Solomon's Crucible 90. The Big Game (2) (Patreon)

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Every other time that Solomon had climbed out of the reach of a pursuing monster, it had resulted in an enraged monster pacing back and forth beneath him, snarling and waiting for him to rejoin the fight.The crocodiles, though, didn't seem to have seen him. Instead, they simply milled around the park. Rather than being angered, they almost seemed to be confused.

He had gotten a little more distance from them before the change of direction, which ought to have been at least partially shielded from their view by the mist. He hadn't started climbing until he'd been completely out of their view. Solomon didn't know what deciding factor had caused them to lose track of him, but the end result could be quite useful.

After a few minutes of exploration, the crocs gave up and started heading back to their lake. They didn't take any interest in the people perched up on the buildings, even though they ought to be in view. Solomon wondered if they had tried and failed to catch some of the pigeons in the past, or if the dungeon had simply removed that much of their intelligence when it was pumping up their physical capabilities.

Solomon watched intently. The outer hides of the crocodiles were tough enough to shrug off a bullet. Jumping into a fight with a whole crowd of them at once was a daunting prospect. Just one though might not be so bad, especially with nineteen other people by his side.

One of the crocodiles lagged behind the others. Solomon smiled. He waited until the first four were solidly within the narrow walkway. At their size it would be difficult to turn and look behind them, let alone turn around.

He reached for the wall beside him. The decaying concrete yielded easily enough, giving him an improvised projectile. He took a moment to judge the distance, then pegged the rubble at the last one. His aim was true, and the effect was electric. The croc that he'd hit turned and locked on to him with surprising agility, charging straight for him. It managed to lever itself up onto its hind legs and snapped at him.

Solomon yanked his feet back out of an excess of caution. The croc's attack fell well short. More importantly, the rest of them had continued along the pathway and were almost out of sight. 

Solomon turned to the side and found Julie studying the situation below with a smile. She could see the possibility, just as he could.

Twenty on one. Those were the kind of odds that Solomon liked. He leaned forward and waved. His sister, sitting on the wall opposite him, got the idea, throwing her own rock at the lone crocodile. Once it turned and charged at her section of the wall, Solomon pushed himself from his seat.

He landed in a crouch, absorbing the twenty foot fall easily enough. He had to give credit to the crocodile's hearing, though, as it abandoned its futile attempt to get at Tiffany and immediately spun around and locked on to him.

Solomon wasn't going to fight the monster on his own, but he didn't mind keeping it busy for a little while so that everybody else could get down safely. He took a step forward, doing his best to look menacing. The monster mirrored his action, stepping forward and looking for a weakness. Once he was sure he had its attention, Solomon turned and ran towards the center of the park, away from the walls that were serving as a temporary perch for his companions.

He could hear an angry snarl before the crocodile began to instinctively pursue its prey. He leaped up onto a picnic table and turned around, watching the monster approach. It looked a lot bigger from up close. Solomon clamped down on his nerves and made himself wait. At the last minute he turned and jumped off the table to the side, getting out of the line of the monster's charge.

He heard the crash behind him as the crocodile smashed through the table. It wouldn't be troubled by that level of impact, but it would need a moment to get itself turned around. Solomon, meanwhile, turned and ran back to the edge of the park where everybody else had gotten down from the wall and readied themselves for battle.

He ran past the main defensive line, then turned to watch. The monster was a little closer than he had thought, and he felt a sense of relief at having other people between himself and danger for once.

Two men who were on the larger side and who had been investing their points in strength had volunteered to be on the front lines. They stepped forward now to receive the monster's charge. There was an enormous crash as the crocodile slammed into their shields. They took a few steps back, but the momentum of the charge had been halted.

That let the rest of the group close in, attacking the monster while it was focused on the threat in front of him. The crocodile whipped its head back and forth. To their credit, the shield wall absorbed the beating and held on.

Solomon did his part by getting at the monster from the side, chopping at it with his hatchet. Even with their numerical advantage, it was a tough fight. Most attacks skittered off of the monster's scaled armor or landed with pointless thumps. A few, though, dug through weak points and drew blood. Over time, those successful attacks came more and more often.

The beast wasn't helpless. While it couldn't get any traction with its battering or biting efforts, it still had one more weapon. Its tail broke bones and sent two people flying the first time it lashed out. The second time they were ready for it, but it still sent its target staggering back. If not for the system's healing, the accumulation of serious injuries could have doomed their plan. As it was, it turned into a numbers game. They needed to work through the crocodile's HP before any of them ran out. 

Solomon knew the fight was almost over when it's bleeding wounds stopped sealing shut, and led the attack with renewed injury. Finally, the crocodile collapsed and lay still. 

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