System Break

Chapter 146: Gargscarab

A scream escaped her lips. "I hate this. I'm so shit at it." Sakaala dropped to her hands and knees.

I held out a hand. "Come on, get up." She slapped my hand away.

"Why does everyone find this easy except me?"

Gisael turned and looked away. I think she was biting her tongue.

"No one finds it easy, but you do have to work harder than those with a high qi-count. That much is true. So, stop feeling sorry for yourself and fight for it. If you want it enough, you can do it."

She glared at me. "Is this where you try to be all wise? I know you're a failure in real life so please spare me."

"Nothing good comes easy." I did not add the exception for filthy rich kids or respond to her insult. There would be no excuses and an entitled upbringing would be one she could latch on to. "You either want it, or you don't. I don't want to hear your complaints."

Her glare intensified then she looked down at the ground and spat. "I know what you're trying to do."

I shrugged. "Does it matter? You can always give up. Use the UI or just logoff and never come back."

"I hate you." But despite her words she stood and began working her qi again. I ran backwards watching her just to spur her on further. Anger was such a good motivator and I learned from my instructors how to use it well.

Demon Bird flew overhead and scouted the way to the City of Salastria. He had to fly much lower than usual because the clouds were thickening and descending. When we left the Dokkalfar stronghold there was an electrical storm which lit the sky but thankfully it subsided after half an hour and long before we reached the central plains.

Much of the south was still a mystery. The Dokkalfar stronghold was on the southern side of the central mountains with Salastria not far to the southwest of it. A days run at Sakaala pace. Further west, on the coast was Dawnharbour and Loctris, the capital was halfway between the two cities but much further south.

Salastria was surrounded by winding rivers and farms. The plains swept over low rolling hills and were spotted with family ranches around the city for at least fifty miles in each direction. The fields were mainly millet or wheat, but there were many other crops and most farmers tended to specialise to a degree. 

There were animals as well, mostly pigs and chickens, but they looked different to the animals from our world. The pigs were brown with longer hair, the adventurers called them boar. The chickens were smaller and had brown feathers as well. They roamed free during the day and returned to their coups to eat and sleep. 

The farmers kept dogs and oxen to help work the land and Demon Bird saw some donkeys too. There were no horses.

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We were both surprised by what he saw next.

"Hold," I said and pulled three small cores from my pack. I handed one each to Gisael and Sakaala. They took them and sucked them down without question.

I pointed. "There's some sort of massive insect monster. It's about ten miles."

"We can easily avoid it," Sakaala said. 

"Yep. But I'd like to take a closer look. The bigger they are the bigger the core."

We began to run towards the insect monster. 

It resembled a beetle except it had four sections, each section had four legs. Each section was encased in a hard shell and the two in the middle were identical. At one end was a tail section with an enormous stinger. The tail itself was sectional and highly flexible with its ten compartments. At the end was a heart shaped blade dripping with green liquid.

It's head was horned, and it had massive pincers stretching out from the sides of its head. It must have been a hundred yards long and twenty high. It's tail bent up and forwards and could reach halfway up its body, like a scorpion. The whole damn thing was like a giant mutated scorpion. I later learned it was called a Gargscarab.

It ran through a farm popping any oxen, pig or man that was in its path into its maws with its giant pincers.

I laughed.

"What?" Sakaala asked.

I ran backwards and said, "Three adventurer guilds. Wait. Four are going to attack it."

It didn't take us long to crest a hill where we could see the scene below with our own eyes. All four guilds from Salastria were there. The Whitecloaks, Castaways, Dangerous and Wreckoning. They were easy to spot with their different coloured capes and emblems. 

I looked at Gisael. "Whatever you do, don't die. We can come back, but not you."

She bared her teeth at me. "Your immortality is a curse."

I nodded. "I didn't choose it, but it is what it is."

"Are we going to fight?" Sakaala said. And then she added, "Shit." 

The Whitecloaks charged the Gargscarab all twenty five of them and as they engaged like ants against a rat they were thrown about. Their bolts bounced uselessly off but quite a few swords bit home.

What happened next was horrifying, while the Whitecloaks made slow progress and steadily lost members to pincer, leg or tail the Castaways attacked them from behind. Not the monster, their fellow guild. I could not believe my eyes. But then I could. Men were greedy evil bastards, always have been, always will be.

"Why?" Gisael asked in disbelief. "Is it part of your game?"

"Not mine," I said. I was angry and I wanted to kill the Castaways right here and now. If it was another guild I would have hesitated, but the Whitecloaks were our only friends.

I ran down the hill and drew my glaive. I gave the women no instructions, they could work it out themselves. 

The adventurers had not seen such blinding speed or anger since the last day of the tournament. The few hundred yards which separated me from the Castaways was covered in less than fifteen seconds.

Their capes were blue and beige, like a sandy beach and crystal waters surrounding an island. 

What they could see was a seven foot forest monster wielding a six foot glaive. It's massive head weighed a hundred and fifty pounds and my torso twisted slightly as it lagged behind me in a backswing position.

My roar reached them moments before I did. With my qi flowing freely through my body enhancing my speed and strength I didn't need to qi strike with the glaive. 

As the Castaways decimated the trapped Whitecloaks, I decimated them in turn. The glaive was sharp as a razor and I brought it forward on the first impact and it sliced the adventurer in two. I realised with my speed and power I could simply hold it with both hands and run through them like a scythe through wheat.

I covered the blade in qi and ran. I mowed them down, literally.

.

Ying Li shouted, "Pull back."

Sandor dived out of the way of a pincer and got to his feet. 

Trik said, "Castaways from behind." He nursed a crossbow bolt in his shoulder.

"I know," Ying Li said. Then he shouted, "Run. We're done."

He spat in anger and ran. He didn't have time to survey the Castaways he was busy trying not to die from the Gargscarab. The monster kept its course straight and he yelled, "South, south. Towards the farmhouse."

Some members were stuck on the other side, they would just have to find their way or reset. But those with him ran south as the Gargscarab headed east. 

When he had a hundred yards distance he looked back to survey the scene. Trik joined him moments later, he ran fast even when wounded.

Trik laughed. "Shit. You see that?"

"Instant karma," Ying Li said and smiled. 

"They're getting raped." Trik couldn't control his spiteful laughter. 

"Deservedly so," Ying Li said.

Sandor joined them and bent over breathing hard. He had to dodge a couple of legs to join them and was leading the charge while Ying Li coordinated. "Never go in first. Didn't I say?"

"We were looking at each other. No one wanted to go first."

"Sandor, look," Trik said.

Sandor looked around and scratched his head. "What? Huh. Did they die?"

Trik pointed at the tall forest monster.

"Shit. He's killing all of them. What the hell is that weapon?"

"A bardiche I think," Ying Li said. "Very effective in his hands."

"What do we do now?" Trik asked.

"Gather everyone and circled around. We'll coordinate with the forest folk. Can you see any others?"

Sandor pointed. "Two hot archer women."

Trick chuckled. "They're all hot."

"You like the men too?" Sandor teased. 

"Don't be stupid, I just meant there's no need to call the forest women hot. It goes without saying."

Ying frowned. "Shut up and gather the others. I'll catch Sakaala if I can."