Chapter 149 - 145: Arthropod Taming

Chapter 149: Chapter 145: Arthropod Taming

The crab can crush us into dust with those gargantuan claws. The millipede emits venom from its glands. Einswine and I circle our opponents, gathering our thoughts and our strategy.

I remain calm. [What’s the plan?]

Einswine snorts, smelling determined. [We risk either dying by venom or being crushed, unless we are clever.]

[Is the crab immune to venom?]

Einswine’s breath comes out in puffs from his nostrils when he snorts in response to my question. [No, because millipede venom keeps away predators like crabs. That said, these two are tamed beasts in the same household, so their tamers would make the crab immune. Either through magic, feeding him potions, or dosing him with the poison so that he develops a tolerance.]

I gag. [DISGUSTING.]

Einswine grunts. [A fact of beast taming, my dear feline compatriot.]

We don’t often work together, but I like Einswine. He is definitely the elder statesman of our band of beasts. As well, he’s imbibed that elven gravitas through his bond with Elandior.

[Well, it’s an inconvenient fact. So scrap that idea.]

Einswine ponders this. [Millipedes do have weak spots. An accidental attack with a crab claw could do some damage.]

[Brilliant. I can be bait while you lead our many-footed friend into the optimal position.]

I let Kaline know what we are doing, and from Elandior’s pensive expression, Einswine does the same with him. Instantly, in response to my news, Kaline pulls Elandior aside and huddles with him. [Don’t worry, Blaze. It’s a good plan. We will help.]

Einswine raises his head proudly. [We have the backing of our tamers. Onward!]

With a mighty growl, I charge toward Janko, the crab. The skittering of his legs is a staccato rhythm played on the platform. He moves fast for such a massive armored creature with a heavy carapace. On their eyestalks, his eyes target me, and his mouth tightens.

Then, SNAP!

Pain explodes throughout my body, and Kaline’s horrified yell echoes in my ears. "BLAZE!"

Where did his claws touch me? Sides? No. Flanks? No. Neck? No--I’d be dead, unable to feel for very long. So where?

My tail! OUCH. Talk about getting a tiger by the tail. I wriggle away by inches, my jaws snapping at his leg joints. The legs are segmented, so maybe I can sink my teeth in. I do. UGH. It reminds me why people don’t crack crab claws with their teeth.

However his leg jerks and dances away from me, and suddenly, my tail is free. Success! I scoot back, my tail throbbing and maybe smashed like clay. Honestly, I can’t worry about that. I retreat, one foot back at a time. Slow. Patient.

The slow clomp of Einswine’s hooves telegraphs his whereabouts. He is close by. The slithering and skittering of dozens of feet telegraph the location of Wandi, the Burnt Millipede. Wandi is on the move. And Einswine is herding him subtly, so that he won’t know what is happening until it’s too late.

THUNK!

Right in front of me, inches from my tender nose, a red missile strikes the platform. One of Janko’s claws has narrowly missed me.

I continue to back away, my animal senses triangulating Einswine’s and Wandi’s positions. They are close. All I have to do is adjust course gradually, before Janko perceives what is happening. A tricky balance, because he can move with surprising agility thanks to his supple crab legs. Doubtless, years of training and recent competitions have honed his swiftness.

The announcer doesn’t disappoint me with contradictions. "This is Janko’s sixth Beast Elimination Tournament. The beast taming world has watched him since he was a baby crab, the size of a melon. Even then, experts called him the smallest crab they had ever seen."

I deliberately bait Janko, because, well, I am bait. [Puny, were you?]

[Do you want your tail pulped again, furball?]

Demos snarls through our beast family mind-link. [BLAZE. Stay away from him when you’re getting under his carapace!]

I growl in assent. [Working on it! I happen to like my tail.]

Lightning’s voice is full of trepidation. [Then keep it tucked out of sight! That hurt! I could feel it.]

I scoot away diagonally, away from Janko. Slow. Slow. Slow. Painstaking. The seconds stretch on. I can keep this up for hours if I have to, but I doubt that Janko and Wandi will permit that.]

[Kaline, is Einswine near me?]

Kaline sends me an energy boost somehow, keeping my stamina high. [Perpendicular.]

I’m impressed. My human is smart. [Intersecting my path?]

[Just about. He nearly got tangled in Wandi’s coils. But he stayed clear of those poison glands.]

My breath puffs out in spurts. [Bravo, Einswine. Hold her steady.]

[BLAZE! Move faster.]

A claw slices through the air with a whizzing sound and I scoot back.

Einswine grunts. [Vigilance, dear boy, vigilance! Just a bit farther. Wait for the word. On my mark. Any second now.]

I let out a little "mrrrp" that means nothing to our opponents and everything to Einswine, Kaline, and Elandior.

Inch back. Just a little more. My paws are trembling. No. They’re steady. I have purpose. The platform feels solid. Einswine’s earthy smell is close.

Unfortunately, so is the crab claw! It hurtles toward me.

Einswine bellows. [NOW!]

I don’t need further prompting. I dive aside, rolling gently across the floor, spinning around, and righting myself in time to witness the show.

Janko’s claw snaps right on a vulnerable spot in the middle of Wandi’s long charcoal body!

Wandi’s shriek could make blood pour out of my ears. The millipede wails in agony.

Nimble before, Janko freezes up. The shock of accidentally attacking his own teammate numbs him. He just stands there, claw clamped tighter than a locked door.

Their tamers both yell at them, Nene’s face seamed with age looks like brown earth cooled and settled after a flood, and her mouth makes a horrified "O". Mamadi’s face with his gray beard is drawn in dismay.

Nene shouts at Janko. "RELEASE! NOW!"

Mamadi rushes to Wandi’s side, to the site of the injury. Already, Wandi’s shell is cracked, legs sticking out like dead twigs. The giant arthropod collapses, groaning.

Einswine and I keep a respectful distance.

The announcer shouts, "An unconventional play! But, the judges assure me, well within the rules. It looks to be a disabling injury. Wandi may well be out of the tournament!"

CRAAACK. SCREEECH. Janko’s mighty claw releases his comrade and rises to its upright position. However, Wandi groans in his millipede way, a clicking, chittering sound. [You got me.]

The announcer shouts, "Five...four...three..two...one...OUT!"

The hovering sphere flits down and airlifts the winding colossus of a bug out of the arena, with Mamadi accompanying him, riding on his uninjured shell.

Einswine snorts. [Too bad. But this competition is not for the weak.]

Click-click-click.

The rapid clicking is our only warning before the claw sideswipes Einswine.

The boar’s squeal shakes me to the core. Elandior’s elegant, lean elf body jerks with the impact. "EINSWINE!" His voice carries the power of ancient elves, mixed with genuine distress.

The distance is only a couple feet, but it might as well be a league. My paws eat up the space between us. I assess the damage.

Einstein totters away on shaky legs. He looks like someone took a big razor to his side and shaved off a swath of his fur. Blood pearls on the exposed skin. I nuzzle him, licking the blood. [Ask Elandior to send you healing.]

He grunts. [Done.]

I use one of my healing potions from my arsenal that you can gift a player in the game. Except that a display flashes. [Healing Potions Reset in 4:00.]

System just changed the rules! Of course.

Shuddering with the healing effect, Einswine boops my nose in gratitude. [Most gallant.]

Kaline shouts, "BLAZE! LOOK OUT! SHIELD!"

A weave of glittering threads forms around me, shielding me from the claw that lunges for me. I’m protected. I can’t launch much of an attack, but I can regroup while temporarily shielded.

Janko’s claws dance around as if he’s performing a complex t’ai chi move. [Stay still! Wandi was not shielded!]

[And I don’t have poison glands.] I bare my teeth. [It’s an ELIMINATION, not a draw. Not a polite duel. Yes, we show some fairness to our opponents. But other than that? All bets are off.]

Einswine snorts. [You and Wandi knew the risks when you agreed to compete. So did we. And fair is only fair.]

Janko looks unhinged, his eye stalks moving in a disturbing way. Wild. [We were tamed together. Raised together. Now look what you have done! I will crush you into bits of fur!]

[That’s not allowed.] I plant my feet and growl at him. [You do that and you and your house will be GONE.]

Einswine communicates this to Elandior and I communicate to Kaline.

Kaline’s voice rings out. "Attention everyone! Janko just threatened to kill Einswine and Blaze!"