Chapter 23: In The Thıck Of It
Valens stumbled back, mind reeling, fingers of his right-hand prickling, dust and gravel choking him down. He made for a sweep of his hand to clear some air, blinked round at the chaos, the dust, the fog, breath catching in his throat. He pulled at Nomad and Celme with both hands, dragging them forcefully away from the tip that had cleaved halfway into the solid ground.
The giant pulled the enormous weapon back with slow deliberation, as if he wanted to get a good look at all the mess he’d made, blood streaking across its tip. It took a heavy moment for the lane to get rid of the terrible thing, after which the dust of the cloud parted to reveal the aftermath.
Men screaming. Men shouting. Broken bones squelching in puddles of blood that had half parts of the limbs in them. A Skeleton Soldier flailed on a pair of dented knees, scrambling forward with one hand to the wall, the other clasped weakly around a rusted spear that tried to poke at an armored man who had his eyes fixed on his non-existent legs.
All the blood and the pain reflected in the Resonance dinned in Valens’s ears. It was a Healer’s nightmare out in front of him. A number of men tattering dangerously on the line that separated life from death. Help one of them, then he’d be risking losing the other. Help none, then they’d be all dead, which felt like a more just way of doing things.
He sent a Lifeward circling into the undead’s body before moving onto the Berserker. Nothing broken. A touch of blood and some bruises around their bones, but the last-second Gale saved them from a terrible fate and Valens a great deal of extra work. So he tapped them on the backs, seeing them eye to eye, making sure they had their brains in place before moving over to the screaming line.
A Fireball sprawled over to the stubborn Skeleton Warrior and flashed crimson around its yellowish bones. The tongues of it bit scratched and scorched every speck of that foul mana until the creature was no more.
Ding You have managed to defeat [Skeleton Soldier - level 65]! For killing a creature above your own level, you are granted bonus experience.
You have leveled up! 5 Stat Points granted!
“Thanks,” Valens acknowledged the present and leaned over the legless man as he wheezed pitifully through clenched teeth. Behind them, other men thrashed in pain. Cried in wails. Sent prayers to whatever gods they believed in, knowing they couldn’t escape the death creeping in. The man with the spear wound…
Oh?
Was right here in Valens’s hands.
A Lifeward painted the patient’s picture in his mind. As expected, there was nothing about the legs in the frequencies. Hardly a surprise, considering the man was holding onto his bloody knobs with incredulity. The upper body was interestingly in good condition. It seemed the sword had been too sharp to affect the other areas. A heavier weapon wouldn’t have left him alive, however half he might be now.