Following a bunch of oversized spiders through a jungle island would have been a strange point in the experience of a demon hunter, let alone a smith, but here Souta was. He trudged dutifully after the broodlings, kicking through undergrowth where necessary, until their scuttling led the misfit trio to an elevated area of thin soil and wind-worn piles of rock. His face grew dubious as the miniature demon-spiders soon abandoned their tracking for the sake of a rather vicious squabble. Souta heaved a sigh, looking around at the scenery for any kind of monsters until a sudden [i]thututututut[/i] drew his attention. Snapping his head back to the broodlings, he spotted a cluster of long spikes in the ground, and their source turned up a moment later.

An unsettling emanation radiated from the demons, but whatever the color of their leakage, Souta wasn't too concerned. After the kind of things he'd seen in the Undersky and on that forgotten island, these beasts left much to be desired in the realm of intimidation. Snarling and scrabbling the Assaults converged on the intruders, and like a batter at the plate Souta wound himself up and waited for just the right moment, until...[i]whack[/i]! Without any regard to limiting his strength the stocky man heaved his newly-gained Mountain Buster in a horizontal arc, aiming to drive its pointed head into the demon's body. While the brutal impact alone might have very well been enough to put it down for good, Souta didn't get the chance to find out. The next second the weapon's stake extended and, on impact, unleashed a small but savage explosion to hurl whatever remained away

Carried almost off his feet by the weapon's weight, Souta found himself too occupied to express satisfaction in his armament's first use, and instead stumbled forward. Another attack came straight on the heels of the first, obliging Souta to aim a kick at the Assault to fend it off before he heaved the Mountain Buster into position for another swing. A thought flashed through his mind. [i]Man, am I glad that I've been mostly fighting dumb beasts so far. This stuff wouldn't fly against a real opponent.[/i]