Free Web NovelChapter 12: Crushing Centipedes
In mere seconds, three Cave Centipedes emerged from the darkness and invaded the peaceful chamber. freёwebnoѵel.com
Murray drew his arm back.
"Assume position!"
Hugo drifted to the front while Diana fell back.
As the drunkard strolled his way to meet the centipedes, Murray’s eyes flicked to Nuri.
"And you. Don’t listen to that motherfucker! Fall back behind Diana!"
Hugo snickered as he readied his stance behind a large shield.
"Let the kid be, brother. He gotta be able to fight injured if he wants to survive the Labyrinth. Don’t baby him."
Murray grumbled for a moment before giving in.
"...Alright then." He then pointed at the boy. "You are our last line of defense. Better protect my wife with your life."
"Honey!" Diana shouted. "Don’t scare him like that!"
Nuri chuckled, fascinated by their chemistry. He stepped back a few paces and positioned himself diagonally in front of Diana, giving her a clear view of the field and room to fire whatever the hell that staff had.
This family must have a strategy for every monster on the 1st and 2nd Floor, so his presence here might not even be necessary.
Nuri brandished his sword anyway, trying to look as vicious as possible.
The centipedes scraped into the firelight, their chitin lacquered black. Dozens of clawed legs flared red, itching toward their human prey.
Hugo planted his shield and grinned.
"Come on, you ugly bastards."
The lead centipede struck before Hugo’s grin could fade. Its front body snapped forward, mandibles gaping at him.
He caught the blow on the rim of his shield without budging an inch. A translucent wave of energy expanded, launching the longer-than-human centipede into the air as if it weighed nothing.
"Diana!" he called over his shoulder.
"I know!"
A whip of orange light cracked from the end of her staff and struck the flying centipede in the head. The impact triggered a small explosion, bursting its hard chitin like chocolate.
Without hesitation, Murray moved in and drove his blade into the centipede’s newly exposed flesh, skewering its brain. Its legs stopped scrabbling at once, hissing one last time before going still.
’Damn, they’re crazy good.’
Hugo had already rushed forward, squaring off against two enraged centipedes charging to avenge their fallen comrade. He held them both at bay with a solid stance and his mighty shield.
Murray stepped in fast, cutting off all four of their forcipules in two moves. The centipedes hissed in pain and squirmed as Diana prepared her final spell. This time, instead of forming a ball of light, the glow spread along her staff.
Hugo and Murray moved aside at once to give her room to fire. She swung in a single decisive motion, unleashing a devastating wave of fire that incinerated everything in its path.
—Sssssss!
The fire died as quickly as it bloomed, leaving two scorched husks and millions of seared legs. The cave reeked of burnt chitin.
Hugo lowered his shield and let out a long whistle.
"Diana, I ain’t never seen you do that. Showing off for your junior, I see."
She shouldered her staff and gave him a gentle smile.
"Mind your business!"
Murray walked to each centipede, prodding the husks with the tip of his boot. Once satisfied, he sheathed his blade.
"Did we get any materials?"
"Yeah, two of them," Diana answered.
Nuri lowered his sword. He had stayed exactly where he had positioned himself, watching it all unfold without lifting a finger. His blade was still raised, and his feet were still planted.
’...I didn’t do shit!’
Murray came over and clapped him on the shoulder hard enough to nearly dislocate his collarbone.
"Don’t look so glum, boy. We’ve been doing it for years."
"Hah," Nuri mocked himself. "I didn’t even move an inch!"
"That’s already better than most rookies out there," Hugo noted. "Most of them just charge right in and abandon their positions. But you held your ground and stood out of the way. That’s situational awareness, kid."
Hugo looked like a true veteran as the dust of battle settled. His laid-back attitude came from confidence, and his prowess had been clear in the face-off against three centipedes.
Nuri wasn’t sure he could fend off even one centipede, let alone two enraged ones. The Cave Centipede was one of the most dangerous monsters on the 1st Floor, thanks to its stealth. It thrived in dark caverns, hence the name, and he was lucky he hadn’t encountered one on the path he had taken to get here. freeweɓnovel.cøm
Usually, the centipede hunted its prey through vibrations, not necessarily sound. It listened through the walls and floor, searching for reverberations, then followed them.
And in the dark, its legs went mute. It was one of the deadliest Traits considering the 1st Floor’s terrain.
A man caught in that combination had no good options. The footsteps would give him away, and the darkness stripped him of any chance to see it. By the time the centipede was close enough to be heard, its forcipules would already have reached him.
The venom paralyzed its prey within seconds. After that, the long body wrapped around the prey and crushed what was left until the chitin could feed.
That was why the deepest passages on the 1st Floor belonged to the Cave Centipede. Some even considered it the apex predator of newbies. Anything that crossed into the dark died alone, never heard from again.
"So, about my offer." Murray’s hand was still on Nuri’s shoulder. "You decided yet?"
’Ah, that.’
He almost forgot about the invitation because it had come out of nowhere.
But one thing was clear now. This level of coordination could never exist in a Marauder group. Marauders never truly worked together, and even within syndicates, they preferred to operate alone to avoid intimidating their prey.
Still, did that mean Nuri would willingly accept the offer, just like that?
’Hell no.’
Entangling oneself with others in a dangerous, potentially life-threatening place was a recipe for betrayal, deceit, and death. At the very least, he needed to hear the reason first, and then the business could come after.
Nuri looked at Murray in the eyes and said:
"Like Hugo said, I’d just slow you guys down. So why me, a newbie, of all people?"
