[NR] Spiritual Cloud - Chapter 685

Outside of the bunker, the defenders have their own problems. A cloud of spirits is attacking them. It isn’t a swarm or anything, rather more of a single entity constructed from an amalgamation of spiritual shards.

The cloud doesn’t even have that much of a mind. Or rather, it has too many minds, all fighting themselves. This was less of a monster and more of a natural disaster, with the defenders being like a pillar of sandbags trying to hold back a flood. They’re managing it, but it is a close thing. Though it certainly didn’t hurt that the System was having a hard time making it fit into a neat little box.

It isn’t a single monster. It isn’t a swarm. It isn’t an actual cloud, being blown into this settlement by chance. This is a horrible, unconscionable atrocity made from the shards of uncountable sapient beings, harvested at their death. And it isn’t a kind death as a mind doesn’t shatter when someone passes peacefully in their sleep.

Wherever these undead came from wasn’t some kingdom of the living that turned their dead into a new resource. They are committing horrible things on people to such an extent that the victims shatter in body, mind, and likely soul. And the results of this are now battering at the doors.

So, despite the wards alerting them to a monster being inside, they couldn’t check. Every hand was needed to stop this travesty from perpetuating itself. Though most of them are ready to run down into the bunker the moment, they aren’t all needed.

And of course, for the cloud of spirits shards to have reached the bunker, things at the wall aren’t all hunky dory either. Rather, the situation is much direr. Instead of a single undead the match for Siegfried, enough high-level undead showed up to force all of the settlement’s high level figures onto the wall. Maybe this was why it took five days for them to show up instead of three?

Whatever the case, Jason wasn’t going to see any backup in the short term. And speaking of Jason, he was finding his dodging options a lot more restricted than it seemed at first. If the undead humanoid bug strayed too close to the sides, it would turn towards the civilians. This meant Jason had to stay as close to the center of the room as possible.

Though it seems his attempts at banter had calmed the civilians down. Made him seem confident or something. Jason was not confident.

The war stomp he had got off at the very start is the only significant damage that had been done so far. Everything else was only leaving scratches on the bugs exoskeleton. This undead’s purpose is obvious. To get into the bunker and survive long enough to cause damage.

It was only Jason’s presence and ability to dodge that kept this room from becoming a bloodbath. “And your creator sucks at his job! I mean seriously, how is it so easy to kite you around like this?” Jason then dodges under a swipe as he once again goes for an elbow strike to the monster’s own elbow.

Just more scars, but he is leaving a mark! Which, in theory, means that eventually he could break the exoskeleton. Jason wasn’t too optimistic of the fight going on that long.

However, it built on top of his banter. “That’s right you stupid bug! Another blow to your elbow. I’m going to get through eventually and then you’ll be down to a single scythe!”

Jason has one more actionable hope. He had sent Lily off to get the rest of his party. If someone hasn’t come to help yet, he figures that means everything is going down, but Courtney and Rosha aren’t likely going to be needed where they are. After all, if Siegfried is being held up, what hope do they have?

Though of course there is a corollary to that. If they can’t help, can they even make it to him in the first place? Jason felt confident that Lily could at least get to them. And if he was to be honest, sending her off was more about saving her.

Lily didn’t quite understand all the undertones of what Jason intended. She did, however, pick up the fact that once she found the other girls, she was to stay with them.

Though she did hope that they’d all join up soon. Jason always made time at night to sit with her and while the one girl was a little aggressive with hugs, they tended to stick together more as of late. Not that Lily is against hugs! But enough was enough.

Now, where are they? Lily wiggled her nose and flicked an ear. Jason had said they’d likely be on the wall, but that didn’t feel right. Though it was a good place to start.

A hop hop hop and she is past the ethereal battle of man vs cloud. Yep, over there was the wall and it seemed pretty empty. Lily recognized those still up top as the stronger folks and none around the same level as her friends. Now, where would they have gone?

Over that way? Because they didn’t come directly this way. Lily had vague memories of being told to never lead a predator directly to one’s den. And that place back there certainly felt like some sort of big people den. Welp, might as well go and take a look!

Lily heads off to the left. Though her journey isn’t completely safe. A few of the spirit shards had been shed by this point and spread out into the nearby area. Good thing her Energy seemed well enough at handling.

She got a feeling that normal Energy wouldn’t be quite so effective. Though having cultivated with Jason so much, Lily had taken in some aspects of his own methods. This thankfully included the ability to hit the incorporeal.

So along Lily hops, headbutting spirits as she goes. They weren’t terribly dangerous to begin with, but to her, the soul shards are like smoke in the air. Her very passage through their space was enough to disperse them.