Chapter 54: Unlikely Matchup (II)
Ignoring the terrifying screech, Benny shot a powerful wind blade at the shadowy silhouette escaping in the distance. It was obviously of no avail. The descendant of Sha'azar had come prepared. There was no way he would allow himself to be trapped in the predicament he had created here.
Ember focused on the egg. It was almost the size of his head, its surface black and covered in scale-like patterns. The first thought that came to his mind was that it was a dragon egg, but he dismissed it immediately.
After all, any descendants of a true dragon were supposedly born at Gold rank. With the low mana density in the region, there was no way an egg of such calibre would be able to incubate. Not to mention, even someone like Ezamin, who was like a prince of Whitehorn, would not waste something so precious just to make life difficult for a rival group.
Elin rolled it over with her foot, her expression concealing none of her worry.
"What kind of egg is this, my lady?" Erming asked.
"We need to withdraw right away," she said, tossing the egg aside with her foot. "It likely belongs to a serpentine creature, a natural predator at that."
The piercing screeches certainly attested to that. If Ezamin's plan was to throw them into conflict against the monstrous creature coming for its egg, then he had succeeded.
"That punk disappeared like a coward," Benny clicked his tongue, returning to his position. He eyed his cousin. "What do we do about the egg?"
Another high-pitched screech echoed through the expanse. Its horrendous vibrations rose through the air, gripping at their hearts as all of them froze in place.
It didn't take long for Ember to deduce that the screeches carried some sort of psychological effect. With a thought, he reinforced his Mind Wall, eyeing the direction the shrieks were coming from.
"Forget about the egg," Elin commanded. "Run!"
The group launched into the path they had come from, barely maintaining their battle formation. Even Magelings like Benny and Elin had no trouble keeping pace with the more agile unclassed warriors.
However, the tremors running through the earth reminded Ember that the creature pursuing them was likely far faster than its appearance suggested. It didn't seem to have stopped where they had left its egg, nor did it appear to have any trouble tracking them. The rising vibrations of its screeches only unnerved them further as they sprinted through the stone tunnel.
"Do not engage," Elin shouted as she led the group onwards. "It's likely reached Level 100."
Unfortunately, even if they weren't trying to fight it, the creature was unlikely to leave them alone.
Ember had certainly imagined there would be difficult battles ahead, but he had never imagined something like this. Against an Iron-rank creature, even one standing at the threshold of advancing to Silver, they might have stood a chance if they worked together. Hell, they might even manage to dispatch it if it were a Mirewood Toad of comparable rank and level.
But against a natural predator that had likely achieved Silver Rank, all their struggles would amount to little more than throwing eggs at a stone wall.
Hopefully, our protectors will show up, Ember thought, before anything too drastic comes to pass.
The serpentine creature seemed to draw closer with every passing moment. Now it wasn't only its piercing screeches that unnerved him. With his heightened senses, Ember could tell it was no more than a couple of hundred metres away, guided by the tremors and thunderous impacts it left upon the earth.
Despite reinforcing his mental defences, Ember felt his wits fraying with every screech that reached his ears.
Then, finally, it made its presence known. Stone and debris exploded in its wake as the creature burst into view.
Ember had imagined it to be huge, but as he looked back to glimpse its full bulk, he couldn't even see all of its body within his field of vision.
It was a goliath. Serpentine in shape, though far more rotund than slender. Deep cobalt-coloured scales covered its entire form as it raised its horrifying maw more than ten metres into the air, screeching at their fleeing silhouettes.
"A basilisk!" Elin shouted. "Do not look back! Do not meet its eyes! It can petrify you!"
Ember immediately tore his gaze away from its striking yellow eyes, feeling as though cracks were already spreading across his Mind Wall. Even with a dedicated spell of mental defence, he doubted he would fare well if he drew the creature's ire.
Pushing Blitz Steps to its very limit, he surged ahead among the fastest members of the group. Yet against a creature of such ill repute and rank, it was of little avail.
The colossal beast crashed into their haphazard formation, flinging several of them away while Ember barely escaped by a hair's breadth.
Then it released a supersonic wave of force. The attack struck him like a colossal physical blow while simultaneously smashing into his Mind Wall.
The mental barrier shattered immediately, leaving him thoroughly unprepared for the next assault.
It was only then that he realised he could not evade the petrification simply by avoiding its gaze.
Ember tried to activate Blitz Steps again, intending to move out of its range before it struck. Instead, he found his legs glued to the cold stone floor, unable to move even an inch. Although he hadn't truly been petrified, it was as if his body had turned into rigid stone.
His muscles twitched violently as he struggled against the dread and paralysis that had gripped him completely.
He was not alone in this hopeless situation. All ten of them remained frozen in place. Some stood upright, others sprawled awkwardly upon the ground, every one of them paralysed by terror.
Elin was the first to break free. She rose from the ground, levitating upon a cushion of air as a massive lance of wind formed under her control.
She wasted no time hurling it at the approaching monster. The lance of wind didn't miss, either. But as the spell struck, it simply bounced off the basilisk's scales like rain sliding from a taro leaf.
"Everyone, run!" she shouted, waving her wand once more. A wind shield materialised before her.
It fared no better. The barrier dispersed in a gust as the great serpentine creature crashed through it and plunged directly towards her.
A silver light surfaced, rapidly coalescing around Elin's form into a protective ward. It held against the goliath's monstrous force. Even so, she was launched several metres backwards, crashing into a wall as the ward failed to disperse the entirety of the impact.
While the basilisk vented its fury upon her, Ember finally managed to coax his mana into action.
First, he activated his own protective ward before reinforcing Mana Augmentation to fight off the paralysis. Against a creature this terrifying, he had to push every one of his abilities to their limits if he hoped to escape.
Benny and Ember broke free at almost the same moment. But while Ember chose to flee, Benny charged towards the monster, unleashing his most powerful spells.
Ember couldn't tell whether the noble youth was courageous or simply foolish. Either way, his attacks would be useless, as Elin's earlier display had already proven.
"Do not engage!" Elin reminded them, as her form rose again upon a gust of wind. "Help the others withdraw!"
Ember took that to heart and dashed towards where Zea had fallen. Although her mental fortitude was stronger than most in the group, her build focused more on perception and Insight than resisting psychological attacks and paralysis. Even so, thanks to her raw attributes alone, she remained in better shape than several others.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her through the archway as the horrifying screeches reverberated through the cavern.
The Huan siblings seemed to have fared better as well, with Erming helping his sister retreat.
"Where are the protectors when we need them?" one of the girls cried.
Elin wouldn't be able to hold the creature for much longer. All she could do was repeatedly place herself and her protective ward in its path to hinder its advance. Yet even then, she couldn't match its terrifying speed and acceleration.
Flinging her aside once more, the serpentine creature lunged at one of those at the rear.
It was the girl who had shouted moments ago. She didn't even see it coming. The ghastly maw crashed down upon her and took the entirety of her upper body.
A fountain of blood sprayed outwards as the basilisk devoured her.
Several cries rang out from those who witnessed the scene. Even with Mind Wall stabilising his mental state, Ember's heart turned cold and his face pale as a sheet. He hadn't seen it clearly, but, catching a glimpse of her remains, his mind still refused to believe it. If he remembered correctly, her name was Deanne, from House Augaris.
As panic broke among the ranks, a rending force descended upon the creature from behind.
Unlike the earlier attacks, it didn't bounce off the aquiline scales.
It penetrated. A massive gash opened across the basilisk's body, drawing blood.
For a brief moment, Ember thought the protectors had finally arrived, even if they were a moment too late. Instead, he saw only Elin's slender figure hovering in midair, a silvery bracelet glowing brightly upon her wrist. She wasted no time casting another of the terrifying spells, forcing the massive creature to crash into the stone terrain.
Ember didn't know the name of the spell, but by its power alone, he could tell it was likely a Tier 7 or even Tier 8 spell. It was likely an offensive charm made by an elder of House Oberon for Elin's safety.
The basilisk rose again, unleashing a horrifying, blood-curdling screech. The momentary relief vanished as soon as it resurfaced.
"Go!" Elin shouted. "I can hold it off for a few more seconds. Benny, take everyone to safety!"
With the creature's attention once more focused upon Elin, the others found it far easier to flee. Even Benny didn't dawdle uselessly, sprinting at the very front of the group while the rest followed.
"You don't have to help me," Zea said. "I can manage on my own. Focus on your own escape."
Ember readily agreed, releasing her arm as his figure flashed ahead.
After all, Elin had only said she could hold it off for a few more seconds, not nearly enough time for him to find somewhere safe to hide. Being an Archer, Zea hadn't been idle either, and her agility was among the best in the group. Even with her disadvantage in mana skills, Ember was sure she could match him over a long distance.
"A Skyrend of such power would've killed most Silver creatures," Benny said through clenched teeth. "But not this cursed basilisk."
"We need to find the protectors," Erming said. "Lady Elin can't shoulder that wretched thing alone."
As if jinxed by his words, another rattling screech erupted from behind them, and out came the monstrous serpent, a dark, shadowy plume emanating from its mouth.
Elin's Skyrends had carved deep wounds into the basilisk's body. She had managed to inflict at least four of them, but the goliath remained far from death. Its yellow eyes were trained on them, its body crashing through the archway as it continued the pursuit.