The Shades of the Valley are furious. Swarm Stage 1 inbound.

This was Isaac's final warning before dozens of deep indigo and yellow phantoms appeared around the forest. Most of them were little more than humanoid silhouettes, some clutching weapons of all shapes and sizes. Others, though, looked like normal animals. Deer, boars, foxes, and so much more.

All of those half-transparent creatures shared one important feature.

Two crimson glowing eyes that glared at the four humans in the camp.

Isaac quickly Analyzed some of the nearest monsters. The results he received weren't as bad as he feared.

Potential Threat: Low-Moderate

Potential Threat: Low

Potential Threat: Low-Moderate

As if sensing his use of the skill, the entire swarm surrounding them moved a step closer. The distant screams he had heard earlier now rang loudly in his ears, almost drowning out his Symphony, which had just begun to play.

"Guys?" he called, giving his teammates a short glance. All of them stood ready, weapons in hand, each facing a different direction. "Run or fight?"

"Can we even run?" Elaine asked, her form shimmering with a pale white glow. "In case you haven't noticed, there's kind of a lot of them. Doubt they will let us pass or leave unharmed."

Isaac grimaced. Even if the threat ranking of those shades wasn't the highest, their sheer numbers were a problem. Worse still, with his Ultimate on cooldown, he couldn't even out the odds. It was the four of them against a literal army. In the middle of the night no less.

"Then we fight," he decided, watching the swarm edge closer again. Whatever they were waiting for, it wouldn't be long now. "Cover each other's backs and don't run off. Other than that, good luck."

"You seriously gotta work on those speeches, boss," James yelled. "My sisters gave better pep talks. In kindergarten!"

"Fuck off." Isaac smiled despite himself. Not waiting for a reply, he created a dagger of blood by his side and hurled it at the nearest monster. The surrounding screams shifted into one long, bone-chilling howl.

And with that, the battle began.

The shades came at them like starving wolves, no coordination to their charge, but with so many of them, they didn't need strategy. What use was a tactic when one had overwhelming odds on their side? Or at least that was probably what the beasts had thought when they rushed the four humans.

Your funeral… Isaac grinned, igniting the Root with Cursed Draw.

An arc of blood met the charge of a humanoid shade head-on, splitting it down the middle. Another swing took off the head of a running spectral deer that wanted to skewer him with its antlers. Isaac then sidestepped out of the path of a yellow, half-transparent sword, the Symphony warning him of the incoming strike beforehand.

Wrong move, pal.

In the blink of an eye, a dagger of blood materialized in his free hand. The shade that had overreached in hopes of cutting off his arm could only widen its eyes as he plunged the blade into its head. Just like that, another phantom vanished.

[Shade of the Valley (LVL. 13) slain.]

[Shade of the Valley (LVL. 11) slain.]

[Shade of the Valley (LVL. 12) slain.]

There was no time to even register the notifications. The moment those shades fell, fresh ones took their place. Isaac sidestepped a swing of a phantom axe trying to take off his head and jumped high when a massive boar almost slammed into him.

Unfortunately, that move left him open, unable to defend against another shade—one with a long spear. Or, well, it would have if not for his Legacy form.

Isaac shifted just as the spear struck the place where his human head used to be. He cawed loudly, and in answer, five Crimson Deaths manifested around him, all leaving his side a moment later.

The nearby shades never knew what hit them. Hell, the explosions of blood even bought him a short second to glance at his teammates. And from what he could see, the others were holding their own—though his earlier advice about sticking together seemed to have gone right out the window.

Marie and Elaine both fought in their Legacy forms, using their smaller frames and enhanced agility to dart around the battlefield like rabbits. Only James remained in his human form, with both his arms transformed into massive shields as the shades attacked him from every side.

Isaac would have sighed if he had the time for it. Instead, he landed back on the ground as a human and spun in a circle, releasing a blood-enhanced Cursed Draw during the motion.

The five or so shades around him vanished without a sign.

With another tug on his Viron, about half a dozen daggers materialized around him, each one created with pure Blood Manipulation. Without hesitation, he hurled them at the monsters attacking James. None died, but the distraction gave the older man a chance to turn and slam his shields into two of the phantoms.

They shattered into countless particles of yellow light from the impact.

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Nice one.

Isaac would have helped more, but a deep, guttural roar from behind made his stomach drop. He spun just in time to see a massive, half-transparent bear shade barreling toward him.

Uh oh.

Before the beast could trample him, Isaac threw himself to the side, landing in the path of another shade. Its sword came down at him, but before it could connect, an ocean-blue eel shot through the phantom's body like a bullet, reducing it to some colorful particles of light that soon vanished.

Isaac would have shouted a thank you to Marie, but unfortunately, he still had a problem to deal with. Or rather, multiple problems.

The giant bear and the continuous onslaught from other shades.

Focus, Isaac. Focus!

Symphony of Blood surged, finally drowning out some of the surrounding noises. He sprang to his feet, hurling a Crimson Death at a cluster of approaching phantoms. Two disintegrated on contact. Three more were thrown back, too battered to rejoin the fight anytime soon.

Your turn…

As the bear came rushing back, Isaac stepped out of the way as Viron gathered beneath the skin of his left arm. With the creature's side now exposed to him, he thrust his palm out.

Obliteration.

A literal blast of black-red blood erupted out of his entire arm. It engulfed half of the bear's body, filling the creek with a wail so loud it almost burst his eardrums. A second later, the blood vanished, taking away a good chunk of the beast's body with it.

The bear collapsed, and after a final pained whine, it burst into thousands of motes of light. At the same time, Isaac grimaced, feeling about a fifth of his Viron reserves disappear just like that. Even worse, Obliteration didn't just destroy the monster. No, it also shredded the skin on his arm into pieces, exposing the flesh beneath.

Ouch?

At the very least, no more shades attacked afterward. They backed off into the treeline, keeping their distance. They didn't vanish, though. No, they just stood there, as if waiting for something.

The next notification told him all he needed to know.

Swarm Stage 1 defeated. The Shades of the Valley are wary. Swarm Stage 2 will commence soon.

Guess it would have been too easy if that was the end, he thought, backing off until his back hit one of his teammates. "You good guys?"

"Peachy," James muttered, sounding more than a little bit tired. "Stage 2, huh?"

"If there's a Stage 3 after that, we might have a problem," Elaine stated, her breathing also a bit ragged. "I say we cull them a bit more and make a run for it."

"I will use my ultimate once they attack," Marie added. "That should buy us some time."

"Worst case"—James grunted, flexing his shield arms before reshaping them into long blades—"I rush 'em with my ult. You three can just go above in your Legacies."

"Sounds like a plan." Isaac nodded, keeping his eyes on the growing horde at the edge of the campsite. "Just no holding back once Marie's ultimate activates. Maybe we can scare them off if they are already wary."

James grinned. "Let's give them hell, people!"

And just like Isaac had earlier, James moved first. He stabbed both blades into the ground. A heartbeat later, dozens of massive metallic spikes erupted among the waiting phantoms. Some died on the spot, while others escaped with their lives just in the nick of time. Not for long, though.

A fresh salvo of Crimson Deaths shot toward the crowd. At the same time, Elaine chucked two massive glowing orbs of pure light into the backs of the horde. They erupted, taking out a good chunk of the horde. That and it blinded everyone nearby.

"A little warning would have been nice," Isaac yelled, blinking away the glare.

"Sorry!" Elaine shouted.

"Y'know, now that I think about it… we really should have brought sunglasses," James chimed in.

Too late for that, Isaac thought as his vision returned to normal. Thankfully, the shades seemed just as affected as all of them, except Elaine. She was already among the enemy ranks, her form a blur of white. The appearance of two more larger-than-average bears forced her to back off, though.

Stage two indeed…

And it wasn't just the bears. Some of the humanoid shades also grew in size. In Isaac's opinion, they looked quite similar to the muscular mutants from Sacramento's Double-layered Quarantine Site. Well, only the creatures here were half-transparent and equipped with all kinds of weapons.

Let's go.

Just as Isaac took the first step forward, all traces of exhaustion vanished from his body. For a short second, he looked up, spotting the hundreds of blue motes of light floating above them. Marie's ultimate was active.

He smiled.

As long as Marie's ultimate was active, fighting was a nonissue. Without the possibility of getting tired, and with their Viron regeneration slightly sped up, the four of them threw almost everything they could at the shades swarming them.

Elaine's bombs constantly lit up the forest, consuming a couple of beasts with each explosion. Thankfully, she tossed them far enough that no one else got blinded.

James, on the other hand, stuck to his previous defensive style. That said, this time, he wasn't worried about taking a hit or two, so he could respond with his own crushing power. Swapping more between human and Legacy forms also allowed him to gain some ground.

Then there was Marie, always flying above them in her Legacy form. When she wasn't slapping monsters left and right with her water whips, she used her healing and water shield from range to assist wherever possible.

As for Isaac?

He tried to stick close to James, using him as a kind of bait for the beast around them. It didn't always work, but it definitely sped up killing some of the shades. Like, for example, the two large humanoid shades that just blocked his path.

Isaac ducked low below a swing meant to cut off his head and brought up the Root to parry a swing from the second beast. Before they could attack again, he transformed, shot past them, and shifted again; Cursed Draw already ignited along his blade.

The arc of blood sliced through their back, but that wasn't enough to kill them. The massive metallic spikes that exploded beneath their feet, however? Those did the job.

That's eight now, Isaac thought, adding to the count of the stronger-than-average beasts he and James had slain. How many the others had killed? He had no clue. There were still more left among the horde, though.

Can't stop now.

He slammed a dagger into a phantom boar's skull, vaulted over its fading corpse, and rushed another charging bear. Viron pulsed across his left hand, preparing to release Obliteration. Yet, before he could reach the beast, the heart—core—in his chest stuttered, his control over his skills slipping.

Shit! Isaac groaned as the bear slammed into him, sending him crashing into a nearby tree. As he slid to the ground, he barely had time to raise the Root to block an incoming swipe of the massive beast's claws.

Dammit.

Even as he shoved the paw aside and jumped to his feet, every motion he performed felt sluggish, slow. His muscles burned, and even his regeneration couldn't help. For a moment, he thought that maybe one of the monsters had used a skill to weaken him, but then he noticed the lack of blue motes in the air.

Marie's ultimate had finally come to an end.

Not good.

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