Jay frantically combed the surrounding area when he discovered the stampede of tracks, the best he could do. It was undeniable. The tracks were headed toward the alligator village. Luckily, they still had traps to protect them. Still, he felt he should warn the Pami, Igno, and the others about what was coming for them.
His companions all started to ask what was wrong. Jay explained as he pointed, doubting they could see the tracks. “There and there. Crocodile tracks that are heading straight for the village. We need to warn them.”
“They’re protected by their trap thing,” Sarah pointed out. “I couldn’t even get out there without being accompanied by your ring.”
“I need to sneak over there. Most of us aren’t stealthy, but we need to see what’s going on,” Jay argued. “My ring will protect me, so I only need to break through the traps and warn the alligators.”
“I’m stealthy enough to come with,” Ken pointed out. “Let me come with you. We can watch each other’s backs if we need to sprint through.”
Jay thought it over and couldn’t find a reason to refuse the Scoundrel player. He was the second fastest in the party and had escape skills, too. His stealth wasn’t great, but in truth, neither was Jay’s. They were probably an even match when it came to it. And if a fight started, it would be easier to disengage, escaping through the traps with two people.
He looked at the retreating back of the world boss, carving a path of chaos through the island. The monster was in the distance already but still visible due to its gigantic size. Also, the destruction of half the forest.
“Alright, Ken. Let’s go,” Jay confirmed.
The two players crept through the jungle trees together, hurrying through the chasms left in the forest where it was impossible to hide. Luckily, the immediate area surrounding the alligator camp was free of Chary’s effects.
Jay expected the crocodiles to be in chaos after Chary shook the whole island. That wasn’t quite what he saw.
The crocodiles were in chaos, but it was due to their active battle with the other Dissimu faction. All the present shapeshifters were in their Battle Forms, leading to a deadly confrontation. Damage was heavily inflicted on each side from even single blows. Jay observed for a three count, finding that the Dissimu were slowly healing their wounds on both sides of the conflict.
“Message the others, and don’t forget the potion to protect from fear,” Jay said, drawing his crossbow to the front of his body. “I’m going to start blasting.”
Summoning his own potion, Jay drank the first of his body resilience potions.
The collection of nameplates was daunting, as about twenty individuals were fighting in close proximity. At a glance, the situation wasn’t going well for the alligators. The side of justice was never easy, but he could sway the odds.
Jay’s first strategy, hidden amongst the trees, was to spread as many traps as possible throughout the enemies. The difference between Dissimu was subtle, so he had to focus on distinguishing alligators from crocodiles by nameplate.
His first attempt was to send a full clip of muck trap shots spread throughout the enemy forces. The rapid clicking of the repeater’s multiple shots could easily draw attention, even in the loud clamor of combat. It was not a stealth weapon.
The crocodiles turned out to be too strong. The muck spread underneath them, creating arduous travel conditions. Unfortunately, they were far too strong, able to lead from the swampy area with deliberate ease.
That’s when Jay thought, “Oh yeah, they live in the swamp half of the island.”
He quickly changed position, trying to find another area to fire another set of traps. One crocodile broke off from the main group, coming to look for him. The obvious thing to do was to cut its route.
Jay swapped his clip, firing an ice trap in the area between him and the crocodile. That found the enemy’s attention in no time flat. The Dissimu Battle Form whirled on him with a predatory grin. Before he could forget, Jay activated his Analyze ability on the creature. He didn’t even have time to read it, only noticing the nameplate as the monster rushed him.
Dissimu Crocodile (Battle Form), Level: 40 [Elite]. Health: 1,874/2,700.
The crocodile didn’t stop for the ice. The creatures had webbed feet, but within their Battle Form, their webbed feet ended in four-inch long claws. The vicious claws effortlessly sunk into the ice as it bounded across, charging to tear out Jay’s throat.
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As activities went, that was one of Jay’s least favorites. Quickly activating Rapid Fire, he air dodged backward and started blasting magically created bolts straight from his repeater. With his buff activated, a new bolt was fired every half second. The cascade of bolts dealt typical damage, striking the Battle Form creature in the chest.
He continued his assault while strafing to the side, away from the ongoing battle. Jay was relatively confident in his ability to fight one such monster. However, his confidence in fighting a pair of them simultaneously was lacking.
Using his momentum to his advantage, Jay pulled his longsword into his free hand, leaning on his Outlaw style. Clearing the ice, the monster took only a second to reach him. Rearing its claw back, the Dissimu roared, swiping for Jay’s face. Raising his longsword, Jay caught the attack on his blade.
There was every reason to expect the Battle Form monsters to be strong. He didn’t anticipate the exact level of strength. Instantly, his muscles groaned from the strain of holding back the creature’s claw.
Jay raised his repeater as the other arm held the claw at bay. He blasted several quick shots from the repeater straight into the Dissimu’s center mass. Cuddles joined in, shooting lasers from his shoulder, adding extra damage. The crocodile didn’t balk at the blow. Raising its other claw, it raked Jay square across the chest.
The impact of the blow sent him toppling over. He landed hard against a tree, his head spinning from the impact against the sturdy tree. The creature could deal 300 damage in a single attack, although the blow had caught him off guard.
Following up, the creature leaped forward, intending to land a killing blow on Jay. The monster cleared thirty feet in a single jump.
A cloud of smoke opened up instantly, saturating the air in puffs of smoke. Jay couldn’t see the crocodile, which meant it was likely unable to see him. Unsure what else to do, he rolled out of the way. The crocodile never connected with him.
Instead, by the time Jay had regained his bearings, Ken walked out of the smoke cloud.
“One to zero,” Ken smirked. “You gotta step your game up. The rest of the party will be here in one to two minutes.”
“We better rack up some kills fast, then,” Jay agreed, taking the extended hand. Without waiting for Ken to reply, he rushed around the smoke to reenter the fray.
Knowing the traps would be useless, Jay activated his Vital Points ability and began practicing landing Vital Strikes. The guaranteed criticals did significant work against the enemies. Instead of using his trap ammunition, he used a combination of smoldering and necrotic bolts.
Both types of projectile used enchantments that bestowed damage over time effects. Jay targeted each individual enemy, blasting them in a critical spot and inflicting a persistent damage debuff. After each shot, Jay moved to another location, trying to avoid another direct conflict.
The battle had become a stalemate by the time the rest of the party arrived. The crocodiles were wary of Ken and Jay lurking in the trees, but the alligators didn’t have enough numbers to turn the tide.
The party’s arrival changed that. Surprisingly, Carlos was missing, but Jay didn’t have time to worry about that. Jenny’s buffs spread throughout the battle, affecting the party and the friendly alligator NPC fighters.
The battle slowly turned around with the addition of the extra firepower. Taylor Lynn utilized an empowered version of her meteor attack, which dealt tremendous damage.
Casey’s pets were a significant boon to the conflict. Zenya was not strong enough to directly pull a crocodile to the ground. She was, however, smart enough to find off-balance enemies and use leverage to her advantage. She darted around the battlefield, bringing enemies to their back.
Scales, on the other hand, created small changes in the earth, trapping the legs of the crocodiles Zenya managed to trip. Those crocodiles could free themselves, but it bought precious extra moments.
At the end of the fighting, no crocodile remained standing. Aside from the party, only two alligators survived. The first sprinted through the oasis pool, returning to the interior village.
The other was Igno. He was severely wounded from claw marks all over his entire body. His health was barely a hundred points, and he wasn’t healing. Inspecting his nameplate, Jay saw a debuff marking him grievously wounded, preventing his regeneration.
“You must… stop them,” Igno breathed. “Bypassed traps. Many went ahead. Protect… Elder.”
“Jenny,” Jay said, “Heal him.”
“The traps were disabled,” Igno continued. “Forget me. You must… go.”
Jay ignored him, following the lead from some of his fellow party members and taking the time to drink potions. Although he was still protected from the Fear, it didn’t hurt to add additional buffs.
Jenny quickly brought him back to fighting shape. Her healing tag was still capable of healing him, and something in her toolkit was able to dispel the original debuff. Igno’s internal regeneration began working, meaning he would return to maximum health in the next few minutes.
“Thank you,” Igno said. “We have little time to spare. The Elder must be protected at all costs. The crocodiles found a way to disable the traps, so your companions will be safe. Let’s go.”
Igno didn’t await a response, entering the village. Jay looked to his companions, and everyone seemed on board. There was no loot to be had, but as Jay checked in on his experience, everyone had gained a level except for Sarah. Jay quickly dumped his extra points into Speed since he felt he would need it against the Battle Form warriors. Finally, he cataloged the fallen Dissimu crocodiles and led the party into the village.
Igno hadn’t lied about the traps. Jay hadn’t expected him to lie, but he did find it odd that the traps were so easily disabled. The measure had been put into place specifically to protect against the crocodiles.
The city was ruined. The meticulous care put into mending and repairing the aging buildings had been ripped apart. Several buildings were so destroyed that Jay couldn’t even remember what they had been previously. Fifty feet away, Igno and the warrior that had entered before him battled against five Battle Form opponents.
And lying dead inside the entrance to the village was Lyle, the youngest Dissimu and the first that Jay had met.