Chapter 49 – Roasting Centipedes

Maximus ran through the trees, leaping from branch to branch as hot, humid air clung to his emerald fur. Behind him, the monstrous centipedes moved at immense speeds, crashing into one another, smashing through trees, and stumbling over the massive twisting roots of the ancient forest.

Maximus noticed Vesper’s wolves running in the distance, keeping track of him and the monsters, no doubt feeding Vesper a constant stream of information.

I can feel my body growing weary, even in this form, I am still but a simple mortal being, he thought as, finally, he spotted in the distance large silver trees shimmering faintly under the sparse moonlight.

He sped up as fast as he could and leapt into the walled-off plot of land. “Be ready, you two!” he roared as he stopped right in front of the Lilies and dropped his stealth.

The swarm of bloodthirsty centipedes lunged, spewing acid as they came.

The moment all seven crossed the boundary of the lowered wall, Maximus roared, “NOW, PULL, NOW!” He poured all the power of his feline body into his legs and jumped, mid-air shifting back into his human form as he activated Gale Step three times, launching himself onto the top of the wall just as Silex pulled the ropes, raising the fourth wall and sealing the beasts inside.

Vesper rushed forward and slammed into the rising wall, helping Silex force it up faster as the centipedes crashed into the Scorching Lilies, raising a thick cloud of fire and debris.

Maximus tossed a single poisonous grenade and grabbed a vine he had prepared atop the wall and poured Static Surge into it.

The lightning raced instantly through the connected system and into the buried napalm containers, igniting them in sequence.

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

Explosions erupted in rapid succession as the centipedes screamed, their massive forms writhing inside a growing inferno as flames swallowed the entire enclosure. “Perfect! Starlight Shower!” he cast, and comets of pure starlight rained down into the already burning hellscape.

Maximus tossed a Cinder Seed into his mouth and shifted his legs into a lupine form as he landed beside Silex. “Good work. Now we wait, but stay alert. Two are still unaccounted for,” Maximus warned.

“Hopefully, those will be more fun than this,” Silex complained.

“Boss, they’re trying to burrow through!” Vesper shouted.

“Curse them, Silex, with me!” Maximus snapped as he ran, Sprout immediately joining him.

One of the larger centipedes hauled itself over the smallest wall, its entire body engulfed in fire, its shell melting as the starlight purified the corruption within.

Vesper howled and unleashed a thick beam of blood that struck the creature square in the head, forcing it back.

“You cannot do anything properly without little old me,” Silex complained as he spat Aqua Jet, the pressurized stream tearing through the softened shell and splattering brain matter and flesh across the walls.

Maximus leapt with his enhanced legs and climbed atop the fourth wall. Within the enclosure, six charred corpses lay twitching and burning. “Oh no… one is missing!” Maximus shouted just as the ground beneath Vesper exploded.

Vesper’s bloody barrier flared to life, protecting him as he was hurled into the silver trees, and a half-melted beast burst from below and lunged straight at Maximus.

Maximus activated Barkskin and Cyclone Shell, raising his staff like a spear as he released a concentrated beam of emerald flame. Emerald Laser, enhanced by the lingering effect of Starlight Shower, pierced clean through the centipede, bisecting it even as its immense body crashed into him and sent both of them tumbling over the wall and into the enclosed inferno.

“Aaaargh!” Maximus screamed as the heat began to melt through his defenses.

He cast Rejuvenation and summoned Embi, whose presence bolstered his resistance to fire and heat, then shifted into his Tank Form and charged straight into the wall. “Move away from the wall!” he roared as he burst through it like a living, burning cannonball.

Silex and Vesper jumped aside while Sprout used vines to pull himself onto a nearby tree.

In his tank form, Maximus tore through stone and timber alike, and a wave of searing heat surged outward from the shattered enclosure, igniting leaves and branches nearby. The silver trees, however, stood untouched, their iron bark unyielding even to the raging flames.

You have defeated: [Skittering Shadow Centipede Lv. 28]

You have defeated: [Skittering Shadow Centipede Lv. 29] x2

You have defeated: [Auric Shadow Centipede Lv. 30] x4

Tamed beast Silex Leveled Up. Level 30 reached.

Talent Points gained: +6

Battle Tokens earned: 4900

Maximus transformed back into his human form as Vesper released two globes of blood that exploded on impact, snuffing out the lingering flames. The last thing they needed now was a forest fire.

“Boss, are you alright?” Vesper asked, worry evident in his voice.

“I’m burned a bit, but I’ll be fine,” Maximus said as he chugged a potion. That was careless of me… Just what was I thinking… Sometimes I wonder if I’m changing alongside this body. He frowned.

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“What about the meat?” Silex asked, his tone eager.

“It’s cooked; we can eat a little now to recover. I don’t think that we have much time, though. I’ll store the rest in my inventory for now. Luckily, my storage space is quite large,” Maximus said, waiting for the worst of the heat to dissipate before storing all seven corpses, or at least what remained of them.

“Two are still on the loose. I don’t know where or when they will attack. Oddly, they didn’t join the others,” Maximus said.