My (Monster?) Hero Life

Chapter 54: Heartless

Kace gently pushed aside another low hanging branch before he could walk into it. He had a look of thunder on his face as he cursed under his breath. 'Why don't the guys up front just cut them down for God's sake!'

Grugda was faring far worse though, his large body provided an ample target for the vines and branches. He could not risk exposing his magic to make the journey easier.

A metallic smell found its way through the air to Kace's nose. 'It's blood!' His mind began racing as he glanced around nervously.

He missed it during his first two passes but on the third it happened to move as his eyes swept over it. A large feline like creature around eight metres in length was lounging on a high up branch.

It's eyes were blue with black slits. It's body covered in brown and green fur. Giving it the perfect camouflage in this environment. Luckily it was more interested in the carcass hanging from the branch.

It looked like some kind of giant rabbit. Though it was extremely viscious looking. Red eyed with black and purple quills instead of fur. It's stomache had been ripped open, exposing the soft and tender meat within.

The feline watched Kace almost out of curiosity. Seeming to be genuinely surprised at having being spotted. One of the men walking behind him noticed the direction of his gaze.

With a deep breath the man hissed. Unable to look away. The sweat began to run freely over his body likening himself to a waterfall.

"It's a fucking Phileve!" He eventually gasped.

As soon as this was mentioned weapons were immediately drawn. The crew began to gather in groups with their backs to each other. Fearful eyes scanning the vicinity.

Kace was puzzled by their reaction. He had never heard of a Phileve before but the man was obviously looking at the same creature he was. Making it extremely apparent that was what it was called. 'Still, it's just sitting there. What's the need for such an overblown reaction?'

He soon got his answer as one of the men suddenly fell to the ground in pain. Quills piercing his legs.

'Fuck it's not the cat their worried about!' His eyes immediately darting to the foliage around his legs.

Stopping when he noticed several of the creatures managing to hop towards him extremely stealthily. More cries for help quickly ensued. They were entirely surrounded.

The smell of their dead companion had lured them to this area. Making them think that this group was the responsible party. As he fixed the closest one with his eyes he got another unpleasant surprise! 

The quills could be fired like projectiles! A number of them pierced through the gaps in his armour, penetrating the skin.

[You have been poisoned. Endurance check. Paralytic Effects resisted.]

"Fuck me sideways! They're predators!" Thanks to his common sense from Earth he had assumed the quills were a defensive feature for the kind of animal that gets preyed on. Coupled with the image of the feline eating one who could blame him for making such a blunder!

When the Phileve who fired it's quills at him realised its toxin had not been effective, it decided to pounce. Kace came to face with razor sharp teeth. Layed out like the inside of a sharks mouth.

He swung his fist into the hungry jaws, allowing the blades on his gauntlet to pierce through into the creatures brain. Killing it instantly.

"Grugda! Do it!" He yelled, angry that the Eljein took so long to decide if it was worth exposing his earth magic.

With a grunt of acknowledgement, Grugda slammed his two palms together. Raising the ground under all the crewmembers feet into a hill before deploying wall around the perimeter.

Looks of gratitude and astonishment flashed in his direction. While on the other side of the wall a scratching sound could be heard.

"Look out! They'll burrow underneath!" Raven roared as he slew three of the Phileve that had gotten themselves trapped inside along with them.

With another grunt he slammed his open palm against the ground. Infusing it with enough mana to make it harder than steel. Kace was not the only one to experience a qualitative change in his abilities in this past year.

Grugda did not even break a sweat performing this feat. Drawing admiring glances from the captain.

"So the big fella is a defensive type earth mage. I thought they were exaggerating when they told me but they were actually hiding the extent of his abilities." Raven thought as began to stroke his beard. Staring at Grugda in honest admiration. "In that case the brat is most likely capable of stronger feats than what they reported. We might actually have a chance this year!"

The jungle fell deathly silent on the other side of the walls. Giving an eerie and unnatural feeling.

"Right lads!" Raven bellowed in his most authoritive voice. "Looks like we'll be resting here till nightfall. Those damn rodents are only active during the day. So they'll return to their nests when the sun sets. Make no mistake. Right now they are patiently waiting outside those walls that are keeping your sorry hides nice and safe."

He glanced around at his men meeting them in the eye to show the seriousness of the situation. "So I suggest you get some food and sleep right now! Since we'll have to march through the night to make up for lost time!"

Most of the men happily collapsed on their arses on the ground. Relieved to be able to take a safe break, the first since they hit the storm. While others complained about having to move on when it was dark, feeling that it would be even more treacherous then.

Kace noticed that no fires got lit. Not even to cook the meat of the dead Phileve that were laying around. 'I guess there must be predators living in this jungle that will be drawn to smell.'Kace theorised. 

Lucky for him he did not need to cook the meat, being blessed with a digestive system that could cope with it raw. It was too good of a chance to hopefully get something to gain from it. Over the past year his natural talents had been triggering less and less.

He had a feeling in his gut though that the creatures here would trigger it. Since they were so unusual. One man stared at him curiously as he grabbed one of the dead rabbit like creature by its ears. Being extremely careful to push the quills flat so as not to get pierced by them again.

As he returned to sit by Grugda the man continued to watch as he drew one of his throwing daggers from his coat. Turning the creature belly side up so as to expose the soft flesh on its underside.

Mimicking what the feline had clearly done he proceeded to slit the belly open. Before rummaging around inside. Eventually finding its heart and ripping it out.

He unceremoniously dumped the remains of the body in the dirt beside him. Blood dripped from the gauntlet that held the still warm heart. The man watched on in horror as Kace began to chew on it. His mouth quickly becoming a scene from a horror movie.

Turning his attention away from Kace the man's friends could see his face was ghastly pale. They all put on their best grave expressions, instantly killing the mood in the group when they saw him reacting like that.

"What's wrong Neil? You see something?" The one with mismatched scars across his face asked.

"Guys... What happens when you eat the meat of a Phileve?" Neil asked while trembling. Doing his best not to soil himself.

"That's a stupid question! You got us worried for nothing! You already know the answer!"

"Please, just humour me." Neil was almost crying at this point.

"Well, you know. You skin starts to turn black, before putrid boils rise all over your body. You start giving off the stench of death as if a hundred corpses had been left to rot in the sun. Then after a week of extreme suffering your body gives out any you die. Why?"

"Yeah that's what I remembered. Bare with me here. Only creatures and the brain dead monsters that are on this island are able to eat them right?" Neil's voice got lower and even more panicked as he said this.

"You're damn right! Why even bother us with this crap?" The scarred man scoffed, upset with his friend thinking that he was trying to play a joke on him.

"Then can anyone explain how he's completely ok?" Neil's lips trembled as he pointed towards Kace who was happily eating away the heart.

The eyes of the group went wide as they finally understood. Chills ran down their spines as they nervously tries to regain their composure.

"We have to tell the cap'n!" Neil whispered urgently, "It's just like those drawings on those walls he's always obsessing over"

The group kept a weary eye on Kace, not wanting to alert him...

***

Important Author Note Please Read

Hey folks! I've had to edit this is to quite a few chapters so that as many people as possible see it. Please read to the end as it is important.

First off. I need to thank each and everyone of you for the massive show of support in the past few days. You guys are the heart and soul of why I do this.

Second. You deserve to be rewarded. You have shown so much support that I feel you deserve something more in return. Therefore I'm going to try to start releasing two chapters a day. They may be a tad shorter but you'll end up with more to read overall.

Third. Some goals! We're doing well in quite a few of the charts. So let's aim for more. See below for targets to meet and the rewards to go with.

1. Enough votes to make it into top 100 in power Ranking. Two extra chapters to be released next Monday.

2. Top 50. You get 3 extra chapters.

3. Top 25. You get 4 extra chapters.

4. Top 10. You get 5 extra chapters.

5. Top 3. It's a secret but will be worth it.