Sticky. That's what everyone felt like at the moment. Their clothes were damp from sweat, but at the same time they were also covered in dry sweat. A fine layer of salt covered their skin.
Nero was the only exception to this rule, mainly because every time he used his flames his body's temperature would automatically regulate itself. Even when he wasn't actively using his ability, keeping his aetheric pressure high somehow kept his body cool enough to avoid being drenched - though he did still sweat from time to time.
But more than anything else, it was just because he was used to such exertion, and more. Although hiking through a forest filled with dangerous and deadly threats was a tough gauntlet, somehow old Footer had managed to exhaust him even more.
So while everyone else was ready to give up for the day, he was still ready to continue on, despite doing much more work than everyone else.
"The rest of you will stay back. Watch from a distance and be ready to retreat at any time. Once my team has eliminated the target, we can judge whether it has any shelter we can use. If it doesn't, we'll just have to make do with creating our own shelter nearby. Its territory should be empty due to excessive hunting on its part, so we'll be relatively safe."
The group responded with half hearted answers. They were wrestling between their desire to just drop everything and go back, and the logical part of their brain which told them that such a thing wasn't possible.
His own group then, under Nero's lead, stepped forward. Henry did not go out for once, and instead began leading them as it tracked the lemurs trail. Charles, as always, stood the furthest back, right before Taylor who nervously held a card in her hand. Wendy was right behind Nero, her task being to ensure nothing bypassed them and attacked the last two members of their group.
Although they did their best not to make noise, and not attract any attention, Nero did not expect to take the lemur by surprise. That is why, when they crossed a particularly large bush and stumbled upon the sight of a massive lemur snoring amidst the remains of an animal that could no longer be identified, he was both pleasantly and unpleasantly surprised.
The surprise was pleasant because if it was asleep, they could probably make the first attack unimpeded. In fact, there was even a possibility of ending everything in one strike. At the same time, the surprise was unpleasant because the lemur was much larger than they had expected.
Lemurs, as far as Nero knew, grew to a maximum height of 0.7 metres (28 inches), and were classified as a small or medium animal. At least, that's what the book he read on animals said. But the lemur in front of him was easily 2 metres tall (6 feet 6 inches), and just as wide! A mix of muscle and fat made up its bloated body, and each of its limbs looked like a lethal weapon.
The dried blood that covered its entire body only added to that image.
Moreover, just the sight of it caused Nero to be buffeted by invisible curses. Although they were not strong, they were constantly trying to push through his aetheric pressure. In fact, Nero could see that Henry was already becoming pale, though he was not sure if that was due to fear or the influence of the curses.
He raised his hand and made a circling motion with his finger, indicating that they should spread out and encircle their target. He looked at Wendy and and with two fingers pointed towards the lemur, telling her to make the first strike.
While he could have taken the first stroke himself, and had utmost confidence in his own skill, there was one fundamental reason why Wendy getting the first hit would be more beneficial.
Her innate ability was similar to Taylors, in that it was augmentation. But instead of augmenting people, it only worked on items with a sharp edge. Her ability augmented the edge so that it became venomous, poisoning anyone it cut. She also had great control over the kind of venom that coated the edge, so that the effects could range from mild nausea to necrosis.
Whether the cut would result in mild irritation or death all depended on the kind of venom she chose, but also the strength of the target.
So, if she managed to land the first strike, even if it didn't kill the target immediately, it would poison it and weaken it greatly.
This was also the reason she used two different weapons. Both her short sword and blade were coated in different types of venoms, the lethality of which would multiply exponentially when both struck the same target.
She was, by far, one of the most dangerous Neophytes alive, because her ability didn't target weapons, but anything with an edge. That meant every nail on her body, every pin, every piece of paper, every card, and anything else she had on her could become a carrier of venom of great potency.
All she needed was to touch the item once to activate her ability, and the venom would stay until it was used up, or purposefully removed. It didn't even consume any aether on her part to stay.
So, after using Muted Self to ensure she made no sound and Masked Odour to eliminate smells, Nero and Wendy approached the sleeping lemur while the others surrounded it. Even with the support of cards muting him, Nero didn't even dare to breathe as he positioned himself and readied his spear.
He kept his mind in a completely focused state, keeping even his heartbeat completely steady. He dared not even stare at the lemur too intently, and instead focused his eyesight on the ground in front of it.
When everyone was in position, Wendy only gave a single nod. Then she struck. There was no wind up, no preparation or hesitation. With her short sword, she stabbed at the lemur's neck, intending to cut through it.
Surprisingly, nothing went wrong. The lemur did not suddenly wake up, nor did an invisible foe prevent them from attacking. But the moment the tip of her sword touched the lemur's neck, things began to change.
Nero didn't know how to describe it except to say that grey static appeared in the air around the lemur. The air and ground around the creature began to distort, and just the sight of the static cut through his aetheric pressure in his eyes, and caused them to start bleeding.
Nero immediately looked away, even as he stabbed his flaming spear forward, but the damage was already done. He could feel a curse taking hold over his eyeballs, slowly distorting his sight.
But though the static appeared, and caused heavy damage to any it touched or any who saw it, it did not prevent the swords from entering its body, nor the spearhead.
The lemur rolled sideways, managing to prevent its neck from being completely cut through, though black, gooey blood began to drip out of its neck. There was a gash in its stomach as well, though the flame did not manage to stick to its body as the static removed it.
But before the lemur could do anything else, a blur struck it, causing a devastating explosion that stopped it in its tracks. Its limb bent the wrong way and its body had ripped apart where it was struck, causing it to scream out.
Yet its voice was abnormal as well. Its voice was distortion itself, and it suddenly caused Wendy, who was closest to it, to drop to her knees and cover her ears. Nero, however, was unaffected and lunged with his flaming spear, aiming for its neck once more.
After the initial shock of the static, Nero covered his entire body in blue flames and looked at it again. This time, he managed to avoid getting cursed, though each moment he kept looking at the static he felt a massive drain on his aether. Cancelling out the effect of its voice only increased that drain.
Nero thrust forward but was caught by surprise by how viscous the static had become! Cutting through it felt like he was cutting through mud! Just as he was about to pull back, Nero felt a surge in strength, probably from Taylor's augmentation.
He heaved, pushing his spear through, and managed to cut into its neck once more. The lemur tried to scream again, but its' wind windpipe, and probably vocal chords, had been severed.
The lemur rolled backwards, only to once again be struck by Charles' ranged attack, resulting in an explosion. Some kind of green bolt of energy, probably the result of a spell, struck it as well. It seemed Henry was doing his part, or at least putting up a show of it.
Despite all of that, and having half its neck cut as well as Wendy's venom in its system, the lemur continued to struggle for a minute more. But it never got the chance to do anything more than scream and shout and roll.
The barrage of attacks completely overwhelmed the creature which was otherwise a very formidable foe. Once it finally fell limp, and the static around its body began to fade, Wendy dropped to the ground as well.
She let go of her swords and quickly began to search through her deck with shivering hands. She had suffered the worst of the static curse, and needed to purify herself immediately.