggy distance, dark shapes began to slink into view. The dark shapes revealed themselves as massive, hulking reptiles that stood nearly as tall as a man. They had oily skin, with a black-green that shimmered unnervingly in the ambient glow of the Lobby.

They had scales that were sharp and jagged, as if forged from volcanic rock, and they moved with a quiet, predatory grace, circling the team with a very worrisome patience.

But even with all that, the most disturbing feature was their faces — or lack thereof. Like their name suggested, they seemed to have nothing for a face. Their heads were flat, smooth surfaces devoid of eyes, noses, or mouths. It was as if they had been stripped of their identity, reduced to nothing but pure, relentless hunger.

One of the Faceless Lizards tilted its head, the smooth, blank surface seeming to consider them. Then, with a slow, rasping hiss, it lunged forward, its claws scraping against the stone floor with a sound that caused Aeric's hair to rise up.

Then others followed.

"Positions!" Alzera commanded sharply, her voice carrying over the snarls and hisses. The team reacted instantly, taking up formation as they prepared to face these formidable creatures.

"Protect my targets!" Kael roared. "Skill Activation: Solidify!"

The bodies of all the Players suddenly filled with fire that subsided instantly after. This enchanted their skins with an impermeable flame energy to protect them from the beastly attacks.

"Strengthen my targets!" Bel cried, extending her staff forward. "Skill Activation: Buff!"

A magical red glow swirled around everyone, strengthening their abilities which in turn strengthened Kael's Solidify skill on them.

Alzera and Ryn advanced forward in rage, but it was Kael who was the first to be attacked. One of the Lizards vanished and reappeared just beside him, then slashed at him with its clawed foot which came crashing down with brutal force.

Kael's shielded body rang out from the impact, but he held steady, deflecting the blow with a grunt. "I've got you, Kael!" Bel yelled behind him.

She seized the opportunity and darted forward with her magic staff. Surprisingly, the orb above it transformed to a bladed tip and she swung it in a deadly arc, slicing through the creature's foreleg with a vicious swipe that forced it to stumble back.

Aeric watched in befuddlement. 'Those things can teleport?' He quickly reached for his blade and grabbed it. 'That means I can get attacked at any time. I have to be ready.' Discover hidden tales at empire

Alzera and Ryn were now in the midst of the hard battle. One of the Lizards lunged at Ryn, its tail lashing through the air like a whip. Ryn twisted out of the way, narrowly avoiding the tail's crushing force as he delivered a quick, calculated strike along the Lizard's exposed side.

"Focus, Ryn! They have an ability similar to your Warp Skill!" Alzera's voice rang out as she sliced one dead. "Keep your spacing!"

Even though she claimed the creatures were a problem for her. It didn't seem at all true. The way she fought was mind-blowing. She was a blur of movement, her sword moving like an extension of her own hands, cutting with grace.

She moved with precise, practiced ease, her strikes landing unerringly on the Lizards, each thrust piercing their thick scales.

One creature made a move at her, its blank face tilted as if sensing her through some unnatural instinct, but she sidestepped smoothly, spearing her sword through its chest in one swift motion.

The fog in the room seemed to thicken, making the beasts' forms shift and flicker like dark phantoms each time they vanished and reappeared.

Everyone was engaged in a form of battle as the Faceless Lizards emerged from all directions, their movements erratic, yet hauntingly coordinated.

Aeric stayed back, which was the smart thing to do. But he kept on moving around, not even staying too long in a single position in case one of the Lizards blinked there.

He gripped the bags of cores and supplies tightly as he watched the team fight with a grim determination.

One of the lizards appeared there of course, but Bel caught sight of it before it caught sight of Aeric, and she demolished it with a powerful blast from her staff.

However, two more appeared behind her, striking her on the face and bringing her down. "No!" Aeric shouted, but immediately regretted it when he saw them move their heads to his direction.

They saw him! Aeric swore and held tight to his blade as he thought of what to do. And to make matters worse, he noticed a shadow moving in his periphery. It was another Faceless Lizard which had slipped around Kael and Ryn, creeping toward him with slow, deliberate steps.

He was cornered by three beasts and they could all tell that he was weakest and easiest of the five.

Aeric moved back slowly as his heart thundered. The creatures then attacked in a flash of an instant, raising their claws, poised to strike.

He threw himself to the floor and lifted his blade high, praying that it would defend him in some way.

With his eyes closed, he heard a sharp, metallic blur, three times in fact, singing in the air. It was the sound of a slicing sword.

Aeric heard the Lizards fall to the floor in thuds and then he opened his eyes.

'I can't believe that actually worked.'n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

That was when he lifted his head and saw Alzera standing before him, her sword slicing through the air and she took down another Faceless Lizard that had just attacked her.

"Stay alert, Courier," she muttered coldly, looking straight into his eyes. "You might not be part of the fight, but you alone are responsible for defending yourself."

She narrowed her eyes. "Keep sharp."

Aeric opened his mouth to respond, but his eyes instantly caught something. Leping at Alzera from her blind side, was another ferocious Lizard.

It had moved too fast and was coming from her right where the wall was. She was never going to be able to react on time and the beast's bite alone could tear her arm off!

Aeric had to do something. And fast.