Shaken by his close shave with the deadly projectile, Nick fought to maintain his concentration, adding the attack to his profile of his opponents. Although he had dodged the initial strike, he was certain that the danger had not yet passed.
His hunch was proven right half an instant later. When, faster than the blink of an eye, the frog’s tongue retracted, lashing back in the other direction. It went whipping toward Nick’s skull like a barbell tied to a bungee cord.
Although his swordplay was no match for the beast’s lightning quick natural weaponry, his brain was up to the task. Fortunately, this was a situation covered by one of his contingencies. A counter culled from a lifetime of gaming.
When fighting against a lengthy tongue or tail, wait for a full extension. Then target the retracting appendage while you know where it’s going to be.
Nick ducked and threw his body to one side. At the same time, he raised his sword and adjusted his grip, pressing the flat of the blade into the flesh of the frog’s tongue and letting physics handle the rest. At least some natural laws still hold true. Creating pressure at that angle caused the tongue to change trajectory, wrapping around his sword instead of flying past.
The tension allowed the blade to bite deep, the tongue’s elasticity working against it when pulled tight around the weapon’s edge. Pink flesh parted and began to bleed, steel sinking into the rubbery appendage. But not deep enough. The blade didn’t cut all the way through.
Assuming that the tongue would be tough to sever, he was prepared for this outcome, ready to take advantage of the opening he had created. Thus, rather than allowing the tongue’s momentum to pull the sword free from his grasp, Nick deepened his stance and swung as hard as he could, pushing in the opposite direction that the appendage was headed.
Although he wasn’t strong enough to finish the job by himself, the opposing forces caused the elastic tissue to tighten, allowing the sword to sink another inch into the flesh below.
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Just as he was sure that the beast would disarm him anyway, the last ragged bands of tissue parted before the magically sharpened blade, severing the tongue in multiple places, and bathing him in a spray of blood the color of mountain honey. The critically wounded amphibian collapsed into the dirt, amber blood gushing from its ruined mouth like a fountain.
He turned his attention to the other frog, who had just finished shaking off the lingering effects of Nick’s mana dart. Half a heartbeat later, the beast he had hit with the wand emerged from the grass and joined the assault. He had just enough time to take his stance and conjure another dart before the furious frogs were upon him and the battle resumed in full force.
Two triangular heads swiveled to orient on his location, ruby mouths cracking open with an ominous click. Knowing that he had no chance of pulling off the same move against two enemies at once, he threw himself to one side, just as a pair of black-barbed tongues flickered through the air he had vacated. They might have hit him anyway if these strikes hadn’t been a bit slower and shorter than the attack he had countered.
They’re adjusting their strategy too, putting less power into each blow after watching what happened to their friend. They won’t overextend if they miss anymore, eliminating the possibility of being taken out in the same manner.
Even at half power, the beasts’ tongues lashed out fast enough to coax a rippling roar from the air in passing, streaking forward to end Nick’s life at blinding speed. The frogs’ opening strikes were only the beginning of what would prove to be a continual barrage, pressing him so severely that all he could do was duck and dodge until he found a chance to create an opening.
As he twisted and dove, leapt and spun, he noticed that his movements felt more natural than before. That on top of the recent improvements to his dexterity, he was getting small nudges to guide his performance. Tiny corrections to his mechanics, a hunch that moving in one direction would be better than the other. It must be my evasion skill kicking in.
Even with the skill's assistance, the only reason that he didn’t wind up with a dozen crushed ribs or a fatal smack to the skull was because Nick had noticed that the tongues could only project in a straight line from the frogs’ angular faces. He had instinctively begun to track the direction that their heads were facing, rather than reacting after the beasts’ blisteringly fast attacks were headed his way.
It was enough to keep him alive for the moment, but he needed to find a way to gain the advantage before he took a hit that would end his day in the worst possible way.