บท 189: Feral Kobolds
The first feral kobold that arrived slammed the wooden barricade with its claws, breaking it apart and splitting Hera and Alex up. The other two creatures were already lunging towards them, making the duo get even further away. Hera threw a paralyze bolt, hoping to at least hinder one of the monsters, but the feral kobold dodged the spell with ease and kept chasing her. Now that they were closer, she could see the kobolds better. They had pitch-black fur, but it turned to a marine blue with a single white line marking the division of colors in the middle of their chest. The fangs seemed to be made out of metal by the glimmer of the reflected moonlight.
After dashing away, two feral kobolds turned towards Hera. She didn't stop running. One of those monsters could break a wooden barricade as if it was made of twigs. She could only shudder to think about what it could do to her. As she moved, Bonnie, Runir, and Tom said that they were coming over, but it would take some time before they arrived at the cabin. Knowing that now she had to stall, Hera kept running, trying to lead them away from Alex. It didn't take long for her to feel pressured by her pursuers. They started to get closer, and Hera used her grease fire to create a barrier behind her, making a line in front of both monsters.
Even with the fire starting to spread, the feral kobolds jumped over it and kept running at Hera. Understanding that it would take some time for the flames to grow large enough to hinder the creatures, she aimed the spell a few meters in front of her, hoping it would be enough to hide her for a moment. The flames rose and started to spread through the grass. Thankfully, the greenery was only present in part of the plain. It was a barren ground around the tents and the alchemist cabin, most likely to prevent any possible fire from spreading from tent to tent. She jumped over the flames and took a hard turn to the left, heading towards the wooden house. Blue was supposed to be there, and at least with two people, they would have a better chance of fighting the feral kobolds.
"Hera, do a few wide laps around the house. We are almost ready," Blue's voice came through her earpiece.
Hera didn't reply, worried that her voice could warn her pursuers, but they already had picked up her tracks. The flames she created served only as a momentary distraction. Knowing that they were still after her, Hera asked.
"How many? I don't know how long I can keep them away," the monsters were faster than Hera, even if not by much. She looked down at her boots, but the unique effect of increasing her speed had yet to occur. She had no idea what it took to activate. If this wasn't a life or death situation, what was?
"Three, maybe four," Blue replied in a whisper not to warn the kobolds of her location.
"Shit!" Hera gasped and created another line of fire in front of her without stopping. Just as she crossed the flames, she looked back and flung a paralyze bolt to where she thought the kobold's legs would be. The spell missed, hitting the ground before the creature crossed the fire. She wanted to try again right away, but if the monsters realized what she was trying to do, it would be harder to hit them with the spell. Making her way towards the back of the cabin, she saw Alex fighting the third feral kobold. Instead of running, she stood her ground and dodged the creature's attacks while trying to hit it herself. The monster's strikes didn't seem as heavy as she assumed they were. Maybe only its lunging attack had the strength to break the wooden barrier.
Hera had to keep running. If she tried to help Alex, it could create a 3v2 situation, which sounded like a bad idea. She thought about using her grease fire once more, but with each line of fire she created, her mana plummeted, and she still wasn't able to recover all the mana she spent during the first fight of the night. There was no need to open her status. She was able to discern to a certain extent how much mana she still had. Right now, she could use the grease fire twice and the paralyze spell a couple of times before being tapped out. It wouldn't be enough to stop both feral kobolds. Her best option was to circle and cross the already existing flames on her way back, even if that would be dangerous.
As she got closer to the fire that she had created a few moments earlier, the flames were already spreading. Luckily, it still wasn't enough to be a danger to the camp's structure, but it would take a large jump to cross over. Clenching her fist, she took the chance and went for the fire created by her spell, jumping over it. The flames licked her armor, increasing its temperature, and even her hair was burnt in a few places. She turned around one and flung another paralyze bolt. Again she missed, but only for aiming at the wrong leg. When the green-blue energy hit the ground, the kobold's left foot was right by it. She didn't stop moving for a second and headed to her next destination.
There was still another line of fire ahead. It was the first one she created, and it was away from the cabin. Maybe, since the fire was already spreading, it could finally manage to damage the creatures. She did the same thing as before, but as she tried to jump the flames, it quickly became clear that Hera had miscalculated the distance. She had to take a step in the middle of the fire and jump over, rolling on the ground as soon as she exited to put out any potential flames. Hera flung one more paralyze bolt, aiming for the kobold's waist, worried that the delay made her miss the opportunity. There was a small yelp coming from the fire, and the large body of a feral kobold fell face-first into the ground, with its lower half still engulfed in flames. The second one used its companion as a stepping stool and lunged at Hera with its claws out.
Hera ducked under the attack and quickly got up, rushing towards the side of the cabin. There was an open area before the next line of fire she had created. In her mind, that was the best place to fight the creature. There would be a clear line of sight to the fallen kobold, and the light would help her see the other one, removing her disadvantage of fighting in the dark.
Arriving in a place far enough from the fire she just passed, she threw her chakram, already pulling the thread from Yarnball to catch the incoming beast. The attack wasn't able to land. The feral kobold simply sidestepped, avoiding the weapon entirely. Hera pulled the string while tumbling under the monster's claw and put her chakram back on her belt. The wire trap style wasn't that good against such a nimble creature. It was made to confuse her opponent and take advantage of its survival instinct, tricking it into perceiving a threat where there would be none. The feral kobolds ignored that instinct entirely. For them, there was only their prey. Nothing else mattered.
The monster turned to Hera, trying to bite her head. However, she moved to the side, raising her handaxe in an uppercut. With a smack, the monster stumbled backward, dazed by the strength of the impact, but the cut was nowhere as deep as Hera pictured. With a roar, the kobold charged once more at her. Its claws and fangs snapped around her in a frenzy. Hera did her best to dodge the attack, but even with her speed, some of the strikes landed on her armor. The claws weren't strong enough to break through the metal, but the strength that came with each impact could effortlessly toss her around, making the fight even harder as she constantly lost her footing.
As the kobold's right claw came towards her face, Hera raised her handaxe and blocked it with the hilt, dragging the weapon forward and cutting off the creature's thumb. The feral kobold howled in pain, making the one who faced Alex change its target and the one still in the flames break free from the paralyzing spell. Hera didn't notice that right away and kept fighting the one in front of her. The more the creature flailed around, the more she began to understand how to read its movements. It was better to focus on its body than its face since the creature's eyes didn't follow the same point where it was trying to strike.
"Hera, run!" Alex's shout came from both the comms and herself.
Hera looked towards the sound and saw the kobold Alex had been fighting running towards her. Simultaneously, the one who stopped in the fire was now getting closer, even with the extensive burns and melted flesh of its legs. Hera ducked under one of the kobold's claws and turned around to keep running. As she was about to go through another patch of flaming grass, Blue rushed out of the cabin and hurled a couple of small flasks towards the beasts. At the same time, a small lizard kobold appeared behind her and tossed a pair of similar flasks, but these were tied together with a rope. The single flasks spun in the air and hit the ground around the half-burnt kobold, creating a large orange flame explosion. Blue tossed one more, after cutting its retreat path, aimed at the monster's face. The tied flask wrapped around the feral kobold in front of Hera, breaking apart as it smashed against the creature's chest, creating another fiery explosion.
The flames didn't carry the same shock wave that an explosive charge had. It seems like the detonation only worked as a way to spread the fire. Hera considered them to be versions of her grease fire for a moment, but it took only a few seconds for the attack to melt away the kobold's flesh and bones. She hurried to move away from the flames, terrified of having the same fate. As she struggled to turn and run, her feet seemed lighter and her legs stronger. She was able to move much faster than usual. The effects of her boots had triggered. That was the only possible explanation.
The third feral kobold kept dashing towards her, ignoring his fallen brethren. Its eyes were bloodshot, and the wounds created by Alex spilled blood while it moved. Hera kept running, trying to kite the creature around Blue and the alchemist so they could hit it with another of those flesh melting flasks. She started to make donuts around the front of the cabin, but no flasks were thrown even after two laps.
"What are you waiting for?" Hers shouted as she passed through Blue.
"I don't have a shot! This may not hurt you as it does with the dog kobold, but if I get you, it will hurt!"
"I'm giving you a shot. Don't waste it!"
Hera started another lap. She had seen Alex get really close and knew that even if Blue missed, they could fight the monster. Hera did an arc and ran straight toward the cabin, with the feral kobold still in tow. Blue freaked out for a moment, thinking that Hera wanted to crash the monster into the house, but then her voice rang out.
"Wait till I'm closer and toss the thing at me."
It was a stupid, dangerous plan, but the feral kobold would get a face full of wildfire if it worked.
Blue prepared her pitch, staring at Hera the entire time. She had to be fast enough to hit the monster, but not too fast to hit her friend. She was never much for baseball, but Blue trusted her arm.
Hera started to get closer 20 meters, then 15, 12, 10, 9, 8
When she was just six meters away, Blue nodded to Hera and threw the flask as hard as she could. Hera dove, skidding along the ground as the projectile flew over her head. The kobold was trying to bite the explorer and caught the flask with its mouth, making it explode in flames with the contact. It wasn't even able to take two more steps before falling to the ground motionless.
Some of the liquid fell in Hera's face, burning her forehead. She didn't notice that the flames were covering a large part of her body with the panic. She started to pat down her forehead, only making the fire spread to her hands. The kobold alchemist appeared in front of her and threw a bucket of green water on her, extinguishing all the flames around her body instantly.
"Worry not. Wildfire deadly for mutts. For others, just hurt," the kobold announced proudly.
Hera wiped the liquid from her face and looked back at the feral kobold. Half of its skull had melted away while the fire kept raging.
Alex arrived and saw the three dead monsters. Turning to Hera, she asked with a smirk, "So, are you up now?"
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Perizou
Perizou I started this chapter thinking this would be a quick fight and on to the next bit... yeah...
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