'Forty-Five more!' Haler thought alarmed as he counted the 'reinforcements' of the Lightning Mouse. He quickly hid under the large broken bowl and examined the terrain.
The mice stampeded to the area as quickly as they could but did not catch sight of Haler. Even then their small eyes glinted as they looked at the scene. Heavy drool escaped their mouths and scorched the dirt as it fell. Their saliva had acidic properties that allowed them to consume almost every creature in the burrow.
The hoard of mice drooled as they saw their dead companions. They were not accustomed to seeing such 'fresh' food for them to feast on and with such abundance as well. They did not even have to battle each other to get a fill.
"Yum." One of the Mice screeched," Food!"
Blinded by the bountiful flesh in front of them, the mice did not even bother searching or the cause of the bloodshed. They took it as if it were a divine gift from the Mouse God.
They tore into the flesh of the dead mice with reckless abandon. The instinctual need to consume energy overrides the logical sector of the brain.
As they say, "An empty stomach is not a good political adviser."
Haler, seeing this, smiled. They were not as smart as he thought they were. At least they moved off instinct when confronted with food. His confidence in his survival rose exponentially.
The 'smarter' mice ran forward and ate in more desolate areas. In their minds, they would have more access to food because no one was eating the flesh around them. They also got to use less energy to jump from plate to plate. Little did they know, that made them the best target for Haler.
Due to his class, Haler had the speed that equaling those in the Legendary Sequence. Even though the speed was barely reaching the threshold of the Legendary Sequence, it was not something the Mortal Sequence could deal with. Coupled with both [Lightning Speed – 8] and [Quick Charge – 5], Haler could have an easy win if he picked off the reinforcements one-by-one.
Thinking about it that way, Haler quickly moved towards the most isolated mouse.
It had its back arched as it messily tore at an unfortunate carcass. The blood coated its shiny-silver fur and made a hideous trail through its rough hairs. It lay unsuspecting of the danger lurking just a couple of feet away.
Haler gripped the spear tightly and stood still for a couple of seconds. He wanted to be sure the mouse was not baiting him into attacking. Once he made sure the mouse was not putting up an act, he casted [Quick Charge – 5] and [Lightning Speed – 8] at the same time.
[Killed Mortal Sequence Mutated Lightning Mouse – Dropped Lightning Astral Crystal(7)]
His speed transcended the reaction time of the Lightning Mouse and it fell quickly. It was a gruesome sight to behold. A mouse feasting on its kind impaled through the head by a stick. It was almost beautiful through the way it told a story.
Haler canceled the two abilities just as quickly as he used them. Haler's Astral Energy was on the lower side of the spectrum. He only had four points in Astral Energy with the help of his class. Casting the two skills used half-a-point and maintaining the skills cost one-fourth more. His natural recovery without using additional Crystals was one per fifteen minutes.
While fighting the hoard, Haler found that it was better to use the speed in a burst manner. It made sure he was never too tired or lack Astral Energy.
Haler took the spear out of the mouse's head and found the crystal drop. The usual purple-glass like crystal had lightning swimming through it. Haler picked it up and a notification sounded in his head.
[Lightning Astral Crystal Gave Lightning Element – 7]
Just as he was reading the notification, changes began appearing on his body. The previous darkroom began lighting up with dark purple particles. They swam through his body and collected right above his heart.
While Haler was confused, the dream space had never given him poison wrapped up in a gift therefore he did not stop it. He also did not know how to stop the procedure either.
The lightning element particles started forming into an arcane symbol and branded itself on his lower left peck. The moment it connected; Haler could feel the beating heart of the Lightning Element. He raised his hand and lightning-sparked through his hand.
[Discovered Lightning Blade Hand Art – D]
[Discovered Small Shock Hand Art – E]
The two notifications rang out as Haler was immersing himself in the newfound element. He instinctively felt his resistance to lightning increased, his lightning casting speed increased, and his energy expenditure decreased when using lightning related skills.
Haler gripped his spear in excitement once more. Although he did not know why there were letters next to the notification instead of numbers, he knew his threat level increased because of it.
His gaze returned to the feasting mice.
…
Below the star-filled sky lay an elaborate castle. In the dark expanse of withering crops and messy agriculture, the lone caste stood firmly. Even as it was weathered by heavy snow, it hanged proudly. It had moss growing across the castle walls hinting at both its ancient history and lack of maintenance. This was the castle dedicated to Baron Ural Burdol.
In the grand estate with hundreds of rooms, only five souls roamed the halls. Three were servants who took care of Ural Burdol. One was Ural himself. The last was his guard. The grand House of Burdol's fortune rested in these barren walls.
In the banquet room, the spacious and usually most decorated lay without any gold decorations or silver utensils. Only the minimalistic yet long table was left. Sitting in one of the wooden chairs, Baron Ural's fat fingers gently caressed the arm support.
"Where did it go wrong?" He asked mindlessly with his eyes reminiscent of the past.
In front of him were documents that detailed the suffering happening in his territory. There were many articles on cults worshiping the Moonlit Goddess. Stories about the villages they burnt and people they brutalized. There were talks of mighty bandit groups who ransacked entire towns. Famine. Plague. Cold.
His people were dying in the hundreds of thousands almost every month.
Baron Ural turned five hundred years today. The Epic Sequence allowed for a four-hundred-year lifespan and his unique class allowed him to live for a couple of hundred years more in exchange for combat ability. He had to watch his prosperous territory turning into a barren wasteland as the Frost Giants of Yore invaded his dominion.
With nothing but long life, Baron Ural was powerless to accomplish anything. Even after the kingdom pushed back the Frost Giants, the battles exposed the fertile land to a corrosive frost. Not even the best druids from Elven forests could undo the damage.
"Was it a mistake?" Baron Ural asked as he gripped his hands tightly.
He had witnessed his sons and daughters grow old and die. His wives and mistresses degrade in beauty. Their frantic obsessions to maintain their beauty. Everything grew old in a matter of decades.
His once majestic body decayed to this loose skinned husk. To avoid the painful stares, Baron Ural dismissed everyone that served him. Even his family was situated in a different estate than he was. It had been sixty years since he had even talked to them.
"In this continent of Avalon, even nobles aren't safe," Ural murmured as he stared high into the night sky.