CRACK!
Two twisting snakes of lightning blast forth from the ape’s hands and stab straight into the croc’s side. The electricity ripples across the beast and the smell of cooked flesh fills the air.
“HURRR!” the croc bellows and turns its blazing eyes on this new target.
With a moment of reprieve, I begin to spin together a few more Gravity Bolts and assess the situation. To my horror, I can already see the arm that had been consumed by my pre-emptive strike is beginning to regrow. A bubbling lump of flesh has appeared where the arm connected to the shoulder, rapidly extending outward.
I curse within my mind and launch another two Gravity Bolts at the croc’s left leg before turning more attention toward the water transformation construct. It’s my only chance of being able to counteract the damn things flames!
Acid continues to fly out of the surrounding trees as Vibrant launches distanced strikes. The croc seems to content to simply shrug off those blows, even as the acid steams, eating away at the scales on its back. Perhaps its confident it can regenerate the damage along with its arm? That doesn’t bode well!
[What about me, Master? Should I strike?] Crinis calls desperately from her hiding place.
[Absolutely not! You hear me? Don’t come out until I give the word!]
I have to hold Crinis back until the critical moment when she can get close enough to apply her damage unscathed. The trick is getting the monster to that point!
[Tiny, JUMP!] I scream.
The croc has opened its upper set of jaws and a crackling blue flame has begun licking the space between the croc’s teeth when I shout my warning to Tiny.
Too late.
Caught up in his bloodlust, Tiny was too focused pouring every ounce of electrical energy he could into the croc. Controlling the lightning from that sort of range was taxing on Tiny in the first place, combined with his intense focus, it isn’t any surprise he wasn’t able to react in time.
The croc darts its head forward and a focused torrent of blue flame spears through the air. The heat is intense. Even though the flame isn’t directed at me, a rush of searing air rolls over me.
Tiny is almost quick enough. He cuts off the flow of lightning and leaps high, but one foot is caught in the narrow blast of flame and burned clean off.
“ARRRRRRRR!” the giant ape bellows as he awkwardly lands, falling to one side and propping himself up on his hands.
I can see an evil glint in the croc’s eyes at it looks down on the ape. It takes a lazy step and opens its upper jaw once more, preparing to incinerate the largest of its foes.
Wrong move.
Forceful Water Cannon!
[Meditation has reached Level 5.]
[At this Level, a skill advancement may be purchased.]
[Mediation (I) → Deep Mediation (II): Cost 1 SP. Allows the user to further separate their emotions from their thoughts and for a longer period of time. A slight boost to Mana sensitivity will take place whilst the skill is active.]
Take it!
Outside the bubble of my thoughts, my emotions are a roiling mess. Seeing Tiny injured has rocked me to my core. For the very first time, I wonder if we’ve gone it too deep. Have I been too confident? Too complacent?
I refuse to let my friends die!
As soon the croc opens its mouth, it cops a Water Cannon to the face. The dense beam of water slashes into the soft tissue of the creature’s palate before it snaps its jaws shut and turns to glare at me once more. That’s right, you overgrown gecko. Leave my ape alone and come get some!
I maintain the Forceful Water Cannon and shunt its control off to the sub-brains. The little minds are on overdrive right now as they feed, transform Mana, condense it and maintain the cannon. Only under the effect of the Mediation skill are they able to find this level of efficiency, but this is the limit. If I push them this hard for too long the darn things will cook themselves.
They’re already heating up. Within my body, the temperature is spiking high around the spot where three little furnaces are generating tremendous heat.
The area around us is a sea of flame now. The red flame from the lower mouth may be able to eat Mana, but it still seems fairly good at setting fire to regular things too! Trees and plants, only moments before saturated with the abundant water of the marsh, are now extra crispy and the trees are crackling as the flames consume them.
In only a few moments, the enormous croc has transformed this watery swamp into a raging inferno.
The blue flame is even more frightening. The devastation caused by it is less, since it was fired in such a narrow beam, but wherever it touched has simply been incinerated to nothing.
Well, let’s see what we can do to settle this fire at the least. I’d rather not have to fight surrounded by flame if I don’t have to.
I make sure to keep the Forceful Water Cannon playing over the croc’s face as it twists its head from left to right, trying to avoid the painful beam.
The creature seems quite capable of resisting the penetrating power of the spell unfortunately. The beam that is quite capable of ripping through Shadow Flesh like a laser is not able to do the same to those bright green scales. So long as I keep the torrent of water aimed at its face, it won’t be able to open its mouths to unleash those terrifying flame breaths.
What’s the play now, croc?
Rage burning in its eyes, the croc steps toward me.
119. Eye of the Beast, Part 3
Despite being weighed down by several Gravity Bolts, the croc is still able to move, though the left leg drags through the mud. I continue to blast the croc with my Water Cannon until the monster is forced to lift one hand to try and block the spray. I’m not doing any sort of serious damage. Its thick, water-resistant scales are doing a good job minimising the damage. So long as I keep threatening its face however, it can’t open its fat mouths and threaten us with that deadly flame.
The moment the croc tries to break the deadlock, I Dash to the side, forcing it to adjust its position to continue blocking my Water Cannon. I won’t give it a chance to shoot. Whilst I’m doing all this, I’m also condensing Mana for another spell, keeping my brains on the red line. I won’t be able to keep up this level of cognition forever!
I’m also trying to keep the damn monster away from Tiny. Down one foot, the big ape is seriously mad, and currently in the process of trying to prop himself up on one leg and balance on his knuckles. Judging by his twisted expression, he wants nothing more than to punch the crocs face in. Thankfully my orders are forcing him to stay back. I’ve managed to get into a position where he’s behind me and off to one side, hopefully not enough of a target for the croc to prioritise.
Crinis is also still in hiding, waiting for my order to strike. We just need an opportunity.
“An opening!”
What the HECK?
Vibrant, who had been intelligently firing acid from long-range, suddenly leaps out from between two trees behind the giant croc and charges it directly!
“What the hell are you doing!” I yell.
“Biting!” she cheers.
CHOMP!
With the incredible speed of her charge, she arrives right behind the slowed left leg of the croc and brings her mandibles sharply down.
Once! Twice! Thrice! She bites and bites again. Each time her mandibles clamp shut, scales split and tear beneath her assault.
“Get out of there!” I shout.
Too late.
Vibrant had done well to avoid the tails that curled and thumped the ground behind the monster on her way in, but she overstayed her welcome. As if it had eyes in the back of its head, the giant croc twists and swings its tails on different angles, cutting off any means of escape.