From wolves to giant creepy crawlies, Hatchling Red just wasn’t going to catch a break. She committed herself to a preemptive dive. Having seen the immense speed of the creature made it clear that if she relied on reaction alone, then she’d end up just like those skewered Rock Bugs.
Her instincts were correct. At the apex of her following roll the Giant Cave Mosquito lunged forward like a spear, its hollow proboscis piercing the rock where she previous was with a deafening crack.
“So that’s what 250 damage looks like. Tch.” Her crimson eyes narrowed sharply, emitting a faint, glow like an ember had been lit. “Give a grub a good weapon and they’re just as dangerous as anyone else!”
Hatchling Red charged straight into the stone forest, throwing herself against every pillar she came across as she keenly kept an eye on the reflection of her hunting knife. Any normal person would have been disorientated by the act of running and monitoring their back, but she was a huntress at heart.
Pillars exploded behind her, the giant Mosquito ramming its body side by side as it held its replacement proboscis at an angle to avoid damaging it. Its legs were reduced to only 4. If she could whittle it down, then it’d be a sitting duck.
The Mosquito seemed to further hone her whereabouts with every vented breath, its proboscis steadily pointing into her direction like a divining rod. Its body shivered with excitement, its metaphorical mouth drooling at the prospect of siphoning the warm blood and innards of its prey.
However –
Just when it seemed to have narrowed her figure down, it unexpectedly smashed against a stone pillar. Because of how closely it followed her tracks, Hatchling Red threw herself into a particularly dense section of the subterranean jungle.
The pillars were not infinite. A quarter of the towering stalactites had already been cut down, leaving behind a sprawl of boulders indistinguishable from the Rock Bugs, and green, writhing masses of spilled Green Glowworms.
3 more legs to go! Plus one!
Her stamina was unfortunately limited, and she could feel the burn in her legs which seemed to also attract the attention of the Giant Mosquito somehow.
Dammit. Can sense my breath AND my pain!?
< Giant Cave Mosquito >
< Highly sensitive to the expelled wastes of the living and the production of lactic acid >
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
HUH!? WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS NOW!?
< Hidden Criteria >
< Reach the First Total Level Milestone to uncover your secrets >
There was more to her than what met the eye, and to die here would mean she’d never get to see what else finally being able to live would have to offer. The prompt served as both a source of frustration as well as motivation as her grip strangled the throat of her blade, yearning to slash that thing wide open.
In the meantime, she herded it further through the densely packed rocks trying to make sense of its speed. Its AGI was 35 compared to her 26. The difference of 9 AGI made it appear far too quickly for her to react to, but she found it hard to believe that this was the sole reason for it.
Giant Cave Mosquito | HP : 45
She focused, still not yet bleeding the beast as it had taken minor damage from its surroundings. Its DEF was very likely to be high as a result, and she questioned whether her blade could penetrate through the membrane. Doubt filled her mind. She’d have to hit a Critical Strike to bring it down in one fell swoop.
She mentally thanked her instincts. If she had gone for the kill earlier, then she likely would have died now that she was aware that its DEF stats were higher than those level 15 wolves.
Once again, another probiscis was lost, meanwhile the chamber was wrecked by the single level 10 creature. She didn’t know what level she was at in her past life, so she had no way to tell if this was normal or not.
However, if this was what level 10 creatures were capable of, then one had to imagine what those level 200+ beings could do.
The quality of the soul. That means levels don’t exactly equal strength, huh!? Tch –
“Ngh! Get – the hell – AWAY FROM ME!” She threw her blade at the creature as a rock was flung against her shoulder, instantly bleeding her as a sharp, deadly pain pulsed through her body.
Her blade swung in the air as she dragged it with her bioluminescent rope. It struck the creature, and to her anguish, it bounced off its membrane. She tugged her blade back, catching it perfectly as it spun dangerously through the air like a boomerang.
Strangely enough, the biological rope was plenty strong. Probably enough to support her weight, even if for a short amount of time.
“I need something stronger! C’mon Red! The voice isn’t going to help you down here, so you gotta think! Think! What would you do if you were being chased by a killer blood sucking, balloon-like mosquito!?”
She bashed her forehead with the hilt of her knife. By now more than half of the pillars were devastated, and she soon had no choice but to return to the same clearing where the battle began.
Then it hit her as her eyes fell onto the protruding needle: the proboscis that had nearly ended her just minutes ago. It faced her, and she almost didn’t see it.
“You burst it! My blade can’t hurt you, but your needle can! Just like the wolves! Tch… Gotta resort to tactics like this because you things don’t like to fight fair!” She complained to the air. If the Mosquito could hear and understand her words, then it absolutely would have given up its pursuit.
It was on her heels now, and she felt a sudden, unnatural burst of movement behind her. For a split second, the Mosquito had lunged itself forward before it returned to its previous place. It appeared like a vibration, and she realized that this was why it was so hard to keep track of.
Upon making this observation –
< BIOLOGICAL PASSIVE SKILL: Mosquito Buzz >
< EFFECT: Double AGI in extremely short bursts. Will return to last known place. When committing to a lunge, double AGI. Cannot redirect attack >
– The prompt revealed the power of this creature. A racial passive skill!