Chapter 121
"So do we wait for them to come back, or go clear some monsters ourselves?" Karl asks with a grin. How is that even a question?
"Might as well go help them out. The category 3 areas are still under staffed."
Our drive towards the city is slow, many groups are in the area, plus some in the category 1 areas are still using regular rifles and Karl doesn’t want his precious truck damaged.
The crowd rapidly thins out as we enter the category 2 areas though, and I’m putting down monsters a couple times a minute just to keep the road clear. Shoot, hop out and gather the core, hop back in. Rinse and repeat.
Craters from intense battles dot the countryside and we decide it’s best to leave the truck somewhere safe and proceed on foot. A mostly destroyed and abandoned barn does the job, putting the truck out of sight and making it easy to find later.
It’s got the Arcana City logo on it and the mark of the Death God on the hood, it’s unlikely someone would try to steal it, but we pack the mounted gun and ammo cars into the back seat anyhow. Don’t need a semi intelligent monster getting ahold of that.
We’ve just entered the area said to include category 3 monsters when huge monsters come into sight. Some sort of Dark Skinned Stone Giants, seven of them by my initial count.
"Good thing we ditched the truck, explosions barely phase those things" Karl whispers.
"Who is taking center and who takes flank?" It’s been a while since I fought beside Karl, and I’m not certain on his current level of abilities.
"I’ll take center, a dozen Arcane whips will keep them busy. You flank left and drive them to me. I believe there’s a Portal in those ruined buildings, the way they’re all hanging around."
Karl strides in with the confidence of a man afraid of nothing, or blissfully unaware what he’s getting into. But confident either way. Twenty meters away from the giants he lights up the area with the glow of purple Arcane tentacles, grabbing clubs, smacking into limbs and wreaking havoc among the giants.