Chapter 181: Gremlin Settlement

Chapter 181: Gremlin Settlement

A whole world of stone pillars. There was something alluring in the simplicity of it all, possibly because it was so different from the city of Nerosal. In a way, it provided the freedom of the wilderness with the inherent dangers. Then again, the place came with its own very specific set of dangerscracks. Unlike sphere items or minor areas, though, here they were considerably more advanced and better organized. Unlike Dallions previous experiences, they were in plain view, gathered in small clusters that could pass for villages.

This place hasnt seen mending in ages, Veil whispered.

There was no arguing about that. According to the rectangles, the area was at seventy-four percent. Given the scale of things, though, that didnt mean as much.

Ranged weapons, Dallion noted.

The garden cracks had the appearance of gremlins that had used the local materials to create themselves weapons, armor, even structures. The fascinating part was that they had done so in a way that boggled the imagination. Initially, Dallion had thought of them as cracks in human formwhich, in appearance, they wereso he expected them to behave like people. Not only didnt they, but they also changed the local laws of physics.

The fires that the gremlin-cracks had made were black as much as they were and had the ability to melt stone into malleable materials from which they had made anything from cloth to shields. Dallion couldnt help but be impressed by their progress. Given enough time, there was no telling how much they would advance. In centuries it was possible they made their own industrial revolution, although by doing so they would also ruin the realm and the real-world garden as well.

I count over a hundred. All of them were the same age and lacked any sexual characteristics.

Ive dealt with more, Veil said.

Liar, Gloria whispered.

A tribe of a hundred armed cracklins and judging by the plumes of smoke in the distance, there were at least half a dozen other settlements such as this one. Defeating them wasnt going to be a simple matter of rushing in.

Ill go and lure them out, Dallion said. When they start charging Gloria will start taking them out from a distance, while Veil keeps them from reaching me. When all of them have gathered, Ill change my tune to give us an advantage.

There was a moment of silence.

Depending on how it goes with this settlement well see if our plan needs changing for the rest.

Thats actually quite a good plan, Gloria said after a while. You havent lost your touch. She smiled, gently patting his shoulder.

Yeah, you always were a big brain guy, but Ill catch up to you. Veil said. Lets do this.

Casually, Dallion started his way towards the gremlin settlement, leaving the protection of the nearest stone spire. If the gremlins took notice of him, they didnt show it in their behavior, continuing with running their settlement as usualputting more rocks to the fire as it were.

Dallion reached out and summoned his harpsisword. The weapon emerged in his hands, ready for battle.

Not yet, Harp, Dallion whispered, and started playing.

The melody could be described as the chorus of an epic ballad full of fire and bloodlust. Matching the rhythm to that of the gremlins, Dallion increased their aggression more and more, adding a pinch of annoyance. Initially there seemed to be no effect, and then the floodgates broke. In an instant the settlement went from calm to a cauldron of uncontrollable rage. With roars and snarls, the cracklings rushed out, some not even bothering to put on armor. Seeing that, Dallion intensified his playing.

Within seconds, the first of the pack had halved the distance. At that moment, Gloria stepped in. Bolts flew through the air, taking out two cracklings at a time. The creatures popped like balloons, leaving puffs of black smoke behind. One would think that seeing their fellow gremlins killed would cause the others to falter, but it had the opposite effect. Seeing space open up in front of them, the ones behind rushed to fill it up.Fôllôw new stories at novelhall.com

By the time the first gremlins got remotely close to Dallion, over a dozen had been eliminated. Waiting no longer, Veil rushed in, a sword in each hand. This was his moment to shine. Like a hurricane he made his way to the mass of gremlins and did a triple circular slash.

The same was done to all the smaller cooking fires that were within some of the buildings. Once all of them were taken care of, transformation took place. The dirt and soot that covered the area disappeared, leaving only perfect grayness behind. What was more, the smoke that had been continuously trickling up towards the sky had vanished for good.

Realm section mended!

Overall completion 81%

Its not a lot of percent, Dallion noted.

Look on the bright side. Veil gave him a pat on the back. This means we have all the more to kill.

Thats not a good thing, Dallion grumbled.

Actually, it is, Nil corrected. Apart from getting some hands-on experience, you are also certain to get an achievement for fully mending your first major realm. Not only that, but the local guardians will treat you more favorably from now on.

And what exactly does that mean? Dallion asked. Do I get to heal my wounds while Im here?

Honestly, sometimes I think you dont take anything seriously. The echo sighed. Just as neglected item guardians could let you down the moment you need them the most, so could area guardians. Why do you think there are houses in which people constantly trip or have accidents in? All that is guardians lashing out. Havent you wondered why so many criminals trip when chased?

To be honest, that wasnt Dallion even considered thinking about until now. He had to admit it gave a whole new meaning to the term old abandoned house. Come to think of it, could the same be true back on Earth? Maybe item and area guardians existed there as well, but it was the people who werent awakened.

While area guardians cant help you directly, they could always make things more difficult for people that wish you harm. At least while youre in that area.

Point taken, my good sir. Dallion smiled mentally.

The battle at the second gremlin settlement was no different from the first. The gremlins were half in number and far worse equipped, making for a quick and decisive victory. Getting rid of the flames, though, only increased the realms complete state by three percent, suggesting that this task could well be more complicated than Dallion initially thought.

Do you think we can manage to get it done in a day? he asked, as they made their way to the next plume of smoke.

Sure. Veil replied with complete confidence.

No, Gloria said sharply. Rushing things is pointless. The garden wont go anywhere. After two more settlements, were going to take a break and explore more of the city. Maybe we can do five more in the afternoon.

Fighting them is not that difficult. As he said it, Dallion felt the first signs of hunger tickling his stomach. We havent gotten any damage so far.

Its not about the fighting. Its about the walking, Gloria said. Look around. We can see five plumes of smoke, which is about the same number as when we started. These are only the big ones. Theres no telling how many small fires with a few cracklings there are. And even if we assume these are all, how long do you think it will take us to reach them all? Im not wasting my time walking for days and nights just so you can say you have cleared this area in a day!

She had definitely got Dallion therethat was exactly what he was hoping to do. Not only would that leave him a lot of free time to take on other guild jobs, it was going to be extremely satisfactory to see Vends expression when Dallion told him he was already done.

So, youre alright for another two fights? Dallion asked.

At most, the girl stressed.

What if I know of a way to get all of them to attack us at the same time?