Chapter 437 Crustacean sensation (1/2)

I hope these crabs taste good, after all the nasty monsters we've had to eat on the second Strata so far, I'm hoping that they live up to the reputation of Earth crabs for being delicious. I suppose I need to finish the fight first.

Omen Chomp.

CRUNCH!

Another crab reels, its sh.e.l.l cracking as slinters fly in all directions. The disgusting ma.s.s of anemone on its face roil and grasp for me but I'm already moving. My fast reflexes and future sense thrive in a situation like this. Monsters surround me on all sides but I'm able to move deftly with a speed that belies my large size. My synapses fire with incredible speed as I feel the monsters around me move. Claws reach for me, gross mouth parts seek to drill into me and in the midst of it all I s.h.i.+ft my position with precision.

Angle the carapace here. s.h.i.+ft my legs now. Tilt my body to the left. Each movement presents a better angle, each time I step with my six legs, I'm able to dodge by a hair. They strike my carapace repeatedly. The sharp spines in the claws are d.a.m.n sharp. Whenever they grab at me, they dig and chip into my hard sh.e.l.l, trying to inject their venom. So far, my carapace holds. Its' actually starting to give me a great sense of pride! How's that you d.a.m.n crabs? Your sh.e.l.ls are like nothing before us, but mine still holds strong! The ant reigns supreme yet again! MUAHAHAHAHA!

But if the fight drags on too long, they might put my endurance to the test. Although the Inner Carapace plating is doing its sweet work, I don't want to put it to the test, and I don't want to rely on my healing gland too much. I need to save it for replacing legs more than healing chips in my precious diamond carapace.

Even if they aggravate me!

Stupid crabs! Omen Chomp!

CRUNCH!

Gweheheheh. Enjoy that, you stupid crab! Although, I'm starting to get tired. Too many uses of the Omen Chomp in a row is a ma.s.sive drain on the stamina, I'll have to shelve it for a moment to let myself recover. I'll have to do something to get these monsters off of me.

Solar flare!

I pump mana into my fireball and it blasts the clearing with light, chasing away the shadows and sending the creatures around me skittering back in fear. Nice! Since they fear the heat so much, I'll just have to give them an extra dose!

Using my main mind to shape the spell I draw out more fire mana and feed it into a basic bolt pattern. I'm familiar enough with this working that I can whip it out in seconds, even with the minor adjustments for the fire mana. Shortly, I have a rough and ready fireball ready to throw!

I blast it towards the closest monster and it reacts sharply, flinging up its claws to keep the hateful heat away from itself. Surprisingly the monster doesn't burn. I was kind of expecting it to light up like a candle but no such pyrotechnics take place. However, the crab definitely hates it. After absorbing the bolt with its claws, it begins writhing on the ground, out of the action. I'll take it.