Two out of four monsters ran at me, motivated to rip me into shreds for striking their matriarch. Comparing their respective size, speed, and possible strength with mine I quickly calculated my chances of surviving the clash with them and taking into consideration the outcome of that calculation, I decided on my battleplan.

.

.

Yes, I started running away.

I was trying to lose the creatures maneuvering between the columns, but they also proved to be quite nimble. Masterfully moving their tails they shifted their balance allowing them for a far more reckless charge than it should be possible for someone with their body weight.

Not once, nor twice, but many times I heard the sound of their jaws shutting right behind my head as they tried to snap my body in two. Once again, I jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding claws nearly as long as my blade.

I stumbled and fell on my back, seconds later, noticing a huge rear limb heading in my direction at deadly velocity, I rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding being stepped on by a monster easily a few hundred kilograms.

This attack took place at one of the cave’s ends - the place filled with stored egg. A wide attack by one of the praetorians grazed one of them, slicing it open, killing the unborn lizard within.

The queen, seeing one of her offspring killed, let out a loud, ear-piercing shriek, filled with pain, anger, and disappointment. The queen’s maiden who had ‘blood’ on her limb trembled, shivering with its entire body.

So, by sheer luck, we fought in a place in which we had an advantage?

I picked another egg off the ground, turned towards the lizard which already drawn the queen’s wrath due to its incompetence, and saying:

“Oi, catch!’

I threw it in her direction. The Ratptox, obviously, didn’t have functional limbs that would allow it to freely grab (or catch) objects, especially as round and ‘slippery’ as eggs. The monster did try to somehow secure one of her nephews but didn’t quite make it, and as result, another shattered egg joined the other pool of fluids on the ground.

At the same time, the rest of the team already managed to take a proper stance behind the queen and her attendants that didn’t leave her side, readying for an attack.

“Aaaaim!” the sergeant yelled, as the in total four bows/crossbows were raised and pointed at one of the lizards - no, not the queen, one of the smaller ones.

The three beasts turned in place, trying to localize the source of the sound.

“Fire!”

Four projectiles flow across the air, digging deep in the body of one of the praetorians. Not enough to kill it just yet, but they did manage to slow it down quite significantly.

Ever further behind the archers, Robert started singing verses of his chant.

“Reload!” Adam yelled another command, and again, the remaining soldiers moved in unison, loading another arrow.

Queen hissed, jumping back. Whatever her scream was meant to mean, it did make the remaining two of her attendants bolt onward, charging at the group.

Confused by the queen’s call the two monsters that were chasing after me also turned their heads back, using that moment, I quickly jumped back on my legs and attacked as it was still distracted. The creature did face me again after a moment, just in time to see my blade quickly approaching its head. It did try to avoid my strike, yet the attack was already executed, so, despite jumping away, I did manage to land a long, shallow cut across its head, slicing one of the eyes.

Beast roared in pain, agony even as its eyes literally spilled out from its eyes socket. I was about to continue my onslaught against my, now wounded enemy, but, this time it was I who forgot about one not so tiny detail - the beast was not alone.

The other praetorian made a quick pirouette, hitting me in the side with its muscular tail, throwing me in the air. It was like getting hit by a bull. Normally, I would land on my back, not being able to breathe.

But, I was no longer “normal”. Defying the physics of the mortal body, I turned around in mid-air, landing on my legs and left hand, sliding across the floor of the dungeon.

You have received [21] blunt damage Remaining health [409/430] Remaining armor's durability [96%]

I wasn’t given any time to rest up and prepare for another strike as the one-eyed creature pounced at me, hoping to find me lying defenseless on the ground. If I was second slower, this adventure could have ended for me there and then.

But it didn’t. I quickly moved to the maiden’s blind spot, dropped low, and rolled over the ground, remaining outside of its vision range. Monster moved in place, trying to follow me with its only eye, guessing where I would be taken in consideration of the part of the moves that it saw me make.

Yet, I was no longer there, I rolled directly under its belly, and there, from below, I stabbed. Piercing the monster's torso, burying more than half of my blade within. Its blood sprayed on me, painting me in red. Guessing by the amount of life-giving liquid escaping its body I must have pierced one of its vital arteries. It was but a matter of time before it would die.

I didn’t manage to rise fully, as the beast which I pierced was writhing in agonal spasm, her healthy sister rushed at me head on. Knowing that I wouldn’t manage to dodge in time, I raised my shield and braced for impact.

Yet, nothing I did - any defensive state, any technique, could prepare me for this attack.

I was literally blown away by the impact alone. My previous comparison of this monster to carriage appeared to be fitting. Holding my shield in its jaw, it ran across almost the entire length of the room, before stopping in place and throwing me aside.

You have received [64] blunt/piercing damage Remaining health [345/430] Remaining armor's durability [76%]

At the same time, my team was also fighting. The two reptiles ran at the archers, trying to take them down - the healthy one was stopped by tanks who attacked him from both sides, smashing its body with their tower shields. They didn’t mean to wound it, merely slow down for the time when the rest of the team could finish off the one wounded with projectiles.

Once again, four arrows hit their mark - two landed in the monster’s side, two in its thick thighs, visibly reducing its mobility. It was at that moment when the duelists came out from nowhere - one moved directly in front of the beast, focusing its gaze on himself, while the other one sneaked from behind stabbing an already wounded leg. The creature roared in pain, turning around trying to slash the sneaky attacker with its claws, but he already managed to jump into safety. The moment of its consternation was quickly used by the first duelist, who as soon as the monster turned around to face the attacker at its back pierced its side, barely missing vital organs. Whining, the beast once again tried to turn around, jump back to position both of the pesky humans in front of itself, but with wounded legs, it took far too long to execute this maneuver. And, in the meantime, the beast, once again, received a volley of four projectiles which rained down from above. The beast was already dead, it just didn’t want to realize it just yet. Slowly bleeding out, the beast was dying in an awfully long and painful way.

I, on the other hand, managed to get up from the ground readying myself to continue the combat.

A quick glance on my shield told me that it was better to avoid another direct attack. Seeing the second monster falling down and my teammates getting ready to help shield bearers with the lizard which they were holding back I realized that the battle was already won.

All I had to do was to play around, buying them some time. And so, as the beast charged at me, I decided to also run at it, only to jump behind the stone pillar halfway through. The monster was running at a too fast pace and didn’t manage to slow down in time, digging its claws in the dungeon’s dirt, it forcibly stopped itself, before turning in place and resuming its chase.

Using a few precious seconds earned this way, I started climbing one of the rock shelves, and as soon as it raised its head, I tried jumping from above aiming at its head.

Unfortunately, I didn’t land that blow.

Not that it mattered. I wanted to land a hit only as an addition to the actual maneuver - which was landing behind the monster's back and resuming my escape, this time, towards the team.

Just in time - overpowered by eight warriors, the third praetorian lay bleeding, crippled, and partly scorched on the ground.

Turning in my directions, archers raised their weapons.

“Alabaster! Get down!” Adam yelled.

Doing as I was told, I dropped flat on the soil, and the sound of arrows cutting through the air once again resonated across the hall, digging in the monster's head, befalling the creature. Knowing that the wounded beast would fall (and most likely would fall on me), I quickly rolled to the side. Now, getting up, I quickly approached the wounded creature, raised my sword, and dug it deep in its neck, splitting its spine.

Seeing her maidens dead, the Queen once again roared, before gazing back - towards the tunnel leading deeper in the dungeon - it was considering running away.

“Robert, don’t let her!” the sergeant roared at the very moment the huge body turned around, preparing to escape.

The fireball was thrown across the room, hitting her in the back. The explosion tore chunks of flesh off the monster's body making a huge, red hole, revealing still twitching muscles.

Still, it wasn’t quite enough to kill it.

“Robert, again! In the meantime! Archers shoot it! Slow it down! Tanks, duelists! Cause some distraction!”

The queen, still carrying eggs in her body, wasn’t able to move freely. We used that fact to our best extent, slowly bleeding her out.

It took almost all of our arrows, four fireballs, and lots of stabbing for the last monster to fall.

When the giant fell down, the team, breathing heavily, looked at her colossal body.

“Lads…” Adam started “... I am not going to lie. If I was told that I was about to take an S rank dungeon with only nine people… I would have never chosen you… But, right now, I wouldn’t want to have anyone else by my side. Robert, your magic is invaluable! Greg, great eye - seriously, nice shots! Chris, work a little on your footwork, except for that, your display was flawless… And Alabaster… Did you kill it? Alone? You fought two of those beasts at once yet you manage to bloody kill it?! We needed six people just to take down one! You, sir, are insane!”

I was patted on my shoulder.

“I have no idea how it happened, to be honest. I just… Moved with a flow?” I felt awkward being praised like that by someone much more experienced than myself, deep down I knew that he was only trying to enhance our morales, but... It did pleasantly tickled my ego, filling the heart with pride. “Good. Great even. Keep it up… As for now…” he looked over the room “...who wants some scrambled eggs?”

Ah, yes. Indeed. We couldn’t leave eggs just like that. This place was a nest, filled with several dozens of eggs, ready to hatch within a day, two, or few. And we couldn’t allow that. Working quickly, we started shattering all the eggs across the walls and floor.

You have gathered [Ratptox Praetorian] essence [98] [1137/17250] → [1235/1750] You have gathered [Ratptox Praetorian] essence [101] [1235/1750] → [1336/1750] You have gathered [Ratptox Praetorian] essence [104] [1336/1750] → [1440/1750] You have gathered [Ratptox Praetorian] essence [97] [1440/1750] → [1537/1750] You have gathered [Ratptox Queen] essence [267] [1537/1750] → [LEVEL UP] → [87/2000] Name: Asteruse Race: Skeleton Soldier [Lower Undead] [Self-aware Variant] Level: 6 ➝ 7 [87/2000] Attributes: STR: 43 (+3)

VIT: 45 (+2)

END: ∞

RFX: 37 (+3)

DEX: 41 (+2)

INT: 25 (+1)

WIS: 19 (+1)

SPI: 4 Skill proficiency increased Skills:

[Sword Usage - Journeyman level 7 ➝ 8]

[Shield Usage - Journeyman level 5 ➝ 6]

[Bow Usage - Apprentice level 1]

[Nature Magic - Novice level 1]

[Mana Sense - Low - Passive]

[Life Sense - Low - Passive]

[Combat Maneuver/Team tactic - Novice level 9 ➝ 10]

[Heavy Armor Usage - Apprentice level 2 ➝ 3]

[Hand-to-hand Combat - Novice level 4]

[Stealth - Apprentice level 1]

[Mind Magic Resistance - Low level 1]

[Dark Arts - Curse Words - Novice Level 4]

[Dark Arts - Necromancy - Novice Level 3 ➝ 4]

[Tracking - Novice Level 2]