After leaving the building, we quickly moved through the city, heading towards the coyote territory. Once more, we were able to hear skittering noises coming from below, but the ants didn't seem to care or want to deal with us. The same couldn't be said about the frogs, though.
There was a moment when we passed by one of those creatures and the beast became rabid. It charged with a ferocity that no one was really expecting. Even though it was just a tier one monster that wasn't even saturated, we had to run from it at least a little before deciding to kill it.
Not so much because we were worried about that monster being a threat to us, but because we were too close to the rest of its kind. If we were to just rush forward, there was a good chance that it could call for backup. Or at least its noise would be enough to warn the other frogs about something going wrong. Considering they were on edge due to the attack by the Ants, we didn't want to risk letting it call for its friends.
That ended up being a good idea, as killing the frog was harder than any of us was truly expecting. Michael's arrows didn't seem to be able to land a proper hit, as they would bounce off its floppy skin. No matter what he tried using as the projectile.
And my staff had a similar reaction to it, only bouncing off without dealing as much damage as we hoped. The only thing that was able to actually hurt the creature was Astrid's {Frost Chop}. It only took one good hit for the monster to go down. It was far from ideal but also nowhere near as worrisome as it could be.
However, considering the effort that it had taken us to kill a single tier one of those creatures, killing something stronger, maybe even the Toad King, as they call it, was likely to be much more complicated. Despite my wishes to level up quickly, I felt a little happy that we wouldn't have to deal with those frogs, especially after that first attempt at a fight.
We continued moving and found another building, one that was already half destroyed but still stable enough to allow us to climb a few floors up. In there, we took a look at the city from a better vantage point once more. We were close to the coyote territory, but it was still not enough for Michael to fire at them. Although the man did try shooting out one arrow, or should I say a piece of wood, he found while we were moving through the city today. That one fell a few hundred meters [ft] away from the coyotes, all who just stared at the projectile landing on the ground.
Aside from that, we also noticed another building even closer to the coyotes. Now that Michael was feeling more confident about climbing those structures, he suggested for us to reach that area so he could try to snipe one of the creatures before we reach them. I didn't like the idea of giving up so many particles, but at the same time, it was a way for him to practice his skills. It wouldn't be fair of me to stop him from doing that.
However, the moment we climbed the third building, which was in a much worse state than the others that we'd been to today, the coyotes were nowhere to be seen. It seemed like either the creatures decided to move away, or the leaders were smart enough to notice the incoming threat. That changed our behavior. Instead of a casual stroll through the city, we became more aware of our surroundings and ready for a fight at any moment. Even though it was something we were already worried about due to the frogs and Eaters, but now we were on high alert and not just watching out for strange things.
We quickly shifted our movement pattern. Instead of going on a straight line, we were now moving around the buildings and doing our best to avoid making any noise or anything that could be used to locate our presence. It didn't take long for us to reach the end of the ruined city, stopping closer to its outskirts. But yet, there was no coyote to be found. Not just that, but we were struggling to even find their tracks, which didn't really make sense considering we were supposed to be in their territory. Then again, a ruined city was a very good place to hide, especially here on the outskirts where the vegetation and fauna had taken over pretty much everything. If any animal or creature wanted to stick around, it was very likely that it could do so without having to worry about being seen by anyone.
We continued to move through this area of the city, getting closer and closer to the actual surrounding woods. Every single one of us was on edge. Any noise made us jump, and any movement caused the three of us to turn our weapons in that direction. That continued for what seemed like hours until I realized something. The feeling was very similar to what I felt when we faced that giant bird. Not exactly the same as the dread I felt seeing that creature was much stronger, but it was something similar.
'System, am I being affected by any skills right now? Doesn't matter if you can't tell what exactly the skill is doing. I just need to know if there is a skill doing something with me or not.'
[System will analyze user's current state and try to understand if there are any particles affecting user's physical body or mentality. Please wait a moment.]
Just as I asked that, I also turned to my companions.
"Hey, let's wait a moment. Something doesn't feel right."
I gestured for us to move towards the building that was mostly broken down, but there were still a few walls capable of protecting our backs.
"What's wrong?" Michael asked once we reached the corner of the building that I was pointing to.
"I don't know. This place just feels strange. Astrid, do you remember the Dreadwing?"
The Frosted Lumberjack was quiet for a moment before nodding. "Yes, coyote same?"
"Not the same, but I do think they are similar. At least that's what I'm feeling."
As if to confirm, the System spoke up just then.
[System has identified that user is under the effect of alien particles. In this case, alien does not mean that particles came from outer space. Instead, they refer to particles that do not belong to either user nor members of user's party.]
'You could just say particles from something else.' I shook my head.
[Such an expression would not fit with System's explanation as it is too generic to convey the proper meaning behind System's words.]
I rolled my eyes again and tried to focus on the matter at hand, specifically the fact that there was something affecting me. Turning to my companions, I asked them for confirmation if they were in the same boat as I, and just like I was expecting, that was the case. The three of us were being affected by whatever this was.
In addition, I managed to ask the System for a small change in the party setup. So far, it only worked to share our location between ourselves and split the amount of particles we would gain. But now, we had placed a new function on it. If any of our Systems noticed that we were being affected by a skill that did not belong to one of us, then it would let everybody know who is a member of the party to know. However, we did have a rule that we wouldn't do that kind of thing during a fight. After all, that really wasn't going to help when we needed to be focused on something more specific.
This brief distraction resulted in the three of us dropping our guard, as there were more pressing matters for us to deal with. The thing that had tried to trick us by using some sort of skill, noticed our distraction, and decided it was the best time to attack. Without warning, the two bigger coyotes came jumping on me and Astrid at the same time from above.
Unfortunately, I had stored [Predatory Sense] which meant that I didn't have a skill helping me notice incoming attacks. Then again, did it matter? Maybe the coyotes themselves had skills that could circumvent my own. I had no doubts that when it came to the System, the stronger skill would win. Still, their attack was nowhere near as successful as the coyotes might have wanted. While one of them was able to make me fall to the ground, the other barely made Astrid move, which wasn't really a surprise considering the Frosted Lumberjack's sheer size. She just blocked the attack using her Frosted Axe, grabbed the large coyote by its neck, and slammed it on the ground. But that wasn't enough to kill it as the rest of the pack came rushing from the entrance of this building.
Michael quickly pulled his bow and arrow and started firing at the monsters. None of them were actual arrows, as it seemed like he wasn't going to use them at all. And honestly, that could be a good call since using actual arrows would go against his class. He started firing those projectiles using one of his skills, namely {Scavenger's Volley}. It was really weird to see the skill in action. For now, he could only activate it in three different projectiles at once. And while he did need to grab the three makeshift arrows and point them all at the target, once he started pulling the bowstring, the particles would carry two of them, making them almost magnetized to the first as he fired them all without taking too much of a hit to his aim.
Of course, that was only really the case for the first of the arrows. The others would have a much harder time hitting the target he was aiming at. But since the pack was coming through a narrow space, he didn't really have to care about that very much. As long as he hit any of the coyotes, he would do the damage that we needed. I saw from the corner of my eye how his first attack killed one of the coyotes, the arrow embedding itself deep onto its skull and hurt another two as the projectiles crashed on top of the monsters. The particles quickly rushed inside me and I accepted them. If he needed any help, he would ask for it.
Focusing back on my enemy, the larger coyote, I checked it with the System to make sure it didn't have any secret abilities hiding. Not that it would matter all that much. I had serious doubts that these creatures would give us any problems.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wily Coyote - Tier 1 - saturated.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Even before the System showed me its name, I had already started swinging my staff using {Formless Swipe}, the particles covering my weapon turning into that giant crab claw even if they didn't change the actual shape of the wood. But the moment I read the name, I hesitated. That was the same name of a character that pops used to love, one from an old cartoon that kept chasing after a large bird. And I do remember really enjoying that when I was little. It had been a long time since I ever thought about that show.
That brief moment of hesitation was enough for the coyote to dodge my attack and jump away from the blow. However, my attack still hit the side of a wall, creating a large hole in it with the impact. That was stronger than I was expecting. At the same time, I heard a crash as Astrid slammed her axe on the side of a wall, embedding it deep into the concrete. The second coyote, which had the same name and tier, looked at the one I was fighting before the two of them bolted out, running away from us while barking and making the rest follow them. Just as quickly as they arrived, the coyotes fled, leaving the three of us to just stare into the entrance confused about what had just happened.
"Since when do animals do a tactical retreat?" Michael turned to me once his shock vanished.
"I mean, it's not unheard of. Some animals would flee if they were in trouble, but after attacking?"
"Yeah, come on, that's a first for me."
Astrid, still focused on our task, looked at us and asked, "Chase?"
Since we were supposed at least kill something, and we had two tier 1 creatures waiting for us, I just nodded, thinking that we had no other choice.
"Yeah. They are too annoying to be left alone. I don't think the village will be safe, especially with all the refugees that are arriving."
With that, the three of us stepped out of this ruined building and started chasing after the coyotes that had just attacked us. But this time, we would be ready for them if they tried to run away.