Icard hadn't seen much of its features since it moved too fast. He had seen a bit of it when Albert blasted it but that was all.
It was four armed like the drones but much slender.
And most of all, it was really quick. He needed time since it would come for him next.
Icard then stood up, turned and ran back as fast as he could.
"Alyxara!" he called out.
[Hmmmmm. Have You Decided Already?]
"Yes! I'll stay with you! Just give me mana! Like, a lot!"
[I Caaaaaan't Just Give You A Lot Of Mana. It All Depends On Your AP, Doesn't It]
"Whatever!" Icard said. "Just do it!"
Then a panel flickered before Icard.
[AP - Mana Exchange]
[Do Note That This Transaction Is One Time]
[Total AP: 66]
[Indicate How Much AP You Are Willing To Exchange]
"Everything!"
[Exchange Successful. Check Your Stat...]
Icard dismissed the window, stopped then as he began feeling a surge of mana enter his body.
[Third Floor Access Confirmed]
[Skill Activation: Ice Hammer]
The hammer formed again and he held it, ready to strike at it any time.
He waited, clearly shook by that spawn.
'Is that the chieftain?!' he thought, hands firmly tight on his forged frost weapon.
Then, he saw it, just ahead. He thought it would have rushed at him but it just stood there, looking at him for a few seconds.
"What are you doing?" Icard muttered, creeped out of his skin but that was just a ruse.
It quickly inhaled next, inflating itself to three times its size, before releasing a blast of air that knocked Icard out straight through the passage and back into the cradle chamber.
He didn't stop till he crashed into a wall, from a force truly tremendous for him.
"What's that?!" The few people there asked loudly in confusion.
Luna had decided to wait in that chamber for Albert to return. However, Icard had just flown past her and crashed into the wall.
She looked at the tunnel in wary.
"What is..."
They could feel it then. It screeched softly now as it emerged. Its strength was clearly different.
The bloodlust it exuded, it was something that made their bones shudder.
Sensing the fallen drones about, it walked toward them. Its slender, four-armed figure had a redder exoskeleton.
And looking closely, it had another set of jaws apart from its pincers.
The drone Albert had killed lay dead on the ground. The Chieftain bent over it, its head hovering over the remains of the drone.
Then suddenly it let out a loud shrill. One that made everyone close their ears.
As they watched and heard it, clearly, it was grieving.
Looking at its form, Luna could tell it wasn't like the ones they had just fought. And if it wasn't, it had to be the chieftain.
Her heart sank, seeing it came from the same tunnel Albert had entered.
"Albert" she muttered, next she looked toward the direction that person had flown out to.
It was a bit far but she could tell it wasn't Albert. He wasn't moving. Most likely, he was dead, and she could tell that would be their fate as well if it had its way.
After a long shriek, it finally stopped. Everyone fixed their eyes on it then, wondering just what it would do next.
And next, it blurred before their eyes, appearing around the frozen drone Icard had left there.
And that speed scared a lot of people.
"How can something move like that?" someone muttered, taking a step back. "How can we fight something like that?"
It touched the frozen form there with two of its arms, as though it was trying to caress the drone's face when the drone suddenly cracked and broke into pieces.
Dead.
Scattered about were also remains of another.
Grave danger was looming. Everyone could feel it so more people backed out slowly, fear clearly laced on their faces.
Then the slender chieftain looked up to where they were and there, its bloodlust radiated. They could feel it, and they wished to run but they couldn't.
Before anyone there could react, it joined them there and with its deadly claws, it began ripping people apart.
Focusing on one person first, it impaled, ripped open, shredded limbs, making a gory mess of the unfortunate young man.
And just before it would have gone on to the other frightened humans there, a red beam of light pierced through it.
It shrieked in pain and turned about instantly from where it came.
Luna.
Despite pleas from her comrade that they get out of sight, she went ahead to attack it.
She had used a lot of mana to make a beam hot enough to pierce through its exoskeleton.
And now, she had drawn its attention to herself.
The chieftain shot at her, claws ready to rip off her head. Marcus, the one assigned to take her home, shot at it but barely even slowed it down.
Luna, void of any energy to attack again could now see her life flash before her eyes.
Everything slowed down then as she watched death come for her before something cold moved past her face swiftly.
It came within view then; a hammer of ice, heading away from her and going at the chieftain before her.
And with a heavy thud, it hit the chieftain and a wave of frost spread out from the impact, blasting Luna, Marcus and Icard in a separate direction from the chieftain .
Luna, who had just been so close to losing her life looked at Icard, lost for words or thoughts.
"When did he..."
But Icard didn't really spare her a glance as he panted. Once he saw Luna move to attack the chieftain, he began running at her, knowing just what would happen next.
'I needed more time to repair but this much is okay, I guess' Icard thought to himself.
Parts of his body still looked frozen from using Regelation.
'Heh. I've drained my mana again'
Then he checked his mana levels.
[Mana: Stable]
He laughed.
Given his mana pool, this much mana would probably be sufficient just for using a fourth floor skill once.
He had already used a third floor skill, so it must have been a good quantity of mana he got from his trade.
Looking at the chieftain who had just lost two arms from his attack now, he smirked.
"Ha. Are you surprised?!" Icard said with loud confidence but then, it had already attacked again, taking Icard by surprise.
He hadn't expected it to attack immediately.
The chieftain closed the distance in an instant, sending its claws at Icard's neck.
Icard's pupil dilated.
Luna was around Icard's zone but Icard wouldn't have hesitated to do the same thing he did to the other drone.
High Freeze would kill her too...but just then, the chieftain received another unanticipated attack from the side.
A great torrent of flame burst out towards it, blowing it out of Icard's zone.
From the damage it had incurred, it quickly gave distance, screeching as it did.
Icard staggered backwards and quickly looked where it came from.
"Eric!" Alia cried from a distance, following him closely behind.
Icard's eyes widened.
'Why is he here? He didn't come last time so why...'
His hands were enflamed as he walked toward Icard with his eyes cautiously fixed on the chieftain.
It wasn't enough to say this was a completely unexpected development. But then it was real...
"What the hell are these things?" Eric asked, sweat running down his face.