Salt Kings
“Since we are going to be fighting together, why don’t we introduce ourselves and our skill sets while we have the time?”
Jerry’s question made the group come out of whatever musings they had been entertaining during the march and acknowledge one another. Eyes shifted around as people looked to take in their peers, while also keeping pace with the march.
“Since it seems we are still a bit hesitant, I can start us off.” Jerry offered.
“I come from Mirris Kingdom down south, where I was part of an Organics Research Team there. For personal reasons, I quit, and now I’m here.”
For some reason, the cyan haired Aerie was making a face at this, but Jerry just continued.
“I have a variety of aides I carry with me that boost my performance in battle, and I can identify most Beasts and Monsters and their corresponding weak points.”
It sounded like Jerry was a support type, like an alchemist. His ‘aides’ sounded mysterious, but if he was on an Organics Research Team he was probably a chemist or a biologist of some sort.
Logan didn’t see any reason not to keep the game going further, so he offered up some of his own information.
“I’m more of a mobile support class, I can move pretty fast in eyesight, and also tangle up opponents with roots. I probably can’t hold the front too long, but I can help someone hold it alright.”
At that, the group went quiet for a second. It looked like Amar was just about to speak, when suddenly, Arasaka started talking.
“I’m Arasaka and I’m an enchanter… but I wanted to fight. My family comes from the Sun Kingdom, and my eyes can identify the flows of power invested in items. That means I can make enchantments synergize in unique ways by layering them.”
Well, it definitely sounded like their Squad was going to have an interesting time fighting. Everyone so far had pretty unique skills, which wasn’t too surprising considering where Logan had ended up.
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Just as Amar was about to speak again, the Captain pulled the procession to a halt. Really, what she did was stop dead in her tracks and let Larry run into her back, but it accomplished the same effect.
“Listen up, we are almost there. Remember the details of the mission and go have fun.”
The Captain just waved them on, and the Squad crested the next hill. They were here at the ocean, and their targets were in plain sight.
The Salt Kings were huge albino crocodiles, about the same size as a school bus but wider, both equipped with a preposterous set of jaws. They lazed on the shoreline, but most of their bulk reached far above the seafoam crashing into the sand.
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“Salt Kings are cousins of salt-water crocodiles, but they have grown to a size where they often go to sea and hunt whales as their main source of food. They can make large waves with their tails, and are weak at the point where the neck meets under their jaw.” Jerry listed off.
The information gave the group a chance to make a solid plan, but before they could Larry just charged at the Beasts. The large man carried a massive battle axe at his side as he tore through the turf at full speed towards the surf. In response, the massive creatures opened their eyes lazily, gazing at the strange beast willing to feed itself to them.
It didn’t seem to occur to the Salt Kings that they might not be the ones eating at the end of this fight. Logan was determined to see them surprised though, so he teleported down next to Larry.
“Hey big guy, you wanna give the rest of them a chance to catch up? I don’t think they can keep up with you and me.”
Logan’s appearance took Larry off guard. The big axman staggered to a stop, clearly confused.
“Why don’t you just distract them with a shouting match or something, yeah?”
Then the guy actually started yelling at the massive crocs. Logan couldn’t help but just laugh.
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The Salt Kings started rousing, but the rest of the Frear Squadron had caught up before they were seriously moving. Although the Squadron didn’t have a set plan, everyone knew what they could contribute and tried to line up to optimize their own skills.
That left four frontliners Larry, Amar, Lucius and Sophia, and four back liners including Logan. As for the last person… Logan had lost track of Lexie somehow after teleporting, which scared him. So far nothing had been able to hide from his soul sight, and Logan wasn’t thrilled about that changing.
Still, as the massive Salt Kings started to writhe through the turf towards their newest prey, Logan was thankful the Squad had a balanced formation. With Larry the beefcake holding the frontline, they should be as safe as possible against 30 foot long lizards. Which was not safe enough for Logan, which was why he was in the back line.
If things got sticky he could teleport in and help, but Logan wasn’t willing to sacrifice himself for anyone here. After Jeremiah’s death, Logan had seen the consequences of playing the hero.
To start, Logan activated Root and sifted around for potential targets. He found a small amount of seaweed, but Logan didn’t think that it would do anything against the Beasts so he let the Ability drop. Instead, he unbuckled his sword and held it at the ready. If his magic wouldn’t do anything he would have to rely on steel.
“Raahhhhh!” Larry roared and charged in once again. Closing into range, he swung his axe directly into one of the Salt Kings lower jaw. It opened its mouth and made a strange noise, but showed no signs of discomfort at the big man’s attack.
“Larry, get out of the way!” Jerry shouted over the noise of the waves. Then he threw a concoction of some sort at the small wound Larry had just opened up.
The man had a great throw and his aim was true. The bottle shattered and sprayed the wound with a green caustic acid. The croc's leathery skin smoked, and this time it was clearly agitated.
“Hrraahhhhaa!!” It roared.
“Nice, keep attacking!”
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Lucius and Sophia followed up with four swords flashing at the other Salt King. Quick attacks rained down on its hide, tearing it up. Another roar echoed its kin, and both Beasts were fully enraged.
Logan was starting to think the Beasts were just going to sit there and die before he realized what they were doing. Jerry had mentioned it earlier, but Logan hadn’t quite understood what the man had meant when he had said ‘they can make large waves’.
What looked like a miniature tsunami was headed straight towards shore as the Salt Kings swung their tails in unison through the tide. The Squadron wasn’t equipped to handle this, but Logan thought he had an idea.
Using Root once again, he reached out to the scattered patches of seaweed and grabbed onto his Squadmembers to anchor them to the ground. Then Logan had time to brace as the wave broke over their heads. Strangely, the water wasn’t as violent as Logan expected, but it was still rough.
Almost a minute later, the water subsided, and Logan could finally breathe again. Gasping for air, he found the others in similar states. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for their opponents.
A Salt King lunged forward at Larry, and would have gotten him if Amar didn’t knock him out of the way with a blunted Bear Claw. The other one had continued to swing its tail, and it found the bodies of Sophia and Lucius as its targets. The two humans get smashed by the tail, sailing through the air afterwards.
As Jerry ran over to those two to give them some emergency treatment, Logan surveyed the field. He would have to make a move, and fast.