In that moment, Edge thought they were dead.
But the lizard’s tongue slammed into the opposite side of the enclosure, pulling away a heartbeat later. When the elastic appendage retracted, two of the mudpuppies were stuck to one side, bound by some manner of sticky fluid. The next time that its head appears, it’s coming for us.
A crystalline clarity came over him now that the decisive moment had arrived. Edge had one chance to turn this around. If he messed up or his plan fell through, he was going to have to break free using shadow step and leave Sasha to her fate.
He would fight for every second no matter what happened, but he wouldn’t live long past that point. Even if he managed to get away, he was dead certain that the padamas would catch him. It was too big to outrun, and its powers far outranked his own.
In short, if this didn’t work, they were both going to die. With no time left to second guess himself, Edge didn’t hesitate. His hand shot down to his new toolbelt, immensely glad that he had let Bee talk him into buying it. That he had practiced reaching for the various pockets until the motion was natural.
He flicked his thumb and opened the pouch that had his stink bomb inside. Then he pulled it out and got ready to throw, without looking away from the gaping hole in the roof.
Edge turned his body so that his arm was in position and waited for his target to appear. He could hear the beast chewing, pulverizing the mudpuppies between its jaws. The snap of shattering bones accompanied by a wet smack, followed by a hearty gulp. It’s coming back for us now. I hope that our skills confused it enough that it pokes its head inside.
On that note, he could hear its massive snout sniffing at the air, drawing closer and closer. Wait for it. Wait. The tension was unbearable, but he didn’t lose focus. Then a gigantic eye appeared, trying to locate the prey that the beast had trouble sensing, its mouth half open to taste the breeze. Now!
He twisted the top off the silver device and tossed it straight at the lizard’s head. Edge pinched his nostrils shut without looking away, his prayers riding beside the metallic bomb. Time seemed to slow down when the object took flight, as he waited to see if his story was over or had only just begun.
When the shell hit the padamas’s snout, it shattered, releasing a bright yellow liquid that rained to the ground. Its odor washed over him half a heartbeat later.
Even holding his nose, it was the worst thing that Edge had ever smelled. A foul, cloying scent like rotten eggs and sour milk but a hundred times stronger. He had to fight not to retch as he stared at the padamas looming above him, uncertain what would happen next.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The beast had been moments away from striking, jaws cracked open as it took a huge whiff. Trying to figure out why their scent had grown weaker. As a result, it got some of the fluid in its mouth, and even more stuck to the side of its head.
The effect was immediate. The lizard began gagging and whining, rubbing its face on the ground and fighting for breath. It cast its head around, trying one last time to find them before fleeing from the horrible stench. The instant that it did, the last mudpuppy made a break for it, disappearing into the grass in a flash.
It’s going to head for water to wash off the fluid before it does anything else. With any luck, its sense of smell will be impaired for a while. Hopefully, it won’t be able to track us before we make it back to town.
That was when Edge realized that his body was still wrapped around Sasha’s. That their faces were so close that their noses were touching. Their eyes met and she stepped away, cheeks flushed as she reached up to pinch her nostrils shut.
Sasha took a deep breath, which she must have been holding the whole time. Then she turned to him and said, “Holy shit. That was intense. The beast. That smell. All of it. That was quick thinking Edge, even if we’re going to reek for hours. Thank you. But where did you get that skill? You didn’t mention it before.”
Edge had been thinking about what he would say if he was forced to reveal another skill for days by this point, and he had an answer ready to go.
“I traded the Mortium I got for fighting the reavers for a skill gem. There is a lifecoin exchange in town, but please keep that info to yourself. I’ve been trying to keep the skill a secret, since Warren threatened me the other day. I don’t want to do anything else to attract his attention.”
It turned out that Trapper’s crew already knew about Lilly’s exchange.
“Given that insane bounty for unusual cores, I can see why he’s keeping an eye on anyone who’s been advancing faster than normal. I won’t tell anyone, but when you think it’s safe, you should let Trapper know about conceal. You can trust her, and that’s a fantastic skill for a hunter to have. It should make you even more attractive than you already are.”
She walked over and gave him a quick hug. “That’s twice you’ve saved my life now. I’ll have to find some way to thank you. Let’s get the fuck out of here. That thing is still out there.” They crawled out of the den and then ran for their lives, racing across the grasslands.
To their immense relief, they made it back to town without running into anything else that wanted to eat them. Better still, Edge hadn’t caught any sign that the giant lizard was headed their way. Although that didn’t mean much, considering the nature of its skills.
When they walked through the gate, they reported what had happened to the deputy on duty. He went darting off as fast as he could, letting the sheriff know that a giant stage-two predator had migrated onto the plains.
With that, Sasha and Edge bid each other farewell. He was eager to get cleaned up and decompress from his close brush with death.
Once he made it to the Pioneer, he let Sam know about the padamas, so that the man could start warning his customers and help spread the word. When Edge stepped into his room, he found a note under his door, informing him that his custom weapon was ready to be picked up at the Forge.
After taking a long shower and hanging his armor to air out by the open window, he decided to distract himself from the stressful encounter by checking out his brand-new polearm.