One second, Neraxis was basking in the warm glow of his success.
The next, that horrible, grating shriek ripped through the air, and a cold dread washed over him, extinguishing his joy like a bucket of icy water.
"SCREEEEECH!"
At first, it was a singular sound then another cry joined the first, then a third, until a whole chorus of them echoed throughout.
Suddenly, a loud, heavy 'thud' sound crashed against the wooden door, making the entire room vibrate.
"My Lord!" Lilian spoke, her new, powerful wings flaring out instinctively. Her face, which had just been filled with a dawning sense of her own strength, was now pale with fear.
Neraxis 's mind raced.
"The protection barrier was up, wasn't it?"
The System had promised seven days of protection,
Why was there monsters at his door
already?
Another THUD slammed against the door, harder this time. A fine shower of dust fell from the stone ceiling.
"System," Neraxis said, his voice a dry whisper. "What is happening? Why can they attack the door?"
A calm, blue text box appeared in his vision.
[The Protection Barrier prevents hostile entities from crossing the boundary of your Territory. It does not make the structures within your Territory indestructible. The door is being physically damaged.]
Of course. It was a loophole. They couldn't get in, but they could break the door down. And what would happen then? Would the barrier stop them from flying through the empty doorway? He didn't want to find out.
"We have to do something," he said, more to himself than to Lilian.
"Lilian," he said, forcing his voice to be steady.
"Can you fight them?"
She looked at her hands, which were now glowing faintly with a dark, purple energy. "I… I think so, my Lord. The power is here. But I have never used it before."
"You can do it," Neraxis said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. He took a deep breath. "We can't let them break down the door. We have to fight back."
He needed to see what they were up against. He focused on the door, trying to will himself a view of the outside. The System, surprisingly, responded. His vision flickered, and for a moment, he was looking through the door, as if it were a dirty window.
Outside, in the swirling grey mist, were the monsters. They looked like grotesque parodies of crows, each the size of a large dog. Their feathers were a sickly, oily green-black, and their heads were nightmarish, with multiple beady red eyes that darted about with manic energy. Their beaks were long and sharp, like black iron spikes, and they were using them to hammer and tear at the wood of his door. Talons like curved daggers scraped against the stone walls.
[Corvian Shrieker - Bronze Rank].
There were at least a dozen of them. A whole flock. Bronze-rank. Individually, they were weak, but together, they were a swarm of death.
"I'm going to open the door just a crack," Neraxis said, his heart hammering against his ribs. "When I do, you hit the first one you see with everything you've got. Understand?"
Lilian nodded, her expression hardening. The fear was still in her eyes, but she managed to hold her self as she raised her hands, and a sphere of crackling shadow, the size of a fist, formed between her palms. It hissed and spat, twisting like a living thing. This was her Dark Bolt.
"Ready," she spoke.
Neraxis moved to the door, his hand trembling slightly as he reached for the heavy iron latch. He pulled the heavy door inward, just six inches.
Instantly, a Shrieker thrust its hideous head into the gap, its multiple red eyes locking onto him. It opened its beak for a piercing shriek, but it never came.
"Now!" Neraxis yelled.
Lilian thrust her hands forward. The Dark Bolt shot across the small room and struck the Shrieker square in its face. There was no explosion, only a sick, wet sizzling sound.
"Puchi!"
The monster's head seemed to dissolve, its feathers and flesh turning into a foul-smelling black sludge that dripped onto the stone floor. The headless body convulsed once and fell backward out of the doorway.
'One down.'
The other Shriekers outside went berserk. Their cries turned from hungry to furious. They surged forward, a wave of black-green bodies and sharp beaks, all trying to cram through the small opening at once.
Lilian didn't hesitate. She fired another Dark Bolt, then another.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Each one found a target, dissolving a limb here, a wing there. But it wasn't enough. For every one she injured, two more pushed forward. They were clawing at the edges of the door, widening the gap.
Neraxis felt a surge of pure panic. Lilian was powerful, but she was slow. It took her a few seconds to gather the energy for each bolt. She was being overwhelmed.
She needs to be faster! Stronger! She has to win!
He wasn't just thinking it; he was willing it. He poured all of his desperation, all of his focus, all of his will to survive into Lilian.
As the desperate command echoed in his soul, something inside him shifted. A warm, golden light, completely different from the evolution energy, bloomed in his chest. It flowed out from him, invisible to the eye but potent as lightning, and washed over Lilian.
At that exact moment, Lilian felt it. A sudden, inexplicable surge of strength.
The fear that had been clouding her mind vanished, replaced by a cold, sharp focus. The dark energy that she had to carefully gather before now snapped to her command instantly.
Her movements became fluid and certain. It was as if a voice was whispering directly in her soul, guiding her, empowering her.
"Dodge left."
"Fire now."
"Another is coming from above. Aim for the eyes."
She moved swiftly without wasting a single movement.
A Dark Bolt materialized in her left hand, another in her right. She fired them in rapid succession, not as single shots, but in rapid fire. One Shrieker that managed to squeeze through the gap was met with a bolt that blasted its wing to pieces. As it fell, she spun and fired again, catching another in the chest.
Neraxis watched in surprise. She was seemed to be seeing through his eyes as she battled. He could feel a strange connection to her. He knew what she was going to do a split second before she did it, because it was what he willed her to do.
Just as this realization dawned on him, a new screen flashed into existence before him, its text glowing with a soft, regal light.
[Your intense will to protect and command your domain has awakened an Innate Talent!]
[Talent: Sovereign's Will (Rank: ???)]
[Description: You are a true sovereign. Your will is law upon your domain and for your subjects. Within your Territory, you can project your will onto your units, boosting their morale, sharpening their instincts, and increasing their combat effectiveness. The presence of their Lord on the battlefield is the ultimate inspiration.]
His own talent. It wasn't a flashy, direct-damage skill. It was a support ability. A leader's ability.
With his will reinforcing her, Lilian's attacks became deadly. She held the doorway against the swarm.
The Shriekers, mindless and driven by instinct, could not comprehend this sudden, deadly efficiency. After a few more of their number dissolved into black sludge, their fury broke, and their mob instinct turned from aggression to fear. With a final, unified shriek of terror, the remaining monsters turned and fled, disappearing back into the safety of the mist.
Silence fell, broken only by the heavy panting of Lilian and the frantic beating of Neraxis 's own heart. He slammed the damaged door shut and threw the latch. He leaned against the cool wood, his body trembling with leftover adrenaline.
The System chimed softly.
[Battle Victory!]
[Enemies Slain: Corvian Shrieker x8]
[Rewards: Genetic energy +40, Corvian Feathers x12, Shrieker Beak x5]
They had actually won. He looked over at Lilian. She was leaning against the stone wall, her wings wrapped around her. She looked exhausted, but her eyes was still bright.