Lucas quietly followed the three humanoids, he tried to keep track of all the stops and turns they made. So far, he had just been wandering aimlessly but he could tell these creatures knew their way around this labyrinthine cavern.
The three humanoids moved efficiently and with purpose, ignoring most of the life forms they came across which in turn ignored them. But this progression ended when they met with a rather aggressive creature on a narrow path.
To Lucas, it looked like a very big centipede. Even though it was not as big as the armored beetle, it was not far off from it height-wise. It more than made up for this with its length however. This combined with its menacing long mandibles and many limbs gave it a rather frightening appearance.
The centipede was initially feasting on a carcass in the middle of the path before it took note of the approaching group.
The humanoids immediately tensed up when they noticed it. The tallest humanoid—which Lucas considered the leader—stepped forward with its spear in hand roaring out a command.
The other two let out low grunts of affirmation, readying their weapons as well. The squad slowly spread out in front of the centipede in a semi-circle and tried to close in on it.
The centipede took the sequence of actions as a provocation, and it reacted swiftly. Uncoiling itself from its prey, it puffed out its body to appear larger, letting out a menacing hiss. As it did, its mandibles yawned open, threateningly exposing their razor-sharp edges
The trio froze momentarily, their leader then dashed forward, its spear thrusting squarely at the centipede’s head aiming for an eye. The centipede didn’t back down and lashed out with a single mandible.
Due to the centipede shifting its head slightly to deliver its attack, the spear just grazed its tough carapace while its mandible closed in on the leader’s body with deadly precision.
The leader swiftly maneuvered its spear, using the shaft to block the centipede's vicious attack. The impact sent the leader stumbling off balance, creating a momentary opening.
Before the centipede could capitalize on this however, the two other attackers launched coordinated strikes from its sides.
Caught off guard, the centipede screeched as a spear punctured its eye, a gush of ichor spilling from the wound. Simultaneously, the centipede successfully knocked the other spear away with its free mandible.
With a spear lodged in its eye, it instantly went berserk. It began lashing out wildly, forcing both humanoids to step back hastily with booming steps. The leader who had regained his balance joined the fray as the trio continued their practiced onslaught on the centipede.
‘Woah…’
As Lucas watched the centipede get defeated in just a few exchanges, he was stunned. Individually, the humanoids could not overwhelm the monstrous centipede so quickly if at all. But with simple strategies and numbers, it became light work.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
‘I have to be very careful. The moment they reunite with others or they get suspicious I’m following them, I should bounce.’
Lucas told himself, watching how the trio easily dispatched the centipede confirmed just how dangerous they were. If he were to face them as he was right now, he might not even get the chance to escape.
As they finished off the centipede, the leader commanded.
As it spoke, the leader withdrew its weapon from the centipede's lifeless body. With a swift motion, it sheathed the spear and began moving forward, venturing deeper into the cavern. The others lingered for a moment, their gazes fixed on the centipede's corpse before they fell in step behind their leader.
‘I wish I could understand them. This is getting frustrating.’ Lucas grumbled to himself as he followed behind them silently.
———
As Lucas followed the trio through the cavern, he watched them easily dispatch creatures that opposed them with relative ease.
As they ventured deeper, the passageways expanded and the cavern walls loomed taller, making the cavern feel bigger yet somehow more isolating. The air was filled with the faint echoes of dripping water, and the damp atmosphere carried hints of various scents Lucas couldn't quite identify.
The walls themselves were home to strange, alien plants that clung to the rocky surface, their unusual forms making Lucas wary. He decided it was best to steer clear of them, unsure of their potential dangers.
There also seemed to be much less aggressive creatures roaming around so Lucas subconsciously became much less tense.
‘Where are they headed? They have been trekking for quite a while now.’
Lucas wondered to himself. After following them for a while with no action, boredom had begun to set in.
After a few more minutes of travel, a change finally occurred—new humanoids appeared. A group of five this time appeared from a separate tunnel. Three of them looked to be pulling something with them that Lucas couldn't identify, their movements labored. While the other two who looked taller and more powerful, stood guard at the front and back.
As the two groups converged, the leader of the five-man group stepped forward, its voice low and guttural as it addressed the leader of the three-man group.
The leader of the trio straightened and replied, its tone sharp but restrained.
The five-man leader froze at the mention of the name before it clicked its teeth thoughtfully, then gestured toward the carcass his group was hauling.
The guard at the back grunted, stepping forward before it added.
The three-man leader tilted its head, hissing softly as it responded.
Both groups exchanged sharp, guttural grunts and low hisses, the sounds seemed to signify mutual understanding. Without further delay, they melded into a single unit, their movements unified as they marched deeper into the cavern.
‘Well... that was... confusing.’
Lucas thought to himself, still trying to process the unexpected encounter. He had been tailing the group for a while, but their sudden meeting with the five-man group and the following conversation had left him perplexed.
‘I should stop tailing them for now, though,’ he decided. ‘It seems they're very organized.’
The ease with which they had coordinated their movements and communicated with each other suggested a level of sophistication that Lucas hadn't fully anticipated.
‘Maybe their base is larger than I thought.’ he mused, his mind racing with possibilities.
With that thought in mind, Lucas carefully began to retrace his steps, seeking a safe location to regroup and reassess. He needed a quiet spot to digest everything he had just witnessed, check his status screen, and get some much-needed rest.
As he moved cautiously through the shadows, Lucas scanned the surroundings, searching for the perfect place to lay low and gather his thoughts.
If he wanted to survive here, he would need to adapt much faster and even more importantly, he had to understand all the tools he had.
‘Now… let’s finally check out my status screen.’