The dead mutated creatures were piling up in front of the wooden spikes. Some had been impaled by the insidious structures but most of the ones on the ground had died due to being assaulted by the guns belonging to the militia.
However, the militia could not maintain their assault and had run out of bullets so they had to retreat.
The creatures that were still coming up from behind the dead mound decisively climbed up the fallen bodies of their brethren. It wasn't long before they started to get past that barrier and rush towards the retreating humans in the group only to be intercepted by an evolver wielding a short sword.
First it was one mutated creature. Then two. And then three. Soon…more managed to break through. Climbing over the small hill of corpses and getting past the spikes without getting impaled and soon the clash between the creatures of the Woodlands Forest and the evolvers of Camp White begun in earnest.
Evolvers and mutated creatures clashed with deadly fury. The bloodlust and the murderous intent from both sides reached the peak as the creatures bit, clawed and struck against the weapons and bodies of the evolvers.
The evolvers on the other hand were just as ferocious. Those who wielded swords slashed and clashed against the jaws, claws or paws of the mutated creatures with ferocity. Some who wielded hammers attempted to crush their opponents to death.
And for those who had spears?
They thrust and pierced with everything they had and one of them was Jeoffrey.
…
An unclassified wolf lunged at an older looking man who had a head of gray hair and slight wrinkles on his face. It hadn't been that long since he clashed with the mutated creatures and yet his spear was already dripping with the red blood of these abominable creatures.
He had already killed several of these beasts and yet more of them continued to come at him. From his left a wolf lunged at him. Jeoffrey saw it through his peripheral vision and spun, sidestepping away from the creature's mindless attack, and used that spin to add to the momentum to his spear that curved through the air.
For a man in his late middle-ages he moved with a rare grace. His spear cut through the wolf from the ribs and followed a diagonal path that cut through the back the creature's neck. Severing its head clean off.
The wolf's head rolled onto the blood-soaked field. By now there was plenty of bloodshed coming from all over the battlefield. From both Evolvers and mutated creatures alike. And yet…the battle was only just beginning.
A split second after he dispatched the wolf another mutated creature pounced on him from behind. He was a little too late to react to the ambush of a shadow cat. Jeoffrey tried to evade at the last second but even he knew it wouldn't save him from injury. And fighting this battle with an injury this early on…wasn't a good sign, especially considering how prolonged this battle promised to be.
To his utter delight though, he had a partner.
Two sharp katana blades cut through the air with lethal intensity. They severed flesh and bone and then…the shadow cat which had been after Jeoffrey's life dropped to the ground in a sudden heap, cut cleanly into three separate pieces at that.
Jeoffrey couldn't help but smile at the young man now standing back to back with him.
"Took you long enough" Jeoffrey said
"That's not how you say thank you" the young man, Xavier, replied with a slight smile
"Sure. Sure. Tell you what when this is over lets have a drink you and I"
"Sure thing old man"
…
The battle raged on.
Many mutated creatures fell as the evolvers used their abilities and weapons to take them down. For a moment it seemed as though they would actually hold out without much issues. However, this was just the start of the battle and everyone knew it.
The mayor had advised them to save as much of their mana as possible, especially due to the fact that no one knew just how long this battle would last.
Due to this reason most of the evolvers worked together in teams of four, supporting each other from all sides. The strategy seemed to be working. The evolvers were actually managing to get the upper hand. Blood spilled, staining the ground in an eerie mixture of red and green.
The smell of blood permeated the air, mists of blood rose into the air as one of the nightmare creatures burst from the impact of one evolver's skill. He moved with ferocious determination. With every strike he inflicted on the mutated creatures they seemed to explode, bursting into a mist of blood.
He had a crazed smile on his face. He dove deeper into the tide of mutated creatures. At that moment a snake that resembled a black mamba lunge at his feet and sank its fangs into his skin.
Startled, the man threw his fist at the creature. Just like with every other creature that met his fist…it burst into a rain of mist.
The man cursed in contempt and turned to the rest of the mutated creatures. Just as the man was about to return to his mindless slaughter…his heart seized and his eyes melted into puddles of blood.
He fell to the ground and died, just like that…cause of death?
Poison from a creature that had left the world under his own fists.
The unknown man was the first evolver to fall but he wasn't the only one.
…
The silver blade of Conrad's sword flew through the air in swift, sharp arcs and right behind it streams of blood followed. Not just blood too.
Sometimes it would be accompanied by freshly cut limps and heads of mutated creatures that used to be normal animals. Where ever he went, mutated creatures fell. Lifeless and in puddles of blood. By now his dark martial arts robe that looked to have been a treasure from the spirit record had a few drops of blood on it and more blood fell off his blade.
Conrad moved forward to intercept a mutated bull that was about to pierce one of the other evolvers with its obsidian colored horns. He swung his sword expertly, carving a deep gorge in the beast's side.
The beast wailed and stopped its charge. It turned its head, locking him with a hateful gaze. Steam blew from its nostrils. It kicked the dirt with one of its front hooves and with a vicious bellow it charged. Conrad stood still, his sword raised at the ready.
The bull's rampage shook the earth. A cloud of dust rising behind it as it moved with vicious intensity. Hot steam occasionally blew from its nostrils but its eyes never left Conrad.
The blade of his sword shone with a bright white color. The air around it shivered, it felt colder…sharper.
The enraged bull, oblivious to these changes, carried on with its reckless charge.
It roared as it got closer but Conrad stood his ground, slowly raising his sword above his head. His sword shining even brighter than before. He could feel the ground quake violently under the weight of the bull's charge but his eyes were firm.
Conrad felt his mana drain slightly as his sword shone brighter. To the naked eye it may have seemed as though his sword was only glowing beautifully but Conrad knew exactly what was happening and what he was doing.
'This should be sharp enough' he thought to himself. The skill he received and had been using since the day of the apocalypse was one that allowed him to sharpen the objects he held to a greater degree. Add that to the fact that he had been a talented kendo practitioner…well the results spoke for themselves.
As soon that charging bull was within striking range, the blade fell.
Conrad brought it down in one smooth, practiced motion. It was beautiful and fast so much so that it left faint after images in the air.
The air was cut violently and a bright line was drawn through the middle of the bull's head as well as the rest of its body and then gravity did the rest. Two perfect halves of the beast fell, organs and blood spilled in a pool on either side and in the middle of it all was Conrad.
His nose twitched and he grimaced slightly as the intense smell of blood flooded his nose with ferocious intensity.
Conrad didn't linger too long instead with light steps, he rushed towards someone who held a special place in his heart.
…
On another part of the battlefield, young woman whose presence was like that of an ice fairy cooled the battlefield. A layer of frost covered a wide area around her and her white figure hugging dress fluttered slightly in the wind that was now slightly cold around her.
Her blue eyes scanned the battlefield for a moment as she took everything in.
Several of the weaker mutated beasts found their feet frozen and held in place, unable to move and leaving them vulnerable to the Evolvers around her who weren't shy about using the opportunity she presented.
The evolvers rushed with new vigor, mercilessly striking down the trapped creatures, killing them and effectively culling the battlefield of numerous creatures. There were flashes of lights, sounds of impacts, the wailing of both beasts and humans- and most of all…there was blood.
White mist gathered around Veronica's hands. It felt cool to her hands and the already cool air around her seemed to drop an octave. The mist gathered and coalesced around her hands before it solidified and began to take shape. It elongated, solidifying into two solid chunks of ice that felt cool to her touch. The ice took gain mass and grew slightly longer before taking the shape of dagger with a slightly curved blade.
By the time all the mist and cool air had cleared, two ice daggers were held in her hands.
Veronica looked at her handy work thoughtfully.
'Its not a work of art but…it'll have to do'
True, the ice daggers she was holding in her hands merely resembled what a dagger would look like but they were nowhere near as artistic and detailed as those that would have been forged by a blacksmith or given by the spirit record- but they were sharp and they could deal with the mutated creatures at their current level.
Veronica moved and it seemed as though she was gliding over the ground and she danced between the mutated creatures her ice daggers dealing damage to them. A large elk made its way towards her. Its antlers glowing with an eerie red hue. Before a red streak of light shot towards her.
She reacted subconsciously and raised an ice wall in front of her. It was thin and that hastily made. The red streak tore through the air, causing it to heat up slightly before it impacted the ice wall with a thunderous clap. The impact caused heat and steam to rise into the air as the ice melted.
The area was surrounded by a dense fog of steam.
Using the steam as cover, Veronica closed in on the beast from what she thought would be its blind spot, her ice daggers slicing dangerously in the misty air. The ice weapons seemed to be about to cut into the side of the creature's neck when it snapped its head violently to the side.
The sharp ends of one of its antlers aiming to impale her.
"Shit…" the ice beauty couldn't help but curse as she shifted from attack to defense.
Veronica had trained in martial arts before the apocalypse that had been tai chi, a delicate art that used palms to thwart attacks from fellow humans…most people could even call it the martial arts for pacifists…there was no way she could use her skills here.
However, what it did give her were exception reflexes and observation skills and add that to her stats that were all close to 60…it gave her a fair chance.
Not knowing exactly how tough the antlers were, she poured more mana into her ice daggers making them slightly more durable. It would consume her mana but it would save her skin for now.
Still the force of the impact from the elk's blow travelled all the way from her weapons to her arms and then to the rest of her body. She was pushed back, her internal organs screaming. Her feet touched the ground a few meters back and blood flew from her lips.
Her arms were still reeling from the blow when a streak of red hot light came her way. Her eyes widened.
There was the sound of heavy impact and then there was a boom and then there was a Veronica's body which was shot backwards in the air. Her body hit the ground and then rolled like a lifeless doll.