Chapter 58: Theatre of Stone (2)

Chapter 58: Theatre of Stone (2)

Startled cries rang out as the Abyss Demons were betrayed by their own footing.

Well positioned to take advantage of the resultant chaos, Tom committed himself to a frontal charge. The ground beneath him flitted by his feet as he shot forward, his limbs obeying his commands almost effortlessly. He wasnt just fast, no in that moment, he was quickness personified, to the point where, even if he managed to trigger his [Haste] card, his reflexes wouldnt be able to keep up.

A third of the distance separating him from the now shattered Stone Fortress was covered in what felt like a blink of an eye for Tom. And he would have continued his charge, if not for his high Proprioception stat picking up on an Abyss Demon positioned on the far left corner of the fortress battlements; ending up mostly unaffected by the sloping footing that had disrupted most of the Abyss Demons coordination.

More specifically, it was the skull-sized stone clenched in his clawed hand that had caught Toms attention.

Here goes nothing, Tom thought to himself as every cell in his body thrummed in an exhilarating blend of fear and anticipation.

And then he willed both his legs to kick off the floor at a sideway angle, using the minute of extreme agility [Phantom Walk] allowed him to perfect use.

Gravity seemed to fade away for a moment as Tom found himself hurling towards the caverns wall. He knew that he had to lean his upper body weight forward so he could flip and land onto his feet instead of smashing headfirst into the Theatre of Stone and he did.

The only difference was the massive grin on his visage as he found himself perfectly unscathed, his feet firmly rooted to the Theatre of Stones side as he simply stood in the air for one long moment.

And then Tom began to walk, sideways.

He was very sure that the only reason he didnt feel the pull of both vertigo and dizziness was his Proprioception stat, but that didnt take away the thrill of pulling off such a move mid-combat.

Though in the midst of all that exhilaration Tom hadnt made the mistake of losing sight of his enemies. Though he had to painfully crane his neck in order to do so, he both saw and heard the Abyss Demon let out an angry grunt as it hurriedly shuffled over with its stocky build towards the pile of stones placed to his side; a part of them having rolled down the slope Alephs actions had created. Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

Another third of the distance was covered before Tom threw himself upwards to evade the Abyss Demons second stone throw.

This time, he definitely felt a little dizzy.

The steps flowed in quick succession as Tom stretched his pace to the maximum he could sustain while he looked down at the world from above.

Then it saw its companion fall, reduced to blood mist and a gory rain of viscera.

It was not angry, in the same way a general was unmoved by the loss of its soldiers.

It was not angry, but it had chosen that moment to make its presence known.

The reason why Aleph had avoided engaging in combat in the first two Phases. The reason why so many dungeoneers met untimely ends in the grim corners of Sector 6.

Tom had been wary of its presence.

But even that was not enough.

For it was the Abyssal Lurker, A Master of Disguises and this was its domain.

First, it would deal with the weaker interloper.

Then, it would use the sacrifices of its brethren to dull the strong ones defenses, before it sank its blade arms into her exposed throat.

[Phantom Mist], an upgraded version of the Abyssal Imps [Spectral Mists] that allowed it to conjure an illusion that mirrored the appearance of nearby Phantasmal Creatures.

[Bloodied Blades], a blend of the Abyssal Imps [Blood Curse] skill and the Bladeswalkers characteristic Blade Arms that releases a powerful blood toxin into the targets bloodstream when the blade makes direct contact.

[Stoneform Skin], an upgraded version of the Abyss Demons [Stoneform Aura] that made the Abyssal Lurker far more physically resilient and stronger.

Strong. Agile. Resilient.

The Abyssal Lurker was a boss monster that very few enjoyed challenging.

Its here! Aleph screamed out at the top of her lungs moments after vigorous movement caused the Abyssal Lurkers disguise skill, [Phantom Mist] to fail.