My (Monster?) Hero Life

Chapter 228: Stalker

On the other side of where the crab-like creatures were sleeping, a large green-scaled serpent-like head appeared. It pushed aside the branches of the strange trees that grew in that area to peer at the rock-like shells. A long, forked tongue shot out from its mouth as it tasted the air. This action allowed it to 'taste' the scents of prey carried on the wind.

The head let out a low hiss, and immediately afterwards, another four identical heads appeared. All five stared at the crabs' shells, an intense hunger could be seen behind their gaze. Kace marvelled at the creature, he felt almost drawn to it. The trees suddenly bent as a large, thick body came into view. All five heads were connected to it, and it had four short legs. Each leg was connected to a foot that held six razor-sharp talons on them.

The central head bent down and picked up one of the shells between its massive jaws. It seemed like the crab creature preferred to hide inside its home. Not a single piece of its fleshy areas was exposed. One of the other heads neared an opening in the shell and opened its mouth. A slight hiss was the prelude to a purple fog escaping from the Hydra's mouth. 

It seeped into the hole in the shell, and a panicked screeching could be heard from within. Thirty seconds later, silence reigned once more. A strange purplish, green pulp began to leak from the hole. Bubbles could be seen in it as if it were boiling. The Hydra seemed satisfied with the outcome as it studied the shell. Eventually, it lay it on the ground near one of its feet.

As the central head continued to hold the shell still, it reached inside one of the holes with a talon. With a swift movement and a loud cracking noise, the shell's two halves were pried apart. The top half was tossed aside while the bottom half was used as a bowl. The creature that had lived inside had been melted down by the poisonous gas, only the pulpy mixture was left.

As the central head began to slurp down its meal, the remaining four worked together to repeat the same process. Before long, all five of its heads were slurping away greedily at the remains of its prey. Grugda narrowed his eyes when he realised how potent the Hydra's poison was. Kace could guess that this meant his stash of medicines were not strong enough to deal with it. Which meant, they would probably have to make a few preparations before they could start their hunt.

The pack of crabs were wiped out in a little over an hour, Kace and Grugda did not dare to move in that time. They could not afford to catch its attention before they were ready to deal with it. However, Kace was already becoming excited when he thought about adding that powerful ability to his bloodline.

His Tracking ability showed a yellowish cloud around the Hydra as it turned to leave after snorting in disappointment. It seemed that the entire pack was not enough to quell its appetite. It was only when it turned around that Kace realised that the creature also had a seven-foot-long tail covered in poisonous barbs. Which meant that it would be dangerous to attack any point of its body in close range.

They waited until the sounds of the creatures retreat disappeared into the night before emerging from their hiding place. Kace was keeping a close eye on the yellowish trail that had been left behind. He was waiting to make sure that it began to fade, which would mean that the Hydra had definitely retreated from the area. After all, they did not want to give it any clues that it was being hunted.

'I wonder from how far away it can taste scents? This will be pointless if it manages to detect us before we discover its lair.' Kace looked around only to notice that Grugda's usually earthen brown scent was quite faint. The front half of the eljein was covered in the slimy mud that they had been laying in. 'I guess we have an answer for it now!'

"Cover yourself in the mud!" Kace gleefully exclaimed, causing Grugda to throw him a disdainful look. It was clear the eljein did not like the sensation of being covered in it. 

However, it was essential if they were to succeed. Kace quickly dove to the ground and rolled around. Covering himself, head to toe in the slimy substance. He kept his eyes on the Hydra's trail while waiting for Grugda to finish doing the same. Grugda was clearly displeased when Kace smiled at him approvingly. 

No more words were said as Kace immediately set off to follow the trail. It was mostly up to Kace's Tracking ability now as Grugda had done all that he could at this point. Once they found the lair and retreated to a safe place, they could formulate a proper plan. Two days passed as they waded deeper into the swamp. Clearly, the Hydra had been forced to travel quite far just for a small meal.

For just over a day, there had been no signs of any living creature. They instinctively knew that death would definitely claim them if they tried to make a home in that area. The Hydra's trail was extremely faint by this point. Which meant that it had gained quite a bit of distance on them as they struggled to traverse the swamp. Kace was even beginning to give up hope of finding its lair before the trail completely dispersed.

It was then that Kace noticed a change. The scent had begun to get slightly thicker again. Which meant the Hydra had either been here recently or they were finally closing in on its den. Looking deeper into the swamp, a large island stood out from among the others. Not only was it far larger, but it housed a densely wooded area. The Hydra's scent was extremely thick between the trees