The inky purple stain of the portal shimmered. Three forms, the swirling spaded tail of Azoria tattooed on the backs of their right hands, appeared on the stone base. The stinking muck of the ancient library surrounded them.

A tall man in a worn boonie hat stood with hands in his pockets. Crocodile teeth lined the broad brim. A crumpled cigarette stuck between peeling lips. A chain necklace over his worn brown short kept a collection of ranger badges. A leather sheath decorated his right hip. An old guitar was strapped to his back. Torn jeans hung over his lanky body; they covered half the thick steel-toe military boots that made him seem taller. Dark stubble clung to his chin in patches. Lips opened; misaligned yellow teeth ground the filter. [Zak Murdoch.]

A lanky young woman with reddish-orange hair and matching freckles across her cheeks spawned next to him. The top of her head barely reached his shoulders. Teal cargo shorts and tan bush shirt complimented brown work books. Heavy stockings reached into the wide shorts. Her pupils widened to embrace the dim lighting. Nose wrinkled before resting. A tripod hung from her bulging backpack and a camera from her neck. Glossy pink lips opened at the sights of the cavern. [Shelly Princess Forensica.]

To the left, a short, thin, yet muscular man in reddish shorts and matching sleeveless shirt spawned. His salt and pepper hair curled tightly on wizened head. Dark eyes adjusted, then narrowed. Thick lips pressed as his nose wrinkled. A forest camouflage pack burdened his back. A blade rested in a black leather sheath at his left hip. [Mandawuy.]

Zak took a wide step. He walked with his hands in his pockets. His boots pushed aside the runny ankle-high muck with a heavy splish splosh. It seeped into his boots. Mandawuy surveyed the stalagmites while Zak stared blankly ahead.

Shelly’s knees knocked together for a moment as she clasped her fingers in front of her chest and trembled. Boots lifted from the platform as hands raised. She splashed, then put her arms out and ran; her body tilted while twirling and zig-zagging until she caught up. Then she stopped. Camera lifted. Cave surveyed. The others kept moving. She blinked. Shoulders shrugged. Camera dropped to her chest. She ran a twirling run back to the men.

They kept walking. Zak moved with a single focus. Mandawuy stayed closed and surveyed the terrain. Shelly stopped to take pictures of the glowing mushrooms. Her digital camera lit with a flash. She ran a twirling run to Zak’s side only to pause again with her camera between her palms.

A white speck thumped in the distance. A high pitch whine tingled Mandawuy’s ears. Focus shifted ahead to match his partner as they strode forward with a single focus. The beast approached. They approached the beast. The white speck grew into a fat puffy mite pushing its spliney legs out of the soup, one at a time, in no great hurry. The moans bellowed louder. It faced them with no face.

Two broad incisors the same pearly translucent white as the rest of ghostly body clicked, dug, sucked, and pulled at the abundance of juices over the cavern floor. Sharpness gnashed like grinding blades. The great abundance of tubes bulged upwards. They curved around each other, slid downward, and plunged into the sauce. One caught a slimy wriggling catfish with long whiskers. Teeth gnashed the creature through a shredder. Chunky remains curled through the long tube until they dumped into the stomachs.

The party continued to approach. Shelly jumped up and down to splash the muck on Zak’s jeans. Her hands went straight to her camera as she chittered. Zak continued straight ahead with broad strolling steps. The beast continued straight, barely pulling itself forward on six stubby legs lined with bristles.

When the creature was only meters away, it towered over them. Yet it moved forward. Several tubes clicked with sharp toothy maws as they contracted towards its back. A moan blasted from behind its incisors. A discordant resonance joined from the toothy pipes. The party winced.

Yet the giant mite had no interest. Plenty of space and time existed to step aside. [Bite-Bite-Mite.]

Until it saw Zak. A shimmering red gleamed from a beady eye the size of pea. Hatred focused on the tall man.

Ever so slightly, Zak smiled. Shelly lifted her camera and kept it ready. Mandawuy braced the back of his blade against his palm as his legs shifted with knees bent slightly. Zak put out a hand to Mandawuy. A dull red stick of dynamite with a short fuse landed in his palm. The stick pushed down into the left pocket of his jeans. Calloused hands pushed against his back for nice loud crack. He charged forward.

Skill Description Boot To The Face Novice 01

A boot to the face. Can only be used when wearing boots. Can only be used twice a day. The attack has a fifty percent chance to knock out the victim if it lands on the head.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Kick it in the face! A soaked boat slammed full force into the top crack of milky incisors. That ear splitting wail issued as Zak caught purchase and climbed on the creature’s stubby head. A long knife slid out and plunged into a stubby neck. Softer flesh let the blade plunge in. Zak gave it a right good twist and pulled to create a deep gash. A putrid acidic scent blasted upward with a hiss.

Several necks extended, curved, twirled, gnashed their triangular teeth as they plunged towards Zak’s back. The knife came free, but the toothy tubes flew.

Shelly raised her head slightly, centered the camera on the twitching incisors of the beast. It froze. The tubes froze. Not a single movement. Not a single cry. No teeth gnashed.

Skill Description Camera Pose Apprentice 41:

Any subject of your photos must freeze for one second. If the subject is a beast, they must freeze for two seconds. If the subject is a plant they must freeze for three seconds. If the subject is inanimate, they must freeze for four seconds.

The beast didn’t smile for the camera. A flash lit the stubby head protruding from the rotund body. The tubular feeding extensions varied in thickness; some thick as a python while others no thicker than his sheila’s arm. He took a few strides to climb up the beast’s body. The still tubes served as branches even after they quickly returned to confused flailing motion.

Boots found easy purchase in cracks between chitinous plates. The under structure felt quite springy. He used it like a trampoline. Hand slapped against thickest shaft as fingers dug into the flesh to stabilize. His knife chopped into the base. The second chop slid through the flesh. The severed tube slid limply as a putrid stench blasted. The wound squelched shut to stop the flow of acidic air.

Tubes twirled at him. He grabbed one and squeezed to hard it crumpled. With a good hard kick, the other swung awkwardly to tangle into one behind it. He chopped at the extensions as if they were underbrush until he clung to the thickest. The blade slammed through the python sized tube. It clicked against small teeth that lined the inside. Another chorus of moans of whistles followed. Five tubes curled in C shapes as they bared their teeth. Murky water dripped before they froze.

They froze. Zak slashed. One after the other the beast lost feeding tubes. They slid limply into the pool where they floated like discarded logs. Slowly, they expanded their full length as they filled before sinking. A slender tube clattered its teeth. It flailed as he squeezed it with such force it crumpled in his hand. The tube battered its own body as Zak broke into grin.

A whining roar bellowed through the caverns. Stubby, chitinous legs tensed to lift the mite’s torso upward. Backwash dripped off pale chitin plates as it bucked.

Mandawuy concentrated. Wet mud in the shape of a hand pushed from the water. Fingers wrapped a leg. Instead of charging forward, the mite spun in circles.

Skill Description Clay Hands Novice 01

A clay hand springs from the ground to grapple an opponent. You can only summon one at a time. The hand will hold up to 100kg for 10 minutes and lose one minute past every additional 100kg.

The hand crumbled in four seconds. Mandawuy summoned another as the beast froze in place. Zak spun atop the mite’s back to maintain his balance with a hold of the tube he hadn’t severed. His feet went up as the creature thrashed. It jumped, froze in mid-air, and fell stiffly. Two seconds. The mite stood yet listed to the side. A series of clicks followed a high moan.

The knife sliced the final tube before he kicked it over the side. The body of the mite proved an easy slide to get down. Once on the ground, he twisted and gave it a good kick. A muddy hand grabbed the back leg and pulled. The mite slipped to its side. It thrashed because its belly was exposed. The knife twirled before pushing into the underbelly.

Skill Description Now That’s A Knife Novice 01

A high damage slicing attack. Must be a swipe across the chest or abdomen. Always lands as a critical hit against beasts. Can be used once a day.

The long blade slid through flesh. A trail of bladders and sticky entrails slapped out into a pile. The beast went limp with a long slow gurgling.

[Attained: Now That’s A Knife Novice 02]

Zak tipped his hat as his sheila jumped up and down. Mandawuy went back to scanning the cavern. A big, bloated, shaft pressed his boot. The crumpled cigarette slid from under his tongue before he clenched the filter between his front teeth. Hand thrust into the murk and pulled up the python fat tube. Palm slid along until it reached the outer ring of glistening triangular teeth. A swift hack separated the mouth, which he pushed out into a toothy crown that he stretched pushed around his hat.

Good enough for now.

The blade slid back in its home. A leather string snapped to hold it. Hands slid in his pockets. Zak took a long casual stride. Shelly ran to catch up. Mandawuy held a hand toward him. The stick of dynamite returned to him as they walked.

Forward mates.