Chapter 371: About The Tidebreaker Korrath

Chapter 370: About The Tidebreaker Korrath

Sophia’s question lingered in the cold air between them.

"What did you notice when you fought them?"

For a moment, no one spoke. Snow continued to fall heavily, some even drifting lazily from the branches above, settling on the ground.

Then Joren shifted, shoulders squaring as he drew in a breath.

"The books weren’t wrong," he began. "But they weren’t complete either. And now I’m suspecting that it was done on purpose, leaving certain information out."

"Me too," Uther told him. "I believe they wanted to withhold certain information from us on purpose."

Sophia turned fully toward Joren, giving him her full attention. "Please share with us what you guys noticed."

"Their skin," Joren said, "it’s way stronger than it looks. I slashed at them with my swords. And it wasn’t shallow or without power, I did so hard and it barely cut through. I landed clean hits, but it wasn’t enough to do real damage. It was like I was wielding a toy against tough skin."

Uther nodded in agreement. "Same with my arrows."

Joren turned to him in shock. "But you hit one’s eye."

"Only after I noticed that the other parts I tried to hit seemed to be resisting," Uther told him. "I aimed for the neck, the ribs, even the legs. They went in too, but not nearly as deep as they should have. It’s like their hide absorbs most of the impact. And sometimes it was like my arrows bounced off the skin."

Sophia frowned slightly, processing that.

"So long-range attacks won’t be enough," she murmured.

"And close combat isn’t much better," Bianca added. "They don’t just rush blindly. They learn. We’d switch tactics, try to flank, and for a moment it would work. Then they’d adjust. Start anticipating our movements. Coordinating with each other."

Her ears flattened briefly at the memory.

"It was like fighting something that was thinking several steps ahead."

Joren nodded grimly. "Exactly. And they don’t fight to kill right away. At least that’s what I got when I fought with them."

Sophia looked at him sharply. "What do you mean?"

"They toy with you," he said quietly. "They push, knock you down, herd you where they want you. Like they’re testing how you react. Seeing what you’ll do."

Uther’s jaw tightened. "That part wasn’t in the books."

"No," Joren agreed. "It wasn’t."

A chill slid down Sophia’s spine that had nothing to do with the cold.

"And there’s more," Joren added. "The books were correct in some parts. They move on both land and water. Some came out of the water. Others were already hidden on land. They control the terrain like the books said."

Sophia nodded slowly.

"Yeah. And another thing that was accurate, they’re fast," Bianca said. "But unlike the Skylur, they don’t rely on their fangs much. They use their paws more. Their weight. They slam into you, knock you off balance, then another one comes in from the side."

"They fight like tanks," Uther muttered. "Heavy, fast, and stubborn."

Sophia exhaled slowly.

Strong hide. Coordinated attacks. Environmental control. Strategic behavior.

These weren’t just monsters. These were predators.

She lifted her gaze. "So... did any of you notice anything else? Anything that did work?"

Joren and Uther exchanged a glance.

Then both of them nodded.

"There is a weak point," Uther said.

Sophia’s eyes sharpened instantly. "Where? On the back?"

"Perhaps the side?" Miles asked them.

"No, not on the back nor the sides," Joren said. "But underneath, near the chest and lower neck area. The hide isn’t as thick there."

Gale stirred beneath his skin, confirming it.

"I slammed into one of them there," Joren continued. "I didn’t break skin, but I felt it react. It got angry. Real angry. Like I’d hit something important."

Uther nodded. "Same. I managed to land a hit there when one reared up. It actually went in. But it wasn’t enough to kill it."

"And it changed how they moved after that," Bianca added. "They started guarding that area. Turning their bodies so we couldn’t reach it."

Sophia’s gaze flicked between them, mind racing.

"So they know it’s vulnerable," she said quietly.

"Yes," Joren replied. "Which makes it harder to reach."

"But not impossible," Bianca said.

Sophia’s lips curved slightly at that.

"And that’s the part you didn’t say yet," she replied.

Joren tilted his head. "What?"

"That you wouldn’t have brought this up if you didn’t already think there was a way to use it."

Uther let out a short breath that was almost a laugh. "You really are terrifying sometimes."

Sophia ignored him, eyes still on Joren.

"Well?" she pressed.

Joren hesitated, then said, "The only way we can hit that spot is if we force them to rear up or lunge forward. That’s when it’s exposed."

"Which means baiting them," Bianca added.

Sophia nodded slowly. "That’s risky, though."

"Very," Uther said. "But possible."

Silence settled again, thicker now, heavier with possibility.

Sophia folded her arms, staring at the snow as she thought.

Force them to rear up.

Expose the chest.

Strike hard and fast.

But that still left the problem of numbers. Four Tidebreakers were too many to handle head-on, even with a plan. And there was also the other fact that there were not just four Tidebreakers here. There were more.

"Do you think that perhaps we should use the same thing you used before, what you did with the blackwater berry?" Miles asked her.

Sophia’s eyes widened at his words as a plan started forming in her head. They could actually use the blackwater berry and lure the beasts out. And if it permitted, then they could set a trap and attack them, working together.

"That look," Joren muttered. "Do you have a plan?" he asked her.

Sophia nodded. "I do."

Uther, Miles, and Bianca leaned forward. "What plan?" Miles asked. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we have little time."

"It’s a simple plan," Sophia said, just as Joren sighed loudly and the others looked at him with a frown.

If Sophia said it was a simple plan, then it was going to be reckless, but it would achieve the result they wanted.

"How simple?" he asked Sophia, whose smile widened.

As usual, she replied, "Simple enough."