Chapter 202 - Meddling Beasts
Why is there another one?
He had heard a screech inside the tunnels, but he had blamed it on the spatial anomaly. In all of the reports he read, beasts always appeared alone. Did Seryne withhold information? Or was it the size of Kawei's ruins?
Croak!
The human-sized toad surveyed the scene with its protruding eyes, horizontal pupils looked unblinking in opposite directions. It swelled its lighter vocal sac and took a cheerful bounce. The ground shook under its glistening bluish body while the vegetation hissed and withered.
You’re right, Mr. Frog. The why doesn’t matter till we get rid of you.
The stone croc-lizard was around high yellow, while the fat toad was closer to the beginning of the grade. He hadn’t seen enough beasts of that level to judge more accurately.
Crouched beside the broken tower, the croc-lizard let out a low growl. It took advantage of the general shock to bolt at the nearest soldier. The man had his screams cut short beneath the fangs of the beast. Bones crunched and blood dripped down the brown scaly snout.
The disturbing sounds broke the lull and prompted the rage of his comrades. Before any of them could charge in retaliation, a spear-wielding man shouted to change their formation.
Deterred by the snapping jaws of the beast, the soldiers followed the command, retreating out of striking range. Blue and black uniforms were brought together in the emergency.
Run.
“We need to get away from the fighting,” Kai whispered and shook Valela’s shoulders to repay the earlier slap. “You were zoning out. We need to move. Lou, can you carry her?”
Hearing his name, the big boy woke up from his stupor. Fear painted his face, showing his fifteen years of age. “Hmm… yes.” He nodded and mechanically moved through the motions with a blank look.
Valela’s gaze darted all over the place in a frenzy. “I can walk.”
“Not fast enough. You’ll get us killed if you can’t run.”
The chunky toad showed no intention of joining the ongoing battle. A slimy mucus oozed from its purple warts, sizzling a trail of death in the vegetation. The acid might kill or cripple them before they used a potion, if his concoctions even worked. Dora’s vials in his ring might have a chance, but they weren’t made for this type of poison.
Such rotten luck. Guess I should be grateful we didn’t meet it in the tunnels.
The toad bounced closer. Kai wasn’t going to underestimate a yellow beast just because it looked dumb and clumsy. He suppressed the urge to run, creeping back to not attract the attention of the beast.
With Valela on Lou’s back, they retraced their steps towards the edge of the ruins, using the leafy shrubberies as a cover between the ivory towers.
A new squad of guards joined the fray from the camp. The officer in charge sent six men to keep the toad busy while the main group dealt with the main threat. Excluding the poor sods who had gotten eaten or maimed, they might just survive till more reinforcements arrived.
Croak!
Preening its slabbery frame, the toad inflated its throat and spit a purple blob at the coming attackers. The spit glowed with mana, crossing the distance like a bullet.
The squad dove to avoid the attack. The acid splashed in the middle of the group, showering them with purple droplets. Plants hissed and burned, but the sound was soon overpowered by pained screams.
A young guard held the melting skin of his face. He writhed on the ground crying in pain as his companions attempted to wash off the acid. The rest of the unit avoided the worst, some ripped off their sizzling clothes and took cover behind a pillar.
The fallen man stopped screaming, either dead or unconscious. Another guard in a blue uniform dragged him away from the battle, leaving only four people in military black. Two with yellow professions and only one with his race.
Croak!
Instead of pressing the attack, the toad turned and bounced towards the trio. Guided by chance or hunger, the beast would reach them in seconds. There was no point in stealth.
“Run!” Lou sprinted, Valela holding onto his shoulders.
Empower flooded his body, Kai dashed after them. They just needed to take time for the guards to catch up—
The whispers of Hallowed Intuition spiked. Mana Sense latched on to the bright skin-melting projectile flying towards them. Dodging would leave a straight path for Lou and Valela. They might avoid the main strike but not the aftermath.
Damn, Mr. Frog!
Kai cast a revolving water shield behind him. It was faster than using ice and it didn’t run the risk of shattering and sprinkling the acid around. The glob plunged into the bubble, twisting its shape. A solid shot would have pierced through, but the liquid glob messily dispersed its momentum.
He fed more mana into the shield to keep it from exploding in his face. His attempts at freezing the acid were hindered by the foreign mana. His head pounded with effort. Kai got the tinted liquid under control and sent it splashing back at its owner.
The fat toad was too committed to its charge to evade. It tanked the lethal mixture head-on. The acid splashed over its coarse hide with no effect besides an indignant croak. The wannabe prince frog bounced with renewed vigor towards the princess and her two squires.
You’re the one trying to kill me, asshole.
Lou and Valela were safely out of range, so Kai sprinted for his life. Blocking the acid had taken a chunk of mana. He wouldn't win a contest of endurance, and a frontal fight sounded even more ridiculous.
Where the fuck are those guards!
He didn’t have the breath to curse or look around. Another glob of acid was heading for him. With his friends out of the way and the whispers of warning, Kai ducked behind a tree and cast a layer of water to take care of the splashes.
The ground trembled, the toad was about three bounces away, bulldozing through the vegetation. He conjured a volley of icicles and scrambled to run. The bolts shattered against its thick hide, dealing no damage and making the toad madder.
Why don’t you go bully someone at your grade, you failed frog!
He could have really used Flynn’s Lightning affinity right now. Nature and Water couldn’t do enough damage without a long cast, let alone the elements he had no skill for. His sword might pierce the thick blue skin, but that would mean using the ring and going within striking range of the toad. He wasn’t that desperate yet.
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Hallowed Intuition solved his indecision, yelling at him to move. Kai didn’t question the command, he threw himself to the side. A dark projectile shot overhead splintering a tree and spraying acid in its wake.
Rotting ancestors, what was that?
He rolled on the ground, a veil of water over him. The strike wasn’t made of acid but of slabbery flesh. The toad slurped back its long tongue with a disappointed croak. Kai could smell the sweet stink of decay wafting from it.
I’m so fucked.
Mana pumped in his body to get him to the closest tower for cover. Jumping inside would leave him unable to dodge and possibly trapped. He was close to the area where they exited the ruins, the dense jungle a little further beyond. Spirits willing, that would slow down the beast.
The meaty toad tensed for a final bounce, at that distance not even Hallowed Intuition would save him from a strike. He wouldn’t make it in time. Mana linked his spatial closet and his sword. Exposing his secret was better than excruciating death. He had to be alive to suffer the consequences.
A streak of snowy brilliance sailed over his head with blinding mana. It centered on the voice sac of the toad, interrupting its jump. Frost crept over the blue skin and fought to cover the beast.
Valela stood alone thirty paces away, a bone-white wand glimmering in her hand. She chanted in a language of power to prepare for another attack.
The enraged toad flared its mana, the frozen skin cracked to push back the ice.
“… selrih’va neshse!” Valela finished her arcane spell. A jet of orange flames flew from the wand. The crackling fire splashed over one of the toad’s protruding eyes.
Why does she get to have fireballs? How’s that fair?
The beast wailed in pain, thrashing against a tree to extinguish the flame. Done with her second spell, Valela had the presence of mind to make herself scarce. The toad directed its fury at the only target available—him—, the dark tongue struck with lopsided aim.
He cast a water shield and sidestepped the attack. The oozing flesh barely slowed to pierce the bubble, but Kai wrapped the water around the stretched tongue and froze it. The added weight made it drop limply to the ground where vines and roots rose over the ice to lock it in place.
Fucking got you!
The toad made panicked gurgling sounds, trying to pull it back. Unable to spit properly, it sprinkled acid around him. Despite the ecological damage to the jungle underbrush, Kai easily fended off the stray droplets.
He summoned more Water and Nature mana to prolong the tug of war. The rubbery flesh rebuffed his ice blades and melted the roots. He just held on because the toad was unwilling to pull with its entire Strength and rip its tongue off.
You should have apologized when you had the chance, Mr. Frog. Bullies never end well.
Lou charged out of the dense shrubs. He wielded a longsword with both hands, metal brimming with a dark glow. He channeled his momentum into an overhead slash. The black blade cut two thirds of the tongue before stopping.
Murky blood poured from the wound, but Kai's relief was short-lived. “Take cover!”
Pushed beyond reason by the pain, the toad went berserk. Its mana churned and the purple warts on its back spewed out a purple mist that melted any plant life into sizzling puddles.
Lou tried to run back. His weapon got stuck in the flesh, delaying him an instant too long. The deadly tide washed over him.
Kai hastily summoned a clear mist to protect him. He grabbed Lou’s belt and yanked him back with the full might of Empower. The teen landed beside him, giving Kai the time to properly condense a water shield. He drenched them thoroughly, dragging them to cover.
Well, you can’t do that with fire or lightning.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Lou coughed and scrambled to get his feet under him to run. He looked deathly pale, steel sword rattling on the ground. “Just— Uh… Some superficial burns.” He sheathed the sword that almost cost him his life and poured a potion over the twisted red skin on his wrist. “Thanks for the help.”
“You’re welcome. It was nice of you to come back.”
“Yeah, I told Valela to let you die horribly for our sake, but she insisted.” Lou chuckled awkwardly. “Sorry… that was too soon.”
“No, it’s nice to see even rocks can grow some humor.”
“I should have let you get eaten,” Lou snorted.
“Too late, you'll regret it for the rest of your life.”
Half-blind and copiously bleeding, the toad thrashed through trees and slammed into a tower. Its croak turned into guttural wheezes of pain. The blackened tongue hung limp and useless from its mouth. It worked even better than severing it fully.
“Surround it!” A dozen soldiers ran out of trees, armed with bows and spears. All but one wore the uniform of the military. “Keep away from the acid mist and finish it from a safe distance.”
The man in charge approached them. “We got it handled,” he snorted. “Run to the forward base for rescue before you get yourself killed.”
Kai was too shocked to formulate a response. He was pretty sure it was the same yellow guy from the initial charge.
Did you stop to take a sandwich along the way?
The main team still fought with the croc-lizard at the center of the ruins. The gravely growls of the beast shook the leaves of the trees With the frenetic pace of battle, it might have been less than a minute from the toad’s first strike. Kai didn’t believe for a second that it was a coincidence the military arrived right when Mr. Frog posed no threat.
Did they try to get us killed?
Nails dug in his clenched fist and blood pumped into his ears. Fury burned his mind, fueling the desire to shove the man into the acid mist. He could use a root to trip them to be more discreet. He didn’t care whether it was the bullshit infighting of the Republic, or a bunch of cowards scared to risk their lives after their comrade got melted. Someone would pay for this.
Lou dragged him away bodily. “Let’s go. We’re safe, it’s over.”
This is so not over.
He glared a hole through the fucker’s head and committed his cowardly face to memory as Lou carried him away bodily. Not only did they let them almost die, but they also stole the kill. He would be surprised if he got a chip for the carcass.
“I’m going to mur—”
Lou covered his mouth before he could finish his threat. “Don’t be a fool, they can hear you,” he whispered in his ear. “There is no point warning them to watch their backs. If it was intentional, I’ll take care of them.” The cold fury in Lou’s tone doused his flames. The teen might lack experience fighting doomed battles, but he had an iron hold on his temper.
Hmm… they do say revenge is better served cold.
They circled the ruins’ outer edge when Valela limped into sight. She stood near the tower they had escaped from, clutching a green vial in each hand. “Are you hurt anywhere? I’ve more than enough potions.”
“We’re fine, ma’am.” Lou hid his injured hand. “It’s nothing serious.”
Valela bit her lip, head down in shame. “I can’t explain how sorry I am. I know I almost got you killed. We should have run away immediately when we escaped the ruins.”
“You don’t need to apologize. No one could have predicted this would happen.”
Kai nodded. He would have gone to look anyway. “It’s not your fault.”
“Still, if there is anythin—”
Screeeeech!
A slender draconic figure perched on the window of the tower. Its pearly scales shimmered in the sun while its tail ended in a bleeding stump. Its slit blue eyes set on them with the unmistakable mana signature of a low yellow beast.
Nonono. This can’t be. Why are there three of them?
The wyrmling spread its two leathery wings, letting out another piercing screech. It dove towards them with lazy grace.
Kai burned his remaining Water mana to summon a wall of ice. The shield barely held under the first assault, large cracks forming over its surface.
The group scrambled to retreat, but there was no shelter or running from this flying beast. Even the useless soldiers were too far away to help. Lou grabbed on his longsword, stiffly forming his guard. Valela fiddled with her spatial satchel to retrieve her wand, chanting a spell that would take too long to complete.
Spirits, what a shit day!
There was no other choice. Kai pulled his enchanted crystal sword from his ring, getting ready for another confrontation. His elemental reserve was as good as empty, but he still had enough unattuned mana to fuel Empower. If the soldiers bothered to help, he might even survive the wounded lizard.
The wyrmling’s fangs breached the ice. It flicked its forked tongue to taste the air and probably their fear too. It leaped, jaws open in a hungry snarl. Only, it never reached them.
Its flight ended halfway. The beast hit the ground in two separate pieces missing a wing. Makyn, his faithful porter, stood between them with a bloodied sword. Moving in a blur, he stabbed his blade through the slitted eye and finished off the wyrmling.
He turned to regard them. “Are any of you hurt?”
Kai grinned. The spirits hadn’t forsaken him after all. “Have I ever told you how much I love your smiling face?”
“No.” His icy eyes fell on his sword. “Where did you get that blade?”