The Deadly Swamp Ambush
Though it started small, the moment I saw it, I immediately drew my Holy Sword. The blade was blazing with brilliant light.
"The blade's glowing?! What the hell is that sword?!"
"This doesn't seem like the time for chit-chat."
The tree branch creaked as it began to move. The thigh-thick limb made a bizarre grinding noise with every twitch. Ukun didn't back away from the grotesque sight—instead, he gripped his hammer tighter, planting his feet as if ready to charge forward.
"I don't know what it is, but it sure as hell ain't here for introductions!"
"Get back, dwarf!"
I kicked Ukun square in the chest, sending him flying backward. I'd tried shoving him with my hand, but our height difference made it impossible. The spot where he'd stood a second ago was now impaled by a thick, elongated log. It had plunged nearly man-height into the ground, stretching over five meters tall before bending sideways once. The bend continued a bit further, then slanted downward at an angle, vanishing into the shadowy swamp trees behind.
Ukun tumbled backward onto his ass, clutching his chest before springing to his feet. Staring at the embedded log in horror, he shouted.
"Fuck! What the shit is that?!"
"A Gagabur's leg."
Gagabur legs were incredibly long, varying slightly by individual but typically numbering eight to ten, which they wielded freely. Each had two joints and looked like ordinary branches or logs from the outside. They dangled these into forests or swamps for camouflage, snaring passing animals for prey. The Demon King's forces mainly used Gagabur for ambushes or defense. Plant just one in a narrow pass, and any unit that encountered it would suffer near-total annihilation. Those thick, endless legs whipped and slammed like flails in tight chokepoints—no one could withstand it.
The massive trees shook violently as more legs rose like serpents. Their tips were razor-sharp, covered in countless tiny hooks.
"It's way bigger than the elders described...?!"
"That's average size. All Gagabur are the same."
"Goddamn it! There's more behind us!"
With a sloshing gurgle of liquid, legs erupted from the swamp behind us too. Ukun and I were instantly surrounded front and back. Looked like we'd found the real nest.
"This thing's a lot tougher than I thought. No wonder the brain fetches such a high price. But where's the damn head?"
"Where those legs originate. Usually underground. That's why it's such a pain to kill—hides the body and just sticks out the legs... Incoming!"
We bolted in unison. Gagabur legs rained down from above, pounding the ground around us. Creaking echoed from all sides as foul swamp water sprayed up, rotten leaves exploding into the air from the muck.
Drenched in filthy sludge, Ukun grimaced in disgust, somehow pulling out a handkerchief mid-chaos to wipe his face.
"Fucking bastards! I just took a bath!"
Ukun roared, swinging his hammer to smack a descending leg off his head. It rang out with a clear clang!
"Shit, it's rock-hard! What is this, an anvil?!"
I slashed an incoming leg aside with the Holy Sword, pondering. Normally, I'd just blast the whole thing to ash, but that'd ruin the brain. Had to hold back and be precise—made it trickier. Better to head straight for the head... Yeah, got an idea.
"Hey, Ukun! Keep your eyes peeled and just block attacks!"
"What're you planning?! Gah!"
He dodged another leg, yelling back.
"Just stay alive till I get back!"
"You ain't running off like a coward, are ya?!"
Ukun charged toward me in fury, but three legs whipped between us. I latched onto one.
Arms locked around the leg, I stomped the hooks at its tip with my feet. Nerves there would trick it into thinking prey was properly snared.
"So that's your plan—straight to Valhalla*?!"
Ukun screamed as the leg rocketed upward with me dangling. It stretched so long that from the top, the entire swamp lay visible below. It hovered briefly, then folded at the joints, plummeting toward the ground.
At that speed, I spotted a treeless depression in the forest center—a sunken clearing. All the Gagabur legs extended from there, and mine was retracting into it. The clearing's soil caved inward, revealing a massive cavity. That was the Gagabur's maw.
Teeth the size of a man's shin lined it, while an inner mouth bristled with sharper, denser fangs. Grirrk—grirrk! They spun along the rim like a sawblade. Prey dropped in there got shredded formless.
I gauged the distance and kicked off, plunging in sword-first. The Holy Sword's glow trailed like a comet as I dove into its gullet.
A piercing beep exploded in my ears the moment I entered. My nose burned, headache crashing in.
"Damn it...!"
I stabbed wildly at its innards with the Holy Sword.
"Grirrk—grirrk—grirrk!"
"Shut up and die!"
I thrust deeper, twisting savagely. The blade hit something vital and flashed bright. The spinning teeth above stuttered to a halt. Vital spot pierced.
I yanked the sword free and leaped upward. Lingering inside felt like risking a cracked skull.
"Balder! See you in Valhalla!"
Ukun's shout echoed from the distant swamp.
"Shit...!"
Racing there, I saw the idiot dwarf clinging to a leg, being dragged into the muck—just like me.
"Hey! Let go of the leg!"
"Huh?! You're alive?"
"Drop it! Holding on just gets you dragged in!"
"My clothes are hooked—no way...!"
Ukun's head vanished under the swamp. Cursing, I raised the Holy Sword high and swung down. Lightning arced from the tip in a straight line across the bog. The swamp split around it, waters parting to expose the Gagabur's submerged body.
Its main form resembled an overturned boat—with a horrific maw where the belly should be. Glossy black glass-like eyes met mine. Red beams shot from them, scanning my body.
Ukun teetered on the brink of its jaws.
"I won't go down easy!"
Heroically, he smashed several teeth with his hammer. I leaped into the cleft, impaling the head with the Holy Sword. Lightning erupted inside, countless bolts ravaging it.
"Grirrk—grirrk—grik!!"
As it thrashed to grab me, Ukun was flung far from the leg. One more thrust into the head, and the Gagabur went limp, legs collapsing.
"Goddamn it."
I scowled at my sludge-caked shoes, full of rot. The split swamp was refilling, so I climbed out. Ukun came running, covered in snapped branches.
"Balder! You're safe!"
"You stupid dwarf. Why'd you grab on and make me chase you? I said keep your eyes open."
"Thanks, Balder. You saved my ass."
Despite my scolding, Ukun thanked me sincerely. Tch. Now I looked like the asshole.
He glanced behind me and freaked.
"Whoa! The Gagabur's sinking...!"
Before I could stop him, Ukun dove into the refilling swamp. Even knee-deep, he groped the punctured head, peering inside.
"No goddamn way...!"
"Hey! Get out! Wanna drown again?!"
Dejected, Ukun slogged out thigh-deep in muck. As he emerged, the Gagabur sank fully.
"How could this...?"
Ignoring his soaked pants, he muttered. Blood suddenly streamed from his nose, but he didn't wipe it.
"This can't be happening..."