As I dash through the tunnel, my anticipation for the coming battle soars. My heart pounds in my chest, I start to salivate, and I can't help the excited jitter that shoots down my spine. Logically, I know I should be more nervous than I am. Despite my bravado, I've yet to win a fight involving so many opponents, let alone the big one. Even with my speed, all it'll take is one wrong move, and it'll be lights out. But there's just something about battle in general that really gets the blood pumping! The fear, the excitement; they speak to me in a way that's hard to explain. Now that I have a way to avoid damage, and with my already amazing and fabulous two points in my self-made game, I'm itching to test things.
I wouldn't exactly call myself a battle junkie; I prefer peace and quiet to all-out brawls. I'd much rather be tending to my den than be here right now, for example. But being able to take my fate into my own hands, to reach out and take what I want, feels... fulfilling.
It helps that there are tangible rewards for risking my life. The promise of (mostly) delicious Biomass and levels for both my skills and myself is just too good to pass up. Being able to live if I win is a nice bonus as well. I really do love having a Status, it's just so helpful.
Bah, enough about that, Aria, you have monsters to slay!
My internal monologue comes to a close the closer I get to my opponents. The leeches have noticed me at this point. Their horrific, circular mouths gnaw at the air in my direction as they begin to undulate and slither towards me. I'm still unsure how they notice things, given their lack of eyes and other sensory organs. I guess they could have some that I can't see, but I digress. The only leech I've seen so far that has eyes has been the Monarch, and that monster is a little extra with it to say the least.
Is it just something they grow into? That would be horrifying. That's like going your entire life without eyes and then—BAM!—eighteenth birthday rolls around and new sight organs burst from your sockets! Disgusting. Well, not like it matters anyway. These ones won't make it to adulthood.
Skidding to a stop, I dig my feet into the ground, halting a reasonable distance from the group. Excitement grips me as I catch my breath. Battle stations, Puzzle, full alert! We won't get another shot at this, I think, so let's do it right the first time. Picking up a nearby stone, I test the heft of it in my hand. Feels good. It should work for my purposes. Taking aim, I focus on the fast-approaching leeches. I don't think I was ever very good at baseball in my old life, but hey, humans are supposedly crazy good at throwing stuff. Between the mental calculations needed and the biology requirements, they have an almost supernatural ability to launch things with their flesh nubs. Let's see if this body is the same.
As I wind up, I take a moment to choose my target before hurling the stone at a leech on the left side of the pack. The stone flies through the air, and I swear I hear it whistle as it soars. It smashes into the leech's head with a sickening thud, causing the creature to stagger in its charge. The monster lets out a high-pitched shriek and wobbles, green blood oozing from a new crack in its chitinous skin. However, it quickly shakes off the attack and continues its advance.
Damn! My aim was good, but I couldn't put enough energy into my forelimbs to get a good strike in. If only I could use more... Strength? Suddenly, my mind wanders back to my recent tail attack, and an evil grin spreads across my face. I have the perfect tool for this. I just need another rock.
As quickly as I can, I dash further away from the leeches, snatching up another rock with my tail along the way before once more coming to a halt. Bracing myself by gripping the ground hard, I begin wrapping my tail around the rock, coiling the rock tight enough to strangle the life out of it if it were a creature. The leeches are approaching fast, so I'll only get one more shot before I have to engage them hand-to-gross-mouth-bits. Alright, leech, try this one on for size!
Putting my entire body into the attack, my tail rapidly uncoils. Like skipping a stone or cracking a whip, my tail snaps out, launching the rock so fast it almost blurs from sight.
?The sheer force behind the strike surprises me. Like popping bubble wrap, the vertebrae in my tail crackle angrily, and I stumble violently to the side, completely off balance. I catch myself before I fall, but I worry that I've broken my tail or something vital. Man, did I just pop my venom gland? That'd suck. Thankfully, after shaking it out a little bit, the appendage just feels a tad numb.
?Instead of focusing on my tail, my attention is drawn to the whistling projectile I've just sent on a collision course with the grown leech. It soars through the air like a bullet, right on target...
?...and then, due to the stone's uneven surface, it veers wildly to the right.
Instead of hitting its intended target, the jagged projectile rips through the abdomen of the leech immediately next to it, tearing a gaping hole in its underbelly. The monster lets out a wet, gurgling shriek and collapses, convulsing wildly before going still.
[You have defeated a Level 3 Mana Leech! You have gained experience.]
[You have reached Level 4! One skill point awarded.]
I stare, mouth agape, as the leech crumples to the ground, its squishy insides leaking out onto the tunnel floor. That... wasn't what I was expecting, but hey, I'll take it! Another point for me!
The sudden death of their companion startles the remaining leeches. They freeze for a moment, unsure of what to do next, giving me a chance to act. I quickly open my Status and navigate to the skills menu, confirming my purchase of Scale Defense. The pain rolls over my brain in waves, causing me to stumble. However, with immense willpower, I grit my teeth and push through the ache, regaining my composure and springing into action. Even with the pain, a manic grin spreads across my face as the knowledge of the skill settles in my mind. This was definitely the right choice.
Much like the stone I just threw, I take off like a bullet, sprinting down the tunnel with all the speed I can muster. Around me, chaos reigns as the Knight and the leeches lock in desperate combat. Out of the corner of my eye, the Monarch is growing visibly restless. Its tail lashes the ground behind it, and a low, growling chitter vibrates from its throat—its remaining swarm is rapidly losing.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
?Having committed the bulk of its horde to the retreating humans, the remaining leeches are little match for Mr. Knight, even when they gang up in desperate knots. It’s honestly a magnificent, brutal sight, like a tableau ripped from a death metal album cover: he stands atop a glistening, rising pile of slain leeches. He uses the mound of dead flesh to funnel the monsters, forcing them to attack in tight, predictable waves. Each swing of his blade cuts them down, adding new bodies to the gruesome foundation. How he maintains his footing on that slick kill-pile I couldn't say, but the strategy is effective. It won't be long before either the Monarch is forced to step in, or the final leech falls.
Not that it matters to me, though, I have my own group to slay. And a group after that. And... Oh wow, even one after those two. I'd better finish up quickly so I don't have to fight them all at once.
As I rapidly approach, the grown leech notices my charge. It hisses in anger, rearing up in challenge, intending to use its superior bulk to subdue me. Not on your life, pudgy. I swiftly skirt to the side, narrowly dodging the body slam. Taking aim at the leech I injured with a rock earlier, I swipe at it with my claws. However, instead of cutting deep, my claws only scrape against its deceptively tough skin; the mucus layer prevents me from landing a solid strike. Cursing under my breath, I pivot, using my momentum to strike out with my tail instead.
My tail snakes out as if it has a mind of its own, looming over my target before exposing the stinger and stabbing down. The venom-tipped barb easily punctures the leech's tough skin, sinking into its flesh and pinning it in place. Potent necrotoxin floods the creature’s body, and its open circulatory system works against it as it squirms under the assault. Cell death begins immediately. The skin around the injection point turns pale and sickly grey, becoming soft and spongy as the monster thrashes violently. There’s a savage sort of glee I feel when I see my venom at work like this. The ability to cripple a being with just one injection—maybe even kill it—is thrilling in a primal way.
?Lost in my revelry, my ear flicks up, a sudden warning flare that comes a moment too late. I barely see the attack coming. Bracing myself at the last moment, I’m sent flying as the grown leech barrels into me with a full-on tackle. I tumble end over end, the air rushing past me in a dizzying whoosh, before slamming hard into the tunnel floor. A spike of pain, sharper than anything the skill learning gave me, shoots up my side, the wind completely knocked out of me. For a terrifying second, I can't draw a breath.
Not yet! I shake my head to clear the stars from my vision. I didn't get this far to go out like a chump!
?The leech senses my weakness and pushes forward, its horrible maw wide open, dripping with drool. I gasp like a fish out of water, my lungs refusing to push air. Is this how I bite it? Death by leech? Suckered by a sucker? Hell no!
?I reach out with a shaky forelimb and slam it against my chest, using the sudden, sharp pain to shock my body into action. A desperate, gasping cough escapes me as my lungs fill once more, the raw, sudden inhalation burning my nose and throat. Gah, feels like whiskey went down the wrong pipe!
I scramble back, rising to a stagger just as the leech’s vortex of teeth descends. I won't be able to dodge.
Panic and instinct take over as I rely entirely on my new skill to save my life. Scale Defense, much like I had read, doesn't magically give me tougher scales; it doesn’t affect my scales at all. Instead, similar to the Digging skill, it subconsciously guides me in positioning myself to better absorb or deflect blows. This means I can do something like this!
Time seems to slow as my mind races. Drawing on my new ingrained instincts and everything I've experienced so far, I take a page out of Mr. Knight’s battle book. The memory of his defensive shield stance is clear in my mind, and I waste no time in implementing that knowledge. I twist my torso and drop my shoulder, presenting myself at a sharp angle instead of head-on. Scale Defense instantly translates the knowledge of bracing into physical action, helping me clench my muscles and angle my scales just so, creating a reinforced, sloping defense. Almost as an afterthought, my tail streaks out, and I extend my stinger, positioning the venom-tipped barb directly in the path of the grown leech's charging bulk.
?Alright. Let's do this.
?Time accelerates once more as everything happens all at once.
?The leech barrels into me head-first like an angry bull. Its charge is suddenly redirected by my quick actions; instead of bulldozing me into the dirt, the monster is shunted violently along my side. However, the force is immense. Clipping me, its whorl of teeth rips a deep, sickening gash along my right side, from shoulder to thigh, tearing and stripping away my tough scales. Pain explodes along my entire flank, but I grit my teeth and push through, because even as I’m slammed, the leech completes its own doom. It slams face-first onto my extended stinger.
A second later, the leech lets out a piercing, agonized shriek as the stinger sinks fully into its face. I pump a short, sharp dose of venom into the self-inflicted wound and rip the stinger free as I tumble away from the monster.
I tumble several feet from the impact, skidding across the tunnel floor before finally coming to a stop, sprawled on my stomach. Heaving a breath, all I can smell is blood and dirt, and I can't tell which is mine or the leech's. The fresh wound on my side pulses with pain as it contacts the air, but I push the sensation to the side. Pain is good; it means I'm alive.
Lifting my head slowly, I turn to see the once great monster thrashing in the dirt, screeching in frothing pain as my venom takes hold. With an attack almost directly to its central nervous system, the venom should finish the beast off if I give it enough time, but I don't have the luxury of waiting. I'll have to kill it myself. I still have multiple groups to fight off, and I'll need food to heal back to fighting shape. Speaking of...
Somewhat apprehensively, I open up my Status and I'm startled by what I find.
[Status:]
[Name:] Aria Drake
[Level: 4; Tier 1]
[Species:] Drakeling (Kentri)
[Stats:]
? Health: 15/50
? Mana: 0
?I stare, mouth agape, at my Status. F-fifteen? Out of fifty?! A shudder rakes through my body as I fully grasp the extent of my injuries. I knew I was hurt, but I expected to be at least half-health! Thinking back, I’m pretty sure that last charge shattered a rib, and the persistent, stabbing pain suggests a punctured lung. Not to mention the gash… And does learning a skill cause damage? Okay, maybe I do deserve to be in the red.
?My breath hitches as the grim reality settles: I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. But I push the rising panic down and force myself to focus. This isn't the time for fear or self-pity. My wounds are severe, and now that I've stopped moving, I realize I’m practically running on fumes. Still, I’m breathing. That means I’m still in the fight. I won't let these monsters take me down. Call it pride or blind arrogance, but this isn't how I'm going out.
With a surge of raw defiance and adrenaline, I push myself up, gasping at the pain in my side. I take a moment to catch my breath and assess my surroundings, my eyes sweeping across the tunnel. The leech I stabbed in the face is still writhing on the ground in pain, necrosis settling in as its movements become more erratic. The one I pinned to the ground before getting hip-checked appears to be almost down for the count. Smaller than its larger counterpart and with a higher dose of venom, it’s a miracle the beast is still alive. Its skin is almost completely black now, oozing a sludgy, opaque liquid onto the dirt floor. Honestly, I would be disgusted if it weren't so fascinating.
My attention is drawn back to the grown leech as it begins to spasm. It's heavy, chitinous plates scrape along the tunnel floor and it releases a high pitched shriek as it tries to right itself. Sadly for the monster, it's no use. A biology uniquely susceptible to venom and the area of my attack has sealed its fate, and I approach the monster, limping. Staring down at the creature thrashing before me, I feel no pity, no hesitation as I sink my claws into the soft skin around the injection point. Ripping and tearing, the monster tries futility to bite me, to rend my flesh, but my venom has infected its nervous system, and it has no other options but to succumb to my assault.
[You have defeated a Level 4 Maior Mana Hirudinea! You have gained experience.]
[You have defeated a Level 3 Mana Leech! You have gained experience.]
[Rake; Rank 1 has reached Level 3!]
What should Aria's next move be?
