[25] So Early?
A figure crouched atop a wall, his head just an inch away from touching the jagged rock ceiling above him. He looked down to the small city below, lit with glowing Orient Crystals. It wasn't anything special, it was mostly crafted from the black rocks of the mountain, its houses were crude; but it still held a semblance of civilization, and he could see, albeit badly dressed, goblins walking about and resembling humans in their stature.
'They're evolving too fast, it makes no sense. . .and. . .' Feint thought as he sniffed the air.
The smell of blood permeated. There was definitely long brutalized human corpses in this place. He calmed himself down with the knowledge that he would feel no remorse massacring a budding 'new-race'.
"It stinks," A bat transformed into a human by his side.
A mass of ice floated into the air, carrying Claire, a slightly terrified Aura, and docking next to the wall. They stepped off as it shuddered before drifting back into mana.
"Definitely stinks," Claire frowned. And it certainly wasn't only the smell of blood. They may be evolved, but beasts were still beasts, she thought.
The elven girl blinked at the city. They had yet to notice them, in fact, the walls had been left completely unguarded. It was as if no one there expected anyone to make it this far, and if they did, they certainly didn't fear them. She took a deep breath and heaved her backpack down and unhooked the strap, opening it.
There was a swirling mass of mana within, aside from that, nothing was shown. Aura placed her hand into it, one by one, plucking out Orient Crystals from who knows where and placing them down around her.
When everything was ready, there were about fifty of them, she looked up and nodded at the group.
Fieth began.
"Our mission is the Black Building over there."
He pointed to the farthest area of the city. Sure enough, it also seemed the most heavily guarded, and the place in which what they supposed was the barracks surrounded.
"After disrupting the place with the bombs, Aura will follow Alicia to take care of the remaining scattered creatures. Claire will go towards the barracks and either wipe them out, while I will enter the building in an effort to slay their leader and find the cause of their evolution. Simple?"
Claire looked at the man with a thin smile on her face. He was quite hungry, deciding to eat up the main goal all on his own. Was it the hero thing again? She decided she needn't care and would simply watch his actions. If he failed, that was on him.
"Alright," She said, tapping her feet.
A hand of ice materialized into the air, grabbing a handful of the crystals, and unhurriedly chucking them above the city.
". . ." As they fell down, the noble was speechless.
-BOOM-
The small city lit ablaze with explosions. Screams rang as some goblins were directly ripped apart, buildings crumbled, and Claire looked on with now cold, azure, eyes.
"That is more than a burp, indeed," She muttered as a certain vampire rather blocked her nose.
She maneuvered the hand again. Grasping the rest of the crystals and injecting her mana into them. As they began to shine, she threw them too.
However,
The ground of the city shuddered as layers of earth rose up to meet them head on. There was a clear ring as well but the explosions occurred within the air, none striking the city.
Their eyes wandered over the badly damaged encampment below. They looked over littered corpses and shattered buildings then narrowed in on a certain goblin, dressed in an attire Claire thought she had seen before, and raising a staff of iron that morphed back into a sword in its hands.
'It can control Earth?' She thought with interest. It couldn't be she had found one of the other Seeds so fast?
"Alright," She said, "Change of plans."
"Wait-what, where are you going?"
The girl ignored the voice and jumped down, realizing why the city may have been built with such a creature here.
"Ugh," Fieth unsheathed his blade and threw it down, "Stick to the plan, you two. Alicia, take the barracks, I'll get rid of the scattered goblins and meet you there."
As he blinked away, the vampire tilted her head.
"?" Alicia looked at Aura.
"I'll go with Claire~"
And transformed into a fluttering bat.
". . ."
The elf glanced down, squirming with anxiousness. She tightened her grip on the bag, took a breath, then jumped. Her scream followed her fall.
Claire stood at the center of quite a group of angered goblins. Their snares followed curses and she couldn't help but frown at the realization that they were in her way.
"Oh well," She spoke as she summoned her blade, <Loki>.
A beast came at her with a swinging blade. She sidestepped it, partied back, and sliced his neck. The blood that should have spilled out, instead crystallized and froze the creature into ice before shattering.
'. . .' The Sword was overpowered, alright. To anyone weak to its piercing coldness, they would shatter.
She looked to the rest of the creatures and threw her weapon. The rope around its handle extended as it spun around her, taking their heads and leaving a sprinkle of snow.