Angel Monarch-Chapter 598: Monster Horde

A swooshing sound reached Aralim's ears, and he found the ground disappear from under his feet. With a terrified yelp, he was about to stumble down the hill when a firm hand grasped his wrist, pulling him back.

Sorath pulled his young friend to the top of the hill they were climbing. Aralim, breathing heavily, nodded his thanks. He spent a few seconds calming down, then joined Naomi on the hill's other side.

The lantern was glowing near her feet as she read the map, planning their route. Below, the past expeditioners used the glowing stones to mark different paths, leading to other crossings.

"We should take the right path. That's the fastest way to the center." Said Naomi while pointing into the darkness.

Aralim stepped beside her, his chest brushing against the teenage girl's elbow as he analyzed the map. Naomi leaned the tiniest bit closer, so her friend could get a better view... no other reason...

"It's the fastest to the center, but... do we really want to risk that? I mean, if we just move through the outskirts, we can avoid most monster hordes!"

"Don't worry, Ara! We can avoid the hordes by following the migration patterns Naomi stole!" said Sorath, stepping up behind the two.

Naomi glanced at her tall brother with an annoyed expression, but didn't deny his words. Instead, she handed the map to Aralim, then bent down and pulled another paper out of her backpack.

She placed it on the map, then spread it so all thee could see. The parchment was thin and semi-translucent. It created an overlay on Naomi's map, showcasing the monster hordes' migration patterns.

"Did you make this?" asked Aralim in amazement. "You're a really talented cartographer!"

It wasn't easy to accurately copy a map while also decreasing its size, but to then create an entire overlay for the said map? That was something only experienced cartographers and expeditioners could do!

However, while Aralim meant his compliment, Naomi's reaction wasn't what he expected. She kicked his shin, then turned away as if his words offended her.

It was quite the opposite, though. She was simply hiding the embarrassed smile stretching across her face.

Eventually, the trio left behind the hill and ventured onto the right path, leading further into the Hollow Archipelago.

...

They crossed a few more islands. With each they came closer to the center, which made Aralim even more jumpy.

After a while, he stopped staring at the ground for artifacts, and instead kept glancing around in search of monsters.

Their fifty meter vision made it difficult to see anything farther away, so they relied on their hearing, mostly. Naomi never glanced away from her map and gave constant instructions to Sorath, so they could avoid the monster hordes.

A few times, loud roars echoed through the air, but the noises came from kilometers away, giving them ample time to evade the beasts.

This way, they eventually reached the last crossing, which led to the Hollow Archipelago's center...

"One rotation until the crossing," said Aralim, his hands trembling as they held the Rotation Watch.

"Okay," said Naomi. "You two already know the drill, but I'll repeat it anyway. We'll move with a few meters between us. Sorath at the front, Aralim at the center, and I'm at the back. Aralim will carry the lantern, and we'll protect him if necessary...

"If Sorath begins running, we're all running after him. Listen to the directions I'm shouting. We might need to make quick changes if any horde gets too close. We'll stick together and leave no one behind! Understood?"

Both boys nodded, Sorath with his usual unserious smirk, while Aralim with his fearful shaking. Naomi grinned and patted both on the head...

They examined the map until the time for crossing nearly arrived. The trio stood at the outcropping as a sudden roar echoed behind them. Its source was close... way too close...

The sound of rushing steps reached their ears. Aralim took a step back and nearly stumbled into the endless darkness below. Luckily, Naomi reacted quickly enough and pulled him away from the edge.

Sorath took a step back towards the island. He handed the lantern to Aralim, then held his hand to the side. Specks of light danced around his palm as he summoned a long warhammer made of stone, glowing with magma-like patterns.

Items weren't uncommon in Sorruin, but usually nobody of Sorath's age would possess one. People usually inherited them from expeditioners, but this unlike most, the tall teenage boy earned his weapon through bloodshed.

He killed quite a few monsters in the past, same as his sister. Who now held a strange metal fan in her hand. The fan was made of metal, with spikes separating each segment. It had sharpened edges, which turned the cooling instrument into a weapon of war. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

While Sorath could expand immense strength in short bursts, Naomi was the opposite. She could enhance her speed, making her a menace while fighting against multiple opponents.

Compared to these two, Aralim was weak in every regard. He only killed a handful of monsters in his lifetime and never without help. His ability gave him increased visual perception, which was quite useless since the lantern's visibility threshold.

However, that never bothered Naomi or Sorath. They happily defended him. It was actually optimal for expeditions to have members who weren't fighting and could keep the lanterns and fragile equipment safe.

For now, the lantern's darkness reached a dozen meters into the island. Both Sorath and Naomi moved to the midpoint of the outcropping, while Aralim forced himself to focus on the approaching crossing.

Another roar echoed through the air, barely a hundred meters away. It took the monsters a few seconds to reach the lantern's edge.

Six-legged beasts with vulpine bodies, and long metallic maws stepped into the darkness. The beasts stopped there and began smelling the air. While Aralim and his people could only see in darkness, these monsters were the exact opposite.

Aralim, his entire body trembling and his bladder awfully heavy, glanced towards the monsters. They appeared quite dark, since their bodies emitted light, but he could see their furry form relatively well.

These monsters were known as the Twilight Hadoka. They usually appeared in groups of ten to fifteen, and their Class never went higher than Tainted, albeit their Tiers could reach the third.

They were fast and their maws could snap even metal armor, but otherwise they weren't much of a threat. Experienced expeditioners even hunted them for both Essence and food.

It didn't much matter to Aralim though. Even these weaker creatures terrified him. He quickly turned back to search for the crossing, while the monsters continued sniffing for their prey.

Suddenly, the one at their forefront began growling, and soon all Hadoka rushed towards the outcropping. Naomi and Sorath could probably have handled them, but without a healer, any wound could get life-threatening. It was much safer to run.

"It's here!" shouted Aralim upon spotting the approaching outcropping.

He quickly grabbed all their backpacks while his friends rushed towards him. They crossed easily and continued running until they stood on the center island's soft soil.

Behind them, three Hadoka managed to cross over, but with the lantern blinding them, Sorath dispatched all three with ease. He wanted to gut one or at least take the corpse, but they had no time.

"The roars must've attracted a horde!" shouted Naomi as all three teenagers ran further into the island. Behind, more terrifying growls and snarls echoed, seemingly following their footsteps.

A few minutes passed, and the trio was already getting tired from sprinting, yet the roars only came closer.

Sorath ran at the front, Aralim at the center and Naomi at his back. However, while this formation provided the most safety, its weakness quickly became apparent as Aralim's feet hit something heavy, causing him to stumble.

Naomi caught up instantly and managed to grab Aralim before he fell. With his arm wrapped around her shoulders, she tried helping him run, but there was no use.

His left foot was bleeding heavily, each step sending agony coursing through his veins.

At the front, Sorath noticed immediately that the lantern's threshold wasn't moving anymore. He rushed back to find Aralim and Naomi arguing.

"Leave me, you idiot!" shouted the usually terrified body.

Tears streamed down his face, maybe from the pain or the fear grasping his heart. His foot continued to bleed, and if one looked closely, they could see the whiteness of his bone within the wound.

Whatever he stumbled on, it raked his foot, making it useless for walking, much less running.

"We're not leaving anyone behind! You heard me! Now stop saying stupid things and stand up!" ordered Naomi angrily and in denial.

Sorath instantly understood that the horde would catch them if they tried taking Aralim.

However, he also knew that even if Aralim's leg wasn't hurt, the horde would've eventually caught up. Their malnourished bodies simply couldn't outrun such persistent hunters.

Without options, he made the only choice that gave them a chance at survival. He summoned his warhammer and stepped in the roaring's direction.

Aralim's lips trembled, a mix of different emotions stealing his voice. Beside him, Naomi grinned and stepped towards her twin brother. The specks of light dancing around her hand turned into the metal fan, which she brandished expertly.

Together, they awaited the horde. If they succeeded, all of them could survive. If they failed, well... then they didn't need to worry about Sorruin's future anymore...

It was a win-win situation, since the trio had nothing to lose...