Chương 22: Interlude: A Crack in the Lie

A wet snap rang out across the field as Kyle let another arrow fly. The bolt buried itself in the face of a mudcrab lunging through the cracks in Sasesh's mud wall. The creature spasmed once and dropped, legs curling in toward its body. Kyle already had another arrow nocked. His focus was cold as he fired again before the first crab hit the ground. On the other side of the makeshift wall a swarm of crablings screeched and battered against the mud, attempting to claw their way through to aid their matriarch.

John danced just behind the line, his long spear weaving arcs of polished death. He moved like he'd been born holding the weapon, cleaning up any crab Kyle missed. His movements were precise with stabs to exposed eyes and soft underbellies. Ten meters behind them stood Professor Sanders, Amanda, and Sasesh. Amanda's breaths came in ragged gasps, sweat slicking her skin. Her lips were pale. The green glow in her hands flickered with each heartbeat. Sasesh glanced at her briefly, then back toward the battle.

Professor Sanders was shouting over the battle.

"Nadean! Now! If you don't interrupt the summoning, we're going to be buried in crabspawn!" The battle was a storm of chitin and fury. Bryan stood toe-to-toe with the crab matriarch—easily the size of a small car—his battered shield braced against her massive claws. She slammed them down with blinding speed, and each time Bryan met the blows his feet dug trenches in the muck. Miriam and Kranti were on her back hammering away at her carapace with a matched pair of axes and fists.

Chitin cracked and splintered under repeated blows, but the matriarch screamed in rage and summoned another wave of crabs with a flicker of her maxillules—the long, delicate mouthparts that shimmered with flowing mana. Dangling from one of the matriarch's mandibles like a hooked fish, Nadean held on by a dagger jammed into a crevice between chitin plates. Her other hand slashed toward the glowing web of appendages as they wove mana. Every movement birthed more crabs from the swamp's depths.

Another wave battered against Sasesh's wall. The mana in the air was thick, pulsing. Then— CRACK. The sound echoed through the clearing, and Miriam whooped with delight.

"I've got through to the juicy bits!" she shouted in her thick accent. The matriarch froze. A strange shudder ran through her segmented body as her maxillules faltered. Nadean's eyes flared as her [Exploit Opening] skill lit up a joint in the left maxillule like a beacon. She didn't hesitate—she reversed her grip and slammed her dagger in. The blade punctured the glowing joint. With a popping crack, the entire appendage tore free.

Mana screamed as the tangled spellcraft unwound violently, the stored magical pattern exploding outward in a distorted pulse. Nadean was hurled backwards, flipping once midair before crashing into the muddy ground below. But her job was done. Professor Sanders saw it immediately.

"Sasesh! Collapse the wall! Kyle—focus fire on the matriarch! John, clear the rest!" Sasesh raised his wand, already pulsing with power. Mana surged from his fingers, threading into the structure he'd built. The wall of mud quivered then buckled before it crashed backward onto the crab swarm like a brown avalanche, crushing dozens of creatures beneath it. Kyle pivoted without pause. He fired a triple shot, the arrows glowing faintly. They struck the matriarch in rapid succession. The matriarch shrieked.

Bryan took a hit to the chest as her claw lashed sideways in a panic, tearing through his armor and knocking him back five meters. Blood arced through the air as Amanda screamed and sprinted toward him. Her hands flared green and she pressed them to the wound. The gash knit shut in seconds, and Bryan coughed, rolled, and got to his feet. He didn't say a word—just charged back in. With the summoning stopped and her back armor compromised, the crab matriarch began to falter.

The fighters redoubled their efforts, and Sasesh turned his focus to clearing the remaining swarm, spikes of hardened mud erupting beneath the crablings to impale them one after another. Two minutes later it was over. The clearing was a mess of crushed shells, blood, and bodies. The group stood panting, weapons slick with crab goo. Sasesh was the first to speak, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Loot fast," he said.

"If that thing called in anything else, we need to move before they arrive." He turned toward the path ahead.

"We're close to the lake," he added.

"Maybe a few hours more. With luck, we'll find others. Maybe some normal people this time." His voice was flat and controlled but behind his dark eyes, a fire smoldered. The group stood frozen at the edge of the treeline, beige sand stretching before them. The lake lay just beyond, its surface rippling only faintly under a distant wind. The sky above had darkened to a smoky gray, clouds clustering around the horizon. But no one was looking at the water. They were all staring at the creature in front of them.

A spiral shell the size of a dump truck sat nestled in the sand, its ridges etched with deep grooves and strange symbols. And spilling out from the shell's mouth was a creature unlike any they'd faced. Its legs were armored in layered plates, each joint thick with muscle. Two barbed claws rested half-buried in the sand. And protruding from its grotesque face were four forward-curved appendages ending in jagged edges twitching and dripping with gore. Laid around it were corpses.

Four strewn in the sand, limbs exploded off at odd angles. The fifth—what was left of them—was currently lodged between the creature's mandibles. The sound of crunching bone echoed faintly across the beach as the beast slowly chewed through the torso. The sand was stained with blood and viscera. Amanda let out a strangled sound. Kyle stepped forward half a step and then stopped. His bow lowered, eyes wide. Professor Sanders didn't speak at first.

He raised his hand, palm out, and gestured for everyone to stay still. Then slowly, deliberately, he motioned for them to retreat. One by one, the group backed away from the clearing. Sasesh kept his eyes fixed on the creature as they moved. Its mandibles twitched as it continued to eat but it didn't shift towards them. The beast was seemingly content with its current meal as it kept feeding. They didn't stop retreating until they were five full minutes into the trees.

Then, and only then, did Professor Sanders speak.

"That," he said grimly, "was a Lord of the Swamp." The words hung heavy in the humid air. Amanda shivered.

"My [Identify] said its name was Kharvaxis, Shellbound Shocklord of the Shore but it didn't show a level." Professor Sanders nodded.

"My [Analyze] could barely get anything right away but give me some time and I can go through the data I did receive. I did get that it was Level 14." The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. A ripple of uneasy murmurs ran through the group. That was higher than the strongest creature they'd fought thus far. Bryan shook his head, muttering something under his breath. Kranti swore quietly. Professor Sanders raised his hand to settle them.

"I don't think we should fight it. Not yet. Based on the state of the corpses and its name I'm guessing that thing either has electricity powers or something else that can explode limbs." John muttered, "Maybe it's like a pistol shrimp?"

"That is one possibility," Professor Sanders confirmed. Silence again. He looked around the group, eyes calm behind his thick glasses.

"That said… we're still a democracy. So I'm putting it to a vote. Raise your hands if you want to try fighting Kharvaxis." Hands didn't fly up immediately. Then Sasesh raised his. Miriam grinned and followed. Sasesh looked sideways at Kranti who held his gaze for a moment. Then, slowly, raised his hand too. With only three hands in the air the decision was made. They wouldn't fight it, not today at least. Sasesh inhaled through his nose. He didn't speak right away.

The air was thick with humidity and unspoken tension. Finally, he broke the silence.

"We'll have to fight it eventually," Sasesh said, voice low but clear.

"We all know that." Bryan crossed his arms.

"Yeah, and when we do, I'd like to still be able to block without my arms exploding off." He didn't sound angry, just practical. Still, the words didn't sit right with Sasesh. Miriam shrugged.

"He's probably right. Still, I'd love to sink my axes into whatever a 'Shellbound Shocklord' is." She cracked her knuckles.

"Sounds like a damn good fight." Amanda looked exhausted. Her hair clung to her temples, her eyes shadowed and hollow.

"I'm almost out of mana," she said quietly.

"We've been pushing hard. Too hard. We keep taking fights because we think we have to." She looked at Professor Sanders, then at the others.

"Maybe we should rest. Camp for the night. Come at this with a plan. Let Professor Sanders [Analyze] it more thoroughly. We'll be fresh. We'll be ready." There were nods around the circle. Sasesh said nothing at first. His jaw clenched. A familiar heat simmered behind his eyes. Like his goals and everyone else's were grinding against each other, sparks catching in the spaces between. He exhaled slowly.

"Fine," he muttered.

"We rest." No one seemed to notice the edge in his voice. But the fire behind his eyes had not gone out. The campfire crackled softly. Orange light licked at the damp air, throwing long shadows across the twisted roots and hanging moss that framed their campsite. Most of the group was scattered nearby—cleaning weapons, checking armor, eating in silence. No one laughed. No one spoke loudly. Sasesh sat close to the fire, elbows resting on his knees, staring into the flames. Footsteps approached from behind.

"You shouldn't look so glum," Nadean said, her voice quiet but steady.

"Professor Sanders will figure something out. He always does. When he has a plan, we'll take down that… thing." Sasesh didn't look at her at first. He watched the fire shift and collapse in on itself.

"I know," he said finally.

"I just think we're not pushing ourselves hard enough." Nadean stopped beside him. The firelight caught her face, highlighting the tired lines around her eyes.

"You think taking bigger risks is the answer?"

"Yes," Sasesh said immediately.

"The System rewards people who take risks. You've seen it. Skills evolve faster. Levels come quicker. We can't afford to play it safe forever." She was quiet for a moment.

"The System might reward risk-takers," she said slowly.

"But it doesn't reward the dead." She hesitated.

"We can't push too hard… or we'll end up like—" She stopped herself. Sasesh's mouth twisted, just slightly.

"Like Cade?" he said. Nadean winced. The name hung between them, heavy and unwelcome. The fire popped. After a moment, she turned fully toward him. Her eyes searched his face, studying the way the shadows moved across his sharp features, his strong nose, his carefully controlled expression.

"Sasesh," she said quietly.

"I know it's been a hard few days, but… tell me again what happened that morning. When you and Cade were on watch." He didn't answer right away.

"I've already told everyone," he said, irritation creeping into his tone.

"Multiple times."

"I know," she replied gently.

"I just… want to know if you remember anything else. Anything that might explain why those people did what they did." Sasesh sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. He leaned back slightly, as if the memory weighed on him.

"We were doing perimeter checks," he began.

"Walking the platform I'd raised around the camp. Everything was quiet." He paused and Nadean placed a hand on his shoulder. Sasesh continued, eyes fixed on the fire.

"I didn't even realize he'd left until I saw him out there in the marsh. He was already halfway across by the time I spotted him." His voice tightened.

"I ran after him. Asked him what the hell he thought he was doing." He swallowed.

"He was swinging a branch around. Wild. Like he didn't even see me." He hesitated.

"That's when it happened." Nadean's grip tightened.

"I was maybe five feet away," Sasesh said quietly.

"I saw the blood spray from his neck. Just a sudden flash of steel followed by a horrible wet gurgling sound." He closed his eyes.

"One of them had come up behind him. Slit his throat. Before I could even react, the second one jumped in and started stabbing him. Over and over. Like they thought he might get back up." His voice cracked—just enough.

"I didn't think," he said.

"I reacted. My instincts kicked in. I dropped a pit beneath them, tried to separate Cade from them." He swallowed again.

"But they didn't stop. They just kept stabbing him. Even after he stopped moving they kept stabbing." A tear slid from the corner of Sasesh's eye. He made sure Nadean saw it before wiping it away.

"I buried them," he said hoarsely.

"I buried them alive. I didn't know what else to do." Nadean squeezed his shoulder.

"When I lifted Cade's body… I knew," Sasesh continued.

"There was no way he was alive. Not after what they did to him." He shook his head slowly.

"I couldn't let anyone see him like that. So I buried him. Gave him peace. It was the only respectful thing I could think to do." Silence settled between them. After a moment, Sasesh spoke again, softer now.

"I keep wondering what he was thinking. Why he ran off like that. But Cade was always… different." He finally looked up at Nadean.

"That's why I push us," he said.

"Not because I want anyone to die. The opposite. I don't want to fail anyone again. We need power. We need to be ready—because who knows how many more insane people are out there." Nadean studied him for a long moment then she nodded.

"You're right," she said.

"We need to get stronger. We don't know what's coming and some monsters are harder to spot than others." She glanced toward the dark swamp beyond the firelight.

"Hopefully Professor Sanders can put together a plan soon." Her voice hardened slightly.

"Then we can take down that Lord of the Swamp." The fire crackled on. And Sasesh stared into it, calm once more. A few hours passed in uneasy quiet. The group had settled in for the night, scattered around the flickering campfire. No one fully relaxed—ears twitching at every splash in the distant marsh, hands never straying far from weapons. Then Professor Sanders stood. He brushed dirt from his pants and adjusted his glasses with the air of someone trying to mask his fatigue.

"Alright, everyone," he said, raising his voice just enough to gather attention.

"I've been going over what I could pull from my [Analyze] skill earlier." Sasesh perked up immediately. Others looked over from their seats, eyes alert but weary.

"I think I have a plan—" he began. A sharp hum filled the air. Every head turned. A thin violet beam lanced skyward in the distance, impossibly bright—so bright it washed out the moonlight and cast long shadows across the marsh. The beam was slender, focused, and utterly unnatural, like a spear of divine fire stabbing into the heavens. Silence fell as no one dared to speak. Then the light flickered once and vanished. Only darkness remained.

"What the hell was that?" Kyle asked as he knocked an arrow in his bowstring. Professor Sanders stared at the empty sky.

"It was too far to [Analyze]. But that kind of mana signature…" He trailed off. Sasesh felt it too. The air was charged, like the aftermath of a thunderclap. Then came the ping. SYSTEM NOTICE — ALL TUTORIAL PARTICIPANTS Warning: The Viscount of the Swamp has reached its ancestral training grounds. With the Viscount temporarily removed from this quadrant, the remaining Lords of the Swamp will expand and contest for new territory. Of the original Eight Lords, two have already fallen.

The balance of power has shifted, and their domains lie vulnerable to conquest. Until now, the surviving Lords have been content to slowly absorb their claimed treasures. While the Viscount is training, treasure absorption will be accelerated as the Lords prepare to wage for dominion within the Tutorial. Advisory: Encounters will become more lethal. However, with greater risk comes greater rewards. Survive, advance, and secure a foothold for humanity.