A flat barren plane was a disadvantage, considering that the Hollows were moving in a group. There was no vantage point for Luciel to examine closely, and he risked being surrounded on all sides.
No cover. No vantage. Nowhere to retreat if things went south. If there were one or two Hollows, he would've gone for it immediately.
But he counted seven of them, and one bigger than the rest, possibly a Stratum Two.
He counted on his brilliant eyesight to scrutinize them from afar. After a thorough examination, he concluded, "Skulkers. Didn't expect to hit the jackpot right away."
Skulkers might look intimidating due to their large frames and long multi-jointed arms, but they had low intelligence and full of weak points. Still, even one Skulker could easily crush an ordinary man, so he shouldn't underestimate them.
What Luciel thought of, however, was how much the chitin fragments could sell for. These materials were decent in mass-producing weapons and armor, so chitin was always a product in high-demand.
Anyway, the Skulkers weren't moving in formation, yet. Normally, they'd hunt in packs, but because there was no prey, they wandered around aimlessly.
They twitched abnormally and scuttled in uneven bursts, long sharp talons scraping the cracked surface, producing a grinding and chilling sound.
Luciel saw another two wandering in wide arcs, their heads moving in a spasmodic manner, jerking side to side.
The bigger Skulker—let's call it the Alpha—stood apart. Taller, larger, its chitin armor shone faintly under the moonlight. Its movements were calmer and more deliberate, less spasms and twitching.
Luciel watched the surroundings and saw a huge warped steel beam near the Skulkers. He approached it carefully, taking light steps as to not make a sound.
Arriving behind the steel beam, a nauseating whiff attacked his nose. He crouched down and steadied his breathing.
'These guys seriously need to take a shower. Do all Hollows smell this bad?' he sulked.
Now that he'd secured a good spot, he wanted to take a last look before springing into action. He then noticed a critical point that he could've overlooked—they had no eyes, only a thin mouth slit across their faces.
He had heard somewhere that Skulkers were sensitive to fire, but he didn't know which aspect of fire they were drawn to. Now he understood that it was the warmth, or rather, the heat that came from it.
The plan had consolidated in his mind after the final check. Just one thing though.
He quietly put his hand in his pocket and pulled out an object. Its surface refracted the moonlight, shining in the dark sky.
'Look at this beauty.'
It was an old dagger he'd found inside the drug store a few days ago. He wasn't a fool to embark on this endeavor without a weapon. Considering the only method Luciel could kill a Skulker was to drive the dagger into its black-veined chitin armor, he'd say he had prepared well.
Luciel tested his grip, flexing his fingers around the dagger's hilt.
Then, with a steady breath, he brought the dagger forward.
'Let's see how you like the heat.'
He imbued the dagger's surface with his scarlet flame—small at first, no larger than a used-up lighter. Even though it looked easy, Luciel had to be in full control of the flame.
Holding the flame with his hands was normal, but transferring to an object he held was a different story. The moment he found the dagger, he instinctively practiced immediately, and it bore fruit.
The warmth bled into his skin and into the dagger, but more importantly, into the air.
The reaction was almost immediate.
Several Skulkers felt a change in temperature around the steel beam and snapped their heads towards it, mouths twitching repulsively in clicking spasms. Their long limbs vibrated, talons scraping the ground with faster pace.
'It worked.' Luciel danced inwardly.
Money was coming his way, how could he not be happy?
But not all of them had reacted at once. He ensured that only the ones on the outer edge could notice.
Two had already been moving towards the steel beam. As the clicking sound came closer and closer, the flame was doused, leaving the two Skulkers confused.
They twitched their heads around dazedly before turning their backs against the steel beam.
Little did they know, Luciel was already behind them with his dagger low, steps silent. The hunt had finally begun.
The Skulker's back loomed before him. Standing three meters tall, its head still twitching, talons idly drawing lines in the dirt.
'Calm down. Target the back of the neck where the plates shift as they breathe.'
One slow inhale, he readjusted his grip, saw the plates shift, and then moved.
A seamless jump followed by a single fluid thrust—no hesitation. The fast blade drilled through the chitin and found the soft tissue beneath.
Flame sparked at the tip of the blade to ensure its tissue was burned.
The Skulker spasmed once. No screech nor twitch—just stone cold as a statue.
The other Skulker felt something amiss as it turned towards its colleague, but Luciel gave it no chance.
He fired off a small flame in the opposite direction, causing the Skulker to immediately jerk its head the other way.
Not missing this chance, he sprang off the ground towards the Skulker and pierced the dagger into the back of its throat, another spark danced on the blade's tip.
It also spasmed once before powering off completely.
He pulled the dagger out and retreated behind the steel beam, declaring, 'Two down. Money.'
Luciel stabilized his breath before calculating his next move. The hunt wasn't over yet, but the stakes were increasing.
He could theoretically do this method again, but with the two dead Skulkers guarding the steel beam, the other Skulkers would be on high alert if they decided to approach here.
He couldn't relocate the bodies because Skulkers were heavy, and even if he had the strength to move them, the sound would announce his presence to the remaining Skulkers immediately.
Now he could either risk repeating the method or relocate to another vantage point.
'But do I really have to continue hunting?' he asked himself.
Two Skulkers could earn him some money already. Even if he were to kill the others, how would he transport all the materials back to the District without being noticed?
Right, one lesson he'd learned in the Outlands echoed in his mind: greed makes man blind and foolish, and makes him an easy prey for death.
He'd lived with this principle in mind, never biting more than he could chew. Sure, his ambitions were vast, but the progress had to be practical. Ambitions could never come to fruition if he were to fly too close to the sun.
He nodded quietly, acknowledging the indisputable truth as he readied to slip away—two kills was enough. He'd collect the bodies later.
But then he felt an erratic vibration, stronger than the two Skulkers combined.
It echoed through the ground, its tone heavy, somber, as if mourning for death.
Luciel's eyes narrowed.
'Crap. The Alpha's moving.'
What happened? How did it know to get over here? Questions ran rampant in his mind, and then he suddenly realized it.
'Did I overdo it with the confirmed kills? The heat was minimal, though.'
The lesson he thought of came back to bite his ass. Confirming kills with the flame was a safety precaution, but instead, it backfired tremendously.
He had even calculated how Skulkers' bodies were usually cold and even more so when dead. However, this guy was probably more sensitive to heat than its goons.
'Well, he's the Alpha, after all.'
If that were to be the case, it probably would notice him soon. Besides the flame Luciel produced, the human body could also produce heat. The Alpha would become the living thermal goggles in such close vicinity to him.
The Alpha's steps grew several times heavier. He could feel its presence weighing him down, but he hadn't been noticed yet, which was good.
Luciel needed all the time in the world.
'I need to divert its attention, but my flames are too weak to shoot long-distance.'
His eyes darted around, hurriedly searching for something throwable and heat-sensitive. Almost immediately, his eyes sparked.
A shard of debris, probably a scrap from the beam. A rough and rugged chunk but light enough to throw.
Slowly, he reached out for the shard and held it in his palm. A faint flicker of scarlet flame danced inside the knuckle cage.
Luciel held it for two seconds, three—then snuffed the flame. The chunk now radiated faint but noticeable warmth.
He immediately cocked his arm back.
'As far as possible.'
With a decisive flick, the shard flew in a low arc. It clattered across the cracked dirt ground some twenty-five meters away.
'Oh, not bad. Stronger than I thought.'
The Alpha's head titled toward the sound instantly. Its jaw clicked irregularly.
It stopped for a few seconds as if deliberating whether to go check it out or not.
'Smarter than I thought, huh.'
Then—with a low, jarring crackle—it began dragging its elongated limbs.
Its march towards the bait was incredibly slow, but that somehow amplified its scary stature.
Luciel exhaled silently, but he didn't relax.
Now was the time to make a choice. Either slip away immediately, or strike while the iron was hot.
Who was he kidding? If he were to slip away, that would mean immediate death. Skulkers were known to be surprisingly agile despite their huge frames. Outrunning them was impossible.
That left Luciel no choice.
Luciel escaped the shadow of the steel beam and approached the Alpha stealthily. His fingers wrapped around the dagger's hilt.
The Alpha was two meters taller than normal Skulkers, so jumping was out of the equation. He had to aim for its exposed spine.
All he needed was one clean strike.
'Now.'
He lunged lightning quick—dagger thrusting forward like a battle ram.
The blade met chitin with a sharp crack. Fragments of its armor started falling, and Luciel almost smiled in victory.
But it moved. It really moved. He felt it.
He looked at the damage again only to see a thin gouge, not the killing blow he'd wished for.
Its body convulsed, its slit mouth flaring wide with a primordial, earsplitting shriek.
Luciel's mind went blank for a moment. He was grandly exposed.
'Well, so much for clean and quiet. Good job, you.'
The real fight for his life was on now.