The faint, unsettling sound of scratching claws and guttural hissing continued more and more, echoing around them and filling Aeric with a sense of unease.
Alzera kissed her teeth, preparing herself. "The Quest Lobbies' difficulty is increasing faster than usual. Faceless Lizards usually aren't seen until the fourth Lobby."
Aeric glanced at the interface that was in front of him and saw that the Quest Lobby was in a difficulty of 50% which was a 30% increase from the previous Lobby.
"We must be more unified than last time," Alzera said. "More fierce."
Hearing her, Aeric felt a chill crawl down his spine. Unlike the Beastlings from before, there was no mistaking the presence that lurked in this chamber. These weren't simple creatures; these were predators, stronger and deadlier.
And from what she had said, he knew that Alzera's experiences with them weren't very nice.
Kraaaaawwww!!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
That sound again. Everyone fell silent and looked to their front, searching for the crux of the noise.
In the foggy distance, dark shapes began to slink into view. The dark shapes revealed themselves as massive, hulking reptiles that stood nearly as tall as a man. They had oily skin, with a black-green that shimmered unnervingly in the ambient glow of the Lobby.
They had scales that were sharp and jagged, as if forged from volcanic rock, and they moved with a quiet, predatory grace, circling the team with a very worrisome patience.
But even with all that, the most disturbing feature was their faces — or lack thereof. Like their name suggested, they seemed to have nothing for a face. Their heads were flat, smooth surfaces devoid of eyes, noses, or mouths. It was as if they had been stripped of their identity, reduced to nothing but pure, relentless hunger.
One of the Faceless Lizards tilted its head, the smooth, blank surface seeming to consider them. Then, with a slow, rasping hiss, it lunged forward, its claws scraping against the stone floor with a sound that caused Aeric's hair to rise up.
Then others followed.
"Positions!" Alzera commanded sharply, her voice carrying over the snarls and hisses. The team reacted instantly, taking up formation as they prepared to face these formidable creatures.
"Protect my targets!" Kael roared. "Skill Activation: Solidify!"
One of the lizards appeared there of course, but Bel caught sight of it before it caught sight of Aeric, and she demolished it with a powerful blast from her staff.
However, two more appeared behind her, striking her on the face and bringing her down. "No!" Aeric shouted, but immediately regretted it when he saw them move their heads to his direction.
They saw him! Aeric swore and held tight to his blade as he thought of what to do. And to make matters worse, he noticed a shadow moving in his periphery. It was another Faceless Lizard which had slipped around Kael and Ryn, creeping toward him with slow, deliberate steps.
He was cornered by three beasts and they could all tell that he was weakest and easiest of the five.
Aeric moved back slowly as his heart thundered. The creatures then attacked in a flash of an instant, raising their claws, poised to strike.
He threw himself to the floor and lifted his blade high, praying that it would defend him in some way.
With his eyes closed, he heard a sharp, metallic blur, three times in fact, singing in the air. It was the sound of a slicing sword.
Aeric heard the Lizards fall to the floor in thuds and then he opened his eyes.
'I can't believe that actually worked.'
That was when he lifted his head and saw Alzera standing before him, her sword slicing through the air and she took down another Faceless Lizard that had just attacked her.
"Stay alert, Courier," she muttered coldly, looking straight into his eyes. "You might not be part of the fight, but you alone are responsible for defending yourself."
She narrowed her eyes. "Keep sharp."
Aeric opened his mouth to respond, but his eyes instantly caught something. Leping at Alzera from her blind side, was another ferocious Lizard.
It had moved too fast and was coming from her right where the wall was. She was never going to be able to react on time and the beast's bite alone could tear her arm off!
Aeric had to do something. And fast.