Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 172 - 163: The Battle Rules of the Spirit Summoner
The large white skeletal construct moved through the forest like a ghostly presence, leaving only a rustling sound as its legs brushed past the grass and leaves.
Lyle and his two companions rested on its back, quite comfortably. The undulations caused by the movement were minimal, and any protruding branches in their path were severed by the multi-legged chariot’s forelimbs. As long as they crouched down, there were basically no troubles.
"William, did you lose your lucky coin? The last time we played the heads or tails game, it seemed like you forgot to pick it up."
"Don’t worry, it’s here." William pulled out a shiny little thing from his coat pocket. It was that very gold coin with the image of a man’s head and the emblem of a quill pen on a scroll.
"When did you pick it up?"
"I didn’t pick it up. It came back by itself." William smiled. To demonstrate, he casually tossed the coin into the bushes. Thrown recklessly, the shiny coin gradually moved away from the sight of the speeding trio.
"That’s one of the Dolgette Family’s treasures, a magical item. No matter where I throw it, no matter how far, it will return to my pocket, unharmed, after some time. I’ve used it to pledge for many things, but in the end, it always ends up back in my pocket. It contains very profound magic craft, there might be other functions, but at the moment, I can’t unlock them."
The construct beneath them suddenly stopped moving. It crouched low, its slender legs stretched out like a starfish gliding across the sea floor. Red flesh, wedged into the bone crevices, flowed out, forming a mucous membrane that wrapped around the white bones. Under the cover of this red garment, the huge bony legs touched the ground without making a sound. It was a professional predator.
The chunk of red flesh that served as its head grew a hole in the back, and a skeleton with soul fire in its skull crawled out, staring intently at Lyle with its eerie gaze.
"It has detected an enemy, or rather, a living creature."
"The battle is about to begin, gentlemen."
The three dismounted in a dark corner.
William and Kevin looked at Lyle. Excluding the last ambush, this would be the trio’s first real attack, or rather, Lyle’s first attack.
"What should we do?"
"First, let’s expose the rats hiding in the shadows."
"Lyle, I remind you, we’re also in the dark."
"Mascots without combat ability, please don’t interrupt," Lyle glared at Kevin, relaxed his mind, and with William on guard, fully concentrated on operating his construct.
The Skeleton Spider silently climbed up a tree. The sticky flesh fixated it to the trunk, and the bones inside the hole scanned the surroundings.
"No.1 Life, over here..."
"No.2 Life, over there..."
"No.3 Life, over there..."
In Lyle’s mind, figures crouched within the bushes were scattered apart, lax sentries. Around the trio, there were twelve hidden guards. Black liquid climbed Lyle’s body as Nia communicated the sensory information she detected to his mind.
Animal Traps lay hidden beneath the scattered dry grass, bloody and ferocious iron jaws awaited the reckless prey.
Lyle opened his eyes and shared the intelligence with the two others.
"Assassinate them, Lyle. Can you still apply poison?"
"They are too spread out from each other, in a line, and they are on alert against each other. It’s not suitable to release a plague."
Lyle’s eyes sparkled as he looked at William.
"William, you can summon the wind, right?"
————————————————
The thief marked as No.1 Life was squatting in the bushes, visible only to No.2 Life.
William stood in front of the two, Nia’s black tentacles pressed against their faces as they closed their eyes, seeing through the Skeleton Spider’s vision.
"Kevin, you find the right moment."
Kevin observed No.2 Life with an unusual visual perspective.
"Now! From 2 o’clock to 8 o’clock, a gentle breeze."
Following Kevin’s instruction, William released a Gust of Wind.
A gentle breeze stirred the bushes where No.2 Life, the bandit, was hiding, and the trembling leaves momentarily obstructed his vision.
No.1 Life merely shuddered in the breeze, inwardly complaining about the sudden chill he felt.
He didn’t see a massive figure descending right above him, its sharp leg spears silently unfolding in the air, one in front and one behind, like a pallid waning crescent moon. A glob of red corrosive mucus sprayed onto No.1 Life’s head, completely enveloping it. Before he could even feel the pain on his face, two crossing bone spears pierced his body entirely.
He screamed in agony, but in the red mucus, only a twisted human face emerged.
The bushes of No.2 Life stopped shaking, he looked sharply at No.1 Life’s bushes, but there was no movement.
All was normal.
No.2, No.3, No.4...
The three of them removed all sentries, and the bandits lost their eyes.
In the vision of the bone creature, Lyle discovered a small camp. It was the bandits’ stronghold.
————————
A panicked figure, clutching his wound, ran across the grassland; he had lost an arm, and blood trailed behind him.
The guards behind the palisade quickly spotted him. From the rough clothing and that contorted, yet familiar face, they recognized him as one of their scouts.
He was screaming in terror, a sound that could awaken everyone in the camp.
He desperately knocked on the gate, pleading with his former comrades to let him in.
"Monsters! There are monsters hunting us!"
The bandit on guard questioned his captain.
"Should we let him in?"
"Let him in. We know nothing of the new monster in Hamlet, and hope to glean some useful information before this fool dies."
Two bandits operated the wooden wheel connected to the gate, allowing their disfigured comrade inside.
Before he could rest for even a moment, a strong, forceful hand grabbed his collar and dragged him to the squad leader like a dead pig.
"Speak, tell me what the monster you saw was, and after you do, I’ll give you a herbal remedy to keep you alive."
"Alright, boss, I... I’ll tell you now."
The pale-faced, blood-drained bandit spoke in a voice weakened to a whisper.
The squad leader of the bandits had to lean in to hear him clearly.
"That monster, it’s... it’s..."
"Inside my body."
In an instant, his flesh decayed, and from the splattering blood grew numerous fleshly tentacles. The whipping tentacles wrapped around the bodies nearby, and in the hollow abdomen, a glass vial containing a dismal green liquid was crushed by the tentacles.
The tentacles were quickly severed by the Desperados, and the skeleton was chopped to pieces along with them.
The bandits were chilled to the bone by the sight before them; even with just a skull remaining, it was speaking.
"Time is up."
Their hearts were still pounding with fear, their bodies began to tremble involuntarily.
In such terror, outside the palisade, a massive bone spider creature crawled in.
