Once again Jason wakes up refreshed, the excessive number of rabbits having taken care of the waste energy. A quick stretch and he heads off once again. The first hour out is plagued with glimpses of green shapes hiding in the wasteland. However, these are soon left behind as Jason’s movement technique proves out over what was likely the vine lionesses. Not that he much put them in his mind. He only felt caution coming from the stalkers.
What he meets him next though makes no bones about their aggression. From the spires swarm a motley collection of small predators. The only thing that connects the group is small bolts of electricity that zaps between them. Though as they approach this connection proves more literal as a fox bursts into many bolts that spread out through the rest of the group. For a moment the rest of them get bigger before releasing twice as many bolts out. These bolts come together at opposite ends of the group in the form of two new foxes.
“I don’t want to mess with that. If there is one thing electricity is known for in games, it is stun effects. That whole group screams stun-lock to me. At least some of them are slower things like badgers and what not so I should be able to outrun part of the swarm.”
This is a reasonable plan and seems to work for a while. The swarm of electric animals gets pulled apart and only a few of the cat and fox monsters reach Jason. Though even those few causes him problems. Weak individually he easily kills them with a punch or two. However, each time he even so much as touches one, his body becomes numb. Then as he pulls ahead things turn for the worse. All the slower critters burst apart into a cloud of lightning. This cloud of energy soon catches up to the rest of the hoard. Though instead of reforming the electric mass sweeps up the rest of the animals. He continues to run and the last couple foxes that kept up with him are yanked back into the mass as well.
Jason runs without looking back as a monstrous thunder roars out. From the side a creature charges past him. Instead of taking the form of actual animals the electricity has condensed itself. With three limbs sprouting from the center mass and what can only be described as a maw the electric mass appears oddly warped.
“Welp this is not my day. I don’t even have leather gloves to protect me. Guess today is going to be all about training my ability to dodge.”
Then one limb of the electric mass thrusts at him. Jason throws himself to the side but the limb curves at him. He expected this move, so is able to respond in time. By twisting his waist Jason brings his left knee to the ground.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
-1
The abrasion is enough to damage him but it turns his fall into a tumble as he goes under the lightning limb. A quick hop back to his feet and Jason continues to run. For the first time since starting the game, he has found an enemy he can’t win against. However, he will not let it win against him either. To send out that attack the electric mass had to stop and Jason is using that moment of stillness to get ahead. He leaps across the landscape each step traveling yards at a time. He takes a half step to the side as the electric mass barrels through the space where he just was. Surprised at the mouthful of sand instead of the expected human it roars. Not caring for sand the electric masses body goes frizzy for a moment and everything falls through to the ground. Another thunderous roar and it swipes at Jason again. This time the end of the limb splits into three claws that splay out to cover as much space as possible. Jason isn’t quite able to dodge this time. He twists but the edge of a claw still sends a charge through his body.
-3
His body jerks around but Jason forces himself to progress further as he thinks to himself, “Each monster in this area might have a large hunting grounds but something should be able to counter the electric mass. Though if worse comes to worse I can try the plains. This isn’t a new monster so something must have been keeping it in the wasteland.”
Unrelated to this a certain tired silver horned jackalope feels a chill go downs its spine.
“But I would really like to get away without straining whatever relationship I have with the rabbits. Plus, who knows how long it can keep that form up. There has to be a reason it stayed in the shape of small animals. Though I guess to be bait is a valid reason.”
He tucks his head, lowers his shoulder into the ground, and rolls across his back as a lightning paw spears over him. Rolling back up to his feet Jason jumps diagonally to the left covering the distance between one rolling dune to another. As another paw thrusts in front of him a wide step barely moves him, then he is off again. The electric mass is faster than him but lacks the mind to use that advantage. Though as the chase continues the difference in speed shortens. While Jason feels somewhat sad at this sort of ending, he outpaces the thing. He doesn’t even have to check his sheet to know what happened.
Throughout the chase Jason dodge and weave around all the while using his movement skill. In such a life and death fight Desolate Traversal Technique must have leveled up multiple times. He almost wishes he could go back and bait the beast into another chase. Another go would not provide such amazing progress for his skill. If the System message from when he got away was anything to go on though he even got a hefty chunk of experience as well.