The turtle didn’t even twitch as I landed on its back, but as soon as my glowing knife tip dug into its shell it started jerking back and forth to dislodge me. I felt like I was riding a carnival game as I used my spear to keep my balance.
Time slowed down, as I dashed forward, drawing a thick line down the center of the Snapper’s shell, cracking it open. A scream rippled from beneath me as the turtle jolted forward several feet. I lost my footing on the smooth surface and went flying. My fingers tightened around my spear, to not lose it in the air.
I didn’t have time to react as I crashed onto the wet sand near the edge of the lake, getting some of the grit in my mouth. The turtle's mouth snapped in my direction, and I rolled across the sand toward the water, dodging the attack. More sand went flying and I dropped my spear as I moved out of reach. Jumping to my feet as soon as I cleared the beak, I spotted my spear several feet back. I spat out sand, but the gritty texture stayed with me.
Now that I was out of range, the fight kept going without me.
On the turtle's back, Dengu dug into the crack with its taloned feet, yanking part of the shell up. The head and limbs vanished into the shell as the turtle screamed in pain. The sound echoed across the water, and almost made me cover my ears. Hammy slammed a fist onto the creature’s back near the hole Dengu had created, cracks spidering out from the impact. Three arrows blazed through the air, targeting the opening. Each landed with a sizzle.
A soft green light rose from the gap where the Snapper’s head stuck out from inside the shell. The hair rose on the back of my neck, and everything inside me screamed to hide.
“Guys!” My yell got lost in the sound of battle as the thin black lines on the shell pierced upward, like a hedgehog. Dengu moaned as several speared into his legs, blood dripping down the thin needles. Amazingly, they missed Hammy, who dodged back two feet faster than I would have thought possible, given his bulky armor.
Two glowing green eyes blinked open from the hole near me. They stared at me as I stood near the water, trying to figure out the best path to my spear. The needles near the front of the creature’s shell twitched, and green light coated each one. Suddenly, they pointed in my direction and I dove into the water seconds before they fired.
The warm water slowed down the projectiles as I dove deeper. Several needles, each about a foot long, lit up the area around me. Pain lanced up my leg as one of them sliced into my calf and out the other side. The green light faded around me.
The clear water churned dark as I swam away from the shore. Every movement of my leg caught the stuck needle, not to mention tension from the water resistance. My fingers wrapped around the needle and yanked it into my inventory. I frantically swam to the surface to reach air as my lungs burned. My calf ached when I used it, but I needed to see what was happening.
Hammy whaled on the turtle with his metal mittens, but Dengu and Lenna were nowhere to be seen. The turtle slowly turned, trying to get its beak near Hammy, but he kept moving in a circle. Another round of glowing needles flew through the air into the ferns. The dance with Hammy continued, as the turtle took two steps and he did the same. Whenever he had a chance, he swung his fists. Chunks of shell flew into the air with each impact.
I swam toward the shore until my feet reached the bottom, then I staggered out of the water. Water in the jungle was never safe, and I rushed to get away from the edge. I knew better, yet the needles freaked me out.
Sunlight hit my crystal spear and I dodged the turtle's tail as I raced in that direction. I grinned as my fingers wrapped around my spear, ready for action once more.
Shell pieces rained down near Hammy. Then, he struck a shellless area and a crunching sound took over.
The turtle's tail flailed about near me at the impact, but I stayed away from the limb. I funneled energy into my spear tip, then lunged forward with a leap, using my great jump ability. My spear tip hit first, sinking deep into the side of of the Snapper’s body. A high pitched whine vibrated the shell and the sand, making ripples across the water before its legs collapsed. My ears rang, and my eyes watered until the sound cut off.
[You have gained experience from combat against the Greater Armored Snapper.]
Hammy caught sight of me and smirked, his face covered in turtle bits as he moved around the turtle.
“We did it,” he yelled, fists pumping into the air.
“Shhhh - you don’t want anything to jump us,” I replied, but he started dancing around in a circle. My ears hurt for a moment, but it faded quickly, unlike the water soaking my clothes.
I yanked my spear back, wondering how to find the heart in this type of creature. The last two greater creatures had given me fantastic abilities, and I wasn’t going to miss out on this one.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Where are Lenna and Dengu?” I asked, jumping onto a section of the shell still intact near the center shell. I’d start cutting to see what I could find
“Uh…” The question shut Hammy up as he marched slowly toward the ferns. The light coming from the crystals on his back dimmed with each step. Already, they were reduced significantly from when we’d set out from Lenna’s safe camp.
I cut a large square into the shell and yanked the hardened material up. It easily came free, which was strange. The material went into my inventory. Turtles' shells were literally their bones, and if this was a turtle, the shell should be attached to its insides. Instead, underneath the shell appeared to be the actual body of the creature. I carefully cut into the large surface before finding what I assumed to be its skeletal structure.
“They are good eating,” said Lenna, from down below. Dengu stood next to her, but his head hung low and his tail rested on the ground. He panted weirdly, almost wheezing.
“Is he okay?”
“He needs to eat and rest, but we should harvest what we can before others come for a meal.”
I nodded and cut a hunk of meat, then tossed it toward the Raptor. His head snapped forward, catching the meat before setting it down near his feet and tearing into it. He swallowed chunks whole.
I needed to eat as well, and my stomach growled in protest, but my leg wasn’t in as bad a shape as I’d worried. The only injury was a small hole, compared to Dengu who looked rough.
Lenna whispered to Dengu, “See, she is a friend.”
I smirked to myself and got back to work. It didn’t take long to stash several large hunks into my inventory and find the ribs. From there, finding the heart wasn’t hard. It went into my inventory without even pulling it out of the carcass.
The sound of water lapping against the rocks drew my attention away from the feast. Lenna worked near the hole Dengu had created in its shell, but everything she cut up she tossed to him. Small dark shapes moved under the water in this direction. They were still some distance away, but were closing fast. “What are those?” I asked. I couldn’t get Insight to work without a clear view.
Lenna jumped up next to me, higher on the remains of the shell, to get a better look. “We need to move, those are smaller turtles without shells. Fast, lots of teeth.” She leaped to the sand and motioned for Dengu to head to the trees. “Ham, you need to suit back up. Fast.”
I glanced over my shoulder to find Hammy out of his metal suit, sitting on a rock near the waterfall. The armor rested in a patch of sunlight near the tree line. The crystals running down the spine glowed a little brighter than before. He raced toward the suit, slower than I’d have liked.
One last piece of meat went into my inventory before I leaped at the tree line. My jump took me to the ferns separating the trees from the sand.
Hammy stared at me with his eyes wide as he slid into the standing suit and latched something under his arm.
Lenna crouched near the ferns, her bow in one hand, with an arrow already notched. “Move it, Ham.”
Another load latch clicked, then he quickly vanished behind a bush and Lenna followed.
Triggering stealth, I waited near the edge to see what these definitely-not-turtles were.
Giant tadpoles the size of shopping carts with four stubby legs crawled out of the water and across the sand. They moved fast on the tricky surface. Mouths opened wide, showing off rows of sharp teeth. They didn’t pay attention to me at all as they launched themselves at the carcass, cutting through the armor within seconds. Gnawing sounds filled the air.
[Snapping Tadpole, Level 10, Pack Animal, Prey, Potentially Tasty.]
The number of tadpoles increased each second as more climbed out of the water. I backed away slowly, only turning once enough ferns were between me and the hoard of creatures. It didn’t take long to spot Lenna and Hammy in the distance, looking in the direction of the lake. I waited until I arrived nearby before letting my stealth fall. Sounds of the Greater Snapper being torn apart reached us even this far away. A shiver went up my spine, thinking of that many creatures. Even with the low levels, you’d be surrounded in seconds. Part of me wondered how a tadpole became a turtle. Tadpoles became frog creatures.
Lenna gave me a nod and hiked back the way we’d come. This time, Hammy took the middle, moving slower than he had for the trip out here. From the back, I kept watch behind us. I also used the time to sneak the heart into my mouth one bite at a time. The flavor, while good, actually tasted kind of like meat. Sweet, almost like crab. Strange.
[You have devoured Greater Armored Snapper and gained the potential skill Defensive Shell. Defensive Shell generates armor around parts of your body, increasing your damage resistance. You have the maximum number of skills. Would you like to merge Defensive Shell into Improved Body- II?]
I expected the notification, yet, I’d been hoping for something closer to the needle attack than a defensive skill. The needle sat in my inventory, and I couldn’t wait to get a closer look at it. Improved body made me stronger and tougher, plus it was what gave me the ability to eat things and speed up my healing. Adding additional defense to the passive skill seemed like a no-brainer. I accepted the merge.
[You have merged Defensive Shell into Improved Body - II, you have created the skill: Adaptive Body - I. Adaptive Body - I: Your body is improved from head to toe, needing less water and rest. You automatically heal poison and venom. Whatever you devour provides energy and speeds up the healing of any injuries or fatigue. When threatened you can create armored areas providing increased resistance to damage.]
I twisted my fingers into a fist and tried to will the armor to appear. Nothing happened. I reread the skill, zeroing in on the ‘when threatened’ language. That hadn’t been part of the original skill, though that was the risk of merging skills from my limited experience. While you might get something amazing, it wasn’t perfect.
Testing something out in combat didn’t excite me, but I’d figure something out. It was done now in any case, and I wasn’t exactly going to replace my core skill just because the armor wasn’t what I’d hoped for. The afternoon light slowly dimmed as we made our way back to the camp.