The idea of a cityscape and jungle co-existing used to be a foreign concept. As Dustin moved through the tall buildings covered in vines, it wasn't some sick joke, it was reality.
More than a dozen other pioneers moved with him, each dressed in standard issue military uniform. They were on a patrol of the city, to clear out any monsters that would be approaching the southern side of their camp.
Dustin had a long and gnarled branch in his staff, marking him as the patrols healer and support. The others had a mix of spears, swords and shields, or ranged weapons. Dustin was kept in the center of the group, away from danger.
It couldn't save him from seeing the carnage around them. Week old corpses still sat by the roadside, half eaten and rotting. They were lucky that the corpses had been eaten, if they were too intact they would get up and attack them.
Dustin could feel the acidic bile bubbling up his throat, and forced himself to swallow it. They didn't want to leave anything behind that would attract attention.
"60m ahead, approximately sixteen Infested Leopards." The man standing in front of Dustin whispered, and held up his hand for the group to stop.
Lounging next to an old apartment complex that was just visible through the trees surrounding it were a group of Leopards. Before the dungeon had broken, it was known as the Infested Jungle, and featured monsters infested with parasites. The parasites couldn't bring out the full strength of their hosts, but could keep them alive through any wound. Killing the parasites was the one way to ensure they could not recover.
Someone like Dustin was needed to spot the parasites that had burrowed inside the leopards. He put his hand on the mans shoulder and nodded, activating his spells and using the mana perception to scan the leopards.
Using the party display feature, Dustin marked each of the leopards with an icon, indicating where the parasite was located.
Some had attached themselves to major organs, such as the heart, or lungs. Others melded with the skeletal system, or nested in their stomachs.
The leopards looked normal from far away, but the closer one got, the easier it was to tell the differences. The infested leopard were no longer living, so their eyes were glassed over, they didn't breath, and their hearts didn't beat, so they were cold to the touch. Some of them even featured gaping wounds that they completely ignored.
Dustin finished marking the last leopard and slid to the back of the group. He could hear the lurching of bows as the archers pulled back, releasing arrows with a 'twang'.
Four leopards were shot back as the arrows pierced them in the spots indicated by Dustin. Only one of them got back up, the parasite inside still living. He could see the arrow had scratched its side, causing it to bleed, but not kill it.
The remaining thirteen charged the patrol, pushing aside the thick brush as their powerful legs pushed them rapidly closer.
Dustin span his staff around, and a thin spray of green mist covered the group. It settled on their skin and was slowly being absorbed. He started casting another spell as the leopards reached the front of the patrol, smashing against shields and piercing themselves on the line of spears.
Another volley of arrows shot over the top of the pioneers holding the leopards back, and another parasite perished. A blue sheen covered the members of the patrols and soaked any incoming damage.
Since the leopards were not a big priority, Dustin lowered his staff and waited for the others to finish them off. He needed to conserve his mana for the harder targets.
After the parasites were killed, the bodies of the leopards were skinned. Their fur a valuable resource for making armour. Dustin looked away as the patrol did so, watching the surrounding alleyways that could contain any number of dangerous monsters.
They were sitting in the middle of the street as they did their dismantling, unnerving Dustin. It was unlikely that anything stronger than the leopards would be this far from the center, but he couldn't knock the twisting feeling in his stomach.
One of the patrol suddenly stood up as he looked at the flashing display that opened up in front of him.
"Delta IJ patrol requesting backup. Bravo IJ Patrol you are the closest, please advise."
"Bravo IJ Patrol copy, ETA 7 minutes."
Dustin got back into position as the patrol abandoned their skinning attempts, forming into a tight circle as they pushed through towards the north eastern part of the city. The patrols were sent in with square formation, so any of the other three squads could aid one patrol.
Dustin was part of Bravo Infested Jungle Patrol. They were currently the closest patrol to Delta, who were located just east of them. They spotted several infested monsters on the way, but couldn't spare the time to deal with them. Response to backup requests took priority over the mission.
They were already short of manpower, even sending out patrols to deal with the monsters was stretching it thin. With circumstances being what they were, it was a necessary risk. If they left the dungeons untouched for too long, they would go berserk, increasing the output of monsters by more than double, and merging more of the surrounding land under the dungeons control.
"Bravo IJ Patrol to Omega, any further information?"
The patrol fell silent as they waited to hear any other news about what was going on with Delta patrol. They were only a couple of minutes away now, and there were still no signs of a battle.
"Bravo IJ Patrol, two confirmed casualties, unknown number of injured."
"Bravo IJ Patrol copy."
The group atmosphere grew somber. Two confirmed casualties was already a great loss. With an unknown number of injured, the patrol squad was in trouble. Dustin could see a cloud of smoke rising up from a nearby building, along with a couple of flashing dots on his display.
Bravo patrol ducked low as they entered the building, keeping to the walls as a large section of roof had collapsed into the center of the hall. Some old bones stuck out from underneath the rubble, but thankfully they were not human.
The building used to be a museum, and an old dinosaur exhibition had been crushed. Dustin had no time to mourn the loss of historical fossils and kept moving. Rusted balls of metal hung from the ceiling as they entered what would have once been a model of the solar system. A couple of Delta patrol were huddled together under Saturn.
Dustin could see wounds covering their bodies, some coming very close to being lethal. The patrol leader questioned them as Dustin applied his layers of healing spells. They calmed down as their health started to rise, rather than fall, and the bleeding stopped.
"We're leaving."
One of Dustin's patrol mates clapped him on the shoulder and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. Three of the backline helped the Delta survivors up and they retreated back the way they came.
They made it back to the collapsed rubble before something shook the building as it landed on the roof. The patrol commander fell to the floor in a crouch, followed by the rest. A large, scaled leg sent rubble flying as it stepped down onto the collapsed roof, following by another foot.
Dustin held his breath as a large dinosaur like creature came down, a low growl in its throat as it lowered itself out of the sunlight. Something in the monsters mouth caught Dustins attention as it swung from side to side as the jaws clamping down onto it moved.
The patrol were motionless as it stepped over the destroyed dinosaur fossils and sniffed the air. The lack of eyes on its head indicated it was blind, so the group remained as still as possible. From what Dustin could tell, it definitely wasn't a regular monster. The likelihood was that it belonged to the boss category, acting as a deterrent to invaders.
When the monster reared its head back and the thing in its mouth was put into the light, the colour drained from all the patrols faces. A half eaten human body was hanging from the monsters mouth, proudly showing off the badge of a Delta patrolman.
The odd thing wasn't seeing the patrolman, but the fact that he almost seemed alive. His body moved against the force of the monsters jaw opening, and his body did not slide down his throat.
Dustin used his mana perception to have a look, and put his hand on the ground to steady himself.
There was something keeping the human body tethered to the monsters mouth, and Dustin was all too familiar with it.
A parasite.
The horrendous brown bug had burrowed into the patrolman, connecting his missing lower half to the bottom of the monsters jaw. They were not two separate entities, but the same. The leader of the patrol looked to Dustin as he furiously typed a message to him.
The reality was revealed before he could send it, as the patrolman's eyes shot open, staring directly at the group who huddled in the dark.
It let out an inhuman screech, a line of drool pooling out of its mouth. The monsters turned its head slowly towards them as the infested human continued flailing.
"Run." The patrol leader whispered, and several members of the backline were pushed away. The monster reared up and roared, charging towards them. The patrol got a couple of shields up before it smashed into them, crushing one under foot as the others flew backwards. A couple of arrows struck the beasts side, but failed to penetrate the thick hide.
Dustin was frozen with fear as the backline who stood around him shot at it carelessly, uncoordinated in their actions. One of the injured Delta patrol shook Dustin awake and pointed to the crushed shieldsman who still lived.
"We need your support!" He yelled over the screaming. The monster had picked up a spearman in its mouth and blood showered the men underneath as the thick teeth easily penetrated the shoddy armour.
The infested human clawed at the man in the meanwhile, scratching his eyes out and biting at his face.
Dustin nodded and stood up, using one of his stronger healing spells Adrenaline Shot to recover half of the crushed mans health instantly, and another quarter over the next ten seconds.
The man didn't have time to thank Dustin as he stood up, his body mending rapidly under the intense mana that pushed and moulded his flesh back into place. He picked up his crumpled shield and charged at the monster, distracting it from finishing its meal.
Dustin performed his usual pre-fight spells, blessing the group with healing over time, and a small amount of mana shield. Looking up, Dustin could see the spearman in the monsters mouth fall still, his health dropping to 0.
At the same time, one of the many parasite that inhabited the monsters body began to move inside of it, heading towards the new body.
"Aim for the mouth." Dustin whispered, but none of the archers could hear him. He repeated it, louder this time, and one of them looked at him.
"You won't penetrate the hide at any rate. The one connected to its mouth will count for damage, and the other is quickly going to be infested."
The archers looked pained as they changed their aim, nailing the infested patrol in the monsters mouth with a couple of arrows and bolts.
It roared at the damage and turned towards them, knocking the shieldsman aside with a sweep of its tail.
The patrol leader and several others tried to keep it from charging the backline as they hacked at the exposed leg, but none of the damage was enough to keep it in place.
The group split in half as the monster rammed the wall behind them. Two of the archers managed to loose an arrow at it during their tumble, but neither proved useful. Dustin had thrown himself diagonally, diving under the monsters foot as it went sailing above his head. He turned quickly and blessed the patrol with speed, letting the frontline catch up.
The patrol leader was screaming in his radio for backup as his sword swung, sparks flying in the air as it scrapped against the monsters tail. He ducked below the tails retaliation, but was forced back as the monster stomped its foot towards him.
Dustin looked at the rubble that made a ramp up to the roof and had an idea. The only way they were going to do any damage was to attack it from the inside. There were two ways to do so, either hitting it whilst inside, which was suicide, or entering through the mouth.
"Jason, come with me!" Dustin yelled, picking up an archer by the arm. The man in question had a crossbow lying across his chest as he lay on the ground.
Each time the monster took some form of damage, it reared its head back and roared, which was one of the only times its mouth was wide open. If someone could get up the rubble and fire a strong attack inside as it did so, it might do some damage.
Dustin conveyed his plan over the radio as he and Jason climbed the rubble. He stopped every time one of his supporting spells came off cooldown to heal the group or prevent damage.
The group on the ground grew smaller as several patrol members were too injured to move, or were dead. Dustin did his best to give Adrenaline Shot to them, but had to prioritize keeping those still standing alive so they could keep it preoccupied. Jason reached the top of the rubble ramp and aimed down, but Dustin pushed his crossbow down.
"Still got the explosive bolt you were bragging about?" Dustin asked, smiling weakly. Jason nodded and held up a bolt from his bag, it had a cylinder on the end that contained a lethal amount of explosives.
"Cost me a pretty penny."
Dustin waited until Jason loaded it into the crossbow to begin casting a spell. His healing and support skills were on cooldown, so he used one that had a longer cast time, but would buff the damage of an allies attack.
"It better be worth it then. When I tell you to, use piercing shot."
"Wouldn't Charging Shot be better?" Jason asked, but realized Dustin wasn't listening. He was looking at the fight intensely, yelling at the archers to fire on the mouth. The patrol leader looked up at them and gave a thumbs up, holding a bottle in his hand.
Dustin gave a nod as he felt his cast nearing its end. The archers fired in unison with the bottle being thrown, resulting in a sickly smell. A thin liquid spread out across the monsters jaw, and begun eating away at the exposed gums.
The monster looked up at the ceiling and roared, shaking the whole building. As its head lowered, mouth still open, Dustin shouted, "Now!"
The explosive bolt shot forward at an impressive speed, covered in a red sheen. As Dustin had predicted, the infested human in its mouth, despite being riddled with arrows, stuck its hand in the way. The piercing arrow lost part of its momentum as it shot through the skin, but continued down the monsters throat, rather than blowing up in its mouth.
Jason's eyes were wide in surprise as he looked from the monster to Dustin, but found his footing lost as the bolt exploded, creating a large hole in the monster side, sending a flood of parasites and foul liquid over the patrol standing nearby.
Dustin quickly cast the speed spell again, but a couple of the patrol were too slow, and were crushed under the weight of the monster. The party leader copped the tail to his chest, and was lying under it, the liquid soaking his back. Dustin spotted one of the parasites that had emerged crawling towards him, and turned to tell Jason to shoot it before it could infest their leader.
Rather than the wiry blonde kid standing there, the spot was empty, but covered in a large shadow. Dustin looked up slowly, and saw Jason hanging limply from another monsters mouth, an exact replica of the one they had just gravely injured.
Dustin barely managed to shout 'Incoming!' into the radio before the rubble underneath him gave way under the monsters weight. He tumbled down the ramp, and stopped when he collided with a large dinosaur bone sticking out at the bottom.
He felt more vibrations as the monster jumped down next to the other one. Dustin forced himself to turn around, watching as the rest of the patrol was snapped up into hungry jaws, or smothered by dark red liquid and burrowed into by disgusting parasites.
He could feel each painstaking second that his spells cooldowns ticked for, attempting to use anything to stop the carnage. The screams of the patrol rang out as gaping maw severed them in half, or worse, the parasites tore through flesh and blood, hooking onto the nearest organ.
The ones being infested were convulsing on the ground as Dustin watched helplessly. The party leader was the first to fall still, as the parasite inside him had entered the earliest.
Dustin could only manage a healing mist on himself as the others were out of range, barely out healing the bleeding he had incurred. His eyes grew misty as a brown bug emerged from underneath some rubble, just past the bottom of the ramp. It looked around at the other targets being infested, and its 'eyes' landed on Dustin.
"No!" He screamed as it slithered over. He tried to cast Adrenaline Shot on himself, as the cooldown had ended, but all that met him was the same message.
[Not enough mana.]
Dustin wiggled, trying to move the rubble that crushed his left leg. He could feel the broken bones scraping against flesh and nerves, giving him intense pain, but the threat of the parasite was growing ever closer.
His staff, the only source of self-defence he had invested in, lay broken by his side. The wood was snapped in half, any benefits it provided were gone.
Dustin resorted to throwing pieces of rock at the parasite, which did nothing to hinder it. He could feel its weight on his leg as it slid over his shoe. The parasites sharp teeth emerged from its horrific mouth, preparing to tear a hole in his abdomen, when an arrow sent it flying back, pinning it to a rock.
Dustin looked up and saw a woman standing above him, a cigarette in her mouth. Her eyes moved from the monsters ahead down to Dustin and smiled.
"You did well kid."
He watched in silence as she stepped over him, carelessly walking towards the rampaging monster. She pulled a revolver from the holster at her side and calmly spun the chamber. Another two people followed behind her, one wielding a bow, and the other held a rapier.
The bow man let off several shots in succession, nailing the infested patrolmen that were beginning to stir. The woman wielding a rapier ran forward to attack the standing monster. Dustin turned on his mana perception unconsciously and was surprised to see her nailing the parasites hiding under its scales perfectly, like she was performing acupuncture.
The woman with the gun walked towards the down monster, but Dustin found his vision covered as a thick shield of mana covered him. A fourth person stood beside him, holding a golden staff. It had an intricate carving of the sun on a golden plate that had been fixed to the top. It rotated slowly, even as the staff remained still.
"The force of her attacks would be enough to finish off the little health you've got, don't leave the shields protection."
The male mage spat on the ground and grumbled something to Dustin as he walked away.
"Ya did what you could."
He could barely see the effect that the woman's gun had, but could feel the impact, even as the shield absorbed the majority of it.
Dustin opened his display to see the mana shield that protected his health. It was easily triple his health value. His eyes were drawn to the flashing red icons that indicated his party members. Each of them were deceased, and the crown that indicated the party leader had been transferred to Dustin.
Tension left his body as he let his head lull back, softly hitting the bone behind him.
'You did well kid.'
'Ya did what you could'
Even through the thick blue mist Dustin could see the bodies of his patrol, an arrow sticking out of each of them, and he whispered to himself. His patrol leaders eyes were staring straight at him in perpetual terror, the life drained from them, and the arrow in his stomach perfectly ending the parasites life.
"It wasn't enough."