Maximus left Embi with Silex and Vesper while he and Sprout went to scout the surrounding area.
He moved gracefully through the foliage and thick rows of trees in his feline form, Sprout running happily behind him like a small wild beast.
They moved for a while, Maximus scanning the area constantly in case any centipede appeared, the scanning more of a process in the back of his mind, not something an old mage should need to focus on.
Suddenly, he stopped and morphed into his human form. “This is a good spot, what do you think, buddy?” He turned to Sprout, who jumped onto his shoulder and squealed with approval.
They stood in a large patch of ground, circular in shape and surrounded by rows of enormous trees, whose bark gleamed like living silver under the faint light.
[Ironbark Ceiba]
An ancient sort of tree that can grow hundreds of meters tall, whose bark grows denser and sturdier with age, eventually becoming as hard as iron.
“Good! This is even better than I thought.” He clapped and started using Stoneguard to raise walls around the perimeter. He stacked them one on top of the other and pressed them tightly together for a sturdier construction.
He raised walls, then rested for his spirit to recover, and so on for two hours, until finally he had three sides of walls risen some 15 meters high on each side.
He then did the same on the fourth side, except that this wall he laid horizontally on the ground. What was unexpected, even for him, was that raising one wall on top of another actually fused them into a single solid structure, meaning he didn’t have to buy anything else, like cement or anything similar.
Once the fourth wall was finished and laid on the ground horizontally, it was smaller than the rest at around 10 meters, and had two large holes on the top right and top left corners, where Maximus tied woven vines and tossed them over the back wall and across a thick, sturdy branch, where he merged the two vine ropes into one thick, sturdy rope.
The idea was for Silex to pull the vines and raise the wall, trapping the beasts inside like a massive gate snapping shut.
Once his construction was finished, he purchased a simple shovel for 20 tokens and started digging holes.
In each of the ten holes, he placed 15-liter red canisters and connected them all with Static Vines, after ensuring the electricity had already dissipated, just to avoid blowing himself into the air. Then he planted Scorching Lilies along the back wall, forming as many rows as he could while carefully avoiding the canisters.
“It’s the best I’m going to make with this set of tools. Let’s go, Sprout.” He morphed back into his cat form and returned the way he came.
***
“Hey, boss, you have been gone a while. What happened?” Vesper asked as soon as he saw Maximus, his tail slowly wagging.
“We found a place for a trap. Come, let’s go, I’ll explain everything along the way,” Maximus ordered.
“I don’t feel like it. I’ll stay here and sleep,” Silex muttered.
“Silex, you big baby, let’s go. We will hunt more centipedes, more meat for you!” Maximus tried to persuade the stubborn croc.
“Well, why didn’t you say so immediately?!” he grumbled as he rose from the ground, Embi resting on his head like a burning crown.
They moved for a short while until they arrived at the massive walled-off location that Maximus had built.
“You built this, boss?” Vesper gasped.
“This is where we will cook the centipedes,” Maximus said calmly.
“I will bait them inside. Once I’m in, Silex, you will pull that vine rope and raise the last wall we are standing on. In case anyone blocks, Vesper, you are to push them inside. Once they are in, I’ll release fire and any other spell I can, with the poison bombs; it should work regardless of their sturdy bodies. Any questions?” Maximus asked simply.
“Sounds complicated. Just show me what to do…” Silex groaned.
“Understood, it’s simple enough.” Vesper placed his paw over Silex’s back.
“Move your dirty paw off my pristine scales!” Silex hissed.
“Stop it! Silex, follow me!” Maximus exhaled, slightly annoyed at the two’s bickering.
“See this? Grab it and pull when I shout. Simple enough.” Maximus led them behind the back wall and grabbed the thick green rope, mimicking what to do.
“And we kill nine of them?” Silex asked, amazed.
“If everything goes as planned. My last trap did not go as planned, thanks to Vesper here,” Maximus smiled faintly.
“Sorry, Boss, but that was easy to see through, even through my madness,” Vesper chuckled.
Maximus scoffed. “Easy to see through, humph!” he frowned.
“And you mock me, look at your sour face, Max! Ha!” Silex laughed.
Maximus sighed and called Embi. “Embi, I’ll send you back. Go rest, I will need you later, alright?”
Embi whirred happily and disappeared back into the spirit realm.
“Taking away my heating, rude,” Silex complained.
“Vesper, send your wolves to scout the area. The night is almost upon us, but I’d rather fight during the day,” he said.
“No problem, I’ve lost a few, but I still have fourteen left.” Vesper summoned his pack and commanded them to scout and return quickly if they noticed anything.
The wolves nodded and dispersed into the woods.
“I will try to rest a bit; you all try the same. Who knows if they will attack tonight or not?” Maximus sighed and took out his sleeping bag. He positioned it against the large back wall he had built and zipped himself in nicely, and not even moments later, he was snoring, Sprout curled atop his chest.
“Why do you follow him if you complain all the time? What’s in it for you?” Vesper suddenly asked, making sure that Maximus was asleep.
“What a stupid question, you really are a furry corpse. He defeated me fair and square; he could’ve killed me, but he didn’t. I am his to command, it’s the law of the swamp, furry. Besides, it’s much more interesting being by his side than swimming around a small swamp where nobody dares oppose me,” Silex spoke as if he were delivering ancient wisdom.
“You still didn’t answer me,” Vesper growled.
“Even though he beat me, it doesn’t mean I’m weak. I’m a proper, fancy beast, innit?” Silex laughed as he tried to imitate Oscar.
“What the hell are you even talking about?”
“Look, you should stop licking his ass as well. We are all proud, strong monsters in our own right. Even though he is the strongest here and the leader, he still needs to show that he is worthy of leading me,” Silex explained.
“So, you will continue testing him?” Vesper sighed.
“Indeed, as should you.”
“He saved my life, gave me a new pack, and even cured me. I would never disobey Boss, and I’ve got a feeling that if we stick with him, we might reach power we could never dream of before,” Vesper said, his voice fierce and full of conviction.
“You are a fanatic, you know. Do as you wish, I won’t be pushed around, though. I am a descendant of kings, you know!” Silex raised his head proudly while Vesper shook his head in disbelief.
***
Moonlight barely managed to pierce through the tangled branches when Vesper suddenly nudged Maximus awake. “Boss, my wolves have found signs of three centipedes currently circling this whole region, trying to locate you.”
Maximus opened his eyes, barely able to see anything in the thick darkness. He fumbled around until he found the zipper and pulled it open. As he sat up, he tossed his cowl over his head, and the moment he did, his eyes adjusted to the gloom and everything sharpened before him as if it were the middle of the day.
He stored the sleeping bag and gently placed Sprout on the ground.
“You three stay here and prepare. Everyone remembers their duties?” Maximus asked.
“Yes, boss!” Vesper nodded.
“Yeah, yeah. Pull the green thing when you yell,” Silex complained.
“Alright, Sprout, take your puppet in case you need to fight.” Maximus took out the Devourer puppet, and Sprout cheered as he jumped onto its head and merged with it.
Maximus morphed into his cat form and dashed toward the location Vesper had told him about.
***
With feline grace and precision, Maximus ran through the woods, his senses sharpened by his new form and his speed enhanced by the effects of his cowl.
As he ran, he heard loud howls and the ground shook as if a titan was stomping across it. He changed course and moved toward the sound. Five or so minutes later, he found the wolf dodging the acid spits of the centipedes; it looked similar to the one they had fought before, but much smaller, around six meters in length.
“Wolf, go back to Vesper!” Maximus shouted as he arrived. As soon as the centipede sensed the curse, its body trembled before it lunged like a released arrow at Maximus, its pincers snapping madly.
“Aren’t you glad to see little old me?” Maximus chuckled as he avoided the maddened attack and sprinted toward the sounds of another battle.
The centipede ignored the wolf and accelerated after Maximus, smashing into trees, toppling the younger ones, and diving into the ground only to burrow through and follow, its pincers clicking without pause.
Who normally would survive this? This damned Astrae, if I were a simple human, I would’ve died ten times over. By the heavens, was this trial really meant for someone who had barely even begun to learn and grow? Maximus thought as he ran, before arriving at the location of another centipede, this one around eight meters long, which lunged at him in the same frenzied manner as the last.
The previous centipede burst from the ground and crashed into the new one, their bodies intertwining in rage and blind madness.
Maximus ignored them and continued toward the last one. Seeing their prey escape, they spat acid onto each other, their shells partially melting and sloughing off before both launched themselves after him.
After twenty minutes, Maximus arrived at the location of the third, and the exact same thing happened, but this time, as the three centipedes locked into battle over him, he activated his Prowl skill and hid nearby. Let them tire each other, and let’s hope more will pick up my scent. He watched as they devolved into a grotesque three-way wrestling match.
Acid and poison filled the air with a heavy stench of burned flesh and something sulfurous, mixed with iron, their furious clicking and maddened chittering echoing through the entire hunting ground.
Then suddenly, everything paused, even the infighting and the noise, total silence swallowing the forest as tree after tree began to shake from four directions. A few minutes later, four massive centipedes emerged, each around twelve meters long, their black shells streaked with veins of dull gold.
[Auric Shadow Centipede Lv. 30]
By the heavens… Are there other variants as well? Maximus stilled for a moment as a faint sense of dread settled into his chest.
The four centipedes ignored each other and the three smaller ones, turning toward Maximus as if they could see him through his concealment.
They all opened their maws and released a burst of thick green liquid that melted the ground where Maximus had stood just moments before, as he leapt high onto a nearby tree.
“Follow me, you mindless beasts!” he roared as he sprang from branch to branch toward his trap, the creatures screeching in fury as all seven gave chase.