Chapter 304 The sound of the inevitable (1/2)

That growl was so low, and so powerful, I could feel it rattle my external bones. What in the name of the ever loving ant queen is going on?!

Tiny, Crinis and I froze in place the moment we heard that unearthly rumble, still locked in our moment of triumph over the fallen foe. The Croca-Commander lies still beneath me, its neck torn asunder my mandible a.s.sault and I allow the mana to fade from my choppers. Morrelia is standing to one side of the monster, both of her blades buried halfway to the hilt in its flank as she comes out of her berserk rage.

Her face appears red and gaunt as she heaves deep breaths into her lungs, the light of anger and bloodl.u.s.t fading from her eyes and clarity of thought returning. She looked down at the defeated Croca-Commander as if surprised to see it there, a flicker of confusion came over her expression and she slowly shook her head from left to right.

Grooooooooowl!

Again that deep rumbling growl rattled out from a distance, seeming to shake the very land itself beneath our feet. The only one present in the moment to not appear nervous at this development was Tiny, who only appeared satisfied as he gazed down on his defeated foe.

Checking on my core hastily I see that there is still a good 50% capacity still in the tank. The fight was a lot shorter and sharper than I expected it to be, most likely due to the Croc not being able to fully utilise its ability due to wanting to conserve mana itself. I shouldn't discount the possibility that the Croc was already extremely low on mana, which may explain the relatively low amount of fire it spat at us.

If I recall correctly, the first Croc-Commander we fought burnt down a good section of the Marsh expanse without even trying. I've no doubt this double chinned beast could unleash a similar level of devastation if it so wanted. Inside the Dungeon that is, up here? Who knows?

Satisfied that I wasn't likely to run out of mana in the short-term future I begin work on re-establis.h.i.+ng the mind bridge to Morrelia that I had let lapse during the fight. I'll still need to be careful, mana-wise. I burned a good chunk of gravitational mana in the fight and I can feel the gland drawing away mana from my core to replenish its stock. Normally, not a problem, the core is replenished a heck of a lot faster than the gland can drain it away, especially when I can get my feet stuck into some Dungeon turf. On the surface, my core does not absorb mana fast enough to sustain me under ideal circ.u.mstances, let alone with any extra demands on it. I'll need to retreat back to our mini-Dungeon base to refill the tank before we go any further. Better safe than sorry.

[What's the problem Morrelia? You're looking a little confused?]

[Have you been hearing those growls?] she asked, a little vaguely.

[Well, yeah? Of course. I felt like my carapace had been jammed into a sub-woofer. Way too much base. Do you have any idea what might be causing it?]

Instead of answering my question, Morrelia posed another of her own.

[Do you know what species of monster this is?] she asked, pointing at our victim.

[Yup. Garralosh Commander, no doubt about it. One of the eldest children of Garralosh herself. This is the second time we've put one down] I boasted a little bit, even as my antennae wave back and forth attempting to sense the source of the intimidating noise.

[Have you ever seen it?] Morrelia asked faintly, [Garralosh, I mean?]

Surprised by the question, I turned my whole body to face Morrelia.

[Ah, no. Why? Have you?] I asked incredulously.

GGGGROOOOOOOOOOOOWWLLLLLL!!!!

Again that bone rattling growl!? What in the name of heck is it?

[I think we might be about to] Morrelia muttered.