Chapter 210: Stampede (1)
The ground keeps quaking at the steps of thousands of monsters charging towards the many dungeon exits. The adventurers immediately realize that a stampede is about to occur. They start running towards the nearest bridge to reach the safety of the city's defense. Whatever safety the city might still be able to provide.
I'm no architect or engineer but the city looks a bit unstable under the quakes caused by the stampede. Also, even if they can get rid of the bridges that connect the city to the spiral pathway the cables and pillars holding the city up will have to remain.
I've seen many creatures in this dungeon that can climb up verticle walls and even overhanging ledges. These creatures will be able to use those cables and pillars to get to the city even if the bridges are out. And that isn't even considering the monsters that can fly.
So no, I think the city's defense won't do these people much good. Not to mention that to get to the nearest bridge they have to walk past my hiding spot. They do look strong, I'll be the first to admit that. However, they are running dangerously close to the edge of the spiral path to save time. Would be a shame if they tripped and fell.
As they pass right beside me I burst out of the hay and broadly whip out with my tail. I manage to sweep the entire group off their feet and the edge of the path.
One of them seems to be a speed type. The young woman is dressed in a shinobi-like attire with only her blue eyes and black hair visible. While she fails to dodge my tail she raises her foot in time to kick off and spin backward.
At first, I am confused since her action has only brought her farther away from the edge of the path making the fall deeper. Then, she steps on the air beneath her as if something is there and jumps back at me.
Is that a skill? How broken is that?
I now have the explanation for her action but my mind is a bit preoccupied with the fast-approaching shinobi that is oozing bloodlust.
I move back to get myself some room to maneuver. Fighting an enemy that doesn't need any footing near the edge would be disadvantageous to me.
The shinobi lady lands on the edge clenching a pair of chain sickles and I brace for her attack. However, the moment she lands the sickle blades are brought down upon the rocky path while she lets go and jumps off again.
Is that lady crazy? Maybe she wants to sneak attack me when I come to investigate...
The chains attached to the sickles are suddenly pulled taut. The sickles that are deeply embedded into the rock seem to be having trouble holding whatever is hanging at the end of those chains. The shinobi didn't look particularly heavy so what's doing this?
Don't tell me...
I rush to the edge and look down to see the shinobi hanging halfway down to the next level of the spiral path while two adventurers from her team had grabbed onto her. The others are slowly standing up on the path below.
Damn shinobi, she must have been planning this from the very beginning. The two holding on to her are probably the ones with the lowest defense. If they had fallen all the way to the lower path they would have been seriously injured. The ones that have fallen seem mostly fine except for a few aches that are slightly hindering their movements.
I give the sickles a slight shove with my tail and they sail down losing all support. The fall isn't that big anymore so they are perfectly fine after landing.
I did little damage to that party but that wasn't my intention in the first place. This whole encounter has cost them at least half a minute of precious time. For them, every second counts since they won't survive once the stampede reaches the dungeon's entrance while they are still there.
They ignore me and start running once again. They can still make it to the nearest bridge that's connected to the lower part of the path that they are on. However, since they are further down now the monsters that will emerge are also stronger.
They leave behind the lifeless body of the worker that had brought them. He didn't make it since none of the adventurers wanted to waste energy to save him from the fall. If only he hadn't seen me.
<Stop dawdling. You've received an urgent mission just now. We suspect that they can drop the bridges through some mechanism inside the city. Enter the city as quickly as possible and keep them from doing that.>
Got it.
I rush towards the bridge that the adventurers had originally been trying to reach. The city should have some defensive measures against intruders so all I can do is hope that they aren't yet ready to deploy them.
I reach the bridge by the time the first monsters burst out of the dungeon entrances. Since the bridges have been strategically placed as far away as from the entrances I do have a significant head start. However, the same goes for the adventurer party that I tried to hinder. They are already halfway across their bridge and will most likely reach the city a good minute or two before even the fastest monsters.
I redouble my efforts to get across the bridge and secure a path for the stampeding monsters.
As I reach the halfway point of the bridge and the monsters have begun to fill the spiral pathway a long metal pole whistles past me. Many such poles are shot from the city and they all hit the slopes slightly above the pathway.
I doubt the impact these poles will have on stopping a stampede that is in full swing but a sudden rattling and creaking of gears cause me to look back for a moment.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone