Free Web NovelChapter 184: Chapter 183 - Style
Point-of-View: Aurora Pretorius
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"Wow, there’s just so much to choose from, I have no idea what to pick!" Grinned Fenris as he ran around the room, his tail wagging.
He’s like a kid in a candy store, combined with a puppy...admittedly, it is kinda cute, but I’d rather die than ever say that out loud, especially directly to him. Just the thought of his smug, delighted face in response makes me shudder.
Today’s the 17th of September, a couple of days after the Basilisk attacked, and I was currently back at the Antarctican base, along with Fenris and Inoka.
The reason we were here was to pick out some new clothes for combat. The outfits we’d been wearing during the battle in Egypt had all taken some damage, so we were getting replacements for them.
Neo had picked us up using his portals, it was the first time we were seeing him since Liling revealed how the Meta-Orbs were made, and his involvement in the project.
Inoka, Alexis and Zoraiz wasted no time in giving him shit for his contribution to the project, but I stayed silent. Now that I know where the power I gained from the Dark Skill Meta-Orb came from, I don’t want to talk or think about it at all. I’d rather block it out of my memory and forget about it.
"Hm, should I stick to something similar, or try out a different look?" Mused Inoka thoughtfully.
"You should probably take a whole lot of outfits. That thing you do when you burst out bone spikes from your body, it rips your shirts every time you do it," I pointed out.
"Yeah, that’s true...oh, hey, how about this?" He suggested with a grin, as he picked out a black shirt.
But instead of buttons, it had a zipper, and a belt stitched onto it around the midriff area. He tried it on and fastened the belt, before taking his arms out of the sleeves and letting it drop behind his back, suspended just above his waist thanks to the belt.
I see, if he needs to use that attack, he can just unzip the shirt and free his top half. And the belt prevents the shirt from falling to the ground.
"Oh, yeah, that could work," I nodded in response.
"Man, this should totally be the norm, a zipper is so much more convenient that buttons, plus it looks cool too! Ooh, and if I prop up the collar, it looks even better!" He grinned, as he put it back on and unfolded the collar, "I bet wristbands would really solidify this look!"
"You do realize that the point is practicality, not fashion, right?" I sighed wryly.
"Well, yeah, but there’s no harm in looking cool and stylish if that’s an option, right?" He shrugged in response.
"I mean, yeah, I guess that’s true. It’s just unnecessary is all," I remarked, as I picked out a couple of sleeveless tops and shorts.
"Oh, sweet, you’re sticking with minimal coverage? Nice," Grinned Fenris, as he walked over with a bunch of different outfits in his arms.
"Wha-...I’m just going for options that don’t limit my movements, that’s all," I huffed with a frown.
"Makes sense, agility is a major part of your fighting style. Actually, doesn’t the same apply to you?" Inoka asked Fenris.
"Well, yeah, but I don’t really feel restricted by clothes, unless it’s, like, formal wear stuff. And all these combat outfits are pretty flexible, so I just go with whatever I think looks good," He shrugged in response.
"For me, the more free my limbs feel, the better I can fight," I replied, as I put the outfits I picked into a bag.
"To each, their own, I guess. I’m probably not yet at an advanced enough level to feel a difference with stuff like that," Inoka mused thoughtfully.
"Anyway, shall we head back now? Neo should be the cafeteria, righ-...hm?" I frowned, as I got a bad feeling.
"What’s the matter?" Inquired Inoka warily, looking around.
"Something doesn’t feel right...come on, let’s go," I remarked grimly.
"I feel it too, I think it’s coming from the corridor," Muttered Fenris, as he transformed.
"Man, I wonder if I can replicate that instinctive sixth sense thing you guys have using my Light Skill?" Wondered Inoka, as he followed after us.
As we left the room storing the outfits and into the corridor, the faint echo of voices rang out from further in the base...but more importantly, there was a rift a few meters ahead of us. And a Monster was emerging from it.
"No way...," Frowned Inoka, wide-eyed.
We were at this base for about a year, and we never had a Monster show up...it might be conceivable if someone had unleashed their Aura, but I never sensed anything since coming here today. And besides, since Antarctica isn’t exactly highly populated, Monster sightings are practically unheard of here. What’s going on?
"Oh, gross...you’ve gotta be kidding me," Groaned Fenris, as the Monster fully emerged from the rift.
It’s...it’s a giant cockroach-looking Monster. If I remember right, it’s called a Hellspawn, a Common-Tier Monster, the lowest rank in terms of threat level.
And yet, it’s making my skin crawl like no other Monster has before, not even the Viciousaur I fought in France. Ughhh, it’s so creepy, and it’s the size of, like, a tiger or lion. No bug has any right being that big! Kill it! Kill it with fire!
"S-so, uh, who wants to kill this thing? One, two, three, not it!" I immediately opted out.
"Not it either!" Exclaimed Inoka without skipping a beat.
"Not-...oh, come on!" Groaned Fenris in dismay.
As Inoka and I swiftly backed away several meters, the massive insect Monster rapidly scuttled this way, sending chills of disgust down my spine.
Fenris responded by leaping up high into the air as his claws began glowing, before he swung them across in the Monster’s direction, striking it and inflicting deep gashes across its back, its sludge-like, slimy guts pouring out as it let out a chittering screech.
As Fenris began to fall back down, he swung his claws across again, firing out slashes aimed at its head, slicing it off and decapitating the disgusting creature.
"U-uh, it’s not dead!" Exclaimed Inoka in alarm, as the Monster continued to move, heading towards us as Fenris landed.
"Nope, nope, nope!" I snapped, as I fired out a barrage of Negative Blasts in a panic.
They struck the Monster, blasting off some of its legs and chunks of its body, as it collapsed onto the ground, struggling to try and get back up.
"This is literally nightmare fuel, even all that isn’t enough to kill it," Muttered Inoka, looking kinda pale.
"Hey, can’t you, like, crush it flat using your Shadow Cat?" Suggested Fenris, as he warily stepped around it and walked towards us.
"Hell, no, I don’t want my Shadow Cat touching that thing," I refused without hesitation.
"Well, at least it can’t attack us anym-...oh, fuck me," Groaned Inoka in horror...as several more Hellspawn appeared out of the rift, eight of them in total.
"Let’s...let’s head to the cafeteria, Neo can just portal these things into a volcano or something!" I exclaimed, as I turned around and took off in the direction of the cafeteria.
"H-hey, wait up!" Called out Inoka, as he followed suit, along with Fenris, as the giant roaches chased after us.
"Almost there!" I remarked, as the entrance to the cafeteria came into sight.
As I raced forward and shot in through the entrance...I abruptly halted, my eyes widening in alarm...Neo was here, along with a bunch of other Metas...as well as several more Monsters.
Damn it, I was so hung up on the Hellspawns that my instincts weren’t as focused...I swiftly ducked as a Hobgoblin stomped over towards me and swung its fist at my head, before activating my Shadow Cat and slamming my foot onto its midsection, sending it flying back with immense force and crashing onto a wall, blood bursting out of its mouth as it slumped to the ground.
"Hey, what’s going on here!?" I exclaimed, as I headed towards Neo, smacking away a Leapfrog as it leapt towards me.
"No clue! These things just suddenly started showing up a few minutes ago!" He responded, as he decapitated a Lizardman using a portal.
"I don’t suppose Chaos is involved?" Frowned Inoka, as he and Fenris made their way over.
"Possible, but unlikely...no one sensed any unleashed Auras, I can’t imagine what provoked these Monsters into emerging here!" Replied Neo with a grimace.
Seriously, what’s going on here? First that Basilisk showed up at our campsite, and now a Monster outbreak here...I don’t like this, Monster sightings in Antarctica are practically unheard of, let alone a full outbreak. I don’t even want to imagine what might be happening in the rest of the world right now...
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