Fortunately, Jasper is a creature far faster than I! Or at least she’s one with perception to actually match her speed. Having pulled back at the last moment, she managed to avoid being completely gored on our adversary's claws, and instead only took a nasty slash to one of her eyes.
…Unfortunately, she’s evidently not a creature as fast as the one before her. Because it lashes out. Again, and again, and again, all within the span of a single second. She bobs under the first strike, avoids the second as the Stalker’s paw comes crashing down overhead, tossing herself to the side, but fails to react to the third, her attackers form darkening before promptly vanishing, its body reappearing at her side before she even touches down on the ground, jaws clamping down over her back.
55!
The sound it makes is unpleasant, as is the cry that Jasper unwillingly looses.
It’s certainly one I have no desire to hear anyways, and as such, one I will do my utmost to stop.
“Screech! Would it be possible for you to give Featherguard to Jasper instead of me!?”
Not even bothering to wait for her response though, I immediately [Summon] Jerry directly behind the Stalker. I’m not fast enough to contend with speed like that without a buff from Screech and its damage output is certainly nothing to scoff at. Even WITH a buff, that still only puts me relative to Jasper. If she's getting outboxed in close quarters, then I’ll just get hit and lose it, then be ripped to shreds promptly after.
Therefore… what’s my next best option? Distractions, diversions, guerilla warfare. Not my usual modus operandi… but I’ll just have to make do, I suppose.
“Jasper! [Hunter’s Pursuit] towards me!”
Just about a tenth of a second has passed since I asked Screech if she could use Featherguard on somebody besides myself, and the Stalker has noticed Jerry’s presence behind it, it doesn’t let go of Jasper, but its body shifts instinctively in his direction, that’s fine, that’s fine…
[Hunter’s Pursuit]
Jasper picks up on my commands faster than Screech does, teleporting to my side and leaving Jerry, confused may he be, directly within striking distance of the Stalker. He’s, obviously, a free kill for it, being literally half its level and probably twice as slow, if not even more sluggish…
And so, of course, it swings at him.
[Recall]
Of course, only to hit air. It wasn’t even a reaction [Recall] either, as if I could manage that against this thing. Taking him off the field of battle a split second after putting him on it to begin with was always the plan. I just needed to spook the thing and buy time for us to regroup.
Just about a third of a second after asking Screech if she could do it or not, she finally starts to respond!
“No! She doesn't have something for me to bind myself to-”
Though unfortunately, recovering from the diversion in admirable time, the Stalker lunges for us again, and it dawns on me rather suddenly how few options I really have here. Jasper has teleportation and could reasonably avoid another attack, and contend in close range for at least another few seconds with three more uses of said teleportation, but me…? I can’t even rely on buffing Jasper to give her the advantage in a slug-fest because Screech can’t even do it apparently!
Dammit dammit dammit-
The proverbial sands run dry and the clock hits zero, with the Stalker ramming into me at full force. It didn’t claw at me so the damage is probably lower, but…
42!
…Ouch. 4!-Ouch-3!-Ouch-3!-Ouch-4!-Ouch-3!
My body tumbles and crashes into the rocks strewn about, Screech squawking as she’s displaced from her previous perch on my shoulder, wings fluttering and propelling her up before the Stalker gets a chance to pluck them off right off of her frail body, well, one less thing for me to worry about.
Though, not one to ever hesitate on such matters, Jasper immediately tore at the Stalker’s side, gouging out an admittedly measly 21! damage from its side, but… what the hell gives on that one? Twenty one!?
Pushing myself off of the ground as quickly as I can, I lay eyes back on the fight to try and figure out what the heck just happened, only to be literally jump scared with the Stalker’s face, its claws aimed straight for my eyes, it having assumably covered the distance between us immediately after launching me to begin with.
[Fable Bearer-
114!
…And I just got critically hit. Also SHIT MY EYES gRrrrrrgHHHHHHHH
At the last moment, just before it made contact, I activated [Fable Bearer] and absorbed as much health as I could from Jerry, draining all of the fifty nine damage that I’d taken from my prior tumble from him, over to me. At the cost of twenty MP, yes, but also, that was some life saving juice right there! Leaving me at a whole 26/140 HP!
Of course my main concern now is, uh… what the hell am I supposed to do?
9!
The Stalker literally tears its… yeah, no, I’m not gonna grace this with a mental image, it already hurts enough just with it happening to me on 3.5%.
I don’t get blinded thankfully, dismemberment isn’t in game so I figure disfigurement wouldn’t be either, but… what the hell do I do to not take another hit?
…I think I’m screwed.
[Fable Bearer]-[Fable Bearer]
[Recall].
…Time to run damage control. Jasper only has another moment until her three second timer is up, so I just need to live one more hit and I can [Recall] her. As long as this thing doesn’t manage to deal a hundred forty damage in one hit… Well, she’ll be compltely fine. We'll take no other losses as a whole besides me losing one level and some travel time.
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[Hunter’s Pursuit]-[Hunter’s Mark]!
167!
...Except that critical hit, doesn’t critical me. I don’t know why, but the Stalker was dialed IN on me. So much so, that it just completely stopped paying attention to the physical powerhouse that is Jasper. And with its back fully turned and guard thoroughly dropped, Jasper with her instant teleportation came in and cleaned house.
Gonna be honest… didn’t expect that. I mean, I'll take that! No self sacrifice today, I’ll take that indeed.
The Stalker goes flying to my left from the sheer force of the open paw blow that Jasper delivered, almost deriving a bit of sympathy from me… keyword; ALMOST. Screw you ya little bastard, literally stabbed me in the eyes!
Whatever, whatever… what am I working with here...?
31/90
That’s plenty of MP for me, more than enough to make a final stretch. What about everybody else's healthpool? Jasper is still at just about two hundred health, Screech is mostly fine save for the HP I drained from her, her MP and stamina re also both fine... Jerry is, er...
“Uh, hey Jerry? Sorry about all the spooks.”
I did kind of drain him of like… almost all his health? Down to about 20/189… Can’t imagine that feels great. Also took a little from Screech, but she’s comparatively fine.
“...G-gh.”
…Yeah, that’s fair.
“...I’ll make it up to you later.”
...Anyways
“Jasper, I can’t be certain, but it’s probably extremely low on health after that hit, good job by the way, you singlehandedly just made the difference.”
She should have about… 24/50
Yup, that’s about right. About half of her MP. More than enough for the rest of the fight.
Anyways… this monster? Uh, gimme. Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, did I say enough “gimme”’s yet? I don’t think I did this shit’s CRAZY. WHAT IS THIS SPEED? IT DOESN’T EVEN HAVE ANY BUFFS FROM ME???
“Mm-
“I’m either going to [Tame] it or we’re going to finish it off, it should be within one shot range after that most recent hit, so one graze should do it.”
Unlike before, I actually have at least a few comfortable seconds to plan this out, it’s not quite raring to go after taking a massive blow like it just did, so…
“Screech, you’re alright, right?”
“Uhhhhhh yeah I should be I do feel a little light-headed though-”
“Great, PLEASE give me [Featherguard].”
“A-O-kay boss man!”
[Summon]
[Morrigala Metamorphose]!
...Boss man? Hah??? Bleh, doesn’t matter right now.
With speed to at least rival the other two combatants, it’s feasible for me to no longer get instantly murdered. Next level I DEFINITELY need to look into raising dexterity, but for now it’s fine. I either need to get close enough to use [Tame] (I already tried at this distance, rest in peace nine MP) or I need to just stay at range and support Jasper. I still have enough MP to give her sixty more HP, given it seems to be one MP for every three transferred HP, and she should have the MP to use two more skills. Or in other words, two teleports on her part.
“We both approach at the same time. Use your skills as you see fit, and when I give the word, go in for the kill. One hit should do it.”
I leave the possibility of the Stalker just running away left unsaid, but… as I expected, it doesn’t even try. I didn’t wanna give it my absolute vote before it happened, no need to jinx it and everything, but… there was a look in that thing’s eye that said it wasn’t going to. A confidence or perhaps an arrogance that wouldn’t allow it to retreat from us. Something far too human in that expression of its mildly ugly mug, similarly to Jasper, with her mildly cute mug.
Well, either way…
Muscles tense, legs follow suit, and dust flies.
The charge itself barely lasts for a quarter of a second, the distance between the three(four, Screech is here too!) closing rapidly, but as for which of us it should go for, the Stalker seems to ponder it for just a moment too long.
[Tame]!
Elite Monster!
Cannot be tamed under normal circumstances!
…
That’s kind of bullshit, if you ask me? Whatever dude, whatever.
Well, even if I couldn’t get a nice addition to my team, at the very least, the [Tame] seems to disorient the Stalker, if only for a moment…
But a moment is all we need.
“Jasper, do it now!”
[Hunter’s Mark]!
124!
+59 exp!