[WARNING 💢 HIGH LEVEL MOB ENCOUNTER]
“Stay behind me,” the elf moved like a ghost as her staff swept the snow around them into the air. It became a smokescreen as the woman launched forward, kicking a gust back into the teenager's eyes. “Don't try to help!”
The brunette tried to speak but her vision was blurry from the ice that had flown into her eyes. She wiped at her face as she heard a loud scream fill the air and burst in her ears.
The girl shivered, feeling sick as she watched as the powerful elf swung her weapon directly at the creature's throat. The creature was built like a rabid fox with frothing foam dripping down its lips.
Its blue fur was matted with mud and dark clumps she believed to be dry blood. Elizabeth recognized it as a FERAL SNOW FOX with it having the signature curved tail of one and a chorus of yips leaving its loud mouth.
Catherine dodged a nip directed at her face by the fox and her slim body bent with ease to avoid another bite. The fox's jar snapped with each snap being louder and wetter than the previous.
By now, the brunette had run to hide behind a nearby tree to avoid being targeted by the ferocious beast. Her heart was beating crazily in her chest as she pressed against the tree’s massive trunk to watch safely.
The bark was cold and her knees were wet from kneeling in the snow but she didn't dare to reposition herself. It was too risky with just how erratic the mob was behaving towards the woman.
Her staff swung around her back as the woman pierced the fox in its side. You would think the beast was done for but right as Catherine dislodged the end of her weapon, the creature pounced.
Elizabeth had to cover her mouth as she nearly let out a panicked scream seeing her friend go down. The elf had managed to land on her back with her coat spread out in the snow.
Her hands were gripping her staff's bar as the feral beast snapped and gnawed at it. Thick globs of saliva rained down onto Catherine's face and Elizabeth grimaced as the fox's eyes flashed with an uncontrollable hunger.
She couldn't sit and watch her guild mate get turned into a chew toy. But as she watched, the elf looked over at her and shook her head. She grunted as she put a great deal of her strength into throwing the snow fox back.
It flew in the air and before anyone could react the elf was up. She had been turned into an executioner as the staff slammed full force into the fox's skull.
Her eyes were cold as swung the pole back around and thrust its end into the animal's mouth. It's parted lips functioning as the perfect opening. It had all happened so fast that Elizabeth struggled to comprehend what she'd seen.
[WARNING ⏰ WARNING HIGH LEVEL MOB DETECTED]
Catherine was quick on her feet as she abandoned her staff to tumble to the side. The brunette watched as the powerful player narrowly dodged another fox that looked even worse for wear.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Clipped ears, bald spots littering its entire body and ingrown claws created the malformed monster. A beast so destructive that it should have been put down like a dog in its infancy.
The elf had managed to pull her disgustingly wet staff out of the dead mob to face the fox. With one knee off the ground and one soaked in gross fox fluids, Catherine began her next battle of blood that rained onto the earth.
The fox was nipping and snarling, its bloody paws painting the snow as it came at the woman. Catherine looked as strong as ever as she dodged the creature's disgusting slobber and talons.
Her hair hadn't even come undone from its bun with her staff glistening with guts. Right as she stabbed the fox through its head another came forward. This one was noticeably skinnier and had its actual ribcage showing to Elizabeth's absolute horror.
It watched the elf destroy another one of its kin with the feral clump of flesh going out with a high pitched whimper. The brunette trembled as she watched frozen.
She nearly fainted when she saw that it wasn't one more, it wasn't two more.
There were four more. A pack of skinny decaying animals ready to rip Catherine to shreds. Her legs buckled and her nails dug into the tree's bark, creating a dozen splinters that logged into her skin.
The teenager looked back at the elf and saw that she had readied herself for the attack. Her posture was intimidating as she tapped her staff, closing it. A system menu came up but Elizabeth’s eyes were too watery to read.
But she could see what appeared in the older woman's hands and she nearly fainted. With two hatchets in her hands, she looked at where the brunette was hiding and she shook her head. There was a firmness in her expression that told her to stay put.
But the teenager felt a sick feeling rise in her stomach as she watched Catherine take off. Puffs of white flew in the air as the powerful woman practically skated on the ground. It was hard to decipher everything that was happening as the woman began her assault.
Elizabeth watched in terror as all of the foxes came at her at once. They were sloppy, falling all over themselves in a rush to take the woman's liver out before the others.
The feral foxes were gross resembling piles of rotting flesh instead of actual animals. A foul stench wafted in the air when the woman's hatchet managed to get caught in one of the fox's throats.
It gurgled and whined as Catherine attempted to yank her weapon out. She grit her teeth, planting her foot on the beast's body as she pulled harder. It was a horrifying sight but Elizabeth knew the woman had no other choice.
The others had launched themselves at her with hungry, foaming maws. There was a sickening crunch that came out when the hatchet was freed and the fox fell limp into the dirty snow.
Standing with slightly bent knees and bruised knuckles, Catherine looked at the teenager. “Don't draw attention to yourself.” She mouthed exhaustedly.
Elizabeth was forced to listen as she didn't think she'd be able to take on all those foxes with just her dagger. Still, it didn't sit right with her to have the elf do all the heavy lifting.
Catherine looked glamorous even with the blood covering her clothes and the fur clumps attached to her fingers. The woman was bloodthirsty as she hacked and chomped at the skinny little pups.
The creature's screams filled the forest, echoing in the teenager's head. Elizabeth was sickened by the smell of maggot filled flesh and the violence was just overstimulating. She nearly left by taking off her headset instinctively.
“Ahh!” The last of the dying foxes cried out from its throat only to collapse into a gurgling fit. Its paws rubbed against the ground with its eyes falling closed as one final wheeze left its bruise covered body. “Uhh…ngh…”
[CATHERINE VANQUISHED THE BEAST 🎂 🎉]
Catherine stood tall with her outfit covered in filth. She moved some of her hair out of her face, having lost both of her hatchets in the battle.
She let out a long-winded sigh before walking to the dead mobs and picking up her weapons. They were designed similarly to her staff and were drenched in the guts and body fluids of the dead creatures. It was revolting to smell.
But the teenager found herself moving from her hiding place with a thick layer of confusion overtaking her mind. She frowned and found herself speaking. Her voice came out like a whimper in the cold, lonely forest they stood in.
“Why didn't you just blast them? Like with the mammoth?” Elizabeth could tell by the way the elf was acting that she could have obliterated the mobs.
But she didn't. Instead, Catherine stood with a tired look in her eyes as she flicked some innards off of her pants. “Would've ruined the experience.”
Elizabeth found the explanation to make sense. Still her stomach was being twisted into all sorts of knots at the thought of Catherine being hurt. “You could've been torn to shreds if even the littlest thing had gone wrong.”
“I'd been fine. I have plenty of money to buy healing potions.” Catherine shut her worries down as her hatchets vanished into thin air.
The teenager felt no need to continue and accepted the woman's reasoning. She felt bummed however, that she'd just stood in the background during the entire fight and watched.
Elizabeth's cheeks turned pink with her body shivering from the waves of embarrassment that overtook her mind. She had been frozen with fear by the foxes' feral and diseased appearances.
This left her feeling like a big coward even though Catherine told her to stay put. The teenager managed to distract herself from this shame as they walked away from the scene and further towards their mission.