C554 Hole
'Orze!' Khan immediately understood. He had studied Acarro's environment, including its fauna, so it only took him a glance to realize what had arrived.
The Orze were worm-like hunters that relied on tremors to find prey. They were blind and mostly lived underground. Their big mouths and silver claws made them natural diggers, and their appearance on the surface could only mean one thing. A whole pack had surrounded the area.
Generally, the arrival of a pack would be a serious threat. The surface already featured seven specimens, with most of them being as strong as third-level warriors. However, Khan had experience with outbreaks, and the [Hunt]'s regulations didn't extend to Acarro's fauna. There was no no-killing rule on the Orze.
Khan was still flying backward when the seven Orze jumped from the ground. More monsters were also hiding under the surface, but Khan only smiled. Fighting Amox had filled him with excitement, and the arrival of those new opponents had given him worthy targets.
The Orze closest to Khan was two meters long and half a meter thick. The screech leaking out of its mouth worked as a sonar that scanned its surroundings. It had already noticed Khan and its body began to twist in his direction. However, he was far faster than that creature.
Khan asked, and the symphony moved, giving him the means to generate an inhumane sprint that teleported him before the Orze. His right leg was already stretched, and his foot slammed on the worm's squashy body, digging into it until its wet skin gave in.
The Orze's screech turned high-pitched as Khan's leg dug into its body. He had hit the worm at its center, making it bend oddly. Yet, his offensive was far from over, and the glowing sword that grew from his right hand soon joined it.
Those worms didn't have the best bodies. They were actually weak compared to the Ilqiex. As soon as the chaos claw got close to the Orze, its wet skin crumbled and opened the way for its insides.
Khan stabbed his spell into the worm, and blood and gore followed. The Orze exploded as soon as half of the glowing sword entered it, leaving only a lifeless body and a maimed mouth.
'That's it,' A thought managed to appear inside Khan's brain. 'That's the feeling.'
Khan didn't enjoy killing, but that battlefield was different. He felt no pity or mercy toward simple monsters. The Orze were giving him a chance to use his power and sensitivity, allowing him to let loose without experiencing an ounce of remorse, and he loved it.
The previous execution had barely lasted a few seconds. Khan had dealt with the Orze quickly and smoothly before its companions could return to the ground. He had the chance to kill some more, and the symphony told him the path toward his next target.
Khan used his left leg to kick himself forward, uncaring that part of the Orze's corpse was still hanging from his right foot. That gory body part flew away as soon as he began to spin, and his now free limb delivered a round kick that landed on a monster that had appeared before him.
The new Orze bent under the kick. Its skin shattered, and its insides didn't even try to stop the attack. Khan almost cleaved the monster in half, but his attention didn't remain there. He closed his eyes and let his back face the cracked ground before pushing himself away.
Khan flew through the battlefield until another big figure appeared in his path. That Orze had almost touched the ground, but a purple-red flash happened before that inevitable event. The monster eventually landed, but a third of its mouth fell off, carrying gore and muddy dark blood.
Amox landed in the meantime. Normally, he would check the ground to make sure that the cracks didn't hinder his footsteps. Yet, his eyes couldn't leave Khan. His perfect execution of every move was too compelling to miss.
That execution wasn't limited to mere attacks or power. Khan never wasted time. Each of his steps was perfect and with a precise purpose. He was dancing to a song only he could hear, leaving Amox in awe.
Amox wanted to help. Taking care of that assault had the priority since both teams needed a clear area to move forward with the [Hunt]. However, Khan suddenly opened his eyes to glance at the fainted Ilqiex, and Amox recognized the emotions conveyed by his face.
That was the third time Khan had diverted his gaze for seemingly no reason, and Amox had seen all of them. The first had happened at the hill's base when the ship arrived, and the second before the Orze left the ground. There was a pattern there, so Amox didn't hesitate to follow Khan's eyes now.
Seeing the Ilqiex said everything that needed to be said. Amox understood what Khan had sensed and moved to prevent it. The two gained a joint goal and sprinted toward the fainted monster at full speed.
Amox used his black sparks and instantly reached the Ilqiex. Khan was right behind him, but the ground suddenly trembled again, and a series of holes opened under the fainted monster.
Those holes affected the many cracks, stretching and enlarging them until most of the surface crumbled. A series of underground passages became visible as debris fell on them, but Khan and Amox only looked at the many black figures partially hidden by that mess.
That general inspection was short-lived. An Orze had started to resurface below the Ilqiex. Its long claws had already closed themselves around the fainted monster. Its mouth was also getting closer, threatening to land on that defenseless prey.
Amox had lost his foothold when the ground crumbled. However, he was big and had already reached the Ilqiex. The Orze under the monster was within his reach, and he didn't hesitate to stretch an arm toward it.
The Thilku's big palm touched the rising Orze before a thundering noise filled the area. The monster directly exploded, sending fuming gore in every direction and saving the Ilqiex from that assailant.
Khan reached Amox at that point, but he and the Ilqiex were still falling. Too much of the area had crumbled for Khan to push them away. He lacked the strength and time to do so. Yet, that location was dangerous, especially if the trio ended up at its bottom.
"[Let's take them, Khan]!" Amox suddenly shouted, ending in a loud laugh.
Khan inspected the Thilku. He was brimming with excitement while glancing at the crumbling debris before him. He didn't even bother looking at Khan while his body was still falling.
"I thought you'd have me do all the work," Khan scoffed, using human language since he wasn't sure he could convey the joke properly.
Amox's laugh grew louder, and Khan didn't do anything to stop the inevitable fall. The terrain continued to crumble due to the many unstable tunnels, but stability eventually arrived, allowing the trio to land.
Khan had no problem securing a stable foothold. He actually never touched the ground until the whole fall stopped, but his feet eventually reached the new surface. The terrain was a bit sandy, and the slightest pressure risked making it cave in, but that wasn't a problem for Khan.
Amox was in a completely different situation. He wasn't only far heavier than Khan. He also lacked his smooth and weightless footwork, leaving his legs halfway into the ground after the landing.
The Ilqiex was in a similar situation. It had fallen flat on the new surface, digging into it for a good meter. It was still safe and asleep, but the incoming battles risked submerging it with debris or worse.
As for the area, a good chunk had caved in by a few meters. The trio was basically at the bottom of a big hole that didn't stay still. More ground crumbled due to the digging of the Orze. It wouldn't take long before they attacked.
Amox and Khan didn't need to say anything. Amox faced one side of the hole, and Khan had opted for the opposite. They had instinctively decided to split that outbreak since salvaging the Ilqiex was the priority.
Soon, five figures pounced out of the ground, leaping toward Khan, Amox, and the Ilqiex. Those Orze had no unique offensive pattern. They only wanted to stab their prey and drag it underground, but their opponents wouldn't allow it.
Khan was the first to move. Two Orze had jumped out of his side of the hole, making it his job to take care of them. He leaped forward, stopping before the monsters and lifting his left hand.
The conical Wave spell engulfed the Orze, and their weak bodies could only crumble under its power. The insidious chaos element dug through them, turning their skin and insides into dust and leaving maimed corpses behind.
Khan waited for the symphony to confirm the Orze's death before flinging his right hand to his left. Two needles had appeared between his fingers, and the gesture made them fly toward the Ilqiex to intercept the worm pouncing at it. The spells hit the monster's mouth, exploding and destroying a third of its body.
Amox also had two Orze flying toward him, but his legs were temporarily inconvenienced. At least, that was what Khan believed. The Thilku had a very different idea since he crouched forward and jumped, lifting a big cloud of dirt in the area.
The Orze were blind, so the cloud didn't hinder their offensive. However, the hands that landed on them did. Amox had reached for the worms' mouths, grabbing their opposite edges to slam the two monsters against each other.
The worms suffered damage but didn't die. Yet, Amox was still holding them, and the landing gave him the opportunity to slam them into the ground. Another cloud of dirt rose, and blood fused with it.
A second wave of Orze arrived. The worms decided to attack from every direction without targeting anything specific. They just wanted to make the entire area crumble to have that fight underground.
Khan counted eight worms. Usually, he would rely only on himself to keep the Ilqiex safe and clear the area, but Amox was quite trustworthy and capable. Besides, Amox was still eyeing his half of the hole, so Khan decided to stick to his side.
Three needles flew to Khan's right as he jumped ahead. The spells hit two worms and exploded, killing one and heavily injuring the other. Meanwhile, Khan lifted his knee and covered that body part with the [Blood Shield] before slamming it inside the third Orze's mouth.
The Orze's upper part exploded during the violent impact, and Khan didn't hesitate to use his free leg to kick himself to his left. Two worms were pouncing at the Ilqiex, and he couldn't let that happen.
Amox didn't stay still during the exchange. Black sparks came out of his body, making his movements surpass Khan's top speed. Three Orze were closing on his position, and he waited until they got into his range to take care of them.
Thunder roared in the hole as the three Orze exploded, leaving only gore behind. Amox sprinted toward the Ilqiex as soon as his feet touched the ground, reaching fainted monster at the same time as Khan, and the two instinctively went for different targets.
Of the two Orze pouncing at the Ilqiex, one saw a deep cut opening through half of its body, while the other directly exploded. A rain of dark blood followed, and Khan and Amox landed among it, uncaring of how dirty they got.
The pack of Orze was almost out of specimens, but Khan sensed their desire to keep attacking. Still, the symphony created a stronger urge inside him. He couldn't help but glance to his left to meet Amox's proud smirk and match that expression with a challenging smile.
The two had reached an understanding other than mutual respect. Yet, the problems weren't over, and Khan's eyes suddenly snapped at the Ilqiex. A hoarse squeal followed as the monster cried and struggled to its feet. The creature had awakened, forcing Khan and Amox to recall the [Hunt].
Nevertheless, as Khan and Amox focused on the Ilqiex, the four remaining Orze jumped at them from behind. Khan was the first to turn with his glowing knife and needles ready, and his prompt reaction pushed Amox to do the same.
In a few seconds, the four remaining Orze either exploded or died due to heavy injuries. Khan and Amox found themselves side by side before those new corpses but didn't exchange any glance. They both peeked behind their shoulders only to see a deep channel leading to the hole's edge. The Ilqiex had left again.
To be continued