Levi noticed the spike in my blood pressure and looked at me. He wasn't there when I crept through the dark building, got locked in a room full of larvae and nymphs or fought against the adult version, the gigaroaches. But I knew he was catching enough of my flashing memories to understand the problem. The very big problem.
And it all revolved around that dead nymph. Gigaroaches were very protective of their young. If one was dead like that, it meant that the gigaroaches came across a monster strong enough to challenge them. My brows pinched together as I remembered fighting them with Star and her people. The giant bugs were so damn fast, it was terrifying to think that something could beat them.
I took a step back, and looked around, thinking.
When all the monsters in Laramie fled because of the unknown dragon, the only place they had to go was the forest. The new monsters were either going to push the pre-existing monsters out of their homes, or fall themselves. It was like a rock thrown in a still pond, messing with a territorial balance. Frankly, it was a miracle that I hadn't already run into a bunch of turf wars.
So was this nymph a casualty to a turf war, or something bigger?
All the hair stood up on my body. The last time I fought the gigaroaches, I used Star and her people as shields to fend the C ranked monsters off. That wasn't an option now. No, I honestly hoped that it was only the gigaroaches I had to deal with now.
Freaked out to the max, I moved forward through the shrubs and around bushes at a crouch, staying as focused as I could. When double vision caused my vision to spin too much, I stopped and rested until it went away, adding even more time. Frankly, a baby crawled faster than me right now. But I didn't want to overlook anything and get ambushed. It was agonizing, but I didn't dare speed up.
Levi sat on my shoulder, his tongue flicking in and out, just as vigilant. For once, he didn't complain about my body temperature.
The hard dirt shifted to gravel that crunched under my boots. Each step sent my heart thumping until I was sure it would explode. Why the hell was there gravel in the middle of the forest? The question barely crossed my mind when I noticed a large building in the corner of my eye. Wait, was I standing on an old gravel road or was my poisoned mind playing tricks on me?
Shocked, I looked over, worried I was seeing things. Nope, there really was a building in the distance, a huge log cabin that rivaled Uncle's house. Well, in size. Decades of neglect rotted the outside wood and most of the large windows were broken. The tall trees, both coniferous and deciduous, crowded around the structure, casting a perma-shadow over it. Several branches pierced the lopsided roof, adding unintentional skylights. And that was just the natural damage. Countless scratches and nesting materials covered the log cabin. Something was living in it.
At first the scene was still. Then the bushes around the log cabin moved. No, it wasn't the bushes. Man-sized gigaroaches crept out of the leaves on their six legs, stalking to the log cabin.
My stomach clinched in horror as I counted at least fifty. What were they hunting? Whatever it was, I needed to get out of here.
I stepped back, planning on inching my way out of whatever was going to go down. As I did, my incoherent mind brought up the memory of the Science Initiative building the gigaroaches used to live it. It was dark and decaying, just like the log cabin. Were they looking for a new home for their young, and planning on pushing the original owners out? If they were being that cautious of the original owners now, all hell was about the break loose. And I did not want to get involved in another high ranked monster deathmatch. Once was enough.
Levi tightened around my neck, signaling me to stop.
My muscles froze mid-step, all my attention on the little snake as his smooth skin brushed my skin. Something was behind us, he just couldn't tell what.
I pushed out my aura, searching for anything that breathed. My eyes widened when I found three pyreflies curled up together, under a rotting tree trunk. Normally the hand-sized bug monsters were found along rivers and streams, but here they were, huddled together against the moist soil, with the fire that normally surrounded them extinguished. They were naturally nocturnal, but it was obvious from their micro-movements that they were awake.
They were hiding, I realized. Hiding from ... I glanced toward the house.
At the same time, the log cabin exploded in activity. Dozens of large feline monsters with flat heads and extra wide mouths lunged through doors and windows, their white striped coats on their stocky bodies blending in with the shadows and twin rat-like tails swayed behind them. My startled mind finally registered the high C ranked nexu.
The two groups clashed together, using all their might to kill the other. Screeches, roars and pained sounds filled the air as death spoiled the pleasing forest scent.
The pyreflies huddled tighter, hiding from carnage not far away.
Just like what I wanted to do. The problem was I needed those pyreflies. The whole reason I went to Laramie to begin with was because I wanted pyrefly wings for Micah, so he could make a present for Dad. An unknown dragon and murderous teammates threw a wrench in that plan, but now I had another chance. They were right there, just five feet away. I wouldn't give it up.
Now, how do I get them without notifying the monsters duking it out nearby? I switched my bow for my sword. I didn't know what the pyreflies’ levels were, but first things first, I needed to get them out of the log they hid under. A large ball of water pooled in my palm, then dripped down to the ground. I directed it across the dirt until it reached the log.
The pyreflies shifted around, but didn't seem to notice my magic closing in.
Just as I was about to activate the water and turn the log over, a jolt of alarm shivered down my spine. Three monsters closed in on me from behind, fast.
Levi hissed at the same time and slipped from my shoulder. Water spikes appeared around him, ready to fight.
Damn! I whipped around, my heart in my throat. There were so many high leveled monsters around, and all of them would happily eat me for lunch.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The bushes shifted, then three giant nymphs burst out, their buggy eyes focused on me. The two foot long cockroach bugs flared their wings and screeched, saliva dripping from their ugly mouths like they just found a treat.
I grimaced and brandished my sword at the mud-colored monsters, adrenaline helping to clear some of the feverish fog in my brain. I'd fought enough of these things I was confident in killing them, even though these were stronger, between levels eleven and thirteen. Then again, considering that nymphs grew to a high D ranked monster before they evolved to their adult form, it meant they were still on the weaker side. The problem was that gigaroaches are very protective of their young. If the nymphs sent out a call for help, there was a chance the gigaroaches abandoned their death matches to rescue them. Which would really suck for me.
But I wasn't going to let them eat me or the pyreflies.
The water next to the log spread out along the rim, completely sealing off any gaps and caging the pyreflies inside. Okay, not really. I knew they were D ranked, so they might be stronger than me and could easily break right through the rotting wood easily. But this way, the nymphs couldn't smell them anymore. That would keep their attention on me, and they'd leave the pyreflies alone. At least, that's the plan.
Another pool of water grew around my left hand then it elongated to a whip. My Bubble magic attack worked well on these monsters, but what if the explosion drew unwanted attention? Stealth was key here — which honestly wasn't my area of expertise, as was shown when I fought the fire martens and suspies. Normally I simply did whatever I had to survive, changing strategies on the fly. But it was never too late to learn a new thing.
The three nymphs flew at me. I flicked my left hand and smashed the first nymph with my water whip. It was thrown off balance and landed five feet away on its back, feet flailing in the air. Levi's water darts hit the second nymph in the face, and the monster dropped to the ground with a pained shriek. Thankfully, the sound was drowned out by the battle noises. Levi pounced on the nymph, determined to crack through its tough shell.
I swung my sword at the third nymph. Unfortunately, my physical movements weren't as fast as my magic. The quick nymph clamped its pincers on the blade. It didn't stop the attack’s momentum, but it hung on and moved with the swing, preventing it from getting hurt. Then it jumped off, leaving little scratches in the pattern weld steel where its pincers were.
My brows pulled together. Damn! Was my sword even strong enough to cut through the nymph's exoskeleton?
The first nymph jumped to its feet and flew at me in a hungry frenzy. The third nymph followed close after. I was hard pressed to handle them, using my whip and sword congruently. The fact that the water whip responded to my brain, and not the movement of my left hand, made things a little easier. But no matter how much I tried, I was still weaker and poisoned, and the faster my blood pumped, the more effective the poison was. That fact left me open to several attacks I couldn't dodge. However, the most frustrating thing was my sword.
After a lot of maneuvering, I wrapped the water whip around the first nymph and jerked it closer, simultaneously, thrusting out my sword. Sparks flashed as the two-tone steel struck the huge bug's shell. All that work, only to be rewarded with just a tiny scratch on the exoskeleton. Its HP bar dropped a pathetic amount. Frustrated, I flung the nymph into the tree as hard as I could, finally making a dent in its HP.
"This isn't going to work," I seethed under my breath. The problem was, I didn't have the time, energy or magic to cast a water edge on my sword to make it sharper and stronger. Not with both monsters pressing me so urgently.
The third nymph took advantage of my movement and jumped. It latched onto my belt and dug its pincer into my leather chest plate, trying to rip it pieces. Its sharp edges broke through the under armor and sliced my skin.
Alarmed, I smashed my sword's pummel down on its head, at the same time activating Bubble. Cultivating didn't just provide me with water to use, it also empowered my magic abilities. The water bomb exploded with a flashy, loud bang! The monster shot off me and landed hard on the ground, stunned and missing half its HP.
Instantly, I lunged after and sank my blade into the small gap that blew open in its shell armor.
Ding! [+35 EXP]
Ding! [You have Leveled Up!]
It wasn't until I heard the dings that I realized how loud I was just then. Shit, did I just get the gigaroaches attention? Breathing heavily and dizzier than ever, I moved to stand up — just as the first nymph landed on my head.
The sharp little legs tangled in my ponytail and scratched my scalp. Every cell in my body screamed in terror at the sudden feeling of a giant bug on my head. I swung my sword up, not caring if I scalped myself in the process. I just wanted to get it the hell off me. I missed my head, but the blade did little to get the monster off. If anything, its sharp feet dung in deeper, blood dripping down my neck. My water whip converged around my hand, and I grabbed its head before the sharp pincers could tear into my face. I jerked around, trying to get it off, but it wouldn't let go.
Desperate, I converted the water into a Bubble and detonated it right on my forehead. It blew the nymph right off.
Although the Bubble didn't have a physical effect on me or affect my HP, the physical action of the explosion flattened me onto my back and winded my weak body. Head swimming, I rolled over and coughed, trying to breathe. Dimly, I heard the System ding through the ringing in my ears and saw a teal screen pop up, but I couldn't concentrate enough to figure out what it said. Instead, I squinted, looking for the nymph. Was it actually dead?
Out of the corner of my blurry vision, I caught sight of the heavily wounded monster rolling to its feet. It staggered up, clapping its pincers together and getting ready to jump on me again.
I gripped my useless sword, trying to control my body enough to prepare for the attack.
A little blue blur struck the nymph from behind, wrapping around its head and neck. The nymph struggled and flailed, but it couldn't get Levi off. The more it moved, the tighter he squeezed. There was a crack, crack, crack as the nymph's damaged armor gave way under his force. All at once, its exoskeleton failed and the head imploded.
Ding! [+40 EXP]
Oh, that's what the earlier notification was for — Levi killed his nymph.
Relieved that it was over, I slumped to the ground.
Levi slithered to my side, numerous cuts leaking blood every time his body bent. He gripped my arm bracer in his mouth and tugged, trying to get me to move.
My body and head felt so heavy, I didn't want to. But he was right, it wasn't safe here. I made a lot more noise than I meant to, as usual. Even though the battle around the abandoned house was still raging, a monster must have noticed. I needed to get a pair of pyrefly wings and get out of here.
The thought barely crossed my fuzzy brain when a powerful presence closed in on our location.
Ria Moore
D Rank
Level 11
EXP to Next LV 114
HP 122/122
MP 143/143
Strength 19 (+2)
Magic 22
Constitution 18 (+2)
Agility 22
Perception 18
Intelligence 21
Abilities:
Regen (Limited)
Bubble (10 MP)
Water Manipulation (10 MP)
Skills:
Power Swim
*****