Curselock

Chapter 64: Bats

On route to Frostford, the group finally entered the territory of the Hearth Bat – the objective of one of the quests they picked up. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. They arrived at dusk, just as the sun was passing beyond the horizon. They skipped dinner, opting to get started on hunting early.

“Stupid bats only leave their nests for a few hours a day,” Jude complained as his stomach grumbled. He viciously tore off a piece of jerky and chomped on it with all of his rage.

Glenny smiled at the sight. “Already raging-out, huh? These bats won’t know what hit them.”

Perking up at that, Leland said, “No, I think you should be the main one to hunt the bats. You did just rank up, after all. Time to test out your upgraded abilities.”

That caused Glenny to frown. The problem with ranking up, as he had come to learn, was that the new effect from the evolution was significantly less powerful than the rest of the ability. Take his invisibility. At rank ten, Glenny could now turn fully transparent. No more did the young rogue have a slight shimmer around his frame, no longer was he a simple target for someone with keen eyes.

But, as the skill moved up to rank eleven, something new was added. He was still fully invisible, but now his abilities gained bonuses while invisible. While a great boon, the early ranks of the evolution only increased his damaging abilities potency by two percent – a far cry from something meaningful in his eyes.

“I guess this is a good opportunity to test out my invisibility plus enhanced senses,” Glenny said, shifting skins into that of his Legacy.

He went invisible, camouflaging himself like the Chameleon. Next came his newly ranked up ability, Reptile Sense. His eyes turned to predatory slits, his blood went cold, his hearing amplified. The changes between rank ten and eleven were instantly noticed by Glenny. More information poured into his mind, easily categorized by his ability.

Then, he saw how Reptile Sense interacted with his evolved invisibly. He saw streaks, visual representations of what he was hearing and smelling. But there was something more. Something far more primal. Information came to him from his Legacy, feeding his lacking knowledge with the perfect answer.

He wanted to hunt the Hearth Bats, and his senses knew that. He picked up on small things, scratchings on the trees, broken branches in the canopy. His evolved senses pushed his feet, drawing him through the forest like a predator hunting. It wasn’t perfect, far from it. He was a rogue at the end of the day, not a hunter. His Legacy could only get him so far, he knew. But he also understood he was very different than a Legacy of the Shadows or Legacy of the Hidden Dagger.

He was a Legacy of the Chameleon, a Legacy that lost some potency for utility.

Leland and Jude followed the crunching of leaves as they followed what they assumed to be Glenny. Invisibility, while great and all, truly sucked for teammates, a fact Jude was letting Leland know every few steps.

“How do we even know we are following Glenny?” the Legacy of the Berserker asked. “For all we know we could be trailing behind some invisible monster. It could be leading us to its lair, Leals.”

Leland rolled his eyes, catching the sarcasm in his friend's voice. “Well, you’d just have to cut the monster down. Hopefully it’s not too strong.”

Jude snorted at that. “I still haven’t found something strong enough to test out my Legacy evolution. Most of the monsters around here die in a few swings.”

“Just spar with Glenny.”

“Gah,” Jude belched. “He cheats!”

“He can turn invisible.”

“That’s cheating!”

Rolling his eyes, Leland set his sights back on the forest and the cold, dark, and moist shrubbery. The constant overcast skies mixed with the large, overgrown canopy left little room for the sun. Occasionally the trees would shake, a chilled wind blowing down from the north. Snow would overcome these lands soon and the local monsters would go into hibernation.

Not that the boys planned to stay around. No, they were already heading toward Frostford, the official start of the northern frontier. The monsters from the town onward would only thrive in the cold, oftentimes moving in droves to conquer the land the humans had taken during the summer crusades.

But that was a long time away for the boys. None of them wanted to visit the true frontlines. A few hundred miles past Frostford, things changed for the worse. Daily, hourly, battles with horrid monsters, fortification lines and trenches. Maybe in a few years they’d visit, but none of the boys were eager. Especially after the stories their parents told them.

Monsters who ate particularly rambunctious children seemed to be a theme of the north.

Glenny’s voice slipped from the shadows. “Two ahead, both sitting in the same tree.”

Leland and Jude instantly readied themselves. It was supposed to be only Glenny fighting, but better safe than sorry. They stalked forward, finding a single tree that raised high above the rest. A small circle had been cut through the canopy, allowing this tree prime room to grow. Looking up, two Hearth Bats tore apart what looked to be a rabbit with their thick, sharp fangs.

The bats mechanically guzzled down the meat, hoisting their chins to the moon before making a sickening gurgling sound. They downed the chunks with rapid speed, then proceeded to fight over the carcass. They were massive creatures, easily the size of a human but with the wingspan of two beds pushed together.

Then, they heard it.

Pain ripped through the boys as the air seemed to wiggle. The trio fell to one knee, each clamping their hands to the sides of their head. They struggled to keep their weary eyes open and their balance, the bats’ shriek harsher than any thought. Luckily, they had come prepared.

As one of the bats won its meal from the other, Jude and Leland shared a quick glance. With a patient hand, Leland shifted through his pack before pulling out a bundle of cotton. He pulled a piece off, handing two to Jude before holding two more out in the open. The invisible Glenny took his share with eager hands.

With their ears somewhat protected, the trio pressed on. At least, until Jude stepped on a stick. The sudden crunch in the otherwise silent forest acted as an alarm to the bats. They both froze, the one dropping its rabbit prize. They looked down the oversized tree, finding two invaders. One took to the sky, flapping its massive wings against the sky’s moonlight.

It dove as the other bat let out a mighty cry. Jude and Leland both grit their teeth in shocking pain, their vision blurring despite the cotton dampener.

With a shove, Jude knocked Leland from the monster’s path before summoning his battle axe from his tattoo. With a steadfast decision, the Legacy of the Berserker decided to accept the bat’s challenge with a war cry of his own. A thick anger hit the air just as he swung with a horizontal chop. His blade collided with the dive bombing bat, sheering into outstretched talons.

Like sword striking sword, the bat’s claws and Jude’s axe rebounded off each other, sending each spiraling for balance.

A powerword bloomed from Leland’s lips as his heart connected to that of the monster’s. For a moment he was overcome with pure instinctual survival, that and greedy hunger. The curse completed, and shunted the bat’s speed. Jude capitalized, leaping high into the air before rotating his axe into an executioner’s grip.

He landed, rupturing the ground into a circle of upended stone. The ability’s evolved effect, while new and weak, still managed to catch the bat off guard. The sudden ring of rock tripped the bat’s reaching claws, forcing it to hastily scramble to stand. Despite the monster’s instincts, a deep wound opened up along its flank.

Jude smiled, readying his weap—

A crash of boisterous sound ended his advance. He fell to his knees, the second bat focusing its dire call solely on the berserker. Red dyed the cotton in his ears and his fingers struggled to keep their grip. Before him, the first bat clambered to its feet before hopping into the air. It swam through the upper canopy, using the branches as cover as it rounded Jude.

Leland snapped his fingers and yelled, pushing mana and lifeforce into the bat still atop the tree. Moving to his friend as another powerword found his lips, this time he whistled first before booming, “Maul!”

Thirteen ethereal crows blazed into reality, each quickly setting their sights on the bat encircling Jude. They rushed through the canopy, dodging branches and other hazards. They reached their target with a wild caw, sinking their talons into the webbing of the bat’s wings. The monster flailed around, falling to the cold ground below. It landed with a dull thud, the crows still gorging on t.

Another thud sounded from the side, albeit in a much more controlled manner. Leland spun, finding the second bat squealing in flightless pain. Its wing was crooked, his curse hitting the mark.

Suddenly, the bat’s cries went silent. Two thick spikes of red power engulfed its featherless wings, crossing before its chest and then ripping. An “X” of liquid crimson poured from its now bisected throat, ending its life before it fell over completely.

“Good job Glenny!” Leland yelled as he spun back to Jude.

For a moment the Legacy of Curses panicked, not finding his friend among the grass. He searched, quickly finding movement through the trees. There, piling on to the downed, crawling frame of the remaining Hearth Bat, were his thirteen crows. One by one they disappeared back to their reality, the curse’s time finally coming to an end.

Yet, a predator still remained in the underbrush. Jude, standing on both feet, balanced and ready, hoisted his axe into position. His pain fueled his attack with evolved rank, upgrading his ability into something more deadly.

In a single smooth motion, Jude let loose his swing. A crescent blade of red rage rushed out horizontally before abruptly curving down. It collided against the bat’s neck, slicing it clean off.

Jude stood there, huffing through the adrenaline as his Legacy’s pain dampening effect wore off. He counted to ten, a safety measure to insure he didn’t turn his rage on his friends. Slowly, his mind came back to him. Eventually he smiled. Then he realized he was still hungry.