They’re coming now! Quick! Hide!

Hearing Tian’s warning, Ali curled up into a ball within his hiding spot. The air serpent informed him that the cult members were so focused on the corpses on the ground that they simply ran into the traps to their deaths. Unfortunately for the teenager, his prompt wasn’t updating with all the damage and kills. Therefore, he could only wait to see the aftermath or hear Tian describe the scene to him. From time to time, he would summon another trap to replace the one that was used up, relying on Tian to place it where it would be the most effective. He and Tian worked tirelessly to ensure that the cavern they were in was the safest location. Given the number of cult members entering the cavern and Ali's MP limitations, the number of active traps were dropping steadily over time.

I wonder how long it will take before there are no more cult members left. Feels like we must have killed over a hundred of them by now.

Ali had to change his poses to avoid any part of him falling asleep. Curling up in a ball was fine for a short period of time but, with no end in sight, he could only keep hiding until the coast was clear. The teenager would have repeated the process but he stopped when a terrifying aura suddenly presented itself.

What’s happening out there, Tian? Did you sense that?

I have bad news. The thing in the center is drawing energy from the cult member corpses. There are even cracks in the thing. The abomination inside is ready to come out.

Come out?

Risking it to satisfy his curiosity, Ali poked his head out to see the scene Tian had been describing. Even the surviving cult members had stopped paying heed to the traps as they stared up at the thing. Everyone was mesmerized by the hatching process which started slow with a few cracks and sped up as time went by. Before long, a large crack appeared on the face closest to Ali before an arm reached through the opening. The hand outside the egg began clawing at the shell until a bigger opening formed. Once the opening was big enough, the grotesque creature poked its head out and stared down at the cult members.

What is that thing? Surely, I must be having a nightmare.

A toad-like head? Dragon-like body and limbs? If I have to guess, I think that’s a toad dragon. They are known for releasing poisonous gas and eat just about anything…including those cult members.

As if on cue, the toad dragon shot out its tongue and snatched several cult members. Ali could hear the screams as the unfortunate individuals became the dragon’s food. The other cult members fled from the cavern upon seeing the scene, leaving just Ali and Tian alone in the cavern with the creature.

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What happens if that thing manages to escape here and reach Naeleph?

Toad dragons are said in legends to destroy entire cities. Those not eaten by the abomination usually die from the poison gas it produces. I think it’s a safe assumption to say that we don’t want that thing to escape here and reach the city.

I never asked to be the hero.

Having made enough complaints, Ali returned to setting up traps. He didn’t use his ability immediately because he wanted to wait to see where the toad dragon was heading. Ideally, he had the abomination’s path figured out and continued laying traps in its path. Even as he laid down the traps, the teenager wondered if he could even hurt the thing. He could be giving it a massage for all he knew. Still, he couldn’t give up as long as he could make a difference, however small that difference might be.

Keep your head down! The poisonous gas is getting close!

Ali did as he was told while he waited for updates on the creature. The toad dragon, after swallowing the cult members it caught, waited a full minute before it decided to leave its egg. As it took its first step into the traps below it, the abomination screamed loud enough to shake the entire cavern.

More gas coming! I’m going to help direct them away from you!

The teenager felt a small breeze blow past him and asked if the toad dragon was constantly releasing poisonous gas. The air serpent stated that there was a limit to how much the creature could release but, when threatened or injured, the abomination was known to release gas as a way of self-defense. As for what that limit was, no one knew for certain.

Injured? Are my traps working?

Maybe? The toad dragon does have big feet so it triggers multiple traps and each trap has numerous spikes.

If that’s the case, we have to keep up the pressure.

Understood!

Relying on the information relayed to him, Ali used his trap setup as soon as he had enough MP. He purposely grouped them together so the creature would step into a group of traps. Despite not having a chance to view the creature getting hurt, he still had the satisfaction of hearing it cry out in pain. Several minutes later, the toad dragon left the cavern and was walking through one of the tunnels. As soon as the poisonous gas dissipated, Ali joined Tian in the pursuit of the creature. As long as he stayed out of sight and Tian remained concealed, they wouldn’t attract the creature’s attention.

“How dare you turn on us, you abomination? We’ll teach you who you truly serve!”

The voice came from the other side of the tunnel so Ali asked Tian to investigate the matter. In the meantime, he would poke his head out enough to constantly cast traps. Through observation, he concluded that even one trap could inflict damage on the toad dragon, though he was certain the creature’s HP regen would easily heal up that damage.

I cannot give up on this fight just yet!