Chapter 48 – Who Is Hunting Whom?

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. It had two 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 annoying. 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?”

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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.