The ruined barracks felt even more claustrophobic as a dozen crimson-eyed Riftlings skittered forward. Their high-pitched chittering scraped against the silence, sharp and nerve-rattling.
"Alright team," Katrina called, her voice calm despite the sudden swarm. "David, with your shield, try to hold the line with Isaac. Hailey, stay mobile, pick off any that try to flank. I'll provide ranged support."
"Got it!" David planted his feet, [Livingwood Aegis] held ready. The +2 Defense aura pulsed faintly, a small comfort. He glanced at Isaac, who grunted in acknowledgment, axe held defensively. For now, the immediate threat overrode their animosity.
The Riftlings surged forward, a wave of shadowy, jerky bodies. David met the first one head-on, his shield deflecting its clumsy claw swipe. [-2 Damage reflected!] A tiny puff of purple smoke erupted from the Riftling as the Minor Thorn Retribution kicked in. It wasn't much, but it was satisfying.
He thrust with his [Trainee's Blade], the evolved sharpness helping. [-8 Damage!]. The Riftling shrieked and dissolved.
Isaac was a whirlwind of axe swings, each blow cleaving a Riftling in two. He was clearly skilled in brute force combat, even if his personality left much to be desired.
Hailey darted along the edges of the fight, a blur of motion and steel. She'd dart in, stab a Riftling in its glowing eye, then dance away before its companions could react. Her [Danger Sense] was clearly working overtime, allowing her to anticipate their chaotic movements. "They're squishy but there are so many!" she called out, her voice tight with exertion.
Katrina's arrows were a constant presence, thrumming through the air to pick off Riftlings that Isaac or David couldn't immediately reach. One arrow would pierce two, sometimes three, of the smaller creatures if they clustered.
Despite their individual weakness, the sheer number of Riftlings was a problem. For every one they dispatched, another seemed to skitter out from the collapsed wall. David found himself relying heavily on his shield, blocking claw swipes and snapping teeth. The +15 Defense was a lifesaver, reducing most hits to negligible damage.
He risked a [Swift Strike] on a particularly bold Riftling that tried to scuttle past his guard. [-13 Damage!]. It vanished. The ten-second cooldown felt agonizingly long when facing a swarm.
"There's too many coming from that hole!" David yelled over the din, deflecting another attack. "We need to plug it or thin them out faster!"
"Working on it!" Katrina called back, loosing a special arrow that seemed to splinter into multiple projectiles, taking down a cluster near the opening.
Suddenly, a larger Riftling, almost twice the size of the others, with longer, sharper claws and more intense crimson eyes, squeezed through the gap.
[Rift Stalker (Level 4)]
[A more developed Riftspawn, faster and more cunning than its lesser kin.]
It let out a piercing screech and darted towards Hailey with terrifying speed.
"Hailey, look out!" David shouted.
Hailey, already engaged with two smaller Riftlings, spun, her eyes wide. The Rift Stalker was too fast.
Before David could react, Isaac, surprisingly, moved. He abandoned his position next to David, charging towards Hailey with a roar. He interposed his body between Hailey and the Stalker, his axe swinging in a wide, desperate arc. The Stalker sidestepped the main blow but its claws raked across Isaac's unprotected arm.
[-18 HP!] Isaac bellowed in pain, but he held his ground, pushing Hailey behind him. "Get back, kid!"
David was momentarily stunned by Isaac's uncharacteristic act of protection. Then, adrenaline kicked in. He charged towards the Stalker, which was now trying to get around Isaac. "[Swift Strike]!"
His blade bit deep into the Stalker's flank. [-25 Damage!] [Critical Hit!]
The Rift Stalker shrieked, its crimson eyes blazing with fury. It whirled on David, ignoring Isaac for the moment.
This was his chance. He raised his [Livingwood Aegis]. He'd been wanting to try the Bramble Barrier evolution he'd seen earlier, but hadn't had enough EP. Now, facing this tougher foe, he focused his intent on the shield itself, wishing for some way to control the flow, to stop this thing.
He didn't consciously try to evolve the shield again, not with EP. But as the Stalker lunged, a desperate thought flashed through his mind: Wall! I need a wall!
A strange resonance vibrated through the [Livingwood Aegis]. Not an EP-driven evolution, but something else. His system flashed a brief, almost imperceptible message: [Adaptive Resonance Triggered! Temporary Skill Manifestation: [Root Hold]!]
Before David could process what that meant, the ground in front of him erupted. Thick, woody roots, infused with the same green energy as his shield, shot up like angry serpents, tangling around the Rift Stalker's legs.
The Stalker screeched in surprise and frustration, its charge halted as it thrashed against the binding roots.
"What in Aethelgard was that?!" Hailey exclaimed, staring at the writhing roots.
Even Katrina paused her shooting for a split second, her eyes wide.
David was just as surprised. "Adaptive Resonance?" he muttered. The outline mentioned it as a system evolution he hadn't unlocked yet – "a small chance for gear to temporarily gain synergistic properties when used with certain skills." But this wasn't a skill he had. It was as if his desperate need, combined with the nature of his shield, had momentarily birthed a new ability.
The [Root Hold] wouldn't last long; the roots were already starting to fray under the Stalker's struggles.
"Now, Isaac!" David yelled.
Isaac, recovering from his surprise, seized the opportunity. With a furious roar, he brought his axe down on the immobilized Stalker's head. [-40 Damage!] [Killing Blow!]
The Rift Stalker dissolved, its crimson light extinguished. The roots David's shield had conjured withered and sank back into the earth as if they'd never been.
With their leader gone, the remaining Riftlings seemed to lose cohesion. Katrina and Hailey quickly dispatched the stragglers. Silence, punctuated by heavy breathing, once again descended.
[Rift Stalker defeated! +50 EP!]
[Skittering Riftling defeated! +5 EP!] (x15)
David stared at his shield, then at his system panel. The [Root Hold] skill wasn't listed. It had been truly temporary. But the "Adaptive Resonance" trigger… that was huge. It meant his system had depths he was only beginning to tap into.
Hailey rushed over to Isaac. "Are you okay? That was brave, what you did!"
Isaac grunted, clutching his bleeding arm. "Just… didn't want to fill out the paperwork for a dead teammate. Especially your sister." Despite his gruff words, there was a hint of something less abrasive in his tone as he looked at Hailey.
Katrina efficiently produced a bandage and some healing salve from her pack, tending to Isaac's arm. "That was a close call. Good work, all of you. And David… that root ability?"
"System called it 'Adaptive Resonance'," David explained, still a little dazed by it. "Said it was a temporary skill manifestation. I didn't even know my shield could do that."
"Your system continues to surprise," Katrina mused, a thoughtful look on her face. "That kind of spontaneous adaptation is rare, even for high-tier abilities."
David felt a thrill. His SSS-Rank system wasn't just about straightforward upgrades; it was dynamic, responsive. The possibilities felt endless.
With the immediate threat gone, they cautiously approached the hole the Riftspawn had emerged from. It wasn't a natural opening; the edges hummed with a faint, purplish energy.
"A small dimensional tear," Katrina said, her expression grim. "These things are becoming more common near Newhaven. This is what Veteran Kaelen is worried about."
Hailey peered into the tear. "Can we close it?"
"Not without specialized equipment or powerful rift-sealing magic," Katrina said. "For now, we report it. Kaelen's patrols will have to deal with containment."
As they prepared to leave the creepy Briarwatch ruins, David felt a shift. They had faced a tough fight together. Isaac had, however grudgingly, protected Hailey. David's system had revealed another layer of its potential. This wasn't just a random grouping anymore. It was starting to feel, ever so slightly, like a team.