Monster Jousting Book 3 - Chapter 6 (Patreon)

The form of the crab fully emerged from the dark street. Its dark orange and black shell reflected whatever light there was in the shade of the streets. It was the same giant crab that he had saved Thraz from before. It seemed to recognise him as its six beady black eyes stared at him with blazing fury.

It screeched one part hissing, the other part ferocious rhythmic clicking. Hurtling toward him, tearing up the floor and the walls of the buildings on its crazed oath to Noah.

He didn’t show fear. Instead, Noah activated [Shrouded Presence] and disappeared from the spot. Or at least that’s what it was like for the crab.

The crab had lost its target, so instead it pointed its wrath at Thraz, Pillow, and Krall. Despite the barreling charge of the colossal horned crab, Thraz and Pillow stood there with their arms crossed. It was like they weren’t on a battlefield at all, but they were merely spectators for sport.

Noah dashed out of a nearby alley and charged at the crab with pointed ferocity. Like a black streak of lightning, his lance bore a hole through the tough carapace of the crab. From the side of its head, into its fleshy brain, his lance turned it to mulch.

You defeated a - Level 130 Legion Crab.

…
| Extra experience is rewarded for defeating an enemy beyond your Level.

Damn, no Level? To have killed a Level 118, followed by a Level 130, and still not accumulating enough experience for a Level was cause for disappointment. Now that he had reached the milestone Level of 100, it seemed that the experience he needed had sharply increased.

Well, it just means more hunting.

“Pillow was worried you wouldn’t kill it in time,” Thraz said, lowering his crossed arms with a smile.

“I was not,” Pillow said, but the faint tremble in his legs betrayed his words.

Noah just smiled and shook his head. “C’mon, we’ve got a lot of ground to travel before we make it to the castle walls.” Noah thrust his thumb in the distance where the massive castle walls loomed far above.

With that plan in mind, they forged ahead. Six hours passed since they had begun. At first, the amount of crabs they had to deal with was ever increasing. Noah had gained two Levels, but because he had reached Level 100, he let the others take most of the kills. After all, if he was intending to clear out that castle, he needed everyone else to grow strong as well, not just him and his tamed companions.

After the three hour mark, the amount of monsters that appeared had dwindled significantly. However, the strength of them made up that difference, increasing considerably.

Noah and the others had to get smarter about how they tackled the streets of the city. Having Thraz and Pillow just stand there was a recipe for disaster. What if they had come up against a crab with unique abilities? So instead, they followed Noah’s lead, skulking in the shadows, waiting for a moment to pounce. And there were plenty of moments.

The entire city held the rule of only the strong survive. The weak would be eaten, while the strong would move on, maybe succumbing to their wounds. If they didn’t, they would have learnt how to survive, and come out even stronger than before.

Noah had also discovered something else during their hunting time. Each time one of the crabs killed another, a faint, green smoke left the deceased body, and entered into the survivor. The mist was so faint that Noah had missed it before. But now it was certain. They were absorbing the same mist that corrupted them, and utilising it to make them more powerful.

And even evolve…

Noah had taken the lead. He was now alone, while Thraz, Pillow, and Krall remained hidden within one of the nearby houses.

What he saw was frankly disturbing. Stood hunched over in the middle of the wide main street of the city, was a hulking crab. Its horns were long, and pronged, like a deer. But bigger, and sharper. It had huge thickened plates of armour on every leg it had, numbering twelve in total. The pincers located on the side of its body were at least double the size of even the largest crab he had encountered before. And they were sharper, more devilish.

But that wasn’t all.

A strange energy radiated from the monster. Noah had a suspicion that it was magical, and that meant that whatever attacks it had, weren’t going to be straight forward.

Not wanting to contest the beast with only Gluttony, Noah shrinked back into the shadows. He had to return to the others, and make a plan. Face it, and put their lives at risk to gain a few Levels, or receive a  gambling chance at obtaining a high tiered Skill, or Pathstone. Or evade it entirely, taking another path.

However, the moment he had moved back into the shadows. The crab turned. Noah’s eyes widened. The front of the crab was a horrifying image. A white skull was either printed onto its face, or it was its natural visage. He didn’t know which one was more worrying. It had twelve eyes and they glowed both red and green.

The air stirred around it. Its mouth vibrated, then a powerful blast of fire careened straight for Noah.

Shit! Noah used [Shadow Blink], repositioning himself behind a building. The temperature in the air rose. He could feel it biting his flesh. Then the building he used for cover exploded. He didn’t have time to activate his defensive Skills.

The debris of the building and the heat of the attack struck him and Gluttony all at once. Noah’s back smashed into another building. The smell of charred flesh wafted into his nostrils. Panicked, he looked down. Gluttony was laying on the floor underneath him.

Noah heard the crab approach.

Without waiting, Noah hefted the now shoulder height wolf-bat into his arms, and bolted down the alley. He dodged incoming fireballs, each one impacting against the buildings. However, thanks to their durability, not all of them broke like the first.

Because of that, it granted him time to skulk away into the darkness, running for his life.

After turning another corner, Thraz, Pillow, and Krall stood in the alleyway with worry. Krall especially, as he could feel Noah’s pain.

“Run,” Noah said, sprinting past his team.

They followed in haste. It wasn’t long before they had lost the fire breathing crab amongst the maze-like city. Thankfully, they hadn’t run into another monster. Maybe the ones in the surroundings knew that a predator was approaching, and stayed clear from its crazed path of destruction.

Hunkering down in a building, Noah placed Gluttony down on the floor, and accessed his wounds. Burnt marks covered the majority of his body, and one wing was tattered and torn. There was even a huge gash in one of his hind legs.

But he would be fine. [Troll’s Blood] was already activated. The wounds were restored at a visible pace.

Noah patted his head. “Good boy, I’ll make sure to catch you a big fish once we return.”

Gluttony cooed weakly in response.

Noah winced in pain. He looked at his own wounds. It was bad. Eighty percent of his body was burnt, charred to a crisp. If it wasn’t for the adrenaline still coursing through his veins, the pain he would be experiencing would be unimaginable.

He touched his head and felt patches of hair missing.

Pillow quickly took out a Rare Health Potion, and handed it to Noah. Without saying anything, he swallowed the contents as fast as he could. He wanted his wounds restored before the adrenaline wore off. But he was unlucky.

Pain arrived. Noah seethed in pain. His arms and legs and the rest of his body trembled. He breathed heavily. Five minutes had passed, and the pain was finally withering away. The charred flesh was also scabbing over. The scabs fell off in another five minutes, revealing fresh skin underneath.

Noah collapsed with his back to the wall.

“Are you okay?” Pillow asked.

“You looked like a charred pig,” Thraz said.

Noah laughed. And kept on laughing, holding his stomach as pain crept up once more. “Don’t make me laugh, it hurts. That was a close one.”

“What the hell was it?” Pillow asked.

“Some sort of evolved crab,” Noah said. “It had long, sticky out horns, and breathed hell fire. It could also see me through the shadows.”

“I know that one,” Pillow said with an uncomfortable expression. “So we avoid it then. We can easily go around it. Since I’ve been to the walls before, I know a few paths through some broken buildings. It will lead us straight to the walls. And trust me, we don’t want to start a fight here. That thing is the least of our worries.”

“You should have said something,” Thraz said.

“I did!” Pillow almost shouted. He lowered his voice. “I warned all of you before we left. The deeper we go, the scarier the monsters. What, you thought I was joking?”

“I just thought you were being scared,” Thraz said.

“It seems like you two need a lesson in listening to your fears,” Pillow said. “It might do you some good.”

“Pillow is right,” Noah said. “We need to be more careful. I forgot what it felt like to fear death, in all honesty. It was a good reminder.”

“Right, so let’s avoid it.” Pillow stood up, wiping the dust from his legs.

“No.” Noah stood up with his lance in hand. “We’ll kill it.”

“Wow,” Pillow said with disbelief. “What happened to almost dying was a good reminder? Do you have the memory of a goldfish?”

“Not too far from the truth honestly.” Noah chuckled. “But I just want it dead.”

Pillow looked at Thraz who was already shining his sword in preparation. He sighed. “Well, alright. But we do it my way.”

Pillow headed to the door, then turned back, and said, “To kill a fish, you need to be a shark.”