The cry of alarm sliced through my consciousness like a scalpel through flesh. Tallos' shout held with such primal urgency that my heart threatened to seize. The suddenness caught me completely off guard, as I had been about to drift off into sleep atop my padded bedroll. Throwing off my blankets and any lingering drowsiness, I summoned Frostrend into one hand and my pistol into the other. Leaping to my feet, I surveilled our base camp.
“Shit, they’re coming from all sides!” Stella cursed, causing another spike of panic to cut through my chest as my mind attempted to comprehend the unfolding situation.
Questions of how we had been surrounded without anyone noticing were quickly suppressed, I needed to know what we were dealing with. Worrying about how we were caught unawares would not help us right now.
With Stella’s observation in mind, I shouted commands to cover us from the multiple angles of approach. We would be spread thin, but being attacked on all sides required such a response. “Ripley, protect to the north,” I barked. “Lowki, cover the south. Tallos, cover the east side. I’ll handle to the west.”
Though I could only see Ripley dash off, she was the closest to me, I knew the team would branch out as directed. We couldn’t let even one enemy get through us since the only thing protecting Dutch and Jax were a few measly timbers penning them in. Even though they had combat training, we hadn’t known them long enough to see how they would respond, nor their capabilities at defending themselves. Worse, if they bolted, I wasn’t sure we would ever be able to find them in the dead of night or the expansive swampland around us.
“They’re humanoid crab monsters,” Stella communicated sharply. “Don’t let them get those pincers around you. They could cut you in half!”
Stella’s relatively plain description only partially covered the creature’s unique physiques. Each stood six to seven feet tall with a bulky exoskeleton protecting their broad upper torso. The chitinous shell and similarly armored body parts were a deep metallic blue allowing them to nearly blend in completely with the dead of night. Thankfully, my Dark Vision was up to the task and allowed me to easily spot them against the darkness behind them. The same would be true for everyone else.
Stella flouted a bit higher, spinning a circuit overhead, and quickly called out additional observations. Information was vitally important, even more so when caught flatfooted. “Three coming from the north, south, east, and west. Three more from the northwest heading for Dutch and Jax!”
We were in trouble. We were facing a band of monsters at least four times our own. With my initial order, Tallos, Lowki, and Ripley would each be facing three of the beasts on their own. I would be the hardest pressed with six to figure out how to deal with. Fear and doubt raged through me, attempting to overwhelm my thoughts. The damn things were monstrous, literally.
Standing upright on two powerful legs, the mobs appeared to be a wicked blend of a gorilla and an azure saltwater crab. Each had two dissimilar sets of arms, with one at the normal shoulder joint, with the other slightly smaller pair jutting from where the bottom of a human’s ribcage would be. The beast's upper arms were all bulging muscle ending with human-like hands. At the base of the creature’s torso, snapped two pincers appearing strong enough to cut through stone. While the beasts’ claws were dwarfed by the size of their hands, there was no way I wanted to get grappled by either. Their upper arms alone looked powerful enough to tear me limb from limb.
Though they moved sluggishly, wading through the deep mud and knee-high water, the giant crabs powered through almost effortlessly. Had they been able to move faster, we likely would have already been overrun. As it were, we had time to engage the creatures before they reached our elevated position. Somehow, even though they looked to weigh over five hundred pounds each, they weren’t sinking into the sludge of the muddy marshland.
Where a nose should have been, the crabs instead had gill-like openings that flared and closed at regular intervals. Instead of eyes, each beast had two comically short eye stalks ending with opaque black beads. I doubted they had vision worth a damn, so perhaps we could use it to our advantage.
Above their chitinous heads, two antennae twitched, bending forward slightly to point directly at where I stood. Where a mouth should have been, instead was a dozen twisting tentacles like that of an octopus. A strange garbled gurgle came from one of the approaching monsters and was answered by one to its side. I realized with horror they were speaking to each other! The three approaching from the west spread out slightly, stepping further apart to limit my ability to run. Alarm flooded me once more as the trio to their right shifted their attention to the horse pen behind me, and the vulnerable Dutch and Jax. A glance back showed neither was panicking yet but definitely appeared nervous at the sight of such terrifying foes. Dutch was stomping his front hooves, while Jax paced back and forth.
None of the creatures we faced bore weapons of any kind, other than their natural fists and sharp claws. Even without forged weapons, the beasts looked entirely capable of rending flesh. Their armored torso would undoubtedly put a knight’s steel breastplate to shame with how solid and thick it appeared to be. I was certain it would take an extremely powerful strike to have even a fool’s hope of breaking through those defenses. While they looked to have chitin protecting every major body’s part, the armor between them appeared thinner and more susceptible to attack.
“Aim for their joints!” I shouted, hoping it could help even our odds and the disadvantage we were facing. This early in the fight, we needed to pounce on any advantage we could.
Wanting to slow down the north-west group, I quick cast my gnawing blizzard spell as the colossal crabs marched closer. With the spell’s normal two second cast time cut in half, a ghostly whirlwind of ice shards appeared a moment later, just in front of the three advancing monstrosities. I had placed the spell in such a way as to maximize its area of effect in hindering their approach. As soon as the first sting of an ice crystal shattering across their carapaces, those three sets of eye stalks turned in my direction.
The triplets adjusted their course targeting me instead of our horses. It was exactly what I had been hoping for. Likely already having the aggro of the other three crabs to the west, I intoned pyroclastic funeral pyre, using quick cast once more, targeting the centermost crab. One second later, I was shocked when a System message appeared in my vision. Any message appearing in the heat of battle was almost never a good sign.
Notice! Your spell, Pyroclastic Funeral Pyre, has been largely resisted.
Notice! The detrimental area effect from Pyroclastic Funeral Pyre has been largely resisted by nearby enemies.
Cursing under my breath, I could only hope my spell’s AoE heal would still function properly with the crab’s resistance against the damaging volcanic gas swirling around the center crab. Still, even if the healing worked properly, there was no way I wanted to get close to feeling the restorative magic. Even with my newly upgraded empowered aegis, I felt no ambition to test its effectiveness against these massively powerful monsters. As I watched, a casual swing from one of the creature’s fists caused a nearby tree to shatter into splinters.
Taking a moment, I inspected the same beast who had mostly resisted my pyroclastic spell. Instead of reading the information line-by-line, I allowed the information to wash over my consciousness. With how close the monsters were, I didn’t have time to spare.
King Cobalt Brachyura (Level 21)
Little is known about these exceptionally dangerous ambush predators. Using the dead of night, most adventuring crews are swiftly eliminated with only an infrequent survivor lucky enough to manage an escape. More intelligent than their decapod cousins, King Cobalt’s thoroughly scout their targets before attacking with overwhelming numbers, though how this is accomplished is unknown as these monsters are never seen in daylight. When engaged, those few souls lucky enough to survive an ambush always described how even their weakest man, or stationary beast of burden, seemed to draw three of the massive enemies hell-bent on their destruction.
The King Cobalt’s chitinous shell is stronger than steel and functions as full plate armor for these impressive creatures. Only highly enchanted or substantially powerful attacks could hope to begin penetrating their defenses. The wary Hunter should look to defeat these foes using deadly magicks or with precise attacks aimed between these monsters’ armored plates.
Good luck, Hunter!
A hopeful thought crossed my mind after absorbing the information. We had fifteen total Cobalt crabs attacking, per Stella’s original count, not eighteen. Between myself, Tallos, Ripley, Lowki, and our two horses, we should have had three more crabs ambushing us. I believed I understood why, and a flitter of hope swirled in my gut. Like the dwarves far below the earth, Ripley’s undead state may just have caused her to be undetectable. Still, fifteen of the massive fiends seemed large enough to overpower us.
Unable to confirm my suspicion with six of the creatures bearing down on me, I dedicated myself to layering as many DoTs as I could on my charges. If I could keep enough distance, and considering their slow but steady pace, it should be enough for me to kite the entire group. Ranging between levels twenty and twenty-two, at least those around me, I had a chance. I intended to make them suffer. Weaving in chained lightning whenever I could, its hammering bolt of electricity twisting to connect with all six of the hateful crab-men, added to that suffering.
As I was far too preoccupied with slinging spell after spell, I couldn't see how accurate my assumption had been. Ripley, whose enchanted plate armor quickly proved far superior to even the natural armor of the King crabs, was making mincemeat out of the beasts. She was like a ghost dancing around the confused creatures. Ripley was no mindless minion and quickly discerned her opponents could not keep track of her position as she waded in and out of battle. Forgoing her often-used sword and shield combo, she had pulled her giant greatsword off her back and used it to deadly effect.
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Where antennae could hone easily on a living being, the creatures’ poor eyesight and inability to detect a trace of the towering skeleton, allowed Ripley to shine. Though a few instinctive swipes from the crab's claws did manage to strike her armor, most were either deflected outright or only caused a small dip in her substantial health pool. Of all the furious combat our group was facing, Ripley was having the best luck. She felled one of the massive creatures with a strong horizontal swing, tearing straight through the thinner armor protecting the beast’s neck with a loud crunch. The lifeless body toppled into the churning muck under its broad feet, sending a splash of water in all directions.
Lowki was faring the worst against our hardened foes. It was only thanks to his high mobility which kept from being pulverized when the Cobalt crustacean slammed a massive appendage either at him or his elusive displacement illusion close by. Whenever Lowki counter-attacked, his barbed quills, more often than not, ineffectually bounced off the monster’s armored exoskeletons. Attempting to overcome his disadvantage, Lowki did his best to aim between armored sections, hoping he would eventually be able to punch through.
Between great leaps and hasty dodges, Lowki landed a few quills into one of the creature’s necks as he soared past in a blur. A satisfied growl sounded from deep within his chest as his vicious poison finally entered the body of his troublesome foe. For all his agility and speed, being outnumbered three to one against semi-intelligent creatures, along with the mud and muck attempting to slow him down at every turn, he was still hit a few times as he bounded around. Thankfully, none were more than glancing blows, but it was only a time before something solidly connected.
Lowki’s limited success thus far was largely a result of his solidifying strike ability and his frantic flight around and between the frighteningly powerful creatures. Fortunately, more than a single opponent could be affected by the slowing properties of the solidifying strike. Lowki dedicated at the start of his fight to ensure all three king crabs had the semi-petrifying effects coursing through their bodies. Still, Lowki deduced the ability was not as effective against the crabs as he was used to, perhaps only half as beneficial as normal. He was working between the narrowest margins between landing poisonous quills and becoming a crushed hunting cat.
To the east, Tallos didn’t have the same luxury as Lowki with his increased mobility or hit-and-run tactics. On his end of the battlefield, the surrounding mire meant the ranger had little room to maneuver through the grasping muck. Thankfully, his minor snare spell made up most of the difference as two of his three opponents were practically immobilized with tangling roots and vines clinging around hulking legs. Their already slow march was largely turned into a standstill.
The duo of king crabs affected by the spell tried ineffectuality to free themselves with multiple downward slashes aimed at the offending roots. No matter what was broken or torn away, the power of the minor snare ensured more of the snatching vines swelled in those places. In effect, Tallos was only fighting a lone cobalt crab while the other two could barely take a single step forward. Tallos considered himself blessed to have his powerfully enchanted bow, otherwise most, if not all, of his shots, would have failed to penetrate even the lighter armored sections between the incredibly formidable cobalt carapace.
Recasting his snare spell every time it was off cool down, Tallos ensured he had enough room to kite the lone crab capable of making any headway. It would only be a matter of time before he inflicted enough damage to sunder the looming foe. Once he accomplished it, he could stand on the high ground our campsite afforded and pick his shots with impunity.
Struggling with my six opponents, I slowly worked through my spell list, layering DoT after DoT on each opponent. It would normally take me ten seconds to cast a full set on each monster if I wasn’t pressured, but having to duck swings while resisting the sucking grasp of the muck tugging at my feet was doubling that time. It was only my blizzard spell that really allowed me to keep as little distance as I could manage at first. To strengthen the hindering effects, since each minute within the blizzard doubled the slowing effect, I did my best to circle the group. With my positioning, and more than one blizzard storming through the middle of the group, my attempt at kiting was unintentionally causing the mobs to bunch together.
Sadly, I discovered my ignite bones DoT was similarly ineffective as my pyroclastic spell was against the protected creatures. Whether it was their chitinous armor or some innate property, the mobs negated nearly all the damage anything fire-based could do. Flamethrower was entirely worthless, so I opted for my defense-shattering flintlock pistol whenever it reloaded itself. Its bullets could burst straight through their impressive chest armor. Unfortunately, even after four or five shots, I couldn't best determine the most effective place to put my follow-up shots since I was wholly unfamiliar with their crab-like anatomy. Shots to their head ricocheted more often than not, so I continued to pump lead whenever the thirty second cool down elapsed.
Between spells, I threw Frostrend with as much force as I could muster. With my ring of return’s own internal cool down, I got into a routine of firing my pistol and then immediately re-summoning my axe to be thrown once more. Time and time again though, the axe landed with crushing force, creating a fracture across the creature’s sturdy armor. The damage was adding up and beginning to show on many of the giant beasts. As long as I could keep my distance and continue effectively kiting the monsters, I would be victorious. It was only a matter of time.
My optimism devolved into anarchy when the semi-intelligent creatures suddenly upended their tactics. Lulling me into a false sense of security, the group of six fanned out into a convex formation, effectively cutting off my ability to continue encircling the group. If I dared the edge, at least two crabs would move perpendicular, further boxing me in. Unfortunately, the king cobalt crabs had chosen their timing well as they slowly pushed me further north and away from my friends. With each step backward, the water, which was originally up to my knees, was getting deeper as I was forced to retreat.
The thought of crashing into the sucking mud and mire threatened to be the end of me, and it was nearly happened. Unable to backpedal further, I desperately attempted to dodge a heavy claw, but lost my balance and crashed sideways into the filthy water. Knowing another blow was soon to follow, I kicked away with all my strength. Using my leg muscles to propel me through the disgusting water, I hoped it was enough to create enough seperation.
My desperate gamble paid off as an explosion of muck and mud blasted away from the crab’s double claw attack. It missed! My frantic kicking, combined with the force of the rushing water, was enough to send me far enough away. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was lucky enough to not lose my legs in the process. Breaching the waterline, I situated my feet underneath me and twisted back to where my opponents should be. Thankfully, I had kept my bearings enough to know where my enemy should be as I took in a gulping breath.
To my surprise, instead of six slowly withering king crabs bearing down on me with a finishing blow, the pack turned back and forth as if they had lost where I had gone. Their antennae were whirling around their head like they were long sensory fingers attempting to sense hidden prey. My guess was not far off the mark.
Realization struck.
Earlier, when the colossal mobs were arm’s reach away, I briefly recalled contemplating their complete lack of any detectible odor. I had been expecting a foul stench to pervade the large creatures but found it exactly the opposite. Now that I was drenched in stinking filth, I put the pieces together. Considering their seemingly inadequate eye stalks, their homing antennae, and their gill-like olfactory noses, it was obvious to me now. These monsters hunted by scent!
Backpedaling towards our campsite, attempting to create as much distance as I could manage before the pack reoriented on me, I shouted at the top of my lungs, “They hunt by smell! Dive into the water if you can! The stink of the swamp makes it hard for them to sense you!”
Either my splashing, my shout, or perhaps the swamp water running down my clothes, whatever was the case, the six lumber beasts locked onto my position and resumed their slow, unrelenting march. Firing up another gnawing blizzard, I slowed them enough to near where my party members continued to clash.
Well before my words sounded out across the wetlands, Lowki had already determined the creatures’ hunting tactics, having been completely covered more than once with filthy water. Using the advantage, Lowki finally managed to finish off one of the beasts after having injected enough poison to bring down a mountain giant. No longer able to support itself, the king crab slammed face-first into the muck, never to rise again. Still, even with the swamp masking most of his scent, the remaining two foes were close on his heels.
Lowki’s impressive weight was a determent in this fight as he struggled to keep the majority of his body weight above the water line. The mud underneath also continuously threatened to lock him in place long enough for one of the crabs to annihilate him. His distinctive ability to bound from place to place was of no help here. Then, his luck finally ran out.
The cobalt crabs had been coordinating with each other and, as one, viciously attacked. Not knowing whether they were targeting the real Lowki or his phantasmal double created by his displacement ability, the mob’s tactic finally bore fruit. One crab slammed a clawed hand through an image that instantly disappeared upon contact, whereas the other garbled in glee as it felt the satisfying crunch of Lowki’s back being pulverized.
“Lowki! Lowki’s in trouble!” Stella shouted out, though no one was free enough from their struggles to come to his aid.
Tallos turned and risked a few shots since his opponents were mostly immobile, but the combination of distance and the odd angle did little as the arrows simply ricocheted off their chitinous armor. Ripley was finishing off the last of her three foes but had over three dozen yards between her and Lowki. With my six foes hindered, I was the closest to the great cat, but my spells were capable of quickly finishing off his attacker. Nonetheless, I sighted my pistol and pulled the trigger at the closest one to my feline friend.
With Lowki’s back broken, he lost all control over his lower sets of legs. Still, he had complete control of his barbed tentacles as they sprouted from his shoulders, so slammed them repeatedly into the crab’s face as it bent forward to crush him under its massive weight. My enchanted bullet and his final desperate strikes proved enough to slay the crab, but gravity was not so easily eradicated.
Not only was Lowki buried under the bulk of a now-deceased king crab, but his brethren began slamming his powerful pincers and mammoth hands down, again and again. It took only seconds, but Lowki’s life was spent and his name grayed out on my party interface.
Furious, I focused every ounce of my considerable talents to layered spell after spell on the still-hammering crustacean. In seconds, synaptic toxin, wyvern sting, arrested affliction, boil blood, and soul leech were driven into the crab’s body. Combined, the creature was losing over six thousand health every six seconds. With the damage Lowki had earlier inflicted before his death, a deadly poison in its own right and capable of destroying tissue and crab innards alike, the offending crab was soon floundering on his back in the final throes of death.
Tallos, seeing he could offer no more support, returned his attention to his restrained opponents. Unfortunately, his moment of inattention allowed one of the crab’s snares to fall off, the spell’s maximum duration having elapsed. Seeing an opening, the King Cobalt had moved as quietly as possible. Where Tallos had been expecting two dozen feet of separation, his eyes widened in surprise as the crab leaped forward, intent on crushing the puny elf beneath descending fists and pincers.
It was only Tallos’ agility to save him from a near-certain fatal impact. He had been resting on the edge of our plateau, so it wasn’t putrid water that exploded but hard-packed earth sent rocketing away as if a meteor had slammed into the ground he had been occupying only a fraction of a second earlier. His desperate backward leap sent him awkwardly crashing into the swamp, where he was lost from sight.
I was about to move to aid him as I was fraught with unease over his predicament when a scream to the north split the air. Whipping my head in its direction, I watched in abject terror as Dutch and Jax came under attack.