The Guardian System: The strongest Summoner's quest to save his family-Chapter 374: Straight Lines in a Crooked World (6)
Reidar picked his way through the collapsed mezzanine, stepping over twisted metal beams and shattered concrete that littered the disastrous warehouse floor, where equipment lay scattered everywhere—some crushed flat and others bent at impossible angles.
Although the Ignis was buried somewhere under all of it and Reidar couldn't completely see the creature, but he could clearly feel the heat still radiating from the piles that hid its body.
<Is it dead?>
He waited, but no notifications appeared.
<Probably not. But it's trapped for now. That'll have to be good enough.>
The debris pile shifted.
As metal scraped against metal and a support beam rolled off the top of the heap, signaling that something underneath was moving, Reidar took a step back and watched until the pile lurched.
A blade-arm punched through the debris to slash at the air, revealing that the creature was trying to dig itself out, though the weight pressing down on it was massive even for a monster of its strength.
The blade-arm got out of the mess first, trying to catch a metal container and push it aside, but although the container rolled off the pile and crashed onto the floor a few meters away, that was all the creature could manage.
The rest of the debris stayed in place to pin the Ignis down, and as the creature thrashed again, Reidar saw part of its body writhing through a gap in the wreckage as it tried to force its way free, only to find that the collapsed mezzanine had it pinned from multiple angles.
"Good. Stay there."
The muffled screech vibrating through the floorboards sounded like pure frustration. The monster knew it was buried alive.
Reidar held his breath as he watched the heap of scrap, waiting for it to shift or for the beast to burst free, but when the pile settled into silence, he exhaled and crept toward the edge of the wreckage where the air tasted like dust and burning ozone.
A severed blade-arm smoked against the concrete near the wall, radiating enough heat to singe his eyebrows as he crouched beside it.
It wasn't just hot metal but a sort of living weapon that made his skin crawl. Up close, Reidar could see veins pulsing within channels of blackened flesh, binding the organic tissue to the lethal edge.
<This thing was built to hold molten metal as a weapon. That's not something that just develops naturally.>
He looked at the blade's edge.
Even separated from the body and cooling down, the craftsmanship was obvious. The edge was straight, the curve of the blade was balanced, and the weight distribution looked intentional.
<Someone made this. Or something made this.>
Reidar stood and walked to another piece of debris.
This one was part of the creature's torso, a chunk of armored carapace that had been torn off during the collapse.
The armor was thick, layered, and reinforced with metal supports that ran through it like rebar in concrete. Of course, on a smaller scale.
The metal itself was high quality, better than anything he'd seen in the settlements.
<So, this is armor…>
Reidar's suspicions turned into certainty at that point. The Ignis weren't just monsters; they were the remains of whatever civilization had built this city. They were the sapient species of this planet, now twisted into grotesque monsters.
Something had happened to them, something that had turned them into the burning creatures he was fighting now, and Reidar was pretty sure he knew what.
<Mana mutation…>
Indeed. This was the result of the system's absence from a sapient species. It didn't matter how smart a race was; they would all end up like the others without the system.
<The Allied worlds weren't lying about this… But why has no one from the church turned feral yet?>
Then Reidar checked the monster's level once again.
<Oh…> He understood.
<This starts happening after level 400…>
Reidar pushed the thought aside, as that was a problem for later. Right now, he needed to focus on survival. He checked his equipment.
His armor was scorched in several places, the metal discolored from heat exposure. His weapons were fine since they were ranged, but his armor was no doubt too bad to resist such powerful monsters' attacks.
<I need to do something about it.>
The problem was how. Reidar could not go to a vendor here and easily replace it, and leaning entirely on luck for the drops was not the best thing to do. <I guess I can only craft one… The only problem is that my proficiencies are too low…>
But maybe he might be able to get something interesting from the monsters here. <But would they be tailored for a summoner?>
He doubted it, but at that point, it didn't make a difference. Reidar would easily give up all the summoners' related skills from his gear rather than risk being maimed by a stray or accidental attack.
He looked at the Ignis blade-arm again.
The metal in it was better than what he was wearing.
<Could I salvage this? Maybe I can use it with wood to make a good wand.>
It was possible, but he'd need both time and tools, neither of which he had right now. Still, it was worth keeping in mind if he found a safe place to work.
Behind him, the debris pile shifted again as the Ignis screeched and thrashed, yet the weight kept it firmly pinned while metal ground against metal during the creature's futile attempts to force its way through the wreckage.
Reidar turned toward the warehouse exit but stopped when he heard a distant sound, barely audible over the settling debris and the trapped monster's struggles. The problem was that it looked like the sound of multiple footsteps.
<What now?>
He connected to the Vorathid Sky-Hunters he'd sent to lure the other Ignis away, only to discover through their eyes that the monsters had given up on the lure; they had stopped chasing the insects and changed direction, heading toward the warehouse.
<Shit. They heard the battle.>
What was worse was that they were 3 blocks away, maybe less, which meant they'd be here in minutes.
<I can't fight this many. I need to leave. Now.>
Reidar sprinted toward the exit.
He passed past the unfinished portal circle Mara had left, passed the scattered equipment, and reached the doorway.
He stopped there and looked back at the warehouse. The pile of debris in the center was still glowing since the Ignis was still trapped underneath.
If Reidar left now, it might eventually dig itself out. But that would take time, and he'd be long gone by then.
<Sorry. I'd finish the job if I could, but I can't stay here.>
He turned his attention to the approaching Ignis. He needed to slow them down and buy himself time to escape, so he turned to the Vorathid Sky-Hunters again.
<Harass them. Don't let them reach me.>
As he gave the order, he left the building.
