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[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 23: Buzzing Blanket
🕑 Added 2025-01-31 18:00:07 +0000 UTCNow that they were in the area, the crew’s next objective was to investigate the site where the beast had ambushed the resource-gathering team. Trapper was hoping to uncover some clues regarding its powers and proclivities while looking for signs that would point them in the direction of its den.
The spot in question was a sparse grove of trees. It was a place where the local beasts came to treat their wounds. Their droppings provided nutrients for a variety of medicinal herbs, which had drawn the resource hunters into the region—the same dynamic that made the thicket a veritable buffet for an ambush predator.
These trees were covered in dark green needles that reminded Edge of the pines he had grown up with on Earth. The smell was slightly different, but close enough that it filled him with a wave of nostalgia. Although, perhaps nostalgia wasn’t the right word for a place that he had few fond memories of and no real desire to see again. However, it did remind him just how much he missed his mother.
I hope you’re doing alright, Mom. I’m remarkably well, despite all the insanity caused by the disaster. My life has changed in so many ways, but I’m still breathing. I’m not just surviving, I’m thriving. Each day fills me with excitement and joy, and I’ve made some real friends for the first time. I really fucking miss you and think about you all the time. I hope we can catch up once the System restores long-range communication.
Jumo must have noticed the complex emotions playing out across Edge’s face. The athletic warrior walked over and threw an arm around his shoulder. The man didn’t ask what was wrong or try to trivialize Edge’s feelings. Jumo just flashed a cheerful grin, letting Edge know that he was there if Edge needed him, without poking at his scars.
He took a deep breath, smiled, and then returned his attention to his surroundings, making sure that the predator wasn’t anywhere nearby before they entered the grove. Since the thicket was relatively small, they began by examining the tree line, searching for any trail signs indicating that a large beast had passed through. They also paid close attention to the animals, looking for evidence that something had disturbed their routines.
After finding nothing of the sort on either front, it was time to enter the tree line. They parked the wagon and unhitched Blue, so the azure triceratops could fight at their side if needed. They made their way toward the center of the thicket in a combat formation, going slow so that Sasha, Riller, and Trapper could use their perceptual powers to scan the terrain before they passed through.
For his part, Edge listened closely while looking for anything out of the ordinary. He didn’t have any skills that could help, but Big Game Hunter would sharpen his senses if the beast was nearby. A nervous half hour later, he spotted a break in the trees as the crew approached the heart of the grove where the herbs were located.
The air was thick with flies, and as they advanced, the hunters spotted the source. “Corpses,” Sasha said. “Two of them.” Sure enough, when he looked where she was pointing, he could see two dark shapes lying a few feet away from a patch of yellow flowers. They were completely covered in writhing flies, forming a buzzing black blanket.
Edge had seen dead bodies before. He’d been responsible for three of them after all. But he’d never witnessed what happened a few days after the act firsthand. Even though he couldn’t smell them from here, the sight made him nauseous. “Go slow,” Trapper said. “Don’t force yourself to do anything that you’re not ready for. You can stand here while we take a closer look.”
He thanked the crew’s leader and did as she suggested. He was still getting used to some aspects of his new life, and he appreciated the consideration. Violet tossed some manner of consumable near the bodies, which released a cloud of gas that drove the flies away.
Even from this distance, Edge could tell that there was something unusual about the remains. They looked emaciated instead of bloated. Mummified instead of rotting.
Sasha, Riller, and Trapper went to inspect the area while the others stood guard. They came back fifteen minutes later to report their findings. “The beast isn’t a scorpion,” Trapper said. “At least not one whose ancestors migrated here from Earth. We know that it has a stinging tail from the reports the survivors gave, but it seems more like a spider otherwise.”
Edge peer through his spyglass, so that he could follow along with her report. “The victims organs were dissolved and then sucked out, and their bodies are bound in some manner of silk. We found a few strands running along the ground too, which is likely how the beast senses its prey. It doesn’t change our strategy too much, although we’ll have to be on guard against webbing and assume that it can climb unusually well for its size. It seems to have left the thicket, although I suspect that the creature is still lurking near this part of the plains.”
They stopped to bury the remains, which didn’t take long for people with superhuman strength. Then the hunters picked some of the herbs and started walking back to the wagon. Since all the trail signs were old and there was no indication that the creature was living within the grove, their next objectives were to figure out which way it had traveled, then deduce likely locations for its lair by surveying the surrounding terrain.
Sasha eventually found some tracks leading south. After Trapper confirmed that it wasn’t a false trail, the crew hitched Blue to the wagon and followed them. The going was slow, since they had to track their way forward. Luckily, this beast wasn’t as stealthy as the padamas or garax, at least while moving along the ground.
Since the creature could lay down webbing, its lair was bound to be somewhere that it could spin a trap web and draw in prey. The open prairie didn’t provide enough places to anchor the weight-bearing strands, so they were looking for somewhere with a lot of tall trees, big boulders, or other potential attachment sites.
They kept an eye out for any places where animals would congregate—game trails, watering holes, and terrain where nuts and berries and grew in abundance. On top of that, there needed to be enough cover for a massive predator to remain hidden, although there was a good chance that it would use skills to supplement its natural camouflage.
The crew had to watch out for sense webs too. Strands that were laid out across the area surrounding the lair—arranged to transmit vibrations that would let the beast know when other creatures drew near. If the hunters fucked up and triggered them, they would lose the element of surprise, which they were counting on to initiate their ambush.
Everyone kept an eye out for terrain that met these criteria, while Trapper used Sense Life and Sense Vibration, and Riller activated Eagle Eye. Whenever they found something promising, he would summon a Scout Drone. After he linked his senses to it, Riller conducted a survey from the air, where he didn’t have to worry about giving his position away by stepping through a sense web.
Eventually, they came across a likely location. It was a dense grove of broad-leaved trees surrounding a natural spring. Tubers and berries grew along the water’s edge, providing a source of both food and water to any creature stopping by. The trees were tall enough to support a complex web, and the foliage was dense enough to conceal a massive body.
Trapper couldn’t sense anything inside, although her skills were less effective from this range. Since getting closer would risk revealing their presence, Riller sent out his Scout Drone, closing his eyes as he linked his sight to it.
He opened them again a few minutes later and said, “This is the right area. They’re well-hidden, but I saw threads of webbing woven throughout the trees. We can proceed with the next stage of our plan. It’s time to prepare the killing field.”
