Navigating the rooftops was a grueling task. They had to leap across gaps between buildings, climb over ventilation units, and carefully pick their way around patches of unstable-looking roofing. The sun was higher now, casting long, stark shadows that could hide anything.
They were two blocks from the shop, crossing the roof of a low office building, when they heard it: a low, guttural growl from the street below, followed by a woman's terrified scream. Kai crawled to the edge and peered down. A woman was desperately trying to crawl away from a creature that looked like a grotesque parody of a hyena. Its fur was patchy and matted, its back was hunched, and its legs bent at an unnatural angle. Its jaw was oversized, filled with jagged, broken teeth.
[Corpse Hound - Level 5]
[A scavenger drawn to the chaos of the Rifts. Fast, aggressive, and possesses a powerful bite.]
It was a higher level than him. Engaging it was foolish. But the woman was still alive. "We can't just leave her," Elara whispered, her face pale with horror.
"Maybe we don't have to fight it," Ben said, his eyes scanning the rooftop. He pointed to a pile of loose bricks near a crumbling chimney. "Distraction. We draw it away, she gets a chance to run."
It was a long shot, but it was better than doing nothing. They moved into position. "On three," Kai whispered. "One... two... THREE!"
Ben and Kai hurled a volley of rubble into the far corner of the street. At the same moment, Elara, with a perfect, desperate throw, landed a brick squarely on the roof of a car with a loud BANG. The Corpse Hound, startled, whipped its head toward the noise. The injured woman seized her chance, scrambling to her feet and limping away down an alley.
It had worked. But their victory was short-lived. The Corpse Hound, annoyed at losing its meal, looked up, its unnatural eyes instantly locking onto them. With a ferocious bark, it crouched and then leaped. The power in its hind legs was terrifying. It sailed through the air and landed on the edge of the roof, its claws scrabbling for purchase.
"Get back!" Kai yelled, charging forward. He swung his saber, but the hound was impossibly fast, ducking under the swing and lunging. He threw himself backward as its jaws snapped shut inches from his face. The hound pounced, aiming for his throat. He brought the Broodguard Plate up just in time. The creature's jaws clamped down on the chitin shield, the sound of tooth on monster-shell grating horribly. The force of the bite was immense, nearly breaking his arm.
Ben charged in from the side, swinging his heavy textbook like a club. He slammed it into the side of the hound's head. The book made a dull, meaty thud, and the hound yelped in pain, its grip on Kai's shield loosening for a second. That second was all Kai needed. He activated Vital Strike. The blue energy flared along his sword as he thrust upward from the ground, driving the blade deep into the creature's exposed, soft underbelly.
The Corpse Hound shrieked, a piercing, agonizing sound, before it finally dissolved into a shower of blue particles—far more than any Scuttler.
[You have slain a Level 5 Corpse Hound.]
[XP Gained: 75]
[XP: 200/200 to Lvl. 5]
[LEVEL UP!]
Kai lay on the gravel, his chest heaving. The feeling of the level-up washed through him, healing the worst of the bruising on his arm and taking the edge off his exhaustion. They had won, but it had been far too close.
[Name: Kai Vance]
[Level: 5]
[XP: 0/300]
[Health: 150/150]
[Stamina: 130/130]
[Strength: 17]
[Agility: 14]
[Endurance: 15]
[Stat Points Available: 5]
He immediately dumped all five stat points into Strength, feeling a tangible surge of power course through his weary muscles. "We need to get off this roof," he said. "That thing's death shriek was loud."
They scrambled down a fire escape, landing in an alley that opened onto the final street. And there it was, at the far end of the block: Thorne's Curios & Relics. The familiar, faded green sign was a beacon of hope. But the street between them and the shop was ominously still. Marcus Thorne's expensive car was parked haphazardly on the pavement, one door open.
They were fifty feet away when they saw it. Crouched on the pavement right in front of the shop's entrance was a monster they hadn't seen before. It was humanoid, with mottled gray skin and limbs that were too long, ending in wicked-looking claws. It was hunched over the portly, half-eaten corpse of Marcus Thorne.
The creature looked up, its head snapping in their direction. It had no eyes, only smooth, pale skin where they should have been. But it could sense them. It let out a low, guttural hiss and rose to its full height of seven feet.
[Grave Imp - Level 6]
It was blocking the door. Their sanctuary was guarded by their strongest opponent yet.