Skill-Eater: Prison World Saga-Chapter 42: Finishing Moves

Edge Shadow Stepped, and the world turned to smoke and mist.

The skill naturally accelerated the movement of his body, and he Leapt to travel even faster, using his shadow form to obscure its use from the deputies’ view. He landed in front of the golem before it reached the trees, rematerializing with his naginata raised over one shoulder.

He brought the weapon down in a screaming arc, with the full Power of his body behind it. Part of the way through, he Double Slashed, causing a second, mana-sharpened blade to shimmer into existence alongside the first. His polearm struck the sand badger with an impact that reverberated through his arms, shearing one forelimb off at the shoulder and the other at the knee.

The golem came crashing to the ground, dispersing long enough for the deputy to pull free. It regrew its legs and turned to face him, but the delay was sufficient for reinforcements to arrive. Edge was joined by Able, Jumo, Sasha, Trapper, and Mel, who surrounded the beast’s artificial body in a ring of weapons.

Mel raised her massive axe and then brought it down like a bladed avalanche. She swung the weapon with every scrap of strength contained within her muscular body, bolstered by a range of auras and some manner of offensive skill. Her incredible Power was sufficient to carve into the golem’s sandy body, slicing away at its bulk one swing at a time.

Meanwhile, Able went to work—the first time Edge had seen the heavy hitter in action. His weapon was basically a boulder with a stick driven through the middle, and each swing tore chunks out of the golem’s torso. The intense bludgeoning transmitted shockwaves through the sand, rattling the beast piloting the skill-forged construct.

Since they couldn’t penetrate as deeply with their lighter weapons, everyone else went to work on the extremities. They carved the sand-limbs off as quickly as they formed and collapsed its jaws before they could bite.

At that point, Trapper cried out. “I think I can use Quagmire to expose the beast inside. Get ready to finish it off. I doubt that my skill can counter its control for long.” With that, she reached out and placed both palms against the golem’s body. Her core ignited and a resplendent surge of mana went coursing through her arms and into the sand beneath her fingertips.

It was a brilliant move. Quagmire could only alter soil or sand and couldn’t be used to directly harm a living creature. But the golem wasn’t a living being—just a mass of granules animated by the beast inside.

The sand shrew would normally have had the advantage, since its power was already manifested. But due to the blows chipping away at the golem and the repeated concussions rippling through its body, Trapper was able to overwhelm its skill in a contest of opposing magical energy.

The instant that Quagmire was complete, the golem’s body began to change color. It became saturated with water, turning the sand into quicksand. Half its form softened and then melted away, revealing a furry mass where the badger’s chest had been. Edge had realized what was happening early on and moved faster than the other warriors. He had already grabbed his chakram and infused it with subzero mana using Elemental Blade’s new upgrade.

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When he let loose, the bladed ring caught the creature in the torso, biting deep before freezing its blood and killing it instantly. The rest of the sand fell away as the magic holding the golem together dispersed.

Wreathed in bands of frost-spawned fog, Edge could see his enemy at last. It was a beast about the size of an Earth squirrel, with dark brown fur and bright green eyes. It was a timely reminder that while many predators were massive compared to the humans that called Ord home, there were plenty of smaller beasts that were just as deadly.

With one shrew down, they were able to surround the other and bind its movements. Trapper didn’t have enough mana to use Quagmire again, but at that point, Edge realized that he might be able to do something similar with the Disruption Grenade he’d purchased from Lilly. He cried out a warning to let everyone know what he was up to, then pressed the trigger and lobbed the orb.

The metal sphere rolled under the golem’s body and detonated. A pulse of Disruption-infused aether erupted from the device. The surge only lasted for the blink of an eye, but it was enough to interrupt the magic animating the golem and it collapsed a heartbeat later. The second that the shrew inside was revealed, a pair of spears and Trapper’s sword sliced it to ribbons.

With both shrews slain, everyone sat where they were, recovering from the exhaustion that arose in the aftermath of an intense battle. They were ready to help the other teams if needed. But Gram had the situation in hand, and he called out an all-clear five minutes later.

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When the last sand-golem was defeated and the shrew animating it lay dead in the dirt, the expedition came back together. A half dozen people had been wounded in the melee, including two members with broken bones. Luckily, no one had been crippled, killed, or carried away. The alchemists were preparing medicines to expedite their healing, which would be ready once they pitched their tents and finished unpacking their supplies.

It was going to take a while to get everything back in order. After checking to make sure that everyone was alright, Edge had a few minutes to himself. He summoned his Guide to browse his updates, but there weren’t any this time around.

It’s definitely taking longer to cycle up now that I’ve reached late stage two. I can’t wait to find out what happens when I evolve again.

A few minutes later, Able walked over and stuck out his hand. “Thanks for the save, Edge. That’s one hell of ultimate ability and a fantastic use of equipment. I’m looking forward to working with you.”

Edge shook Able’s hand, only to find a woman’s arms around him the moment he turned around. It was the deputy who had almost been carried away by the shrew. “That was fucking awful. Thank you so much. My name is Momo. I really owe you one.” She kissed Edge on the cheek and then let him go, while everyone laughed at the redness of his face.

The moment of levity helped to dispel the lingering tension from the adrenaline-charged melee. Since he had nothing to do until the dungeon-clearing crews were ready to convene, he took a closer look at his surroundings, running his eyes across the perimeter of the Savage Garden.

From up close, the bamboo walls looked impenetrable, and the thorns coating them were sharp enough to shred flesh with ease. The dungeon wall was a strange amalgamation of natural growth and a manufactured enclosure—the organic curves of plants mingling with the straight lines that are rarely seen in nature.

Not long after, Gram let everyone know that he had decided on the camp’s layout. The hunters would join their new teams before entering the dungeon, but not until everyone had a chance to catch their breath and recuperate from the fight. Violet hitched Blue to the wagon and the crew circled round until the dungeon’s entrance came into view, then everyone got busy establishing the base camp.

The construction teams went to work. While the scouts stood guard, they began cutting back the trees to give everyone more space and more warning if anything else decided to attack. Others erected heavy-duty shelters, utilizing the same skills they had used to protect them from the living storm.

While the quartermasters organized the wagons and began setting up various stations, everyone else took a break. Violet was on double duty. She was getting lunch started, while her Travelers’ Boon helped heal the injured who were resting in the next tent over. Sasha and Riller went to join the scouts, while Trapper left to assume her role as the leader of the beast hunters.

Edge, Jumo, and Blue decided to take a lap around the Savage Garden while they waited. Along the way, they surveyed the perimeter of the clearing, looking for signs of anything dangerous in the vicinity, as well as any trace of Setna’s crew.

They found three pairs of footprints leading to the dungeon’s entrance, and a small wagon parked beside it. It must have belonged to Setna’s team, since the puzzle had been solved and the door was wide open. Edge wanted to take a closer look and get a sense of what lay on the far side. But when he drew near, he saw that the doorway was opaque. The view beyond was blocked by a layer of roiling mist–like a storm was trapped between two panes of glass.

It was mysterious and kind of spooky. He was tempted to poke his head inside but had been warned against doing so. It was an old dungeon trick to place monsters near the entrance, and more than one person had lost their lives trying to sneak a peak.

Instead, he spent a few minutes chatting with Spencer. The deputy had been posted by the entrance to remind people of the danger and provide assistance if any members of Setna’s crew appeared.

Over the next two hours, the scouts discovered a range of dangerous critters lurking nearby, including a few early stage-two predators. Fortunately, none of them wanted anything to do with a group of that size. They shouldn’t try to approach the camp, although everyone needed to be careful at night and when standing near the tree line.

When Edge made it back to the crew’s wagon, he saw that the expedition had been busy while he was away. The various associations had each claimed their own space, with a communal area in the middle where they could meet and engage in collaborative projects. He went ahead and took his kit out of the wagon, pitched his tent, and arranged his bedroll.

He was supposed to meet by the entrance around noon, when the dungeon teams would convene for a final briefing before entering the Savage Garden. Until then, people were free to do as they pleased, preparing themselves physically and mentally for the ordeal ahead.

Most of the hunters passed the time chatting with one another, since there was a chance that was the last time that they saw each other alive. Jumo and Edge would be hip-deep in monsters before long, and the teams outside wouldn’t be safe either. He was used to the pressure of impending danger by now, but he was still worried about his friends.

Not long after, Sasha came walking up to Edge’s tent, the concern on her face mirroring his own. They didn’t say a word. They just embraced each other, stepped through the flap, and took off their clothes. Their lovemaking was brief but intense, and they came apart covered in sweat.

After a final kiss, Sasha left him alone with his thoughts, with only the warmth of her memory for company.