Health
22/40
0.5 per minute
Mana
32/50
06 per minute
My eyes flickered to my health and mana pools, then to the two enemies where my focus remained. I had seen enough Westerns, playing on the television while my grandfather drank whiskey and lemonade in the corner, to know I was in a stand-off. The first movement would set off a flurry of action, but no one was hurrying to take the shot. Even moving eyes from glaring directly into the beady fish eyes of the Attack Animals would be enough to start things.
I felt a cold bead of sweat on my brow which fell down my nose. I won’t be able to run unless I cripple the knife thrower again. The wind gently tickled the leaves of the trees. There were obstacles everywhere, but I was smaller than my enemy so I could use them to my advantage. Another hit from that hammer and I’m in trouble. My arms were just about getting feeling back into them now.
My enemies were a level and two above mine respectively, holding weaponry and had natural advantages beyond levels and stature. Those shells were a real problem. Although the damage to the ranged Attack Animal wasn’t going to heal quickly, I wasn’t able to apply any more pressure there either. Was this going to be my final mistake, falling into this trap?
Somewhere within myself, deeper somehow than even the magical core which created mana, there was a rumble of dissent. I felt it growl like a burp through my chest and throat, a bubbling defiance which rejected the idea that this was the end. Yeah, I agreed, fuck that.
Time to break the deadlock.
Two Mana Bolts, only a single mana used to create each, were flung accurately. A good start. Stunned from the jab of magic to their snouts, I broke line of sight with the creatures and started to create distance while gathering energy for my next attack. A close quarters fight would see me grappled and torn apart, my weapons were longer range. A pair of angry squawks were followed by the stamping of heavy feet and the chase was on.
Ten seconds for a point of mana, and the amount I could recover was a matter of life-or-death. Full to the brim, I spun and feinted a throw. The hammer wielder charged forward blithely while the dagger user ducked into his shell and behind a tree. The damage I had inflicted had put more fear into the first enemy, but the second saw nothing but a light tap. Which was good, because this one was for him. It was the scariest game of chicken I had ever played, and as the Attack Animal’s hammer rose into the air I saw a glimpse of death in the movement. Unable to hold my nerve any longer, I kicked off a nearby tree and rose into the air, giving me the trajectory I wanted.
The higher level Attack Animal’s ugly face rose to follow my path. Its eyes widened as the Mana Bolt descended with ferocity and crushed its horrible face inwards. A dagger slipped over my shoulder before I landed and I rolled to avoid the next attacks. My breath was ragged already, though panic was stealing more stamina than the combat. I cursed and started running again - straight for the now-downed Attack Animal.
It wasn’t dead, or even out of the fight, but I had knocked its brain around and ruined half its face with that bolt. The skill was activating quicker and quicker now, and I waved my hands back and forth as I broke from my tree cover. A barrage of small Mana Bolts provided cover for my approach as I dashed forward, spotting my target. I tutted as I burned the last full charge of energy into a large bolt and cast it forth. With a meaty smashing sound, the grounded Attack Animal’s hand was destroyed, and the hammer freed from its grip.
Low on mana, the lightheaded feeling returned but I couldn’t falter. I couldn’t even stop. In a move which would have been far too acrobatic for my scholarly self only a day ago, I bent fully in half while running, gripped the heavy hammer and used its weight to enforce a flip. I didn’t have time to be proud of myself, as a dagger caught me in the calf and stopped my gallop at once. It was only a slice, but enough to unbalance me. For the second time, I tumbled, the pain in my leg forcing me into a new course of action.
As I rose, I aimed towards the knife thrower and hurled the hammer with all my strength. I didn’t have much hope in the attack, but the creature hadn’t been expecting it either. Like a gong being struck, the hammer collided with its large shell. The Attack Animal’s breath was blown from it as the structural damage from before combined with the improvised ranged hit to shatter its protection and caused the monster to sag gruesomely. Its shell was as much a skeleton as a shield, it seemed.
I relaxed, letting myself take a breath which had felt out of reach. The knife thrower was down, feebly croaking and trying to wave its sharp weapons around. I could hardly look at it. It was as though the creature had melted into an unformed version of itself, and though it was my victory, I didn’t revel in it. I could hear the pain in its wretched cries. I couldn’t just wait, so I moved to grab the hammer again.
Slimy tendrils wrapped around my right ankle and I screamed and pulled away to no avail. I looked down in time to see it was the higher level Attack Animal, blindly groping for me from its back. It was my own fault for thinking the fight was over, I judged as I sailed through the air. My collision with the ground was brutal as the Attack Animal swung me like the hammer I had taken from it. Perhaps realising I was not the hammer, its next swing launched me at a tree. Already half-unconscious, I didn’t even tense as I smashed into the local flora.
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Probably the only thing that saved me, I thought in a daze. My eyes jumped to my health and mana pools.
Health
03/40
0.1 per minute
Mana
04/50
06 per minute
Well, that’s not good. My vision was still swimming, but the System windows were shockingly legible despite that. I got hit so hard my health regeneration slowed. I almost chuckled but the breath to do so hurt, snapping my focus into place. Nothing was approaching me yet, which was a silver lining. The Attack Animals were both still down, but the higher level one was trying to stand. Also not good. That damn shoulder had popped out of joint again. I was still propped against the tree I had collided with and I slammed my back against its half broken trunk. Whatever spine had been holding the trunk together after my impact was snapped and the noise was obnoxiously loud as it tumbled.
Rolling my arm and blinking away the tears of pain, I shook my head and cleared away the final echoes of the stun. I regretted it immediately because then I couldn’t ignore the damage I had taken. The physical strength of the still-dangerous Attack Animal was shocking. I did not want to get caught by that oily hand again. In my seated position, it was easy to analyse the damage. My right leg was twisted around at the knee. My left arm wasn’t moving. I coughed blood and the force of it nearly sent me to the black void of unconsciousness. I tried to make a fist but it was impossible. “Alright,” I groaned, though it was more grunt than word.
I looked to my right. The direction of my approach, a groove in the floor from where the first Attack Animal had crawled here. Thoughts of escape in this situation were a pipedream. I needed a miracle. I looked to my left. Despite the pain from my broken face, I couldn’t help but smile. Oh yeah, that’s where I left you.
Snapping its mouth at me angrily, still trying to kill me despite its own inevitable demise. Considering my plan, I couldn’t begrudge the thing for trying. There was only one way out of this, and we both knew it apparently. I could see recognition in the eyes of the Attack Animal as the ball of light appeared in my right hand. The realisation that it could do nothing to stop what was coming.
I snarled as I heaved my partially shattered body, wondering if pain was enough to lose health points. Almost belatedly, I considered that if I punctured something with one of my broken ribs that I probably would die. Well, the alternative is still death. I would rather die fighting. As I accepted whatever fate might come, I crumpled face first, unable to brace myself at all. At the same time, there was a resonance inside myself, a reaction in my mana to my intent. I barely noticed it, like the jolt of a static shock. It was negligible against the pain of movement. There was a muted thump, followed by a quickly silenced croak which became a moist popping belch. Unable to see, I could only hope it had been enough.
A roar of outrage suggested it had at least pissed off the still mobile combatant. The sneak attacker gathered its hammer and began to approach slowly, making horrid clacking noises as it did. Its beak was snapping over and over. Shit. Hurry up. Hurry up. I was desperately sending morbid thoughts at the knife throwing Attack Animal. It had to be enough. It had to be.
I shifted, twisting my neck to look at the oncoming executioner. A single tap from that hammer would be enough to end me. The noise of a deflating balloon wheezed from somewhere on my left and my eyes widened. That was it. The pressure grew as the thumping got louder and louder. The footsteps and my heartbeat.
Thump Thump.
“Come on!” I screamed, desperate for fate to lean on my side.
Thump Thump.
Pop.
Ding! Level up! +5 Attribute points!
Immediately, without even opening the Attribute Window, I threw two points into Resilience and three into Command. I will not die here. My body burned as the System fixed damage almost as quickly as it happened. The hammer, unwieldy in a single hand, raised awkwardly and dropped into the mud. The crater it left was empty as I threw myself to the side, ignoring pain and spinning to my feet. My core was singing as mana flowed around my body with more speed and capacity than before. Surprised, the Attack Animal chittered with outrage but was left flatfooted.
Unlike myself, who had it all planned out and perfectly timed.
Draining myself down to empty once more, I took the fifteen extra mana I had gained from the points in Command and gathered two Mana Bolts. Finally sensing that this had all gone wrong, the hammer user turned to try and run. Not a terrible choice given it had sturdy protection on its back. It would have worked before this fight began, even.
Unfortunately for the Attack Animal, the pressure of battle had forged a powerful weapon. While the extra mana was important, higher Command also allowed me to manipulate the mana inside of me with more complexity and control. Tighter, I condensed the Mana Bolt. Faster, I spun the energy, keeping a rhythm with the increasing river of power within my bones.
Congratulations! A skill has levelled up!
One and then the other, I hurled the dense mana clumps in my hands at the same spot on my fleeing enemy. The flash of energy in the air was much more compact than before, and the impact when they landed seemed non-existent. I wasn’t worried. With a whirring drilling sound, the first bolt landed. It punched into the shell before exploding like a firecracker inside a sealed tub. The second drilling Mana Bolt twisted the flesh of the Attack Animal. It made a confused and worried noise right before its insides were fried by magic.
Again, I felt the surge of a level up except this one didn’t burst. I swayed, fighting against the wave of tiredness to little avail. My legs may have been repaired, but the damage I had taken was still all there. Cursing myself and praying that I would wake up quickly, I slipped to the floor and was swept away by the current into the sea of unconsciousness.
In the trees above, the source of my paranoia continued to watch with interest.