Sorcery Monarch

Chapter 14: Formation!

Chapter 14: Formation!

The cacophony of shrieks and howls didn't seem very intimidating at first.

But when that sound came from hundreds of twisted, terrifying aberrant murlocs, it was an entirely different situation!

Matthew wasn't too concerned about the busy soldiers; he watched the swarm of aberrant murlocs approach with a sense of disbelief.

"This isn't right. Aberrant creatures rarely gather in such large numbers."

"Once they can't get enough blood, they usually turn on each other in vicious fights."

"It's part of their inevitable path toward deeper corruption!"

"But now, this isn't the case at all?"

"Could something have happened with the Crimson Moon?"

"Or perhaps there's a higher-level aberrant entity among these murlocs?"

Whatever the reason, it wasn't good news for Matthew and the convoy.

Matthew found some solace in Ralph's commendable professionalism.

Even though Ralph hadn't anticipated an attack and encirclement by aberrant creatures under the influence of the Crimson Moon, he had prepared the convoy with a variety of weapons and supplies for different enemies they might encounter.

Each soldier was equipped with a sturdy ironwood shield. When they set them firmly into the ground, the small, weak aberrant murlocs could barely budge them.

Over a hundred spears had been distributed, bolstering the courage of the convoy's cart drivers enough to prevent panic or collapse.

Meanwhile, Ralph pulled out two glowing, red scrolls from his space pouch and solemnly handed them to Matthew.

Fireball Scrolls x2!

These were originally intended for the trolls lurking in the dark forests around Bay Village. Each scroll had cost 200 gold coins as part of the supply purchase.

Casting fireball through his staff would still drain Matthew's mana, but compared to the backlash from overcasting, the 50% mana consumption was manageable.

Spell scrolls, however, were different.

They required only a small amount of mana to fully release a spell, and the power of the spell was fixed, depending on the skill of the scroll's creator.

In simpler terms, spell scrolls were like one-time-use items, an otherworldly version of a rocket launcher!

With these two scrolls, Matthew had secured another layer of combat strength.

But this time, Matthew didn't immediately use them against the charging aberrant murlocs; instead, he let them draw closer.

He could see the crimson eyes of the aberrant murlocs, their distorted, multiple arms, the red tendrils emerging from their wounds, their nearly vanished scales, and their bestial crawling posture.

There was no doubt these aberrant murlocs were heavily corrupted, to the point they no longer even resembled murlocs.

They howled as they crossed the muddy pools, surging like a bloody tide, driven by a thirst for blood.

Leon, behind his shield, was nervous, but Old John guided him:

"Don't push the shield outward. Tilt it and brace it inward, letting the impact transfer through the support pole to the ground."

"There's nothing to fear from these aberrant murlocs—they have weak attacks, lack strength, and are slow. If they pile up, they're just delivering loot to us..."