Chương 87: Gloom
Though the people of Cliabhaan spoke of the monster migration as if it were a wildfire sweeping across the Frontier, the reality was a little more 'mundane.' It was true that countless monsters had been displaced from their natural habitats, but there was no horde of multiple monster groups working together. Instead, most monsters stuck to their own kind, forming small to medium-sized groups that, for one reason or another, went out of their way to avoid well-equipped groups such as Cairn's. As such, unless they actively tracked a group of monsters to their temporary dwelling, the actual encounter rate was 'infrequent' at best.
With nearly an entire day passing without a single encounter, Cairn was beginning to allow his mind to wander as their group passed through an eerie forest populated by inordinately tall yet thin trees whose branches didn't begin until at least fifteen meters from the forest floor, covered in a thick bed of brown, orange, and yellow leaves. He still moved his head on a swivel, looking for any names of Levels floating over piles of leaves or in thick underbrush, but it was difficult to remain on high alert when the only creatures they had seen all day were tiny birds and squirrel-like creatures minding their own business.
"Wait..." said Johnathan, his deep, baritone voice breaking a nearly half-hour silence. Everyone stopped and fell completely silent in response to his words while Cairn, serving as the point/vanguard, instantly equipped his shields as a precaution.
Holding up his right hand and slowly closing it into a fist, indicating that everyone should stay still and preserve the silence, Johnathan narrowed his eyes and began sweeping the ground and trees around them. His Rank 38 [Tracking] was very near the level of an expert, so he could see things the average person would completely overlook.
"This pattern of decay..." Johnathan muttered, his expression and tone hardening as he revealed, "A procession of Glooming Harpies must have passed through here in the past hour or two. We'll be in for a hard battle if our paths cross..."
Though everyone else tensed or sucked in air upon hearing Johnathan's words, sans Sera, Cairn was more confused than concerned as he looked back and asked, "What's a Glooming Harpy...?"
Never one to pass on sharing her knowledge, specifically with Cairn, Sera readily explained, "Glooming Harpy, also known as Harpiacantes Lugetis, is a sub-species or Harpuia known for their distinctive song, imperceptible to human ears. The low-frequency sound can induce despair and a sense of impending dread, leading many to refer to them as Death's Heralds. A group of three or more is called a Funeral Procession, and a flock called a Mourning Court."
"Are they strong...?" asked Cairn, intrigued but not overly concerned with the finer details of the Glooming Harpy's taxonomy.
"It depends on their number and whether an Abbess is leading them," Sera replied, smiling as she further explained, "Overall, their durability is such that even an inexperienced swordsman can fell them in a single blow, but they rarely attack directly. Instead, they tend to stalk their prey from afar, inducing fear and hallucinations until their target collapses from fatigue or can no longer offer any meaningful resistance."
"That's only true for individuals or small groups," said Leona, gripping her staff tightly as she added, "When an Abbess is present, they encircle their prey and combine their songs to form a chorus. Those affected lose their ability to discern friend from foe and often end up attacking each other as the Abbess picks them off one by one..."
Supplying his two cents, Johnathan stated, "Abbess or not, it's better to avoid them. Monsters that specialize in mental attacks are a threat, even to established Parties. We should retire to the Interspatial Pouch for now and check to see if there are still signs of them once we've gotten plenty of rest. If there are, our best options will be to push through this forest as quickly as possible or turn back and find a different path."
Nodding in approval, Cairn remarked, "You make a fair point. In any other situation, I would agree with you. However, you're overlooking something fairly important..."
"What's that...?" asked Johnathan, his usually stoic expression revealing a hint of annoyance.
"We have a Saintess with us," said Cairn, activating the invisibility function of his mask to reveal a fearless grin.
Before Johnathan could ask for clarification or argue, Cairn held up his right hand, unequipping his shield and glove before veiling it in orange and black flames as he explained, "I mentioned this before, but so long as you have the proper mentality, it's possible to bolster your Resistances by willfully subjecting yourselves to various stimuli. Monsters that attack the mind are dangerous; that much is certain. However, if Sera moves into the Interspatial Pouch, then, even if we die, we can resurrect near her or have her come out and revive anyone who has fallen. Your Experience would take a hit if you needed to be resurrected, but at our Levels, that's a small price to pay if you can gain Resistance or even immunity to future mental attacks."
"Are you out of your mind...?" asked Leona, staring at Cairn as if a tree had suddenly sprouted from his head.
Shrugging casually, Cairn extinguished the flame enveloping his hand and asked, "Grinding Resistances isn't easy, that's for sure. But I'd rather build a tolerance to things like flames and acid in a controlled environment than be subjected to them in a situation outside my control. Power you can rely on, regardless of the circumstance, comes from practice, preparation, and persevering where others would have given up..."
Turning away from the group, Cairn's smile broadened as he spread his arms wide and shouted, "You hear that, you gloomy, bird-brained sacks of shit!? Bring it the fuck on...!"
Though there wasn't an audible response to Cairn's taunt, an eerie wind blew through the area, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet several degrees. A pervasive chill spread through Cairn's body, giving him goosebumps, but instead of doubting his decision, he relaxedly turned to meet the gazes of Elizabeth and her Party, smiling as he asked, "So, what will you do?"
Feeling that Cairn was testing her to see if she had what it took to travel alongside him, Elizabeth unsheathed her sword and responded, "A Knight does flee from adversity. If this is the path to true strength, I will endure, no matter the trials and tribulations that await..."
"Good answer," said Cairn, nodding in approval. Then, before he could ask what the others wanted to do, Yuuna cupped her right bicep with her left hand, flexing as she fearlessly mused, "They're just birds. What's there to be afraid of? Besides, I've been itching for some action!"
"What a pain..." groaned Johnathan, combing the fingers of his left hand through his hair. However, as he had also unsheathed his axe, resting it on his shoulder, it was fairly obvious he planned to fight.
"And people say stupidity isn't infectious..." muttered Leona, teary-eyed as she gripped her staff tight enough that her knuckles had turned white. She hated pain and the idea of deliberately subjecting herself to it, but if she were the only one to withdraw to the safety of the Interspatial Pouch, Leona wouldn't know how to face the other members of her Party moving forward...
...
..
.
With Sera waiting safely inside the Interspatial Pouch, Cairn and company pressed forward with weapons drawn. The attack they anticipated didn't come immediately, but as the sky overhead darkened unnaturally, the air around them seeming to solidify with tension, Cairn got his first glimpse of a Glooming Harpy.
"Well, that's creepy as shit..." muttered Cairn, a fresh layer of goosebumps permeating the surface of his body as a vaguely feminine figure rose from the forest floor like a shadow, its height exceeding four meters.
*crack*
Following the sound of a snapping twig, Cairn looked to his right to find a smaller but nearly identical creature. Both were approximately a hundred meters away and had gaunt, almost skeletal white figures veiled by black hair that cascaded from their multi-horned scalps like a grim mockery of a nun's habit. Their eyes couldn't be seen, but their mouths were large and perpetually agape, revealing sharp teeth and black voids as they 'wailed' without sound...
"This...this is absurd..." muttered Leona, her voice and body trembling as an increasing number of the ghastly creatures materialized around them. It was impossible to tell how many there were, but there were groups of 3-5 in nearly every direction she looked, most shuffling toward them on the ground, but a few clung to trees or dangled from branches overhead, giving the impression there were hundreds, if not more.
"Remain calm. This is likely to be an illusion..." said Elizabeth, her chest and jaw quivering but her voice steady and filled with composure as she steeled herself by inhaling deeply through her nose before exhaling all at once from her mouth. If Cairn revealed to her that each of the Glooming Harpies had names and Levels above their heads, she would probably be in the same boat as Leona.
"You sure you don't want to run away...?" asked Cairn, doing his best to sound cheeky as he turned to face the group, his face concealed by his [Ookami's Visage].
"The final trial all Baskervilles face before leaving on their pilgrimage is experiencing death," revealed Elizabeth, a faint smile adorning her face. Then, in a firm, commanding tone, she shouted, "Get into formation! The enemy may be great in number, but they can't attack as one! Guard each others' flanks and cut down any who approach...!"
Though the correct decision would have been to rush forward and break through the enemies' encirclement, Elizabeth, Johnathan, and even Yuuna had resolved to fight to the end. Leona looked like she was seconds away from pissing herself, but since everyone had gathered around to protect her, she kicked things off by closing her eyes and rapidly chanting a spell, her usually hazel eyes glowing a vibrant blue when she opened them and shouted, "Lightning Bolt...!" while raising her staff.
Shattering the foreboding silence, a blinding, bluish-white bolt of lightning struck the largest of the Glooming Harpies, interrupting its silent song and causing it to cry in pain. As it did so, several others joined in, their wailing forming a chorus that evoked feelings of extreme despair and guilt. It was an 'extremely' unsettling feeling, but Cairn had an easier time suppressing it than the others thanks to his [Self Immolation] Skill.
"Don't pick fights if you're afraid of getting hurt...!" shouted Cairn, leaping nearly twenty meters horizontally as he made a beeline for the injured and temporarily stunned Harpy. It was a Level 23 Glooming Abbess, so if they could defeat it, the remaining Harpies should either scatter or, at the very least, become less organized.
Recovering just before Cairn could reach it, the Glooming Abbess lurched forward, revealing that the inky hair covering its body concealed a pair of large, two-taloned, bat-like wings. Its size allowed it to tower over Cairn, but because he could see its Status, including the fact it was barely above half HP, he wasn't even remotely deterred, shouting, "Then eat me, bitch!" while veiling his hands in brackish flames.
Taking Cairn up on his offer, the Glooming Abbess met his charge head-on, biting down on his right shoulder and immediately taking him to the ground. He had tried to use his [Ground Grabbers] to prevent himself from being forced back, but because the Glooming Abbess was taller and had a much greater mass than him, it had a considerable amount of leverage.
*You have sustained 38 damage!*
Reading the notification that had appeared, Cairn couldn't help laughing as he stabbed the blades of his twin [Aberrant Aegis] into the Glooming Abbess and allowed his [Self Immolation] to erupt from his body. He had expected it to do considerably more damage since Sera was absent, but while it managed to bypass the 500 Flat Damage Mitigation provided by his [Heavenly Divine Body], it still had his exceptionally high-quality armor to contend with.
'Looks like I need to thank Elle and Mari when I return...' thought Cairn, smiling as he closed his eyes and 'embraced' the screaming Abbess, not letting go until it had completely turned to ash...
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