Heavy Metal [ A Monster Evolution LitRPG ]

Chapter 100 – Crawling Through The Night

A woman pressed her back harder against the rough wooden post behind her, trying to stifle her trembling breath. Around her, other captives huddled in similar terror, the flickering firelight from the goblin campfires casting grotesque shadows on their faces. The creatures laughed and barked orders in their strange monster tongue, dragging struggling victims into the darkness beyond. She didn’t dare look at the others taken before them - those whose cries still echoed faintly through the encampment.

Her heart raced when she saw three goblins approach her group, their wicked grins and filthy weapons promising nothing but pain. She gripped the arm of a woman next to her, both trembling as the short monsters moved closer. There was no hope, no sign of anyone who could help them but then, suddenly something strange happened. 

The commotion began as a distant clatter of weapons, followed by guttural goblin screeches. It wasn’t unusual for goblins to squabble among themselves, but this was different. The cries of alarm and the sound of steel clashing grew louder, closer. A strange metallic screech echoed in the night, followed by the unmistakable sounds of something hitting the ground.

The goblins stopped in their tracks, their expressions shifting from glee to alarm. One barked an order, and the three turned to rush toward the disturbance. The woman wondered if adventurers had come to save them but the lack of coherent voices was alarming. She craned her neck to see beyond the firelight, but the smoky air and the goblins’ frantic movements blocked her view. A heavy thud resounded, followed by the sharp cry of a goblin silenced mid-scream.

More of the goblins became alert, running off into the dark forest where their voices were silenced. One by one, the little green monsters were being exterminated, by who or what she could only speculate. The woman's heart pounded in her chest as the chaos in the goblin camp escalated. She clutched the arm of the woman beside her, both frozen in fearful anticipation. The firelight danced on the crude weapons left behind by the goblins as they rushed into the forest to confront whatever had disrupted their plans. The shrill cries of the goblins gave way to unsettling silence, broken only by sporadic, metallic thuds and the faint hiss of something sharp cutting through flesh.

A moment of eerie quiet followed. The air felt thick with tension, each passing second an agonizing eternity. The woman strained her ears, hoping for a clue, but all she heard was the shallow breathing of her fellow captives. Then, a goblin staggered back into the camp, clutching its neck where black smoke oozed from a deep wound. Its eyes widened with terror as it fell to its knees before collapsing face-first into the dirt. The smoke dissipated, leaving a foul, lingering scent. 

The sight drew gasps from the prisoners, their eyes glued to the dead goblin. The woman dared to lift her gaze, and what she saw chilled her further. Emerging from the shadows was a figure unlike anything she had ever seen - a knight in grayish, imposing armor. Its form glinted faintly under the moonlight, edges sharp and angular, yet it moved with an unnatural fluidity. A pair of glowing, piercing eyes radiated from within the helmet's visor, one a stark white, the other as dark as the abyss, as though the figure itself had been forged from the night.

It moved forward with an eerie calmness, holding a sword submerged in darkened miasma. The night fell silent with only the breathing of the nearby bound women. The armored figure approached, its blade growing near. The captives recoiled in fear, their minds racing to make sense of what was happening. One of the women, her auburn hair matted with dirt and sweat, whispered in awe, her voice trembling. 

"An adventurer... he's here to save us!" 

Her words were laced with hope but one of the other women shrieked in terror.

"No! No, he’s not a man! It’s a monster! Look at it! It’s a Living Armor! It's here to finish us off!"

The knightly figure paid no mind to their reactions. It stopped just before the captives, towering over them, its presence overwhelming. The sword it held shimmered ominously, the haze of black mist replaced by cold iron. The woman who had called him a monster sobbed quietly, resigned to what she believed was her end.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

But instead of striking them down, the figure crouched low and raised its sword. The sharp edge met the ropes binding their ankles, cutting through effortlessly. The captives froze, confused by the unexpected act of mercy. Was this just an adventurer wearing monster like armor or a dream invoked by their fear?

One by one, the bindings around their wrists and ankles were severed. The women exchanged glances, too afraid to speak, unsure if this was some cruel trick. When the last woman was freed, the figure stood, its glowing eyes scanning the goblin camp.

"Why… why is it…?"

“I don’t know… but be quiet… maybe it will go away…”

The armored knight turned away from them without a word, striding into the heart of the goblin camp. Its movements were swift yet measured, as if it had no regard for the chaos it caused. It ignored the captives entirely, as though they were insignificant to whatever mission it pursued. The women sat motionless, unsure whether to run or remain where they were. Some whispered frantic prayers of thanks, while others stared at the knight’s retreating back in wide-eyed confusion. 

“What is it doing?”

“It’s… gathering something?”

All of them sat there, petrified with fear, as the monster prowled through the goblin village. It focused mainly on collecting crude weapons, but also gathered various items like iron bars and even pots. Methodically, it piled everything onto a sturdy-looking cloth made of deer hide - another item scavenged from the village. Eventually, the monster returned to them. But instead of attacking or finishing them off, it began patting them down.

The women froze, not daring to move a muscle as the cold iron gauntlets brushed against them. This creature was truly bizarre; it took some of their belongings - coins, earrings, and even shoes. Strangely, it felt less like they were being rescued and more like they were being robbed. Yet, no one dared to complain. After all, the goblins had been slain, and their lives were far more precious than any material possessions they had lost.

As the armored figure finished its peculiar search, the women exchanged uneasy glances, unsure whether to feel relieved or alarmed. Some clutched at their missing belongings, while others dared not even breathe too loudly. The monster or adventurer carefully secured the scavenged items into its leather sack before tying it shut. Some of the women could have sworn that some of the items had vanished but they assumed that their minds were just playing tricks on them.

“Maybe it’s not a monster?”

“It… took my earrings, what kind of monster does that?”

“Shh! Don’t provoke it… I think it’s about to leave.”

The women started to whisper among each other as their ‘savior’ began to retreat. They were almost sure now that this being didn’t want to harm them but it was hard to place trust in such a strange figure. As the armored being stepped further away from the captives, one of the women noticed something peculiar. A small, ghostly white ant leaped from a pile of goblin remains and landed on the armored figure's shoulder. The creature paused for a moment and even looked their way, then settled into place.

"Did you see that?" 

The woman whispered, pointing at the silvery ant that had now vanished with their strange savior. 

"What?”

“I didn’t see anything, maybe we should leave?”

The other women showed no interest in the ghost ant as the stench of the goblins’ bodies and the carnage around them was already almost unbearable. In time, they managed to find the strength to stand and survey their surroundings. The village, once bustling with tens of goblins, had become a desolate wasteland of death and silence.

Fires still crackled here and there, their flickering flames casting ghostly light over the lifeless goblins. The strange being had taken all the crude weapons, leaving only remnants of the chaos. The oppressive aura of danger that had once suffused the village was gone, replaced by an eerie stillness.

From the distance, they suddenly heard something - shouts accompanied by the flicker of torches moving toward them. But this time, it was not a monster. The voices were human, speaking their language. Adventurers had arrived to save them.

*******

Unbeknownst to the others, Rusty was already making his escape. His iron reserves had been depleted for the auction and his previous repairs, so he scavenged what he could from the goblin camp to rebuild his stock. Each piece of crude iron, every bent sword, and broken spear was an opportunity for Rusty to restore his form in the future. There were far too many items for him to carry, and his SP was limited. He was forced to use some of the goblin's belongings to fashion a makeshift sack, though various weapons jutted out, scratching at his metal frame.

"I’m glad we rescued those women, but did you really have to take all of their money?"

"But if I’m going to open a shop in a city, I’ll need money, right?"

"Well..."

Rusty responded to Alexander, who had eagerly supported the idea of attacking the goblin village. Aburdon, as always, was against it, so Rusty decided to try a different approach. His two guides often bickered, their minds being polar opposites. Rather than choosing just one of their approaches, he decided to merge both. He agreed to help rescue the women, but only under a few conditions. One was that he would not assist them in returning to their hometown, and another was that he could take any belongings that seemed useful, just as Aburdon had advised.

"Of course it was! This isn't a charity, silly hero. We need to take what we need to survive!"

"If only you weren't there to fill his head with nonsense..."

Alexander sighed as he nestled within Rusty’s right eye socket. It hadn’t been long since the incident at the merchant caravan, yet their journey had made little progress. Navigating through the dark forests while avoiding detection was adding another week to their travels, and the frequent battles with monsters threatened to delay them even further. Despite the setbacks, Rusty remained unfazed. To him, this little expedition was an exciting adventure. However, there was a small problem.

“( -﹏- )”

“Are you still feeling bad Gleam? Just wait a moment, I see a cave there.”

While Rusty was feeling great, his friend Gleam wasn’t in full health. It seemed that gleaming ants had a very specific diet that required a constant infusion of mana. Without mana crystals or mana potions to supplement her diet, Gleam’s health was beginning to deteriorate. This was another reason Rusty had been hunting monsters like goblins - hoping to find mana-rich materials. Fortunately, one of the monsters he had defeated was a goblin shaman, and its monster core was now safely stored in his inventory. They just needed to get to a safe location where she could rest and perhaps sleep while he thought of where to head next. 

Rusty and Gleam made their way into the shadowy cave, the mouth of which was hidden behind a thicket of dense foliage. Inside, the air was cool and slightly damp, with the faint sound of water dripping from stalactites. Rusty set down his makeshift sack of scavenged materials near the cave wall, the metal clanging softly against the stone. Gleam staggered slightly, her usual energetic movement replaced with dulled movements.

"Alright, this should be a good spot to rest. Let me get that monster core out."

“( ◉ - ◉ )” 

Gleam perked up slightly, her antennae twitching with renewed interest. She crawled toward Rusty, her eagerness clear despite her sluggish movements. Rusty reached into his inventory and retrieved a small glowing crystal. Its dark green hue pulsed faintly in the dim light of the cave, but it wasn’t strong enough to cast shadows on the walls.

Monster cores came in all shapes and sizes, but this one more closely resembled a mana crystal than a traditional core. Gleam scuttled forward, her mandibles parting as she emitted a soft, excited chittering sound.

"Wait!" 

Aburdon’s voice rang sharply in Rusty's mind. 

"Don’t let her just eat it. There is too much mana in that monster core, it could last us for a week.”

Gleam froze, tilting her head as though confused. 

“(╹ -╹)?”

“Oh, it could? But how? Should I crack it into smaller pieces?”

“No, that will just destroy it! Instead, we need to use some water. You’ve gathered some pots from those mindless goblins right?”

“Ah, I did.”

Rusty wasn’t entirely sure how this would work, but if the monster core could sustain Gleam for longer, it would ease his concerns about her health. The idea intrigued him, so he decided to give it a try. He had a pot scavenged from the goblins, and gathering water was simple since the cave was near a stream. Though Gleam was tired, she still helped by collecting sticks and dried leaves for the fire they needed to build. Once all the preparations were complete, Rusty set about creating what he could only describe as mana soup.

First, they made a fire with the help of Gleam’s magic. It took them a few tries and Alexander needed to explain a few times how to properly ignite kindling, but soon a steady flame crackled in the cave's entrance. Rusty placed the pot over the fire and filled it with the clear stream water he had collected. As the water began to simmer, he carefully lowered the monster core into the pot, following Aburdon's instructions.

The core pulsed faintly as it sank, sending tendrils of shimmering green mana into the water. The liquid quickly changed color, transforming into a faintly glowing elixir. Gleam’s antennae quivered with excitement, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten as she watched the process.

“Monster cores from magical creatures are often used as a base for mana potions, boiling them hastens the process. Now, don’t forget to stir it, the mana needs to be distributed evenly.”

Rusty went through the crude items he got from the goblins and found something that resembled an iron ladle. It was bent in several places but was good enough to stirr the mixture. After around ten minutes the glow softened, and the water became a uniform pale green. 

“ (っ ´ཀ` )っ “

Gleam chirped softly, her eagerness crystal clear.

“It should be ready?”

Rusty asked and after Aburdon confirmed, he finally let Gleam take a few sips. She bent her small frame toward the pot and sipped delicately from the edge. Her movements grew steadier with each sip, the faint flicker of her natural luminescence returning. After a few moments, she stepped back, her antennae twitching happily.

“She looks much better already.” 

Alexander remarked.

“Good job, Rusty.”

“Yeah, yeah.” 

Aburdon muttered. 

“Now don’t waste what’s left. Seal it in something and keep it safe.”

Rusty nodded and used his SP to store this item in his stash tab. With the pot there he had gained some more time. Now they needed to continue trekking towards their new destination and start their new life.