章節 33: Large Critter
Roger's realization came too late as the beast lowered itself on its hackles and growled at him.
Long lines of saliva dripped from the creature's fangs. The two front teeth were disproportionately large and wide, taking up a large portion of its mouth.
What worried Roger the most was the clear glint of blood reflecting on them.
'Great. So when a creature gets larger, it also becomes carnivorous. I take back every good thing I said about the System. This place sucks!'
He had barely finished the thought when the creature launched itself at him.
Roger dove to the side, avoiding the tackle by inches.
It collided against the logs with a bang, causing it to topple over. Roger scrambled to his feet, reorientating himself to take advantage of the situation, sparing a moment for frustration at the beast's actions.
'How the blazes am I supposed to lift that log back onto its side? It must weigh hundreds of pounds!'
The creature, meanwhile, was wobbling on its feet. A single paw was raised and swiping at its head as if to make the pain disappear.
Roger stepped forward, raising his axe and bringing it down on its shoulder, digging into it with a sickening squelch. Blood spurted out of the wound and rained down on both Roger and the ground.
He seemed to have hit it in a vulnerable spot, as the limb immediately buckled.
Despite seeming like a success, Roger quickly noticed that the beast seemed to still put pressure on the limb, meaning his strike did not go deep enough to cripple.
It roared in anger at the strike, turning to swing at Roger. Hoping to avoid being dragged to the side, he let go of his axe, instead backstepping and bringing his sword to bear.
The action was poorly thought out as the claws of the far stronger creature collided with the blade, sending it flying through the air. It landed a few meters away, but Roger knew if he tried to retrieve it he would be forced to face the beast head-on.
Roger stared at his empty hand agape for only a moment before reeling back to avoid the follow-up swing.
Realizing he was unarmed and outmatched, he spun around and began to run toward the trees, hoping to put some distance between himself and the oversized critter.
'Oh gods what have I gotten myself into!'
The creature made to give chase but momentarily stumbled on its wounded leg, giving Roger a much-needed respite. The axe, still buried in it, seemed to be lodged in something, causing every movement to damage more muscles and tendons.
Roger pumped his legs hard, using his recently gained strength in a newfound way, surprising himself with the ease at which he moved.
He made it to the oak in record time and dove behind it, using it as a shield against the approaching enemy.
He hit the ground behind it hard, dirt and leaves being shoved into the neck hole of his shirt. Paying it no mind, Roger rose and hugged his body close to the trunk.
The beast rounded the corner a mere second later, skidding across the ground as its wrathful eyes landed on Roger.
Exploiting its momentary inability to shift directions, Roger rounded the opposite side of the tree and dashed for where his sword lay, praying to all the shattered gods that he would reach the blade before the beast reached him.
The gods seemed to have ignored his prayers, as he only made it a few feet before he felt something large hit him in the back.
He slammed into the ground, skidding a few inches and rolling onto his back before coming to a stop, a heavy weight settling on his chest.
Spitting out a mouthful of dirt, Roger looked up just in time to move his head and avoid a powerful bite. The massive jaws shut with an audible snap, making him yell in fear.
The noise echoed out and sent birds fluttering out of the trees, their caws growing fainter as they ran from the scene of battle.
A small part of Roger hoped Lila would hear and come aid him, but he knew even if she did she would never make it.
Just as it had always been, Roger would have to solve this issue on his own, or die trying.
The beast lifted its head to look down at him, confusion clouding its eyes as to why its prey was not currently being digested.
It seemed to come to terms with its failed attempt all too quickly for Roger's liking, already lowering its head to finish him off.
Thinking quickly, Roger raised his leg and kicked at the wounded leg, trying to hit the vague area where the axe was lingering.
Through a successful hit or just sheer luck, Roger did not know, the creature recoiled, fleetingly lifting its paw off of Roger's chest.
It was not much time, but the adrenaline coursing through his veins made every instant count.
The moment the pressure subsided, he rolled to his side, choosing the side with the raised limb.
He barely made it under the sharp claws before flipping over and throwing himself in the direction of his sword, almost landing on top of it.
Too terrified and focused to think of any creative movements to do, he grabbed the hilt and swung it behind himself wildly, hoping to catch the creature with it before the creature caught him.
To his shock, he managed to land the swing, cutting a shallow line across the beast's head, and blinding one of its eyes. The wound reached from its left cheek to the middle of its forehead, neatly bisecting the skin.
The blow seemed to surprise the creature just as much, causing it to miss its attack and hit the forest floor instead.
Blood began to weep from the wounds. The beast whined as its eye slowly began to split and collapse in upon itself, causing more fluids to leak out.
Roger couldn't help but notice the trickle of blood at the tip of his blade and feel slightly disgusted at how easy it felt to deal so much damage to another living creature.
Banishing the thought, he scooted back before rising to his feet once more. He held his sword with both hands, leveling it to attack once more.
Before he had a chance to, something unexpected happened.
The creature turned on Roger and opened its mouth.
Mana began to gather in it, slowly swirling faster and faster in a translucent orb. It rotated in on itself, taking a life of its own. Sharp lashes of air coiled around it, almost cutting the beast's mouth.
Roger quickly connected the dots of its appearance and assumed it to be some kind of wind mana, and realized it was about to be sent his way.
Time seemed to slow as the action was finished and the ball was unleashed, flying towards him at a speed he did not expect
He didn't have the reflexes necessary to move out of the way of the attack but knew he couldn't take it head-on. Trusting his gut instead of his mind, he stuck out his hand and felt himself activate [Echo of Abilities].
The orb hit his palm was more force than Roger expected, forcing him to take a step back and drop his sword to support his other arm.
Seconds passed as he held the energy at bay, feeling his body greedily absorb it and convert it into his own. He could feel the streams of mana enter through the channels in his palm, traveling through his arm and into the center of his torso.
Over time, the pressure shrank, eventually becoming only a dull force, until that too vanished, leaving no trace except for the memories in both Rogers and the beast's mind.
Roger fell to his knees as he huffed with exhaustion before a new feeling coursed through his veins, a feeling very similar to the one he had felt while fighting the strange energy in his soul.
Power.
The converted mana fueled him as he grabbed his sword from the ground, raising himself high with pride at his ability to channel his enemy's strength into his own.
The beast, by comparison, finally showed an emotion other than anger; fear.
It was staring at Roger with one large black eye, blood coating much of its body. The axe was no longer lodged into its torso, seemingly falling off due to Roger's kick. Its body was lowered closer to the ground, clearly viewing Roger as a more serious enemy than it had been before.
It had just witnessed its magical attack absorbed, which only led to his opponent rising with more vigor than earlier in the fight. It recognized this was not the one-sided slaughter it had been hoping for.
As with all wild beasts, a singular primal instinct took control when faced with such an opponent.
Surprising Roger more than anything else that day, the large brown critter turned around and began to race off into the forest.
-- 收到的禮物 
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票