The xaptors came running out of the wood behind me, hooting angrily and clicking their teeth together. Within seconds, I was completely encircled by the furious beasts. I don’t even know if they registered the fact that a colossal monstrosity stood behind them, dripping huge drops of drool out of his maw.

What kind of bad luck do I have to have to run into two of these titans in one day!?

For a moment, I didn’t move. Time stood still as I realized that no matter what I did, I was dead. I wouldn’t stand a chance against the behemoth named Rexcelsis, the apparent monarch of chaos! That much, I knew for certain.

The xaptors… well, I thought it might’ve been possible for me to fight one of them, and clearly, I could outsmart them, but dealing with the whole pack? Yeah, I might as well have tried to balance a beach ball on my nose, hopping on one foot and hula-hooping while-- you get the point: it wasn’t gonna happen.

Although…

Rexcelsis didn’t look happy. His eyes flitted away from me and over the pack as they hooted.

Maybe there’s a way out…

Well, if I was going to die one way or another, I might as well go out fighting. I turned, ignoring the burning instinct to flee as fast as I could, crouched low to the ground, and pounced an unexpecting xaptor.

The Deotrexaptors went wild, clicking their teeth angrily, and chaos broke out. I prayed to whatever gods might’ve been watching over me that Rexcelsis targeted them instead of me. I balled up my fist and punched it on the nose.

I will not run away! And I will not lose to you! One of you is going down with me!

While the xaptor was still dazed, I unloaded on it, slicing, biting, and punching it in the face. I dug my claws into its shoulders and raked my feet across its belly, cutting deep wounds into its stomach.

Blood rushed through my ears as I jumped to the side, dodging the snapping jaws of my opponent. A savage roar washed over me, but I barely registered it. Blue boxes flooded my vision, but I was too focused on my enemy to pay them any mind and dismissed them as soon as they appeared.

I tackled the dino after dodging a slash, taking it to the ground, and smacking at it with my claws. The xaptor spasmed, regaining its wits, and shook me off, throwing me to the ground with a mighty shove. It leaped to its feet, prowling around me and growling angrily as it clicked its teeth. Blood dripped from its head into its eyes, but the dino merely blinked it away.

I faced it, observing it as we circled each other. Out of the corner of my eyes, I checked for the dino’s allies, but I didn’t see them and let my focus remain squarely on the enemy I was immediately facing.

Little Deotrexaptor [Lvl 13]

The xaptor charged me while I read the tag, and I cursed at both the distraction and my luck. I was in for an insanely unfair fight. As a newly evolved dinosaur, there was no way I was going to be able to match this thing.

But I will try to, anyway, because that’s my dindo! My dino way!

My opponent jumped into the air, grinning savagely at me as droplets of blood flew off of its skin. Talons, as sharp as daggers, shot toward my face, and I jumped sideways to dodge, stumbling as I landed.

I guess my JUMP SKILL isn’t a high enough level yet, huh?? I asked the world sarcastically as I recovered.

As I stood up, a tail came whipping around through the air, slamming into my face and connecting with my jaw. I tripped backward, holding a clawed hand to my bleeding face. Something rolled around in my mouth, and I spit it out, realizing I’d just lost a tooth.

And there weren’t any dentists in this world that I knew of. Maybe I could ask Rexcelsis.

I charged, slicing with my bloodied hand, but the xaptor danced away from me effortlessly, whapping me with its tail as I recovered. It slapped me again as I turned back toward it, and my health ticked down a little more. I could detect the foul taste of blood in my mouth, like old coins.

It was time to stop losing!

I can’t win in a straight fight, I realized. It’s time to get fancy on this boy!

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I raised my head to the sky and, in lieu of my usual battle cry, attempted to roar. It sounded far better than before I evolved, that’s for sure.

Then I charged the xaptor again, running as low to the ground as I could. I swear that dinosaur was smiling as he watched me try the same tactic. I ran my claws through the loose red dirt of the desert-like plains we did battle on.

Bet you’ve never thought of… this!

As I reached the xaptor, I twisted, cutting to the side and bringing my claws up into the air, chucking the loose dirt and rocks into its eyes.

“Skrraaaaaaaawwwaaaww!” it shouted in pain as the grit dug in.

Get styled on! That’s what you get for being a dumb lizard!

I delivered a fierce kick to its neck, my larger hind leg claws ripping deeper into the slice I’d left there earlier. As the beast swung back blindly, I ducked, digging my hands under the loose skin hanging from its belly, and yanked.

Riiiiiiip!

Blood spurted like a fountain out of the wound, and the xaptor stumbled back, falling on its side as it reached towards its belly, eyes shut tight in pain. Its head rested on a rock jutting up from the dirt, and its long claws worked to stay the bleed.

“Skrrreehhh…” it moaned.

I’m sorry…

It was kill or be killed, and I didn’t want to die today. Without wasting another moment, I slammed my strong leg down upon its head.

Snap!

The creature’s neck broke against the rock, and its breathing stopped.

Your [Slam] Skill has leveled up. It is now level 2. You’ve developed a new Skill: [Punch Lvl 1] Your [Punch] Skill has leveled up. It is now level 2. Your [Claw] Skill has leveled up. It is now level 3. Your [Bite] Skill has leveled up. It is now level 2. Your [Claw] Skill has leveled up. It is now level 4. Your [Punch] Skill has leveled up. It is now level 3. Your [Bite] Skill has leveled up. It is now level 3. Your [Claw] Skill has leveled up. It is now level 5. You’ve developed a new Skill: [Dirty Trick Lvl 1] You’ve developed a new Skill: [Kick Lvl 1] Your [Kick] Skill has leveled up. It is now level 2. Your [Stomp] Skill has leveled up. It is now level 3. Your health is critical! [17/100] You have received 1235 experience for killing [Little Deotrexaptor]. Congratulations! You have leveled up! X5 You are now level 6 [235/350]. Your [Health] and [Stamina] are restored.

I almost died.

The realization pounded through my brain as I stared at the lifeless corpse before me.

I killed something.

My heart was racing, and I felt myself starting to lose control of my breathing. I looked at the dino I’d slain, seeing its jaw hang loosely from its skull, the blood oozing out across the dry ground, the dirt drinking thirstily. My heart pounded harder.

I… killed something. With my own hands. Before, I hadn’t actually killed anything directly. The Thragil plant and the Fenrirs had done all the work. Now… this was different.

I mean… it was life or death, right? Kill or be killed. Survival of the fittest. So, I shouldn’t feel bad about it… right?

I stood in shock over the victim of my murder, completely forgetting about all the other xaptors that had accompanied it.

No… Not a murder victim.

My enemy.

This body was the corpse of my enemy. He’d attacked me.

The rest of the xaptors would probably go into a blood fury now, swiftly descending upon me and ripping me to shreds. I stood no chance, not in the state of utter shellshock I was in.

This was the end. I dropped to the ground, staring in horror at the life I’d just taken.

Even if I’d been defending myself, this… This felt like killing a dog. The poor creature had only been doing what it thought it needed to do in order to survive, right?

Or… was it?

After all, the xaptors had pursued me all the way through the jungle, even hunting me the day after I’d escaped them and resuming the chase. That wasn’t just hunting prey. They’d suffered losses. They should’ve been discouraged. They shouldn’t have tried to find me again.

And yet, they’d pursued me. All the way here.

All on Sailboat’s orders, no doubt.

I snarled, rage burning in my chest. Nobody kills me for something as simple as stealing food! Nobody hurts me and scares me as much as they had!

And nobody makes me grieve for their deaths after they brought it upon themselves!

I jumped to my feet, anger coursing through my veins, and twisted back to face the rest of the xaptors. It didn’t matter now if I died. What mattered first was that I took down as many of those damnable things with me as possible!

I roared, the pure sound carrying all of my vengeance and fury.

But there was nobody there to roar at.

Well, at least not anybody I expected.