Chapter 67

  “Fuck this place,” I said as I stared at the creature before me. I’d been on my way towards a group of Muns near a sand dune, or at least, I figured they were Muns, considering they were moving, and sand, well, doesn’t, when the world decided the Muns would come to me.

  Not the ones I was eying though. Oh no, not those. Instead, the sand before me erupted in a spray of grainy sand, dusty air, and furry legs. Eight… furry fucking legs. The creature, the size of a large dog, had eight legs, two massive glass fangs, and wayyyyy too many eyes. Above its head, its name. Sand-el Spider.

  I wasn’t really sure where that name came from, though it did have a weird, massive hump on the middle of its back, er… thorax? I wasn’t a spider expert. Hated the damn things. And now I was staring down an almost horse sized, nightmare fuel piece of bullshit. It had ambushed us, which was apparently also a thing in the desert, and managed to sink its two glass fangs into poor Neal. It also… upon doing so, had wrapped its front two legs around Neal, and was in the process of trying to drag my Gembra Foal down into the sand pit it had sprung out of.

  Unfortunately for it, that was where I drew the line. Ambushing me with a jump scare was one thing. Trying to steal Neal Diamond was a completely different thing.

  “Get ‘em, Barkity,” I said as I selected the appropriate attack. We may have been ambushed, but now that the fight was started in full, Barkity was up first. And my three headed dog was more than happy to rush at the Sand-el Spider, its metallic teeth clanking together as it bit into the creature.

  The sound, at first, made me smile. But then my smile fell, as I noted the sound was not because Barkity was strong enough to bite completely through the thing, but because the creature’s skin was made of sand, and was literally flowing around the bite attacks. Which were doing 0 damage.

  “Fuck this place.” I repeated again, doing my best to not let panic take hold. Apparently, physical attacks weren’t going to work on the Sand-el Spider. That was… common in games. Most of the time, ghost or phantom type creatures would be immune to physical attacks, while others, like rock, would obviously be immune to electricity. It made sense… but, sand monsters being immune to physical attacks? Sure… I guess.

  The bigger problem with that little fact… was that my current Mun lineup didn’t really have… non-physical attacks. All things considered, this seemed like kind of a dick move for the world to throw at me. Wasn’t it a little OP to have Muns, immune to physical attacks, hanging out in the under level 20 space of things?

  Granted, the low level was the only saving grace. Neal’s health was still doing fine, though his name had turned that sickly yellow that told me he was poisoned. A problem for me in a few turns though, as the actual ambush strike had only done about 6 damage to him, and the level 24 Gembra Foal had 102 HP total.

  My turn order told me Edgar was up next. I glanced over his move set. Peck and Perch were likely pointless, Gear grind wasn’t needed, since I had no doubt once I figured out what could hurt the damn thing, it would be quickly dealt with. Feather Darts, the move that let it send its sharp, needle like feathers out, probably wouldn’t do much either though. Yet, for science, I figured I’d give it a try.

  “Feather Darts.” I ordered as I selected the move. Edgar swept its metallic wings towards the Sand-el Spider, sending half a dozen of the deadly steel feathers towards the spider. They passed through its skin harmlessly, landing with a dull thud in the sand behind it. “Great, just great.”

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  I let out an annoyed sigh, as Neal’s turn came up. His health ticked down by an extra 3 from the poison, putting him a 95 out of his 102 HP. He’d be fine. This was more annoying, than anything. Like when a missed, forced encounter challenges you late game. More a hinderance, than an actual threat. Especially since, this close to the path, the Sand-El Spider was actually only level 11.

  “Maybe a crystal beam?” I asked, nobody, as I ordered Neal to use the skill. His sides glowed as they took in sunlight, and then a beam of purplish power blasted into the creature. On impact, sand went flying, and some of it even seemed to turn to glass. This time, the move hit, and more than half the Sand-El Spider’s HP was removed with that single attack. Physical attacks, no, special beam attacks… yes? Noted.

  The Sand-El Spider, resilient monstrosity it was, held on stubbornly, and bit Neal again as it struggled to pull him back. This time, I saw the glass fangs flash with a blue color, and the venom it pumped into Neal’s wound was different. Neal swayed this way and that, and a new icon appeared above his name. He closed his eyes, and went limp.

  “Are you kidding me?” I growled, again to nobody. He’d been put to sleep. The hell. This was so not fair for a level 11 Mun.

  Cogberus was up once again, and instead of having him attack, I used the time to switch Edgar out for Puddles. My level 24 Calfer let out a happy roar as it replaced Edgar, and I grinned at its move choice. Of all my Muns, my Calfer was the only one that had come with an actual elemental attack at an early level. One that… for messed up reasons, it had at probably its lowest level, since it was how the damned things ate…

  Puddles pawed at the sand as it lowered its head in the direction of the retreating Sand-El Spider. The flames atop its head glowed brightly between its two horns, and then it let out a flame burst.

  Red hot flames scorched across the sand, making some of it shimmer and melt slightly, before it smashed into the Sand-El Spider. Neal, still asleep, didn’t even react as his sides were scorched, and an extra 8 points of his health were removed as the flames washed over him. It was worth it though, as the Sand-el Spider’s remaining health pool dropped to zero. As the flames died down, the Mun was no more than a crystal on the ground, my Gembra Foal collapsing to the ground, snoring slightly, now that it wasn’t being held by the massive spider.

  I shook my head as I picked up the crystal, and looked down at Neal. I was pretty sure I had a way to wake him up. I’d bought a variety of healing items from the Mun Center in preparation for my travels, but… well, he could afford to sleep on the job for now. I returned him to his crystal, and removed him from my team for the moment. Much as I wasn’t a fan of spiders… I was curious what the level 11 Sand-El Spider could do, and more than that, it was something I could use to soak up the extra experience I was about to get from toasting all future Muns I encountered in this blasted place with my Calfer.

  I’d learned a lesson, and it was an important one. When it came to Muns made of sand… the tried and true, burn it with fire, was still very much so viable.

  And, less helpful and useful, if the irritating grinding sound, and coughing and hacking sound coming from Barkity was any indicator, was biting sand.

  “Sorry buddy,” I said to him, as he looked at me, one of his heads working his jaw this way and that, the sound of sand stuck in the gears grating in the air. That had to be painful, or annoying. “But, we’re stuck in this area for a little while.”

  Another of the heads let out a whimper, but it died down as I scratched behind one of the ears, turning my focus to the shapes ahead. I kept Puddles out, and ordered him forward as we resumed my march towards the dune. Behind us, my newly acquired Sand-el Spider, which would not be getting a nickname, followed. I hadn’t bothered healing it. It would level quickly enough, and then heal itself. No need to waste a refresher, on what was only an experience soaker right now… and mild curiosity. Especially when I was completely new to this environment and couldn’t afford to be reckless just yet. The Shifting Desert had already greeted me with one surprise, and I had no doubt there were many, many more to come.