Chapter 20: Activating: Empowerment!
Creed stood frozen, his breath coming in short, ragged gasps as his hand pressed against the energy barrier.
The shimmering blue shield was cool to the touch, vibrating with a steady hum, but more than anything, it was unbreakable.
No matter how hard he wished, no matter how much he willed it to disappear, it wouldn't open.
He was locked out. And the Beast Tide was seconds away from reaching him.
Behind him, the earthquakes of doom grew louder. The pounding of thousands of clawed feet, the deafening roars, the wild, uncontrollable hunger.
It all crashed into his ears like a death song playing just for him.
He turned his head and his heart dropped.
A tidal wave of monstrous creatures surged forward, an endless sea of fur, fangs, and glowing eyes.
The ground itself shook, sending cracks through the pavement as the beasts trampled everything in their path.
Massive Low Stage 1 and Mid Stage 1 beasts ran at the forefront, their razor-sharp claws dripping with blood, their maws open in hunger.
They weren't just coming.