Jax ran the numbers in his head. The current mission objective demanded the extermination of 300 Rodent-Maw Creepers. Based on the data from previous assaults, the current layout of Walls seemed woefully insufficient.
Stopping a swarm of that magnitude before they breached the perimeter would be a statistical impossibility with their current firepower.
"We don't have enough Walls," Jax muttered, his brow furrowed. "If only we had a few more layers of defense."
He cast a hopeful glance toward the interface, wondering if the Bounty Protocol might offer additional fortifications as a reward, but his attention quickly snapped back to the darkness at the edge of the illumination range.
Unease gnawed at him. He turned to Silas and the others. "Get the Torches ready. Just in case. The swarm count is going to be high tonight."
The group exchanged glances. They had grown accustomed to the routine, and frankly, a bit complacent. In the beginning, the fear of the insectoids overrunning them had been a constant companion. Now? It felt like they were worrying over nothing.
With the Howitzer Turret thundering overhead and the Walls standing firm, the insectoid monsters rarely made it within striking distance. Their job had devolved into spectating from the high platform; actual combat seemed like a memory.
Gareth even entertained a greedy thought: If I get the chance, I’ll find a spot to hole up alone. With enough Torches, I could probably farm these things and make a killing without lifting a finger.
But reality quickly intruded on his fantasy. Without a personal Defense Tower, even the sturdiest hiding spot would become a tomb. He needed the firepower to kill, not just a wall to hide behind.
Silas tossed another armful of dry wood onto the fire.
The torrential downpour outside had forced them to move the bonfire indoors. The result was a stifling, smoky sauna. The room was hot, the air thick with woodsmoke, making sleep impossible.
So, they stood in the storm, braving the rain to watch the lit road in the distance.
Surprisingly, the ground wasn't flooded. The sandy terrain absorbed the deluge with voracious efficiency, leaving no standing water. Nor was anyone concerned about catching a chill. This was the rain that catalyzed the Awakening. Though no one spoke of it openly, every heart on that platform beat with the secret hope that tonight, the rain would change them.
Suddenly, Kaleb wiped water from his eyes and pointed. "Incoming! Rodent-Maw Creepers! It’s a massive wave!"
Everyone frantically wiped the rain from their faces and peered into the gloom.
Sure enough, from the darkness at the distant intersection, a tide of shadows poured forth. The Rodent-Maw Creepers surged forward, their long fur matted into strange, wet clumps by the heavy rain.
BOOM.
The Howitzer Turret behind them roared, spitting a streak of crimson light.
The shell arced through the rain and detonated precisely in the center of the swarm.
True to their programming, the Rodent-Maw Creepers halted immediately. Claws flashed as they began to burrow, digging into the sand to evade the bombardment.
Jax watched calmly, making no move to attack. He was waiting for this. A strategy had formed in his mind—his Decoy Clone skill was the perfect complement to the defensive Walls.
The Howitzer Turret continued its rhythmic pounding, launching blazing shells into the field. Occasionally, a shell would score a direct hit on a submerged beast, blasting sand and broken carapace into the air.
The turret drained two full loads of Energy Shards before the relentless swarm finally pushed to the base of the final Wall.
"Whew. My turn," Jax said.
He grabbed the rappelling rope and slid down from the ten-meter platform without hesitation.
The team no longer panicked at his reckless behavior. To them, Jax was an Awakened—a being of superior capability with plenty of survival tricks up his sleeve. Only Barnaby looked ready to bolt, trembling until Annie hauled him back into the safety of the fortress.
Jax landed lightly and sprinted toward the Wall nearest the high platform.
Several mounds of shifting earth were moving rapidly toward him, threatening to breach the final line of defense. Jax gauged the distance and accelerated.
Just as he closed in, the mounds abruptly stopped. The Rodent-Maw Creepers underground paused, their keen senses likely picking up his scent.
But Jax was too fast. He sprinted past their position, flanking the swarm until he reached the very rear of the formation. The sheer number of monsters had stretched their line thin; the subterranean assault train extended all the way back to the first Wall.
Jax stopped at the very edge of the Howitzer Turret's effective range.
The scent of live prey was too much for them. Unable to resist, the nearby Rodent-Maw Creepers erupted from the sand one by one.
More and more of them turned, abandoning the Walls to charge at the lone human. Jax stood his ground, watching the earth fracture around him as the monsters surfaced.
"That's it! Come on! Let’s see how many of you there really are!"
Within moments, the surrounding area was churning with activity. Even the Creepers attacking the second and third Walls broke cover, doubling back to converge on Jax's position.
Seeing the tide of gnashing teeth closing in, Jax focused.
"Decoy Clone."
With a low growl, he took a subtle step forward, leaving a shimmering duplicate of himself standing in his original spot.
The Rodent-Maw Creepers, eyes glowing crimson with bloodlust, shrieked and lunged at the clone.
Jax stood less than five meters away, completely exposed, yet the monsters flowed past him like water around a stone. He was invisible to their aggression.
"Haha! It works perfectly! They've completely forgotten I exist."
Jax grinned. This field test confirmed his theory: the Rodent-Maw Creepers prioritized the Decoy Clone over a living human. They threw themselves at the illusion with suicidal abandon, ignoring the real threats nearby.
Wasting no time, Jax weaved through the frenzied swarm and sprinted back toward the platform.
As he ran, he noticed that the Creepers near the first Wall had been successfully lured, but those that had already breached the perimeter were continuing their advance toward the base.
"Out of range," Jax noted mentally. "If only the taunt radius on this thing was a hundred meters."
He didn't dwell on it. He scrambled up the rope just as the monsters underground entered the Sentry Tower's kill zone. The reassuring thwip-thwip of arrows filled the air.
The team watched Jax return, their expressions a mix of awe and acceptance. They had seen the clone before, but the effectiveness never ceased to amaze.
[Killed Tier 2 Rodent-Maw Creeper x1] [Killed Tier 2 Rodent-Maw Creeper x3] [Killed Tier 2 Rodent-Maw Creeper x2] ...
A cascade of notifications flooded Jax’s vision. He checked his mission interface.
"50 down. 200 to go," he murmured. "Once this mission is cleared, I can upgrade the Sentry Tower to Tier 2. I wonder what kind of firepower that brings?"
Anticipation bubbled in his chest.
Down on the battlefield, the Decoy Clone began to flicker. A few seconds later, it vanished into thin air.
The Rodent-Maw Creepers, having gnawed on nothing but air for the last minute, froze. Realizing they had been duped, they let out enraged shrieks and refocused their red eyes on the fortress.
BOOM.
Another shell slammed into their ranks, forcing them to stop and burrow once more.
Jax sighed. "If only I could spam Decoy Clone. But I guess that would be a bug in the system. Way too overpowered."
The skill had a harsh twenty-four-hour cooldown. He was out of tricks for now. He joined the others at the railing, watching the small mounds of earth inch closer.
Time passed. The mounds breached the final Wall again.
The mission counter showed less than 150 targets remaining.
"Alright everyone, eyes up!" Jax commanded. "It's time to get our hands dirty!"
As the words left his mouth, the mounds exploded. Rodent-Maw Creepers burst from the mud, screeching as they charged the base of the platform.
Jax and the team stood ready, Torches in hand, staring down into the rain-swept darkness.
The creatures reached the base of the cliff. They arched their spines and launched themselves upward.
The platform was ten meters high. A Rodent-Maw Creeper could jump five meters, forcing them to climb the rest of the way. But the torrential rain had turned the rock face into a slick, treacherous slide. Several monsters failed to find purchase with their claws, slipping and plummeting back to the ground mid-climb.
Jax wound up and hurled a Torch into the center of the writhing mass below.
The flame tumbled through the air and landed squarely in the swarm.
However, the relentless rain dampened the effect. The fire, usually a weapon of mass panic, sputtered weakly. It scorched a couple of beasts but failed to ignite the chain reaction they were used to.
"Fire's no good in this weather!" Jax shouted over the storm. "Weapons out! Brace yourselves!"
He gripped his iron hammer tight, his knuckles white.
The team, realizing the gravity of the situation, shed their earlier arrogance. They rushed to the stockpile, grabbed their weapons, and lined the edge.
Screee!
A Rodent-Maw Creeper crested the lip of the platform, claws scrabbling on the wet stone.
Jax didn't hesitate. He swung the hammer with a primal roar.
CRUNCH.
The iron head connected with the creature's skull. The impact was sickeningly wet—bone shattered, and a spray of viscous fluids and cranial matter painted the wet stone. The monster went limp and slid back over the edge.
"Kill them!"
The others swarmed the perimeter. As more Creepers clawed their way up, the survivors met them with a frenzy of steel and violence.