Razorfang Brute Level 4 [Realm Boss]

As if sensing his scrutiny, the creature’s head snapped up, its eyes, black and piercing, locking onto his gaze. It let out a guttural growl, the sound rumbling through the ground beneath their feet, the air thickening with its musky, primal scent.

This was it. He couldn’t turn back, couldn’t afford to show weakness, not now, not with Yareeth watching him, her survival intertwined with his own.

“Be careful,” she whispered, but her voice was a tremor, a mix of fear and a strange, echoing excitement.

He could feel the adrenaline surging through him. It was like a drug, a rush of power that sharpened his senses, pushed the fatigue to the edges of his awareness.

"Stay back. Stay safe.” He offered a reassuring nod before stepping into the clearing, a sliver of openness in the otherwise endless sea of grass. The creature snarled, baring its teeth, a jagged line of bone and ivory. He saw a flash of the chip in her hand, the sudden realization of a plan forming.

He approached the creature cautiously, keeping his distance. His stance relaxed, yet ready to spring, each movement a calculated risk. He knew better than to underestimate anything in these realms. He’d learned that lesson. Many times over.

The Razorfang Brute charged. The force of its attack shook the ground, its heavy body a blur of fur and muscle, jaws wide, tusks glinting. Kael sidestepped at the last moment, the air whistling past him as the creature’s momentum carried it forward. He didn't hesitate, he swung his club-hammer, the impact a jarring thud against the beast’s flank.

The creature roared, the sound a thunderous bellow that echoed across the plain. It staggered, but didn't fall. He’d underestimated its strength. The air reeked of the creature’s musky scent, thick and pungent, a primal fear-inducing blend of boar and… something else, a metallic undercurrent that sent a shiver down his spine. The ground beneath their feet trembled with every movement.

Kael forced himself to stay calm, his gaze fixed on the creature’s every move. It paced, its breath ragged, eyes burning with a primal fury. The fight had begun.

He circled the Razorfang Brute, using its frustrated charges to his advantage. He’d learned to use an opponent’s momentum, learned to let their rage fuel his strategy, to turn their strength into a weapon against them. He struck at every opportunity— a swift, precise blow to the flanks, a jarring impact against its haunches.

He could see the beast faltering, its movements becoming more sluggish. The club-hammer, with its dented metal head and splintered haft, was a familiar weight in his hands, an extension of his will. His heart pounded in his chest, his body moving on instinct, fueled by a desperation born of past battles.

A sharp, ringing sound cut through the creature’s growls. It was the sound of a stone, small and smooth, striking the creature’s flank. The creature’s eyes swiveled, the focus shifting from Kael to…

To Yareeth.

Precision +1

She was standing a little too close, her hand raised, another stone clutched in her grip. His heart lurched, fear constricting his chest. “Get back!” The command ripped from his throat.

The Razorfang Brute’s gaze locked on to the girl, the shift so sudden it was disorienting. It snarled, its fury amplified, and he could see the creature's determination shift. A new target. He'd been so close. Had underestimated its primal intelligence, its ability to recognize the vulnerable prey.

"Get down!”

But there was no time.

It lunged towards Yareeth, a monstrous blur of muscle and rage, the ground beneath its paws exploding in a shower of dirt and grass.

This was his fault.

He moved without thought, adrenaline driving him, his own terror pushing him beyond his limits. He couldn’t reach her in time, couldn’t protect her. The beast was too fast.

And then he saw it, an opportunity, a small window. Its left leg was forward. Vulnerable.

He focused on his new skill. **Shattering Impact**," he whispered, channeling his will. It wasn't about killing anymore. Not now. It was about diverting the creature's rage. About protecting the girl who stood, frozen, a deer in the headlights. His legs ached, but the Shard’s energy pulsed through him, a current of power that focused his intention.

The impact of his club, a shattering crunch, resonated through his entire body. A wave of pain. But the creature roared, a bellow of agony as its hind leg buckled beneath it.

He felt the System's affirmation.

Shattering Impact +1

Force Efficiency +1

But the numbers meant nothing.

He had bought them a moment.

He stood there, heart pounding, his breaths ragged gasps against the backdrop of the beast’s roars, relief washing over him as he saw Yareeth step back. The creature, its rage now a symphony of pain, staggered, its head swinging wildly, its focus shifting back to him, its gaze burning with renewed hatred. The metallic tang in the air intensified, a wave of nausea making the world tilt, his vision blur.

He couldn't afford to falter, to let the exhaustion cripple him.

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He wasn’t fighting for himself now.

He had made a promise.

The air crackled with a primal energy that made his skin tingle. This fight, their fight, would continue until one of them lay dead. This time, however, the certainty of his purpose was a solid foundation beneath his feet, anchoring him against the encroaching shadows.

He wouldn’t fail again.

The creature roared, a challenge. A final attempt.

But he was ready.

The fight dragged on, every movement a struggle, his muscles screaming in protest, the aches of past battles amplified by the creature’s relentless fury. The Shard’s energy was there—a comforting presence, pulsing in sync with his heart beat, each throb a countdown, a promise. He danced with the beast, a brutal ballet of evasion and counterstrike. He'd lost count of the blows, his vision blurred with sweat and blood.

But then, through the chaos, through the wave of exhaustion that threatened to pull him under, he saw it. His chance. The creature's momentum carried it forward, its guard lowered. He stepped aside, his own exhaustion momentarily forgotten.

And struck.

A single, powerful blow aimed at the base of the creature's skull. The club-hammer sang, the air screaming. The creature’s body convulsed, a final shuddering gasp escaping its jaws, its eyes glazing over as the light died within them.

The Razorfang Brute, its bulk a testament to its former power, crumpled to the ground. Its ragged breaths ceased. A wave of silence swept through the clearing. A victory won, not in triumph, but in a mixture of relief, exhaustion, and… a strange, unexpected emptiness. The price was always too high.

“It’s over.” he whispered the words to himself, letting his club-hammer fall to the ground with a hollow thud that echoed the silence settling around them.

Razorfang Brute Killed

Precision +1

Blunt Weapons +1

He hadn't even noticed the screen appearing, hadn't felt the familiar thrill of victory.

And then, he heard her.

Yareeth, her face flushed with relief, the scales around her eyes shimmering with a vibrant green, rushed over to him, a sense of wonder, of gratitude, radiating from her. “You did it! You killed it!” She was holding a stone, but not as a weapon.

Kael’s voice was sharp, harsher than he intended, cutting through the lingering silence. “What were you thinking?” His heart was still pounding, the adrenaline coursing through his veins, but now it was tinged with anger, with a fear he didn’t know how to express. “You could have been killed!”

Yareeth flinched, the brightness in her eyes dimming, her excitement wilting like a flower touched by frost. She stared at him, the stone still clutched in her hand, her fingers trembling. “I—I was trying to help,” she whispered, her voice small, uncertain.

“Help?” His voice broke, rising in pitch, the words spilling out before he could stop them. “Help by making yourself a target? By putting yourself right in front of that thing?” He took a step closer, his hands shaking as he gestured at the creature’s lifeless body. “Do you have any idea how close you came to dying? If I’d been a second slower, if I hadn’t—”

He stopped, his breath hitching, the memory of that split second, that instant when he thought he might lose her, clawing at his mind. He looked away, his throat tight, his chest constricting with the weight of it. The thought of her, broken and bleeding, her eyes dimming like the creature’s, was more than he could bear.

“I had to do something,” Yareeth said, her voice stronger now, a thread of defiance weaving through the fear. She stepped back, the stone dropping from her hand, landing in the dirt with a soft thud. “I couldn’t just stand there and watch you—watch you get hurt again. I couldn’t just... do nothing.”

“Nothing?” Kael’s voice was hoarse, his eyes dark with emotion. “You think it’s nothing to stay out of the way? To not put yourself in danger? You think I want you to—” He broke off, his hand clenching into a fist at his side. “If you’d died, Yareeth... I can’t... I can’t lose you. Not like that.”

She stared at him, her scales catching the fading light, the patterns shifting in subtle, restless waves. “You think I’m not scared too? You think I don’t feel helpless, watching you fight, knowing I can’t do anything to help?” Her voice cracked, a bitter edge creeping in. “I’m not strong like you, Kael. I don’t know how to fight, how to survive like you do. But I’m not going to stand there and watch you die because I’m too afraid to act!”

He took a breath, trying to steady himself, his mind reeling with the clash of anger and fear, of wanting to protect her and knowing he couldn’t always do that. “You’re not weak, Yareeth. But you don’t have to be on the front lines. You don’t have to risk your life to prove something.”

Her eyes flashed, her voice rising. “I’m not trying to prove anything! I’m trying to help, to be useful, to be more than just... just baggage you have to drag around.” She took a step forward, her voice trembling, her face flushed with emotion. “I don’t want to be helpless. I don’t want to be... afraid all the time.”

Kael’s breath was still ragged, his body trembling with the remnants of adrenaline and fear. He stared at Yareeth, her eyes shining with tears and defiance, and something inside him softened, the tension in his shoulders easing just a fraction.

“You’re not helpless, Yareeth,” he said quietly, the raw edge in his voice giving way to something softer, something almost tender. “You’re not baggage. You’re... brave. Braver than I ever gave you credit for.”

She blinked, her eyes widening in surprise, the fight draining out of her posture as if the words had disarmed her. “I just...” She hesitated, then let out a shaky breath. “I just wanted to help.”

“I know,” he murmured, the anger and fear slipping away, replaced by a deep, aching gratitude. “And you did. More than you realize.”

For a moment, they stood there, the silence between them no longer heavy with unspoken fears but filled with something lighter, something fragile and new. Kael’s lips twitched, a smile breaking through the storm clouds of his expression.

“We did it,” he said, his voice softer now, a hint of wonder threading through the words.

Yareeth’s eyes widened, the tension in her stance melting away. Her face lit up, the scales around her eyes shimmering with a vibrant, iridescent glow. “We did it,” she echoed, her voice breathless, a small, genuine smile blooming on her lips. She laughed, the sound bright and unexpected in the aftermath of the battle. “Oh, I received experience, too!”

“Of course you did,” Kael chuckled, the sound warming the chill that had settled in his chest. “You helped.”

It felt strange, that word—_we_. But it was true. It wasn’t just his victory. It was theirs. She had bought him the opening, had shifted the creature’s focus, allowing him to land the final blow. For the first time in a long while, he felt something other than the constant weight of survival. He felt... proud. Proud of her, of them.

He nodded, a tired but genuine smile touching his lips. “Come on,” he said, gesturing towards the area where the creature had been pacing, the grass there flattened and disturbed. “Let’s see what it was guarding.”

The air was still thick with the creature’s scent, its musk a sharp, primal tang that reminded him of his brush with death. It clung to his skin, to his clothing, a tangible reminder of the constant struggle for survival in this world.

Yareeth’s eyes sparkled with curiosity, the fear and tension of the fight fading into the background. She stepped forward, her posture lighter, the shadow of the earlier confrontation lifting as they moved together, side by side.

As they approached the spot, a small, hopeful laugh escaped her. “Maybe it’s something good,” she said, a hint of optimism threading through her voice.

Kael glanced at her, the light in her eyes a balm to his own weary soul. “Yeah,” he murmured, feeling a flicker of hope stir in his chest. “Maybe it is.”

They found it, nestled amongst the flattened grass and disturbed earth, a cluster of unusual herbs, their dark green leaves edged with a faint, iridescent shimmer. He knelt, but before his fingers could reach out, she pushed them away, her grip firm, a note of warning in her voice.

“Wait!” she said, her gaze fixed on the herbs, a flicker of recognition, a connection that he’d stolen from her, a pang of regret, “These are… I’ve never seen anything like these. The scent… I think…"

Unknown Herb (Uncommon)