Re:Ant Lord-Chapter 91: Molting Horror

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"Cave-Slink!" Needle gasped. "This should be two-star scout beasts of this area, this one feels bigger."

Indeed, aura reading flickered to a three-star peak. Worse: more clung upside down like gargoyles along the ceiling, now unfolding.

Mia whispered, calm but fierce. "Shield formation, but don’t shout. We need out of this choke. Kai, you clear us a lane."

He gripped his spear, advanced. Spear-butt tapped once: right flank follow. Two Slinks dropped. Kai twirled the weapon, deflecting acid spit, then lunged. His spear pierced one’s chest; acid boiled along the shaft but his Tiny Tank layer shielded. He spun, flicking the corpse into the second to unbalance it; Shale’s follow-up hammer pulped both.

More hissed, bounding along walls with spider speed. The banner edged forward, fighting in near-silence, only wet crunches and grunt breaths.

At last a pale rectangle of daylight appeared ahead. Kai led a wedge charge; they burst from tunnel into blinding sun, scattering onto a sandstone shelf.

The moment they stepped out, the Cave-Slinks screeched and retreated. Daylight repelled them.

Cerastis Banner formed a circle, panting. Casualties: two bites (acid burns), one gash. No dead. Yet. From twenty they only lose one in earlier battle.

The relief didn’t last long. From below the shelf rose a bass rumble, an answering roar to the Slinks’ screams. Kai peered over the edge and his breath caught.

A canyon yawned beneath the shelf, perhaps fifty or sixty yards deep. No one could measure in this situation. Within it sprawled a labyrinth of hexagonal basalt columns. And crawling through those aisles, turning stone to gravel under its weight, loomed the mature form of the creatures they’d glimpsed just a second ago. It was a predator beast known as Cave-vereign, estimated aura 5-Star, newly moulted, hungry.

It resembled the Slinks but magnified ten times: thirty feet nose to tail, plated in glossy midnight armour. Dozens of feathery whiskers ringed its blind face, tasting vibrations. Acid drooled in streams, sizzling stone.

Mia cursed under breath. "We cannot outrun it on an open shelf. And back is tunnel death."

Shale cracked his neck. "Then, let’s break its legs here."

"Five-star," Needle warned. "Our banner is battered. We must be careful."

All looked to Kai, though he was much lower rank but he’d become their tactical spark. They trust his judgement and battle instincts.

Kai studied terrain: the shelf extended left and right, but narrowed near a stack of basalt spires leaning over canyon-like teeth. "If we could lure the Cave vereign under that stack then topple columns... we might have a chance of victory."

He voiced his plan quickly. Mia’s eyes lit. "Do it. We trust Kau’s judgement." They made three phase plans...

Phase 1: Lure

Shale and Axe hammered shields, sending echo thumps. Kai amplified by slamming his spear butt on the ground. The vibrations rippled through the shelf, down to column bases. Below, Cave vereign’s whiskers quivered. It turned, sightless eyes locking via tremor sense. It made a roar deep enough to shake the marrow. Then it surged upward, claws finding purchase as it climbed the column wall like a nightmare centipede.

Kai sprinted along the shelf edge toward the leaning spires, pounding feet heavy to broadcast path. Four warriors followed banging shields. Cave vereign beast pursued, each claw gouging fist-deep slots.

Phase 2: Trap

At the stack, Kai signalled. Mia’s menders had pre-placed some grenades (basically the previous killed beast glass crawler acid in pottery). As Kai darted past the first spire, Ash and Needle yanked vine lines; jars crashed into base, acid eating stone to weaken.

The Cave vereign predator hauled itself under the rotten stack just as columns groaned.

Shale gave a critical blow, his hammer exploded against the keystone column. Basalt cracked. Entire tooth-field tilted then collapsed in an avalanche onto the beast. Dust plumed high.

Phase 3: Kill

Silence for a second, then rubble stirred, of course a five-star Predator beast wouldn’t die so easily.

The Cave vereign burst free, it’s armour shattered but core intact. One foreleg hung limp. It roared with acid jets shots, melting spires around Cerastis. All warriors scattered, trying to dodge the acid.

Kai activated his Reflex Mode and dashed in zigzags across the broken shelf. He yelled, drawing attention. The monster lunged; its injured leg slowed turn radius. Kai dived beneath the swipe, rolled, slashed tendon of intact leg with spear saw-edge.

[System notifications: Beast HP –6 %]

It whipped tail full of spikes; Kai vaulted but tail grazed, sending him skidding. HP pop-up 54 %.

Mia unleashed her skill Silver Piercer again and again. She had fitted a new blade earlier. Her thrust found new cracks in chest plating. Acid spurted but she flipped away.

Shale charged, hammer raised overhead. Kai saw the opening: the cracked carapace pulsed where the heart organ pumped acid reservoir. He signalled Mia with a hand sign for Stagger.

Mia feinted left; the Sovereign turned his head to track. Shale’s hammer slammed the right shoulder of the beast, spinning the beast half-sidewards. In that instant Kai leapt, driving the spear deep into fissure, then a Devourer’s Bite (Essence Eater) expanded aura micro-spikes within the wound.

Explosion of ichor.

The beast shrieked high-pitched then spasmed, collapsing sideways. Aurora of aura flickered out.

[DING! System notifications: Cave-vereign slain. Boss Class.

EXP +1,200.

Stat Points +6.

Level up: +1

Title unlocked: Basalt Butcher.]

Kai collapsed to knees, chest heaving. Dust settled on a sweat-slick shell. Warriors cheered ragged.

Casualty check of the team is, two minor acid burns, one broken arm (Axe), no deaths. Against five-star predator beast. A miraculous result. All thanks to Kai’s leadership and quick judgement.

Mia gripped Kai’s shoulders, eyes shining. "You draw impossible paths and we walk them," she murmured. "Thank you."

Kai flushed beneath his exoskeleton. "We all did our parts."

Yet he knew, synergy turning desperation into triumph, that was leadership glimpsing birth.

But no time for pride. Dunes near the south horizon swirled storm-grey. It was another sand gale brewing by dusk. They must descend canyon, skirt east cliffs to shelter.

Before leaving, Kai and others took the star core. It was a massive prism lodged in the throat. Shale and he pried it free with hammer and spear.

A core bigger than a fist tumbled out. Mia stored it in a banner chest to cover the aura.