"Damn it, Talax!" Franny exclaimed as he leaped into the water trying to rescue his hat. Talax swiftly grabbed his bow and scanned their surroundings, searching for the source of the attack.
Franny, now soaked, shot Talax an accusing glare while running a hand through his wet hair. "I hate it when you're right!"
Talax just shrugged, hiding a satisfied smile. Then, he spotted the strange creatures emerging all around them.
Small, green faces appeared, circling them from all sides. Talax pointed with his free hand at the creatures and asked, "What are these things?"
Franny, uncertainty in his voice, unsheathed his sword. "Are those bullywugs?"
"Nah," Qalo replied, shaking his head. "I know bullywugs. There's a small tribe near my village. These are no bullywugs; they look more like animals than intelligent creatures."
Qalo was right. The toad-like creatures lacked any sign of intelligence in their eyes; instead, there was pure malice. Although they were small, about the size of small toddlers, their appearance wasn't particularly threatening, except for the tiny wooden swords they menacingly brandished and the reed-like tubes they used to blow darts at them.
Talax's eyes darted around, trying to count their enemies, but every time he thought he had a firm grasp on the situation, more of the creatures popped out of their holes. He had already counted more than two dozen, and their numbers continued to grow.
"Where the hell is your uncle when you need him?" Talax spat angrily as he knocked an arrow and took aim at a cluster of creatures perched atop a small island. His voice resonated in the eerie silence of the swamp. The creatures tracked their every move with their small beady eyes but remained silent, as if waiting for something.
Talax wondered aloud, "What are they waiting for?" His question was swiftly answered when a plump toad, sporting a saggy sack on its neck and a necklace with chipped beads, leaped onto a floating log at the center of the creatures' formation.
The toad held a small spear, which, in a human's hand, would resemble a pencil. It regarded the three men with inquisitive eyes. Talax felt a glimmer of hope. Perhaps they could avoid a battle after all. The large toad appeared to be the leader, and its animated eyes suggested it might be open to reason.
Talax began to speak, but the creature croaked loudly, emitting a deep and resonant sound that reverberated through the swamp. The toad's vocal sac inflated significantly as it unleashed its powerful croak, making it abundantly clear that it had no intention of engaging in conversation.
The toad raised its spear high in the air, like a hero from legends wielding his mighty sword. The other toads, smaller in size but equally determined, mimicked the gesture and hoisted their miniature swords above their heads. The rhythmic thumping of their webbed feet against the soggy ground added a surreal drumbeat to the swamp.
Talax and his companions exchanged wary glances, realizing that there was no way to avoid this battle. The toads were clearly determined to defend their territory at any cost, and their croaks grew louder, filling the air with an eerie and foreboding sound as they closed in.
Without hesitation, Talax released his arrow, infused with mana. The arrow sailed through the air and struck a group of toads, causing a small explosion of mana. The impact sent green toad bits flying everywhere, littering the muddy water with green sludge and floating pieces of flesh. The nearest creatures appeared stunned, their mucus-coated bodies glistening with a sickly sheen in the dim light.
The remaining toads momentarily fell silent, their unsettling song halted by the death of their kin. But the pause was short-lived, and their anger burned hotter than ever. They bellowed in unison, inflating their vocal sacs to maximum capacity.
And then, they descended upon them. The sword-wielding toads raced toward them, seemingly unperturbed by the water. It was as if they floated, with their webbed feet briefly touching the water's surface before they leaped into the air.
Talax managed to take down another unsuspecting toad with his arrow, but then he was bombarded by a flurry of darts. One after another, the darts sailed towards him from toads perched on nearby trees and small mossy islands.
Talax tried to dodge the projectiles, but the water made his movements sluggish, and more than one dart found its mark. He heard the pained exclamations of his friends, but his focus remained on the unusual pimples that began to inflate like oversized balloons. His eyes widened as the pimples grew and grew until they burst with a disgusting splat, sending white pus splattering in every direction.
Talax couldn't help but grimace in dismay, muttering, "That was disgusting," though he had no time to dwell on it. He saw Qalo grabbing a piece of floating wood to use as a makeshift shield, while Franny, protected by his armor, seemed relatively unharmed as the small darts pinged harmlessly off the metal. However, had to use his arm to protect his face, limiting his movements.
Talax had it the worst. His equipment provided some protection, but there were still exposed areas, especially his torso and head. Fortunately, the darts didn't inflict too much damage. The sensation was unpleasant but manageable.
He didn’t have time to strategize, he wanted to use one of his spells, but he needed time that he didn’t have. The first of the toads closed in on him. Six of the feral creatures circled him, attacking with wild abandon, devoid of any reluctance or strategy.
He felt their sharp swords slashing at his legs, but the wooden weapons struggled to penetrate his enchanted pants. Talax stowed his bow and unsheathed his short sword just as a dart hit him in the cheek. The skin started ballooning and his vision was obstructed from his left eye making him swear up a storm.
With one hand, he shoved away one of the annoying creatures attempting to climb onto his back, while blindly slashing with the other. He heard a pained croak, but all he could see on his blind spot was the irritated skin of his cheek that was about to burst.
More darts struck his body, but most struggled to penetrate his clothes. A few managed to pierce his skin, resulting in another round of painful blisters forming beneath his garments. When the pimple on his face finally burst in a shower of white liquid, his vision cleared, and he spotted a toad floating on the water's surface, its stomach half-open and near death.
The rest of his attackers remained relentless and furious. Some of them had abandoned their blind attacks and were attempting to climb on top of Talax. With all the strength he could muster, he grabbed one of the creatures and hurled it as far as he could. The toad's eyes widened briefly before it let out a mournful croak and disappeared into the distance.
Talax then swiftly dealt with another toad at his feet, attempting to hack through his pants and reach his vulnerable skin. The sword slid too easily into the slimy skin, causing Talax to stumble forward. He had used too much force for the relatively weak creature.
Out of the corner of his eye, he witnessed a similar scene playing out with his friends. The waters around Ferdinand churned with a green hue from the ample blood of the toads. Franny attacked without impediment, the darts sliding off his metal armor like water.
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Qalo, on the other hand, faced a tougher challenge. His body was covered in growing blisters, and he struggled to pin down the agile creatures that leaped left and right, avoiding his massive hammer swings. While the hammer had been a formidable choice against the slow-moving skeletons, it proved unwieldy and slow against the nimble toads.
Compounding the problem was Qalo's need to extract the heavy weapon from the water, during which the creatures took advantage of his vulnerability to swarm and attack him. In this battle, Qalo's strength played a lesser role, and his lack of agility left him open to attacks that should have been easy to evade.
Talax swung his sword horizontally, decapitating the small creature at his feet. At that moment, the last toad seized the opportunity to leap onto his shoulder and thrust its wooden sword toward his face. Talax managed to move his head just enough to avoid a severe injury.
"You know, you shouldn't have done that!" He muttered with a clipped voice and with a quick move, he grabbed the toad by the scruff, making the creature yelp in surprise. He studied the small, bloodthirsty creature, noticing the tiny necklace around its neck and its miniature sword. If not for its unsettling eyes that promised revenge, the toad could almost be considered cute, or at least a bit amusing.
The toad croaked indignantly and squirmed, attempting to break free from Talax's grasp. Talax, however, held firm. Despite feeling another dart pierce his skin, he paid it no mind. Slowly, he positioned his sword at the creature's heart. The toad froze, realizing its impending death, and then it began to struggle, throwing its sword and desperately trying to escape Talax's tight grip.
Talax applied a bit of pressure to his sword, and he watched with fascination as the blade penetrated the gelatinous skin, traveling through the creature's body until it reached its heart. The toad's frantic movements ceased, and with a final jerk, its lifeless body fell.
Talax discarded the lifeless toad and assessed the situation. Franny had just finished dealing with his own opponents, wiping his face clean from the fluids and pieces of toad. Qalo had one small creature left, which continued to evade his attacks. His greenish face had turned red as he shouted obscenities at the small, agile creature.
Talax's attention then turned to the croaking toads that were still waiting to attack. His eyes widened as he realized that while they had been fighting, the chief toad had summoned reinforcements.
Dozens and dozens of these creatures croaked angrily, staring daggers at the trio. They had formed rows of warriors hopping up and down on the water, creating a disorienting spectacle. Meanwhile, more ranged warriors, clutching their tubes, had gathered on the small islands and the slender branches of the bare trees.
"Oh, crap," Talax muttered, his voice tinged with fear. There were so many of them.
The chief toad regarded them with what seemed like smugness, and with a final croak that inflated its vocal sac like a balloon, the small army of toads launched their attack.
"Avass save us!" Talax exclaimed when he saw the number of enemies about to attack them. Talax scoffed as he drew his bow once again. "Leave Avass out of it. You better call your good-for-nothing uncle! When we're finished with this lot, the two of us are going to have a long conversation." He let loose his arrow, shining with mana, and watched as it instantly killed five creatures that were about to rain down darts.
If only he had another ability that could cause damage to a crowd. He'd settle for even a little discomfort. And then it hit him, those small beads that Qalo had found in the salamander lair! Excitement coursed through him as he rummaged through his bag while keeping an eye on the approaching toads.
His fingers blindly reached the small pebbles at the bottom of his pack. Swiftly, he retrieved the beads, realizing that he had managed to grab four of the rectangular rocks. Three of them resonated with a light affinity, and the fourth one pulsed with life.
Talax stashed the life-affinity bead in his pocket for later use and picked one of the remaining ones with light mana between his thumb and forefinger, examining it closely.
Franny demanded to know what he was doing, but Talax was focused on the glowing rock, which grew brighter as he channeled more mana into it. The light intensified until the small rock transformed into a radiant source of light, causing his fingers to start burning.
With a quick prayer to Tychos, he hurled the glowing stone with all his strength toward a small island where more than a dozen toads were relentlessly launching darts at Qalo. His breath caught in his lungs as he anxiously awaited the results of his experiment. And the outcome was nothing short of spectacular.
The stone landed amid the unsuspecting creatures. At first, they barely noticed its presence, but then their bodies began to shrivel from the intense heat, and smoke billowed in plumes. Within seconds, the toads were reduced to dehydrated husks, not a single one left standing on the small island. Their charred remains littered the mossy ground, and Talax wanted to shout in triumph at his success.
He didn’t though, because he had just enough time to activate one more stone before the sea of toad warriors finally closed in on him. Encouraging yells from his friends spurred him on, and when the next bead shone like a beacon, he hurled it at the nearest island.
He heard the croaks of the dying toads and felt mana entering his core. He couldn’t see the fruits of his labor though, because the warriors were already on him. The next few minutes were a frenzied blur of steel and bits of toad. Talax hacked, slashed and sliced at the relentless toads trying to take him down.
At some point he became overwhelmed by the sheer number of his attackers. Some creatures had dove underwater and had snared his legs, making it nearly impossible to move. While others managed to climb on his back and started poking with their tiny swords. Talax had to activate his ability Clarity of the wrath, and strength suffused his body and the constant pain he had been feeling by the continuous jabs became background noise.
With his ability activated, giving him 40% attack damage was difficult not to kill the little creatures. One by one their little bodies fell broken and dismembered on the muddy swamp. Sometimes it was enough to hit them with his elbow or his knee to hear the satisfying crack of broken bones.
When the ten seconds passed, and the ability’s effect stopped, he felt a surge of weakness and the pain that had been numbed by his diminished awareness. One of the last standing toads found the moment of weakness as an opportunity and swung his little sword straight to his face. Talax felt his strength betray him at that crucial moment. Even the slight shake of his head was too difficult for him, and he felt the wooden sword pierce his skin.
The tiny weapon traced a path from his cheek to his eye, leaving a trail of blood. His vision blurred from the impact, and he blinked furiously in an attempt to clear his vision. A small whimper of pain escaped his lips as he felt his eye burn, but his left eye's vision was compromised.
He saw a form lunge at him, and at the last possible moment he managed to raise his sword. The sword felt heavy and cumbersome in his weakened state, but still it was enough to deflect the coming attack. There was a crack and he saw the wooden sword crumble to pieces. The toad, however, used what remained of his sword as a springing board, and leaped back to safety.
Talax, filled with anger and frustration, growled as he fished out the life bead. He had hoped to avoid using the precious object, but his current condition left no argument against it. He infused the stone with mana and immediately felt the soothing embrace of life magic coursing through his body.
Cuts and scratches began to close, and his left eye gradually healed. In a matter of seconds, the stone crumbled to dust, and his vision was fully restored. The last remaining toad was still croaking to his friends, asking for help, unaware that Talax had recovered. Before the creature could register what was happening Talax lunged forward and with one swift move had the creature’s head flying in the air.
With only one bead of light magic left, he hurled it at one of the few groups of toads that were still launching darts at them, a minor annoyance at this point. Now free of the warriors, he focused his magic on the creatures sheltered on the islands.
Talax began casting his Fog of Mystica spell, his hand contorting into peculiar movements as he uttered incantations steeped in magic. After five seconds, a thick fog enveloped six of the creatures, rendering them blind and confused.
Following that, he began to cast his Earth spell, Stone Spike. Typically a weak spell, it was mainly used for distraction. However, in this instance, it proved to be a deadly attack. A single strike was enough to reduce the small, defenseless creatures to a pile of goo.
One by one, the ranged attackers fell victim to his spells. There were instances where his aim was off, but the low mana cost of Stone Spike allowed him to attack without restraint. With satisfaction, he watched the toads succumb to his magic, and to his surprise and elation, he felt a level up!
He had finally reached level 12!
As he was about to delve into his core to unlock new abilities, he heard Qalo's exclamation, drawing his attention away from his core. "Finally," the half-orc declared, wiping his mouth with a tattered sleeve as a small mountain of dead toads floated in front of him. Among the lifeless creatures was the toad chief, still clutching its spear but with its head reduced to pulp.
"Why are you just standing there? There are still annoying vermin to kill!" Qalo urged, and Talax sighed, resigning himself to studying his core after they had cleaned up the battlefield of the irritating creatures.
Raising his hands, he began to cast, ready to finish off the remaining toads.