Eternal Rest

The hunting party consisted of five Lizardmen. Four of them wore basic equipment made of hide, which offered minimal protection. Two of the four carried long spears, while the other two wielded steel swords and wooden buckler shields that Bones recognized as human-made.

The fifth Lizardman was different from the rest—larger and bulkier but agile despite his size. His deep olive-colored scales were complemented by a brown leather chest protector with a metal pauldron on his left shoulder. The lower part of his body was covered with simple cloth to allow for movement, and he had shin protectors made of bone. This mismatched armor reminded Bones of adventurers, and he suspected that some of it was looted from the bodies of those who ventured too deep into the swamp.

Bones identified the fifth Lizardman as the leader of the hunting party due to the red tribal markings on his face and his haughty demeanor. A youngling approached the leader and handed him a polearm and a jagged shield with spikes made from a snapping turtle shell. Equipped with sharp teeth, survival instincts, and cold intellect, the party set out, and Bones followed at a distance.

An hour later, Bones began to lose patience. Initially, the party moved quickly in search of prey, but once they picked up a trail, they slowed down and proceeded with caution. Bones didn’t know what game they were hunting, but it must have been significant if it kept the leader vigilant. Several times, when Bones got too close, the party stopped to search the area. He maintained his distance, observing from behind.

The party stopped again to inspect the markings left by their prey, and Bones groaned in annoyance. He considered provoking a fight but held back, his curiosity piqued by what they were hunting. The party continued, and Bones waited for them to distance themselves before stepping up to investigate the area. The ground was soft and watery, and he found trail marks of something being dragged along.

These sliding marks resembled those of a snake but were enormous in size.

"It couldn't be a snake, could it?" Bones mused.

The Common Green Viper from the dungeon was huge—probably the biggest snake he had seen. But these marks were twice, no, three times as wide. The trail was fresh; the creature couldn’t have gone far.

Bones quickened his pace and resumed tracking the party. As he gained on them, he noticed the water level rising. He stopped to quickly store his robe to keep it dry before continuing. The buzzing and croaking sounds of the swamp grew louder as the water rose to his waist. The water's surface was covered with a thick layer of green, and the trees became sparse. Bones struggled through the swamp and soon spotted the hunting party three hundred meters ahead, weapons drawn and ready.

All five of the Lizardmen were standing above the swamp floor, on a cluster of smaller spongy mounds formed from fallen trunks and branches covered with moss. In front of them lay a large mound and a dense thicket. Bones was still too far to get a clear sense of what was happening, but he guessed the party had found their quarry. He bent down until the water surface reached his chest and began swimming through the duckweeds. As he approached the cluster of mounds, the Lizardmen cautiously moved over and disappeared into the thicket. Bones climbed onto the mound, which was covered in roots and duckweed, blending in like a swamp monster, and followed their trail.

The larger mound was solid ground, and beyond the thicket, Bones saw the hunting party crouched at the edge, intently watching something a dozen meters ahead of them. The Lizardmen were in a low, tense stance, their strong leg muscles flexing, ready to spring into action. Bones stood on the tips of his toes a few meters behind them, hidden behind a bush, peering over the crouching Lizardmen.

What lay in front of the hunting party was no ordinary prey. It was a hunter—a true apex predator! With a powerful swing of its flexible, laterally flattened tail, the creature propelled itself out of the water and charged toward the Lizardmen. The creature's next move left Bones utterly stunned.

Hard Plated Snapdragon, level 49

Bones hadn’t planned on using Identify on the monster; he did it on impulse as the beast lunged vertically out of the water and at the hunting party. The Lizardmen had anticipated the attack and reacted with surprising speed. They scattered to avoid the creature’s fierce assault, but the impact was chaotic. The apex predator crashed through the thicket, sending debris flying and inadvertently sweeping Bones off his feet. He was hurled backward and landed in the water several dozen meters away, disoriented and spluttering.

When Bones resurfaced, he saw the massive creature dominating the scene. The Hard Plated Snapdragon’s dark gray, lizard-like body, which gleamed ominously under the moonlight, was coiled among the mounds. Its four short legs with clawed, webbed toes dug into the soft ground, and its stout skin was covered in rectangular, horny plates. A row of sizable bony spikes ran from the middle of its back to the end of its thick, powerful tail. The elongated snout bore rows of sharp, conical teeth, and its tail moved with a ferocious strength.

The hunting party had regrouped around the beast, attempting to subdue it. The Snapdragon, estimated to be around seven meters long with its tail extending the total length to twelve meters, lunged at the nearest Lizardman. Its jaws snapped shut with a terrifying force, but the quick reflexes of the Lizardman allowed him to evade the attack just in time. The party surrounded the beast, and the spearmen jabbed at its legs, aiming to cripple the powerful creature.

[Move! Don’t get hit!]

The leader’s urgent commands directed the party’s movements. Although Bones couldn’t understand the specifics, the changing tactics and the party’s responsive actions indicated the importance of the leader's instructions. The spearmen’s attempts to jab at the Snapdragon were proving to be ineffective and merely enraged the beast. It hissed loudly, thrashing around and creating a chaotic scene. Bones reasoned that the party’s strategy might involve wearing the monster down before launching a decisive attack.

The first blood was drawn when one of the spearmen managed to penetrate the monster’s thick skin. The Snapdragon slipped on the wet, slippery terrain, its movements growing more erratic.

[Kill! Now!]

With the leader’s command, the party launched a coordinated attack. The two Lizardmen wielding buckler shields charged forward, bashing their shields against the monster’s front legs to unbalance it. Meanwhile, the spearmen attacked from behind with powerful, thrusting strikes instead of their previous ineffective jabs. The leader circled around, preparing to strike from a more advantageous position.

The Snapdragon, however, was not easily subdued. It lashed out with its massive tail, knocking down the spearmen and brushing off the shield bearers. The beast’s powerful sweep disrupted the party’s offensive, forcing them to regroup and reassess their strategy.

The Snapdragon lunged again, this time targeting one of the shield bearers. The Lizardman jumped back, anticipating a bite. However, the monster kept its jaws wide open and its throat began to swell.

[Tongue! Shield!] The leader’s warning came too late. The monster’s throat expanded grotesquely, and its tongue shot out like a whip, wrapping around the Lizardman’s body before retracting with a powerful yank. The warrior’s shield was lifted but not in time to prevent the monster’s strike. The Snapdragon’s mouth snapped shut around the unfortunate Lizardman, and it began to violently shake its head from side to side, the poor warrior caught in its deadly embrace.

The captured warrior struggled to free himself, but his efforts were in vain. His body was soon split in half, the lower part flying off to one side and the upper part to the other. The leader hissed and seized the opportunity to strike a significant blow to the monster's side. With one warrior down, he took on a defensive role, taunting the monster while the others continued to attack its health.

The fight dragged on with several close calls, but the leader's skill and sturdy shield proved invaluable. Thanks to the leader's persistence and a well-placed Bash to the monster’s head that blinded its eye, the party was able to whittle down the monster’s enormous health pool.

In its final struggle, the monster lashed out with its tail, knocking the other three warriors into the water, while the leader delivered the finishing blow. Exhausted and injured, two warriors crawled back onto the mound, breathing heavily. The leader, also in poor shape from blocking damage with his shield, was nonetheless satisfied. The hunt had been fruitful with minimal casualties.

He looked at the dead body of the monster and exhaled. The carcass would feed the entire tribe for the next few days. All that remained was to send one of the warriors back to the tribe for help while the others cut the body into smaller, more manageable pieces. It was then that the leader noticed one of the warriors was missing.

While the party fought, Bones kept Skully on standby, observing the battle and noting which Lizardmen were most injured. The one with multiple fractures, broken ribs, and a broken arm was his primary target. As soon as the Snapdragon flung him into the water, Bones had Skully deal with him.

[Sun'ar. Where?]

[ ? ]

The two warriors slowly, with great effort, sat up and looked around in confusion.

[ ! ]

[ ! ]

[Leeches?] One of the warriors asked.

[No leeches! His territory!] The leader pointed toward the dead Snapdragon. [Something in the water. Careful!]

Skully, distract them. Bones commanded.

splash

All three abruptly turned toward the sound just a few meters away and saw ripples on the surface of the water. While they were distracted, Bones surfaced, grabbed the nearest sitting warrior, and pulled him under the water.

splash splash

The leader abruptly turned and caught a glimpse of the lump of duskweed submerge. He took a step forward but stopped. A few seconds later, the surface calmed and the ripples disappeared. With three of his warriors down, Bones wondered what the leader would do next. He was surprised when the leader looked up, produced a high-pitched, long shriek, and then looked down at the water in front of him. Bones could have sworn he sensed the leader grinning.

[We run!]

The two remaining Lizardmen dropped their shields, dove into the water, and made a run for it. Only then did Bones hear the splashing sounds of something approaching.

"He didn’t!" Bones exclaimed as he emerged from the water and looked toward the thicket. The splashing sound was drawing closer, so he hastily dove back in and followed the Lizardmen. Moments later, another Snapdragon emerged from the thicket and began gorging on the dead body.

The Lizardmen were excellent swimmers and quickly left Bones far behind. However, Bones wasn’t flustered. While they were great swimmers, they weren’t as fast on land. The Lizardfolk could sprint at high speeds for short bursts, but running long distances wasn’t their strong suit. That’s why it took the hunting party so long to reach their hunting spot and why Bones was growing impatient following them. The distance from the tribe to the Hard Plated Snapdragon habitat was roughly eight kilometers, with about one and a half kilometers submerged in the swamp.

Once he reached the muddy ground, Bones picked up speed and eventually caught up with them. Both Lizardmen noticed Bones’ presence and realized they had to make a stand. They were visibly tired; Bones could see the resignation in the eyes of the warrior as he approached. The leader, however, was different. He performed a few practice swings with his spear and took an offensive stance.

[Come!]

Bones didn’t understand the words but clearly understood the challenge! He summoned Skully and identified the two warriors in front of him.

Elite Lizardman Warrior, level 44

Lizardman Warrior, level 41