"Get down!" Blue yelled as she spun around, tossing one of the Scavenger Bugfish back into the water. It went right over Lorna's head as she ducked to avoid the incoming 'projectile.' Following that up, she triggered the cloud on top of the water to start bringing down lightning. They were using the water as a way to damage the monsters all at once. Doing so allowed them to hit the creatures as they were jumping out of the water.
Rayna jumped to the side, evading one of the monster's claws before kicking it backward. She was used to the spiders or the moles in the Wailing Valley, but, unfortunately, these monsters were sturdier. The kick barely did anything, and it just turned to Rayna and opened its face, revealing the spiral-like teeth going down its gullet. The feelers jumped towards her, but Grom intervened to cut them before they reached the dwarf.
Suddenly, another Bugfish came out of the water, but that one was different. It had eight limbs that were being used as legs, even if their ends all looked like hands, and another set of three arms coming from the top of its form. Beneath itself, there was the thin part of its body like the waist of the Scavenger Bugfish. However, unlike the other variation, this was the monster's head.
"What the fuck is that?" Farica yelled as she sent off five fire arrows at the monster.
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Hunter Bugfish - Level 26
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"It's a Hunter Bugfish. Use your Observe," Bert waved his hand, and five crystals appeared in front of him. Each side of the crystal started glowing and fired beams of light in the monster's direction. The mage twisted his hand, and the light became thinner and more concentrated. That hurt it somewhat, and the monster turned to Bert only to be intercepted by Lorna and Mylo.
"Are we sure we can't just leave and come back later? Maybe the monsters will be gone by then," Callena yelled.
"We don't know how long it will take for Hera and the others to come out of the dungeon. What if they are swarmed by these monsters?" Blue yelled as a pair of giant cloud hands appeared, and she grabbed the Hunter Bugfish, holding it down while the rest of the group piled in to kill the monster as another lightning bolt crashed into the water.
"Hey, Alex, what do you think about making it higher here? We can already start to make something that would fit an actual field instead of just putting the dirt around," Hera looked over the hill that one of the golems was making. If it was going to follow the same pattern as the others, it would first unload all the dirt it needed and then start spreading it around, almost like turning dough into a Pizza.
"That's a cool idea. Do you know how to make a proper like, field?" Alex asked.
"I think so. But I'm honestly not 100% sure. How about you, Chiton?" Hera turned to the dwarf who had just arrived with another box of dirt.
"I… know… a … little…." Chiton was huffing, much more tired than either Alex or Hera.
"Okay, so how do we go about it? Give us a full detailed explanation, that way, we can do the best field possible," Alex smiled.
"Bite….me," Chiton huffed again before laying down on the ground to rest. When they arrived here, Hera and Alex agreed to pick the boxes of dirt since they were stronger. Still, after a couple of trips, Chiton started to tease them a bit too much, and as a punishment, he had to bring the last two boxes without using any spells, including the ones that would help carry all the dirt inside the boxes. In the end, that was too much for a mage, and the small climb from the boat was the worst exercise he ever did in his life.
"Actually. Now that I think about it, we should consider the size of the things we're going to plant. Chiton, why don't you go back to the boat to grab the seeds?" Hera turned to the mage.
"But… But.. I…" Chiton gasped in a panic, but Hera just chuckled.
"Relax, I'm just messing with you. Take a moment to rest. It's a beautiful day, after all. I'll go check the seeds," Hera glanced at the baby blue sky with a couple of white fluffy clouds here and there. The weather in this dungeon was amazing, not too hot or cold. It should be a great place for a picnic.
Blue was flung to the side when the third Hunter Bugfish intercepted her. They had already killed the first two, but this one was larger than the others. She was just trying to toss one of the Scavenger Bugfish back in the water before being hit by three of the monster's legs. Blue tumbled in the field, only stopping when her back hit one of the nearby trees. As another Bugfish came closer to her. However, this time Mylo intercepted it, sending it flying with his staff. They had been fighting for a while already, and everyone was starting to understand the strengths of those creatures, as well as how to defeat them.
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The weak spot was their waist, at least that was true for the Scavenger Bugfish, while the Hunter Bugfish was always very careful not to let people hit its head. It was probably due to the fact that it didn't seem to have any bones, almost like the head of an octopus. Having that knowledge changed the tide of the battle. Even if the number of monsters was never that large to begin with, they were giving the Royal Explorers some trouble. Rayna, Lorna, Alton, Blue, and Mylo got injured in the fight, forcing Hayath and Yerel to step in to heal them. Everyone else blasted the first group with strong spells, and now they were all very mindful of their mana consumption.
Bralac was to the side, making some barricades and barriers using the scales of the bodies to make some traps. He also supported and buffed the other fighters while ensuring there weren't any Bugfish approaching from the sides.
Farica and Callena started freezing the water in the ocean to stop the monsters from attacking, but that only slowed them down. The beasts could no longer come out of the water swinging. Instead, they had to use all their strength just to climb on top of the island, clawing their way through the hexagonal formations that rose from the water.
Hera, Alex, and Chiton were walking to the boat. They had already covered their entire area with soil, and now, it was time to check the seeds. Working like this was exhausting, but it also gave them a sense of accomplishment. They were seeing the island actually being built, and the terrain changed before their eyes. Not to mention that it was very interesting to watch the golems work. They were very methodical but also had unique ways of spreading the soil. One golem would walk backward while carrying the box and shaking its arms, almost like it was putting powder sugar on top of a dessert, while the other would be walking and stomping the dirt on the ground to make sure it was properly placed.
The boat was very unique. It looked like the engine car of an old locomotive, with a round cylinder in the front connected to a small house-like structure and a large area that would be used to carry things. However, there was no actual engine there. Looking over it, Hera managed to figure out that there was something underwater behind the boat that would propel it forward.
Just as they were getting closer to the makeshift docks, the same golem that greeted them when they arrived approached them, "Hello. Thank you for your help. Please pick 1 box of grass seeds, one box of fruit seeds, and one box of tree saplings to plant in your field. The three types you pick will be the types present on this island."
"Oh. There are multiple?" Hera asked and got an odd full-body nod as a response. Then again, its torso was its head, so it made some sense for the golem to reply like that.
They walked inside the boat and took a look at the seeds. The grass types were separated by various shades of green and blue, while the fruits seemed all to be the kind that would grow from bushes or from the ground. Pineapples, Watermelons, three types of berries, and even Tomatoes. After a brief discussion, they agreed to pick strawberries and the cyan grass, and then they looked into the trees. There were only three types to pick from orange, banana, or coconut.
"We are all thinking that what we choose here is going to change the reward we get, right?" Alex looked around and got a nod as a reply, "Okay, then I vote for banana. I don't know if you guys realize, but it's kind of hard to find bananas here."
"I don't think that's a good idea. I mean, sure, bananas could be good, but if those are wild bananas, we're kind of boned," Hera replied.
"Oh… right, I didn't think of that," Alex sighed, feeling defeated.
"Why is that an issue?" Chiton asked.
"The bananas we are used to eating are not natural. People made them be like that, without seeds. The wild bananas are filled with seeds. Like we can eat them, but it is a very different thing than what we are used to," Hera explained.
"Oh… So oranges? Coconut trees don't give that much shade, not to mention they kind of suck," Chiton suggested.
"Excuse you?" Alex gasped, and a discussion about what was better, oranges or coconut, started between the two.
"Just… Freaking… Die!" Blue had a Scavenger Bugfish on a choke hold while its mouth feelers tried to grab her face. A cloud fist kept hitting the monster repeatedly, despite her Herald's advice that the legacy wasn't made to deal physical damage that way. Even so, in a situation like this one, Blue didn't have any other ideas. They had already killed about 50 Bugfish, and everyone was running out of steam, but the same could be said of the monsters. When they started, they were all coming out of the same area, but after a number of the creatures died in their first few attempts, the Bugfish were smart enough to change tactics and jump into the island from different directions to come after their new prey.
Even with that change in behavior, the Royal Explorers managed to kill all of their attackers. The worst part was that the monsters weren't coming in hordes, but only a few at a time, causing the tension to build up even when nothing was happening. Keeping their guard up all the time was starting to take a toll on everyone's minds. While Blue still had the Bugfish on a choke hold, Grom came up to help her finish it off.
Blue let go of the body and turned to Grom, "Thanks," if that had happened earlier, she would have been upset about him stealing her kill, but now, as long as the monsters were dead, it didn't matter. She glanced to the side and saw another Bugfish getting closer, but it stopped and looked towards the ocean before running and jumping back into the water.
"What the…?" Yerel spoke the words that everyone was thinking. The monsters were running away, while at the same time, the ground started to rumble, creating waves in the water. In the distance, everyone could see one of the islands starting to sink. It took a few minutes, but eventually, the landmass was nowhere to be seen.
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A new island was created. For the next 7 days, the various Bugfish in the room will not search for food above water.
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"The fuck?" Blue gasped.
"What the hell just happened?" Farica looked around, but there was no answer to her question. They could only hope that they would eventually figure out why an island had just sunk while another was apparently created, and what that had to do with the Bugfish.