I Hate Systems
chapter-41

The Shruugers were attracted by the intense stench of blood in the area. They flapped their wings, unleashing repeated cries that echoed throughout the place, varying in pitch as they reverberated. Displaying their massive heads that blocked their stout bodies, the Shruugers flew towards the trio on the ground.

"Come with me!" Fealta said as she dragged Compass Carburettor, heading towards a nearby boulder as she pushed him behind it. She activated the wide sword on both her armaments, shielding the top and her right.

Caithy jumped in on time, doing the same as she shielded the left and the back, erecting a rectangular barrier. They used the rock to block the final side, ensuring to leave enough gap to breathe. Though, it was cramped inside, due to the limited height, causing them to hit each other while they adjusted themselves.

"The Shruuger cannot see. It relies on echolocation to determine its prey. But, it cannot differentiate any prey normally. So, all it does is attack anything that moves and hopes it turns out to be edible. So, as long as we hide like this, we can avoid them," Fealta said, warning, "If you kill one of them, the blood would attract even more of them. Soon, we would be overwhelmed."

"The best option is to wait until most of them leave," Caithy said, adjusting her posture as she gazed up, grunting when a Shruuger landed on the boulder she leaned upon. It patted the wide sword with its tail, tilting its head in confusion as it let out chirps like a bird.

After staring for a couple of minutes, it took off to the air and swiped down, lifting the carcass of a Katuna from the water. It flew towards a pillar, beginning to feast the Katuna upon landing on the peak.

Compass Carburettor focused as he noticed the streams of Mental Energy incident on him vanish one after another. Soon, there were just three of them on him. Two of them were from the servants while the third seemed to be from the Queen, judging by the familiar presence.

The third stream only appeared at times before disappearing. He focused on the Mental Energy stream from Caithy, judging that she just deemed the situation to be annoying. As for Fealta, it seemed she was having fun.

It was odd considering how the two servants had maintained a poker face all the time, not once breaking out of it, 'How much training did they undergo to not express even the tiniest emotion on their face?'

As they waited, most of the Shruugers left the place, carrying the carcasses of the Katunas that Compass Carburettor had killed. It seemed the Katunas had indeed died, based on how they didn't twitch even once while being carried by the Shruugers.

Soon, there were just three Shruugers in the place, loitering about. One of them just lay on the boulder, napping.

Fealta patted Compass Carburettor, pointing at the Shruuger, motioning for him to kill it. He blinked, gulping for a moment as he observed, taking advantage of the proximity to observe it in detail.

It had tough, greyish-purple skin, sturdy muscles, and short limbs. The limbs were too small for it to even walk. Their only function was the sharp claws, used to perch on the pillars.

While he observed it, Fealta whispered, "The main attack of a Shruuger is the stink bomb it can unleash. The smell is unbearable to the extent we would be fully distracted once inhaled. And during this time, the Shruuger would usually carry us and drop us into the water body, leaving us to be killed by the Katunas. And while the Katunas are busy eating us, the Shruuger would pick up the fattened Katunas."

She then pointed at its neck, "Its second attack is its powerful mouth. When necessary, its neck can expand to a length of two metres like a spring. Using this, it can chomp on its foes and shred them apart. These are the main attacks you have to guard against when facing a Shruuger. That's why we only face them on the pillars and push them into the water after their Darble has been harvested. After all, a couple of seconds after its death, all the stink gas it had saved up in its belly would be released."

Even though she had been whispering all along, the Shruuger laying atop the boulder had sensed the vibrations, getting up when Compass Carburettor jumped, touching his Armament on its neck before activating it, piercing through.

The tip of the sword peeked out from the other side of its neck as he grunted, exerting enough strength into the attack to sever its neck in one swing. And in the same motion, he made a second slash, severing the Darble crystal from its forehead, also inhaling a deep breath in the process.

Picking up the Darble, he threw it towards Caithy, hurrying towards the second Shruuger, noticing the other party's stomach bulge a little before contracting. Opening its mouth, it spat out a thick, murky substance at him.

Compass Carburettor erected his shield, watching the stink bomb crash into it before dispersing into gas. Having taken in a deep breath in advance, he was unaffected by it, preparing accordingly when his opponent's head sprang towards him.

It had expanded its neck like spring to do so. But, right when it was about to clamp him, Compass Carburettor activated his shield once again, smirking when he noticed the Shruuger failing to close its mouth anymore.

But, he was surprised when the other party didn't take any damage, realising that the Shruuger was able to open its mouth wide enough to fit the shield inside. Moreover, it applied pressure on the shield, causing faint cracks on it.

Compass Carburettor scowled as he noticed his Darlac being siphoned at a tremendous speed, hurriedly placing the Armament on his right before its neck, activating the sword. He activated and deactivated it ten times in a flurry, riddling the Shruuger's neck with holes to the extent it lost all strength. He then decapitated it, frowning when it didn't have a Darble on its forehead.

Upon noticing another Mental Energy stream land on him, Compass Carburettor turned around in a hurry, activating his shield on time when the third Shruuger rammed into him, biting his shield in the process.

The force caused him to be thrown back as the Armament generating the shield was pulled out of his hold, thanks to the Shruuger biting it, unwilling to let go. The moment the Armament left his hold, the shield disappeared.

As Compass Carburettor landed on the ground, all the air in his lungs gushed out. He hurriedly inhaled in reflex, regretting immediately as his eyes glazed over. He had fainted from the stench.

Seeing the scene, Caithy was unable to control herself any longer, chuckling.