The stone giant looked around, searching for the presence it had sensed, but no matter how much it looked in the direction of the party, its dull eyes indicated it saw nothing. A bubble-like apparition manifested around the group with Midori as the focus.
"This is our prey." Suho's voice echoes within the space, imprinting itself upon Maximilian's mind.
Our prey? I think you are mistaking sir. That looks like an apex Predator!!
Suho could read Maximilian like an open book, he chuckled before explaining, "Don't be fooled by their dull eyes, stone giants are actually quite smart. They are experts at using their environment to their advantage. You'll have to be careful when dealing with this one."
"Wow, that's one hell of a monster." Murphy spoke in awe.
"Big creatures like this lack mobility, we'll use that to our advantage." Willow chimed in. She took a step forward, standing before Suho, "We just need to divide ourselves into two groups."
"I have a feeling I won't like where you are going with this but I'll ask anyway." Rhashan groaned, "What groups?"
Willow looked around, a wicked grin in her face, a sly look in her eyes, "Fishermen and bait."
"And let me guess, I'm in the bait team?" Rhashan winced.
"No actually, you are on the fishermen's team. All of you are." Willow took in the confused look on her cohorts faces before adding, "I alone will be bait."
"Are you guys crazy!!" Maximilian whispered-Yelled. "How can you talk so casually? What if it notices us?" Maximilian paused his crashing out, realisation dawning on him, "Why isn't it noticing us?"
"Midori's innate skill." Rhashan explained, "Using wave refraction and reflection, she generates counter-phase sound fields that cancel ambient noise while low-frequency interference destabilizes the inner ear, desynchronizing balance and sensory timing so the brain can no longer reliably assemble visual perception."
Maximilian stared blankly at Rhashan, the latter sighed and rolled his eyes, "She's blinding it using sound waves. No sound leaves this area." he gestured around.
Oh!
"We told you about powers and monsters, didn't you get any of that?" Suho teased.
"It's one thing to hear about it…" Maximilian's voice trailed off as he moved closer to Suho at the head of the group, getting a better view of the monster before him, "It's another thing to actually witness it."
"So you are telling me that this thing doesn't know we are here?" Maximilian asked.
"Oh, no. It definitely knows we are here. Stone giants are very sensitive to their surroundings. If Midori wasn't here, you'd probably have been grounded to a paste by rocks."
"Max," Willow placed a hand on his shoulder, "Can I call you Max?" she asked. Maximilian nodded his head. "this stone giant is a copper level monster, that's like number two from the bottom. Your brother might be a thousand miles away for all you know. If you are intent on finding him, then you should know that a monster like this… will be chicken shit compared to what you are going to face out there."
"There are monsters more powerful than this? Like way more?" Maximilian looked at Suho who nodded in agreement.
"I'm Knight level. I can handle this monster alone." He shrugged. "There are reports of Iron level, and there's even rumours of a bronze level about a thousand kilometres from here. Those are what we can currently scout out."
The gravity of the situation just dawned upon Maximilian. Silence blanketed the space. The boy took another step forward, reaching the very edge of the bubble apparition.
"You said this thing is smart, right? Then bait alone won't be enough. It might be able to tell we are tricking it. We'll need a way to muddle its senses, make it more primitive." Maximilian turned around, waiting for the group's opinions.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Rhashan asked. "You should take your time, let it sink in. You could lose your life."
"I know, and I'll be lying if I said I wasn't so scared I could pee myself. But my brother is out there, with these horrors." Maximilian looked behind him. "I have to get to him."
Rhashan nodded with a smile. He looked at Willow, "He has a point. We need a way to dull it, make its brains match its eyes."
"Uhm, I might be able to help." Kazuya spoke, his face a bit red.
I totally forgot about him… Maximilian thought.
"It won't be for long though, sixty seconds, give or take." the boy added.
"Murphy, Rhashan, You'll need to make the best of that. Go for the ankle, deal as much damage as you can. As long as we can kill its mobility, we'll be able to take its head."
"Midoriand Kazuya will remain here. This will be our vantage point. If things go awry, get back here, under the dome." Willow added.
"You should remain here. You don't have any training yet and you don't even understand your innate ability yet." Rhashan consoled. Maximilian nodded in agreement, taking a step back.
"Kazuya, you are up." Kazuya nodded his head and closed his eyes. The temperature within the bubble began to drop, and a bone piercing chilliness pervaded the area. Maximilian shifted uncomfortably, but his eyes remained locked on the young boy.
I wonder what his powers are….
Maximilian watched on with bubbling excitement that was shadowed by a growing feeling of fear. When the feeling reached its peak, Kazuya opened his eyes. The boy's eyes were now inverted, his scleras and pupils were black, but the iris remained white, like a tiny soul floating in the void, and that wasn't the only change.
His skin became deathly pale, his fingernails dyed to black. The boy lifted up his right hand and dug it into his chest. Maximilian's eyes widened in shock and he took a step back.
When Kazuya pulled his hand back out, there was no blood. Instead, he held in his had a gloomy dark orb with greyish white souls floating within. The boy chanted in a strange tongue and the souls began pouring out, rushing out of the bubble apparition in a frenzy and heading for the stone giant.
"Creeps the hell out of me every time I see it." Rhashan muttered. He approached Suho, "Can I?" he asked, pointing at the Spear strapped to his back. Suho gave him a look but Rhashan shamelessly pleaded.
"Pleaseeeee…"
"Fine." Suho rolled his eyes, "But this is cheating just so you know."
Rhashan took hold of the spear, his hand slowly changing, gaining a metallic luster which then proceeded to spread through his entire body, except his hair.
"Woah… so you are not limited to just your hands?" Maximilian reached out to touch. It feels just like metal.
"Nope. I can change every part of me." Rhashan paused before emphasizing, "Every part."
"Ew." Willow scowled. "Pervert."
"Guy…" Kazuya strained to speak, his voice sounded layered. The group's attention was immediately drawn from his stiff body to the stumbling stone giant. "Sixty seconds!"
"That's all we need." Willow's voice suddenly became layered, not eerie like Kazuya's but actually layered like multiple people were speaking. Maximilian shifted his attention to her to find that there were now four willows standing before him, each one holding a long sword and dressed in light armour.
Will I be able to do that one day?
"You probably wouldn't." Suho laughed. Maximilian gave him a strange look, "No I can't read your mind. Your face betrays your thoughts. You are like an open book!"
"Don't miss your chance!" The Willows all glared at Rhashan before stepping out of the bubble. The stone giant immediately locked eyes with her, its once dull eyes now brimming with madness.
"Don't die." Rhashan laughed.
The Willows immediately dispersed, running in different directions down the hill. A few seconds later, Rhashan and Murphy charged down too. Both of them are faster than your average athlete. Maximilian watched them go, half awed, half worried for their well being.
"Don't worry, they'll be fine. This isn't their first rodeo." Suho patted his back. Maximilian nodded his head. Suddenly, he frowned.
"Wait, What's Murphy's ability?" he asked, realising that the chubby youth hadn't powered up like the others. Suho chuckled and pointed down the hill, towards the battle about to unfold,
"Watch."