Chapter 1737

Chapter 1737

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

The sun sat directly above the group, but the air was cold and the ankle-deep water was frigid. Both of BA-Zeta’s arms currently ended in whirling blades of serrated death as it took point on cutting a path forward. A Level 55 Greater Werewolf slammed into the gurgling streambed ahead of it, sending up a splash of the freezing water. While the beast was twisting around to strike, BA-Zeta made some precise calculations and leaned to the left. One of its arms hummed forward.

The wickedly sharp implement spun until the edges blurred.

The Greater Werewolf roared and lashed out with its claws, but the lean was effective; its strike barely skittered across BA-Zeta’s exoskeleton. Then the automaton’s return attack landed, shearing through the monster’s thick grey fur and then its ribs. The rotational velocity sprayed blood and bits of organs sideways, painting some larger stones and a portion of the cliff walls red.

The Werewolf swayed and BA-Zeta already spun and leapt, slamming a back-heel kick against the beast and knocking it to the side. The winding ravine was about five meters across, but the automaton’s kick had more than enough force to crumble the beast against the stone wall. The servos in Zeta’s joints buzzed as the automaton landed back in the shallow water and began accelerating again.

Congratulations! Your Skill Butchery Proficiency has grown to Level 98!

Congratulations! Your Skill Servo Overclock (Un) has grown to Level 120!

Congratulations! Your Skill Automaton Attunement (A) has grown to Level 149!

Truly, the speed of Skill improvement has increased by 736% since I have left Kharon. No wonder the Ghosthound arranged all those years ago for the city to be mobile. Novel experiences are vital to sustained martial attainment. BA-Zeta’s visual lenses adjusted as scanned the twisting walls of the ravine for any further threats. It made minute adjustments as it searched for secure footing in its advance. But... despite improvements in Skill Levels, I do not feel any closer to obtaining a true name...

BA-Zeta’s visual apertures flicked upward. Behind it, twelve humans hurried to keep up as they fled along the creekbed. Most people sloshed forward, their feet numbed by the constant flow of water. At the back of the group, a teenage girl picked up her sniffling younger brother and staggered forward with the kid pressed to her chest. All knew that they did not have much time. Now that they had reached this point, there was no option but to advance forward as quickly as possible.

High stone cliffs stretched up on either side of the creekbed, hemming in the options for escape. Zeta might be able to scale the seven-meter walls, but the rest of the humans could not follow. So Zeta ignored the distant sounds of howls and concentrated on moving forward.

Zack Krum had suggested this route to avoid the thick waves of werewolves that filled the surrounding hills; they needed to pass through this mountain range to reach Davieau, the border city of Zone 50. None of them possessed enough power to survive against these werewolf packs in a direct confrontation. But now that the monsters had discovered their presence-

Hoooooowwwwwwl!

Two more heavy Greater Werewolves whooshed through the air and smashed in the middle of their column. Several of the humans screamed and fell backward. BA- Zeta paused for a small instant, its training to protect humans urging it to turn around and fight against these new arrivals. The Greater Werewolves had landed in a crouch to absorb the force of their fall, but now they straightened and howled, drawing more monsters to their location.

However, BA-Zeta continued forward without assisting with these two. After all, it was not fighting alone.

“Fucking dogs,” Zack Krum grimaced and moved forward to meet the first opponent, showing no fear despite the fact that the bristling grey monster was twice his size. His hands glided forward through the air in smooth, perfect circles. The Greater Werewolf regarded him with its yellow eyes as it weighed his threat, then decided to pounce forward with its dangerous arms raised.

Those circles accelerated and met the muscular limbs of the werewolf. BA-Zeta could feel the wrenching pop as Zack Krum tore the monster's shoulder joint out of the socket by redirecting its force. Then, before the Greater Werewolf could respond, Zack swept out its legs. Spinning like a whirlwind, Zack slammed the monster’s snout into the shallow water. His elbow flashed up and then cut downward, shattering the beast’s skull.

By the time that blood began to seep down through the clear water, the other people had already hurried past it.

Back amongst the humans, Zeta heard a shout from Henrik. “This is all your fault! If that fucking kid hadn’t revealed us-”

Angry roars from behind the group meant that Todd was dealing with the pursuit. The tan arm in front of Zeta blurred and cut at his shoulder joint. Perhaps because it had encountered this speed once, but it was no longer quite so overwhelming... but simply quite very difficult to handle. Zeta made minute adjustments and shifted its weight forward, but this Level 70 monster instantly adjusted the arc of its claw.

Congratulations! Your Skill Servo Overclock (Un) has grown to Level 122!

Congratulations! Your Skill Butchery Proficiency has grown to Level 99!

With all its mechanisms spinning at full blast, Zeta released an ambient humming voice. Its calculations determined this would not go well for it. As expected, the Level 60 barrier remains difficult to accurately judge...

Zeta sheered off a thick clump of hair from the monster’s chest and drew a beading line of blood across its exposed skin. Meanwhile, the automaton’s chassis was heavily scratched by the monster. Even Zeta didn’t have time to react before the rest of its frame was slammed against the stone wall. The interior gears of its body rattled.

“He’s just a child! He didn’t know!” The teenage girl yelled back. “The chill of the water surprised him!”

Todd’s voice was high and he appeared not to engage in the other conversation. Zeta marveled again at the obliviousness of humans. “Shit, shit, shit...”

“What’s that?” A small voice asked.

All these noises were distant. Closer to the spot where Zeta attempted to recover its bearings, there were several more impacts; more Greater Werewolves were coming. The situation worsened every moment they did not advance.

Zeta was still buzzing, rapidly trying to ascertain its own state as the Level 70 Calamity Tainted monster closed the distance to finish its job. Currently, Zeta had not sustained any serious damage. But its rapid calculations could not figure out how to overcome this enemy’s superior offensive capabilities-

Then Zack Krum was there, physically tackling the monster and wrapping his arms around its waist. The young man earned a deep gash on his shoulder, but once the two were on the ground and rolling through the shallow water, there was a pulse of Krum’s image. Ripples of dark green energy spread outward, thickening the air and creating an environment where Krum excelled.

By the time Zeta finished its diagnostic and regained its feet, the first sickening pop informed it that Krum had gained the advantage. So Zeta twisted and threw itself toward the two recent arrivals to the streambed. Its saws were beginning to glow dangerously from the heat, but they were more than capable of ripping through the backs of the two Level 55 Greater Werewolves.

Congratulations! Your Skill Butchery Proficiency has grown to Level 100!

Congratulations! Your Skill Butchery Proficiency has grown to Level 101!

The two monsters collapsed with soft whimpers. But as their blood began to seep out of their wounds, five more werewolves crashed down from the cliffs above. They landed over by Todd, who immediately began slowing them down as best as they could. BA-Zeta hummed uncertainly.

The humans had stopped and clustered. More and more Greater Werewolves were throwing themselves down around them every moment. They had been trapped in the streambed.

BA-Zeta finally allowed its keening saws to slow for a few moments. Perhaps in the moments before oblivion... I shall realize my own name?

That would be a cause worth celebrating.