The beast slammed into Dad’s side, launching him sideways and skidding across the ground as the Boroclops plowed him forward. Motes of light flew from the new gash as the tusks dug into her father. Cindy’s mana was too low to help with much. She had to recover faster. “Dad, try to hold on!”
Cindy quickly sat crossing her legs and activated her Meditation skill, she had it at level two. This would triple her regeneration rate every five seconds. This would bring her back to full in twenty seconds. Her heart hammered in her chest as she watched the boar run over her father’s chest. The hooves of the boroclops left cracks against the armor as light spread through it all. She had no way to know the damage her dad had just taken and worry burned in her heart. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go.
She watched as her dad rolled to his feet and took a fighting stance. His martial stance was strong and low, he moved his feet from years of karate practice. She knew he had used a lot of his stamina in the previous fight. They had kind of blown all of their skills and her spells while she was being reckless and wanting to know just how well she could do. They shouldn’t have been close enough to attract the second boroclops in the clearing.
That is when she noticed something. Black motes of antilight slowly drifted from the beast’s back. They looked familiar and Cindy’s heart sank. She began to hope that what she was thinking was not true. It would mean something horrible and it would expose her shame to her father. Something she was not ready for in the least.
Dad sidestepped a charge and leapt forward as it skidded to a stop. A great arcing ax kick crashed down on the monster sending it smashing down against the ground. Cracks spread over the back of the boroclops and more black motes flew up into the air. The beast flailed and slashed into the leg. Cindy was surprised by her Dad’s reaction speed as he backed up. The boroclos charged again this time though it caught Dad’s attempt to sidestep and sideswiped him knocking him back to the ground as the tusks raked at the skin of his arms. Gouging light out of him.
Her mana had recovered enough that she shot to her feet and ran to get into range to help. “RECOVERING! BEAM! CHANNEL!” She slammed her wrists together pointing at her father as a beam of green and gold power shot forward wrapping around her dad as the cracks started to close and the motes of light slowed down. The spell would heal him and bring back a trickle of stamina to help her father avoid dying. The boroclops whirled on her; its large bloodshot eye had black lines through it as it started the movements to charge. Just as it launched her Dad’s hand snapped out and snagged one of the legs keeping it from approaching her.
However it wrenched itself loose and charged at her. She stayed still and kept her eyes piercing the beast. She whispered to herself, “Rushing, Self, Pulse.” Just as it was about to ram into her and tear her apart when she suddenly flashed to the side and was out of the way. Current Mana 75/150. As she began running sideways hand extended, “Flame, Bold, Rapid Pulse!” A stream of bolts of flame shot from her hand slamming into the rear of the boroclops as each slamming attack put cracks into its body as more of that awful black smoke erupted from the wounds.
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
It took a large arcing turn as she aimed ahead of its movements so that she could keep hitting it as her mana dropped slowly, five mana for every bolt. Eight bolts later she was down to thirty five mana before it jumped back up with the tick of recovery. Then she was next to her father as he got to his feet. Cindy called out to him, “Something is wrong with the beast. It should be nearly down to the last bit of health but it isn’t limping yet.”
“The last one didn’t limp,” Dad huffed as he looked down at Cindy. “What is the difference?”
“When they hit twenty percent health they slow down and limp. Plus it should be hitting zero stamina soon. But it isn’t showing signs of that. We should capture it! We can bring it back to the village and have someone look at it.” Cindy started running sideways as it charged one more. Dad followed behind her, “Keep it distracted for about ten seconds dad. That is all I need to get behind it. Then shove it into the trap!”
“Trap, how are you going to make a trap in ten seconds?” Dad yelled out.
“Trust me!” Cindy watched as Dad turned and rushed at the boroclops, his stance low as he crashed into it with a titanic boom. She could see cracks of light explode down his arms from where he caught the tusks of the beast as they struggled against each other with all their impressive might.
“Rushing, Self, Pulse!” Cindy aimed for behind the beast as she reached into her bag and brought out the easy trap rank one. She slammed the single puck into the ground and it began to do its magic. First it shot out a net that fell down as Cindy rushed away from the thing so she wouldn’t be caught in the trap with the beast. With a finally jumping roll she was free as the net settled onto the ground.
With a sudden pop stakes outlined the net and the ground gave way to the pitfall, “NOW DAD GET IT INTO THE PIT!” Cindy screamed as she prepared the sleeping bombs. She hoped it had its health low enough that this would work.
Dad turned twisting and giving way to the pushing of the beast but then with a mighty shout twisted bringing it around into the most powerful over the shoulder throw she had ever seen him do as he handled the boroclops by the tusks. BOOM! The ground shook underneath her feet as the boroclops slid through the ground into the trap and it gave way. The ground seemed to swallow the beast only leaving its head above the dirt.
Cindy pounced, throwing the five bomb cluster into its face and praying with all her might that it would be enough to subdue the beast. Her item supply was a little limited and she hated using what she had. However, hoarding onto stuff and never using them was the same thing as never having them in the first place.
With explosions of white powder that coated the boroclops’s nose the beast inhaled them before shuddering still and slumping down limply. After a few seconds the telltale sign of bubbles popping up from its nose into the air signaled that the fight was over. She could hear Dad breathing heavily and looked at him as he lay against the ground. Great cracks of light shot down from his arms and legs. Gouges of chunks leaked motes of light into the air from around his torso.
“Dad what’s your health at?” Cindy was filled with worry. She had never been this hurt before.
“100 Hit points left. I’m good.” Dad started to stand up, “5 Stamina left.”
“That was too close Dad.” Cindy stared at the boroclops as it slowly disintegrated.