[Bandit Terraclaw Lv. 18]

  [Bandit Terraclaw Lv. 17]

  [Bandit Terraclaw Lv. 19]

  The terraclaws unfolded their bodies, expanding to roughly two yards in length each and reaching their knees in height. Their brownish-black chitin gradually gained a more noticeable silhouette, and at last Lukey and Saphina were able to recognize them for what they really were.

  Unlike aquaclaws, terraclaws had more rounded bodies; they were terrible at moving through the water but great at fending off light attacks. Long claws, like the beaks of birds, were connected to oversized, bulky arms. Their legs were thick as well and spread out like spiders to hold up their bodies. Their faces were like that of a shrimp, and their backs each consisted of three solid plates of chitin.

  Basically, a sentient rock with legs.

  Lukey made jokes in his head, but the reality was that these creatures were not only smart enough to wait in ambush for prey but also coordinated with others for a full-blown attack.

  Saphina was the first to ready her club, and Lukey followed up with his spear.

  “Okay, so maybe you were right about the crabs.” She began. “Still, they aren’t too strong, so we should be able to handle…”

  Saphina couldn’t finish that statement before five more thuds were heard from behind.

  “You were saying?” Lukey sarcastically stated, not daring to look back. “Push through the front. Let’s avoid getting boxed in.”

  Both fighters moved up quickly and met the three frontliners head-on.

  First was Lukey, who found himself standing directly in front of one of the eight-legged menaces. The first thing he immediately noticed was that it was slow; its legs may have been good for climbing virtually everything, but they weren’t good for speed.

  Then again, the terraclaws didn’t need to be fast. They had even thicker armor than almost any aquaclaw Lukey had fought up to this point, and to make matters worse, their shells were rounded, meaning any blows would be deflected on almost any part of their body.

  No visible opportunities yet; better aim for the face for now.

  It was a small target, but Lukey was determined to hit it as he reeled back and aimed straight for its face. In response, the terraclaw raised its claws to defend, hiding its face behind its two burly arms. Because of the stored energy, Lukey was forced to release all the force in his arm, sending the spear glancing off the claw and hitting dirt.

  Nuts… I need to learn to control this better. The aquaclaws were decent practice, but real monsters won’t nearly be so forgiving.

  Lukey quickly removed his spear before the terraclaw had a chance to grab it. As he did, he was forced to avoid a claw from the third terraclaw, who chose to work alongside Lukey’s target to gang up on him. Now he was forced to dodge two sets of claws, and worse still, there were still no openings for him to retaliate.

  Lukey fell into a frantic dodge as he swayed side to side, backing up slightly with each shift. He briefly contemplated using his bolas, but the terraclaws were already far too close for the traps to gain momentum from the throw. Since he couldn’t do anything here, he briefly glanced in Saphina’s direction to see how she was doing.

  “GRAAAAAH! [PRIMAL MUSCLE]!”

  After Saphina shouted those words, Lukey’s eyes widened as she visibly grew two feet in height. Her body didn’t remain unchanged either, as she grew an additional layer of bulk that made her lithe figure grow to match the outline of… well, Caldoon.

  So that’s why she wanted to wear so little clothing. Now it makes sense.

  The second the transformation finished, she raised her club overhead and quickly brought it down on the bulk of the terraclaw before her. In the next second, the club cracked the ground with a heavy thud, and Lukey watched the legs of the terraclaw twitch for a moment before falling still.

  Hemingway’s beard, she’s strong. No wonder she acts so full of herself.

  Lukey couldn’t focus on her situation, however, because as he was backing up, he failed to notice the other terraclaws approaching from behind. It was only when he heard a series of tapping legs from behind that he bothered to steal a glance.

  A short look over his shoulder revealed five terraclaws rapidly approaching from behind, three of which were targeting Lukey.

  Dammit… I’m trapped, and Saphina is going to take a while longer to finish off the ones behind her.

  Lukey was caught between a sentient rock and a hard place. If even one claw caught him, the terraclaws would squeeze until he lost all feeling in his limbs. Once one of them had their grip on him, the others would soon pile on and squeeze until he passed out. Many bodies had already been discovered on the roads from attacks by these creatures, and Lukey did not want to be another casualty.

  They’re starting to flank me, so I can’t go left or right. Forward and back is right out. Where…

  Then, Lukey sensed an opportunity. Their bodies were low to the ground, likely to defend themselves, which left the space above them completely open.

  I think I can get above them, but it will require the manual use of [Fisherman’s Stance].

  Lukey was unsure if he could do it, but he didn’t have much of a choice against a horde of rapidly encroaching monsters.

  With renewed determination, Lukey crouched down to the ground and began [Fisherman’s Stance] as if he was going to pounce on his enemies. The aether obeyed and began to automatically seep into his muscles as the art intended.

  Not good enough. I need more!

  Lukey gathered all the willpower he could muster and willed increasingly more aether to enter his legs. At first, the aether resisted, as what he was doing was not a feature of the original art, but eventually the dam began to crack as the aether first came in a trickle, then a stream, and then, finally, a flood.

  Luke's legs bulked up three sizes in response to the massive amount of aether he was pouring in and gradually changed color as they became red and angry. Eventually, he could take it no more, as he was forced to release everything into a single jump.

  “Hit the Mack!”

  The fisherman shot up as he was sent skyrocketing several yards into the air. Lukey briefly panicked but managed to bend his knees slightly as he reached the peak of the jump. Eventually, he came falling down to earth and landed directly behind the two terraclaws that had previously had him trapped.

  Lukey landed on his feet, but the momentum made him stumble slightly. Fortunately, he still managed to get his bearings in time to mount an assault on the two terraclaws that hounded him earlier.

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  This time, instead of attacking their faces, Lukey took a different approach. Their backsides were covered up in hard armored plates; however, between the plates were gaps that were wide enough to slide a small object through…like his spear.

  “Eat this, you bandit menace!”

  Lukey reeled his arm back and struck straight into the terraclaw to his left, directly into the center of its back where the three plates intersected. Unlike the attack from before, this one was successful, as the spear was driven straight through its back.

  After hitting the dirt below, Lukey immediately took his boot over the terraclaw's backside and ripped his spear out. The terraclaw to his right was attempting to turn around to defend itself, but Lukey wouldn’t let it. He quickly kicked the side and got around to its back, then ended it with a spear driven into the backside.

  Great! Now to deal with…

  “Ugh…”

  A groan was heard from the side, and Lukey turned to see Saphina collapsed on the ground. He was confused how someone like her could end up on her knees, but looking at her, the answer was obvious.

  Restraining her arms and legs were the remaining terraclaws. Looking around, two of the terraclaws lay crushed behind them, and Lukey could’ve guessed what happened. She probably had an easy time dealing with them, up until one of the terraclaws caught her and managed to put the squeeze on her limbs.

  Saphina’s strong, but the lack of blood flow would weaken anyone if they continued to exert as much energy as she did. She probably didn’t even care about them and continued swinging, causing her to collapse from exhaustion.

  The rest of the terraclaws were stuck in place, so Lukey quickly ran up to Saphina and began thrusting at their weak points. One by one the terraclaws fell, unwilling to release their grip on her to defend themselves. After the last terraclaw was stabbed through, Lukey quickly began prying their claws off her.

  “Hey! Are you okay? Talk to me!” Lukey yelled, prying the final claw off her leg as he did.

  “Ugh… Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little woozy.” Saphina said somewhat groggily, shrinking down to her normal size. “One of them caught my leg, but I was okay for a while. Then I just collapsed suddenly, and the rest piled on.”

  “That’s how terraclaws kill; they just get a grip and squeeze until the blood stops flowing through your body. Triton told me all about it before we left.” Lukey explained.

  “Never fought a monster like this before…” Saphina relented. “Usually, it’s some big brute that charges at you or tries to eat you. I didn’t expect this.”

  “Well, now you know,” Lukey lectured. “Can you still walk?”

  “Maybe? I’m still waiting for the feeling to flow back into my legs.” Saphina said.

  Since they weren’t going anywhere, and there was no more immediate danger, Lukey decided to just collapse on the ground. Immediately, he began rubbing his legs; they were in horrible pain after what Lukey put them through.

  I need to do some actual training if I want to do that again. Both leg training and manual art training. Maybe I can get some done while we’re dealing with these killer snails.

  They weren’t going anywhere soon, so Lukey decided to make some small talk.

  “Those are some impressive arts you have,” Lukey spoke up. “I’m guessing that’s from the Primalist class.”

  “Yeah…” She wearily responded. “Big brutes with big clubs that best their enemies with raw might. That’s the way of the Primalist.”

  “You live near the ocean, right? How does that class help you at all?” Lukey asked.

  Brutes weren’t exactly good at fishing, and Lukey doubted that the Primalist class had an affinity with water.

  After some silence Saphina explained.

  “[Primal Reversion],” she simply answered. “It’s an art that we get at level eighty, and it basically allows someone to revert to a more primal state.”

  “Primal state?” Lukey questioned before his eyes lit up in realization. “You mean like the Ryugu?”

  “Heh, you are smart…” She chuckled. “You’re right, the art basically lets us turn into giant sea serpents, which lets us hunt in the water with ease. The big brute aspect of the class is only temporary until we can change it into something better.”

  “Barbarians and Primalists—the zaurian sovereigns came up with some really brutal classes.” Lukey chuckled.

  “Well, I wouldn’t know. After all, the Primalist sovereign is a human, not a zaurian,” Saphina corrected.

  Lukey gave a questioning look at that statement, but he could tell she wasn’t up for granting any more long-winded explanations in her state. Instead, he chose to continue with the small talk. Lukey still didn’t know much about the strange chieftain’s daughter, and if he was going to be working with her for the foreseeable future, he wanted to know more about her.

  “The fish in Mesozauria…” Lukey began, “Are they any good?”

  “They’re alright, but nothing like the fleshy things you have here.” Saphina responded. “Mesozaurian fish all have these thick plates of armor; they fight more like beasts than anything else, which makes the Primalist class perfect for hunting them.”

  “Sounds like you really know what you’re doing. Though I have to ask: If you’re that good at fishing, why do you need to follow me?” Lukey questioned.

  “Are you kidding?” Saphina chuckled. “Me and some of my clan already tried fishing around the island for food. Instead of fighting fish like normal, we ended up getting hunted by a fast fish with a sharp nose, a shark with a tail that could slice a man in half, and a giant purple thing with five arms.”

  “A Fencing Tuna, a Bladefin Shark, and a Maneating Star,” Lukey recited from memory. “Yeah, many sea creatures around here have specialized traits that let them survive. Most are just really fast, but a lot know how to hunt in specialized ways.”

  “Yeah,” Saphina confirmed. “So, I figured it would be safer if I stayed around someone who knew the island a little better.”

  Lukey pondered at that statement for a long while before deciding to speak.

  “Alright,” Lukey finally said. “And I appreciate your help all the same. Now let’s get back on the road.”

  …

  Night had finally descended upon the island, and high above, the moon was illuminating everything below in its Tranquil Phase. It was the eighth and final month of the year and today marked the fourth day of the first week.

  Lukey stared up at the moon and began thinking to himself.

  Eight days a week, five weeks a month, and eight months a year. Where does the time go?

  Lukey sighed.

  Such is life on this spinning rock, known as Eterna.

  Lukey and Saphina were descending a cliffside trail towards a small group of wooden shacks that sat near the base.

  “Why couldn’t we bring the terraclaws with us? I bet they would’ve tasted delicious!” Saphina pleaded.

  “Because they’re poisonous! Terraclaws are inedible, which is part of what makes them so dominant on the island. Nothing eats them, so nothing hunts them.” Lukey explained. “If you’re so hungry, then here, eat one of my fish.”

  Lukey untied one of the dried fish from his belt and tossed it to the annoying girl, which she immediately consumed, albeit with some frustration.

  “Something like this won’t keep me satisfied, you know.” Saphina said between mouthfuls. “I hope we can get something real to eat here.”

  After having to listen to a few more complaints, the duo arrived at the small collection of buildings that sat near Bum’s Break. These buildings consisted of three poorly constructed shacks made from palm wood. The buildings sat at the bottom of the cliff, on solid ground, whereas the beach stretched out before them into the distance.

  Bum’s Break sat between two large mountains along the beach, hidden away from prying eyes. The beach stretched from mountain to mountain in a crescent shape, creating a massive pool of shallow water that glistened under the moonlight.

  Further out, Lukey could see where the shallow water gave way to the deep ocean, right at the invisible line where the mountains ended. Gentle waves continuously lapped at the sides of the massive pool, and Lukey could practically hear the gentle rustling from the cliffside path he was on.

  “Seems pretty calm,” Lukey commented. “C’mon, let’s go find someone.”

  After getting their bearings, Lukey and Saphina walked up to the front of one of the shacks that faced the beach. Lukey gave the door three solid knocks, which were answered with utter silence.

  “C’mon, don’t do this to us… We’re hungry and tired.” Lukey muttered, and then he gave the door another three knocks.

  Silence.

  “OH, FOR THE LOVE OF CONAR, OPEN UP!” Saphina shouted.

  Her shouting must’ve gotten a reaction, because Lukey immediately heard stomping inside after her outburst. Seconds later, the shack door swung open to reveal a man with long, wavy hair that organized itself into messy braids that reached the front of his chest and back.

  His face wore an irritated look.

  “Can’t you kids wait till morning? Besides, haven’t you heard? The beach is off-limits because of the monsters.”

  “Yeah, we know,” Lukey said. “We’re from Ocean’s Bounty and saw the request. By any chance, are you Bohdi?”

  “Wait, someone actually came? Dude, that’s awesome!” the man exclaimed, his eyes visibly brightening. “Yeah, I am, and please come in.”

  Bodhi let the duo into his shack, and Lukey immediately noticed the sparsely strewn furniture that sat around the place. It was all carved from wood that was found around the island and extremely well made as well. Lukey immediately noticed how the lines etched in the wood seemed to flow with the grain.

  “Nice place you got here. Did you carve all this furniture yourself?” Lukey inquired.

  “Yeah, sometimes I make furniture to trade for food with the people in the nearby village.” Bohdi confirmed. “C’mon, sit. Dang, I didn’t think they’d send people to help. Usually Bum’s Break gets ignored.”

  “Ignored? How could anyone ignore this place? It’s probably the most popular beach on the island!” Lukey exclaimed.

  “Yeah, the young people like it, but the village elders hate it.” Bohdi explained. “I brought the problem up with the elder of Bluefin village multiple times, but every single time he told me that it isn’t a priority. I was at the end of my rope! Then, they announced the formation of the guild, so I made a request.”

  Together they discussed multiple things until Lukey and Saphina finally needed to rest.

  Tomorrow, they have work to do.