Chương 8: Phantom Crocodile

A crowd of over fifty people had gathered in the central square. They were the last line of defence for Greenford. Despite their small numbers the group wasn't to be underestimated. Most of those present here were either Eikon or Shaper. Just from a casual glance one would see more than ten soldiers who had butterfly wings on their back. Their identity as shapers couldn't be more obvious. Apart from them, there were dozens of Eikons who had taken their first step on the path of becoming Templars and Crusaders.

Miss Dullar was in charge of leading them, whereas the Shapers were following the orders of Magi Alexus.

"You don't look nervous," Mike squatted down beside Kayzen and observed the people who were forming units. Compared to the impressive lineup, Kayzen who was stirring the boiling pot looked out of place.

"Why would I? I'm not going to participate this time, at least not until I've figured out the monster's abilities. You done with the trebuchets?"

"Pretty much. They are all that's guarding the town walls." Neither Mike nor Kayzen spoke after that. Up ahead the people were done with their formation and were now marching towards the river.

"Close the water gates!" the booming voice of the mayor reverberated alongside the sound of trumpets. The entire town seemed to tremble as huge blocks of stone descended from different archways. East, West, North, and South. All passages leading to the Sambal river were now blocked.

"Spread out," Miss Dullar ordered the squads to surround the river. Each of them had an Eikon of Nir who were protected by other Eikons and Shapers. In less than a minute the entire river network was under control. Kayzen noted the time and dropped one soap after another into the boiling brine water. If his teachers at the Opheim Academy knew what he was planning to do then they would surely give him a zero on environmental studies.

'I suppose it's alright since the world is ending and all.' Why care about environmental hazards when it wasn't certain whether they'd survive or not? Besides, a certain part of him was excited at the prospect of polluting an entire town's water supply. That was after all a very warlock-like thing to do. Kayzen nodded in satisfaction and asked the squires beside him, "Have the residents collected enough water?"

"Yes sir," replied the robust youth who was holding a metal bucket.

"Very well, proceed with the plan," Kayzen stepped back and let them fill up the buckets. His plan was simple. No matter what type of creatures lurked underwater, they were bound to have certain traits. The plant based soap would act against their gills and slime layer whereas the salt would strip off the water from their body. Even if it didn't work, it was sure to fish out the hiding monsters. Soon only one tenth of the mixture was left.

Kayzen sent it to Ms Dullar in case she needed to weaponize it and left the area. Regardless of the tactics he used, it remained a fact that he lacked any offensive ability. The clear water lost its transparent sheen as the contents of the buckets were dumped inside. Turbid ripples spread across the river and triggered a chemical reaction, making yellowish white foam that covered the entire surface. People watched with sweaty palms as time passed at the snail's pace. 30 seconds… 1 minute… 2 minutes… It was then.

A low, guttural sound echoed underwater and sent chills down everyone's spines. The mixture prepared by Kayzen had proved to be effective even on the fiend class. A crocodile as big as a merchant ship swam over the surface of soapy water, its beady eyes glowing through the foam layers. It was hard to imagine that the ten-meter-long monster had been hiding under broad daylight. With a single swipe of its tail it sent the dead fish and shrivelled algae flying in the air.

Kayzen dodged the scattered filth and retreated all the way to the backline. Things would have been easier if it was a fish type monster since the river was under their control. Unfortunately, the crocodiles were semi-aquatic. With another roar the albino crocodile slithered out of the river. The soldiers had missed the golden opportunity to attack it, but then again, they couldn't be blamed since it was their first time going up against a fiend.

"Fly up!" the vigorous voice of the guard captain spurred them into action. The shapers who had assimilated with the butterfly hovered above the crocodile and dropped the javelins they had prepared. This was another trump card of Greenford against the aquatic monsters. The javelins fell one by one, and under the distraught eyes of those watching, they passed right through the crocodile. It was almost as if the iron spikes and wooden shafts were slicing empty air.

Ignoring all attacks the fiend rushed towards the closest unit at a breakneck speed. It was hard to imagine that a creature of such size could move so fast. An eikon of Gaia attempted to block its path by manifesting earth spikes, yet once again, they passed right through the fiend. The people could do nothing but watch as it opened its huge maw and snapped at the eikon. Nothing happened for the first second, but then all of a sudden the man was torn in half with a third of his body missing.

"O mother Nir, may thy grace protect us from harm," Ms Dullar used this exact moment to attack. A sphere of soapy water shot out from the river and blasted off the crocodile.

'It'll be tough.' Kayzen frowned as he figured out the fiend's ability to turn ethereal. It was something that was rarely seen. This ability was good at both offence and defence. Those who possessed it could ignore most attacks while at the same time, their attacks would ignore most defenses by materializing inside the opponent's body. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

The way to counter it was easy if someone had enough strength to overpower the ability itself. Unfortunately, there was no one of such calibre at the scene.

"Spread out and keep attacking at all times, even if it bites our allies and we have to hit them. Do not let it materialize." The guard captain once again changed the formation. This fight made it apparent that neither Ms. Dullar nor Magi Alexus were good leaders. They may have individual strength or wisdom, but that alone wasn't enough. The crocodile attacked with varied patterns and reaped one life after another.

The strategy of the guard captain had been partially successful since every time it materialized, it also took varying degrees of damage. It was now a fight of attrition. Regardless of what everyone else was thinking, Kayzen had an answer in mind. From what he had observed thus far the crocodile was no mindless fiend. Every time it attacked it made sure to avoid taking hits on lethal areas.

'If anything, it looks like it's deliberately taking damage so as to prevent its prey from running away.' In just a couple of minutes a total of eight lives were lost. It was at this moment that Kayzen made his move. He was no great commander, still, someone who graduated from Opheim academy had more strategies than a guard captain of a remote town.

"Let me take command."

"Are you sure?" Kayzen nodded at the captain and issued his first order, "Shapers with wings, stop throwing the javelins and instead fall on the crocodile the moment it bites someone. Eikons of Nir and Ruzgar, your attacks are negligible, so retreat and keep an eye out. Attack your allies just before the crocodile does. Being hurt by you is a better outcome if the alternative is that crocodile's maw." Regardless of whether they understood or not, the people followed his orders.

As someone who had massacred a horde of butterflies his words carried enough weight.

"Eikons of Keb'akaran and Gaia, you, along with the shapers who have assimilated with other bugs are our main attacking force. You must attack the moment it bites someone. Remember, we only have a single chance before it realizes our strategy." The tone of the battle shifted in an instant. The crocodile had sensed the change as well, but in the end its animal instincts took over its reason. Kayzen watched from afar as people were blown away by wind and water.

For the first time since the start of the battle, the fiend was unable to execute a swift attack and retreat.

'This is the best I could do, the rest is up to luck.' He also realized the glaring weakness of the Shaper of Hex. They were helpless without preparation time. Take the current battle for example, he couldn't even collect any samples from the crocodile, much less make a Hex. The more he looked at the battle the more he yearned for the crocodile's ability. It wasn't exactly an offensive technique, but in his hands its utility would be off the charts.

The crocodile finally snapped in anger and charged headfirst towards an Eikon of Gaia who was pushed away by a jet of water. The moment its jaw closed on the man's leg, it was attacked from all sides. At the same time, three shapers landed on its back. What happened next was as Kayzen had hoped. The crocodile had materialized the first half of its body, yet due to the presence of those landing on its back it was unable to continue the process.

It was exactly at this time when it could neither run nor ignore the attacks.

"DIE!" the Eikon who had his leg chopped off punched at the crocodile's skull. His fist didn't even dent its scale, yet the same couldn't be said for the earth spikes that rose from under its jaw. With a single thrust they immobilized the crocodile's skull. Ms. Dullar and the rest also attacked one after another. Water bound its eyes and nose, Fire burned its scales, and finally, the shapers who had assimilated with beetles smashed apart its skull.

"Good Job!" Mike and the Guard captain tapped Kayzen's shoulder one after another. The sight of the crocodile being torn apart was the best thing they had seen today. The fight had seemed so easy after the commanders changed.

"I just gave the needed push. Let someone use its core, I'll take the heart and scales. We need to get stronger." Kayzen's words earned a nod of approval from everyone. There was no time to celebrate their victory or mourn the dead. Under the combined efforts of the crowd the fiend was divided into bits and pieces.

"Need me to carry things over?" Mike asked even though he had already picked up the still pulsing heart.

"Appreciate it. I'll take the scales," Kayzen lifted the bag of scales and walked towards the mayor's house.

"This reminds me, why didn't you bring the stomach?" Kayzen shrugged, "Can't always hold the fleshy thing. I tried to wrap it up with a cloth but it fell right through."

"l'll take the stomach to a tanner I know. He should be able to make a backpack or something by using materials that can resist ether." Mike then asked him about anything specific he needed. The two chatted about random things and soon the topic of their conversation shifted to Bran. No one had seen the young man since yesterday. Mrs. Anna, Jeph, his neighbours…there were quite a few people Kayzen wanted to check up on, yet there was no time. He had asked for the mayor's help, but so far there had been no updates.

"Let's meet at sunset. We'll eat at the verdant flagon and then look for others," Kayzen suggested after the two arrived at the mayor's house. Mike gave him a huge thumbs up, "Sounds good to me." After parting from Mike, Kayzen went to the room where the stomach was placed. After the servant placed the heart on the counter, he told them to stay away unless necessary and closed the doors. This place wasn't as convenient as his lab, but at least it didn't reek of blood and sulphur.

Kayzen sanitized his hands as well as all the apparatus he was going to use. This was no longer necessary since he would be working with Akashic records, yet the act itself gave him a spiritual calmness. All of his attention shifted to the still twitching heart on the table. He closed his eyes and tapped into the ever-flowing Ether. As his consciousness reached the red throbbing mass, he felt the ethereal strings entwined within each cell.

The quantity and quality of records were on a whole another level compared to the centipede.

'This would be challenging.' Kayzen knew that each step further would be more difficult. The shapers would first fuse with easy to use materials and keep the fiend core or plant quintessence for last. Compared to other body parts the concentration of Ether was higher in the core, and at the same time, assimilating with it would allow one to achieve a fundamental transformation. The difficulty of fusing with the core was nothing trivial. The shaper must defeat the lingering soul or will of the material to succeed.

One mistake and they would be turned into a mindless demonic puppet. Kayzen placed his palms above the heart and plucked the ethereal strings. The thought of taking the easy way out and using lower quality materials didn't even cross his mind. A deep crimson hue appeared on his bloody fingers as they sketched a rune on the heart. The strokes pulled on the flow of Ether and created a polygonal construct. The Hex had taken shape.

The heart, the table, and even the air in the room seemed to tremble with surges of energy. The source and the medium were prepared. Kayzen clenched his fist and grabbed the Hex within. A searing pain tore through every inch of his body. An even worse sensation assaulted his mind for a fraction of a second before vanishing completely. The heart had vanished from the table; leaving behind a glowing ivory shard.