Novels2Search
Rise of the Outlander
Chapter 45: A Battle on High

Chapter 45: A Battle on High

Though I had managed to break free of the spell, my situation was still far from ideal. I was badly bruised from the fall, and it felt like I had strained a few muscles while my limbs were out of my control. With such a large and powerful beast bearing down on me, I couldn’t afford to show how much pain I was in.

As I started weaving another spell, the serpent lunged towards me. I lifted my spear as I stepped back. Even though I managed to block, the blow nearly knocked me down.

Even a glancing block had the potential to send me plummeting down into the forest below. I couldn’t afford to remain on the defensive.

As the snake recoiled for another strike, I lunged forwards. Unfortunately, the snake was a lot faster than I was. Its tail easily swatted my blow to the side as my spear rushed forwards.

Before I could pull my spear back into a ready position, the serpent struck again. It likely thought I was momentarily defenseless. If I hadn’t already been weaving together another spell, it would have been right.

Halfway towards me, the snake’s head jerked sharply downwards. My spell caused the monster to slam its head into the ground with a great deal of force.

I didn’t let the moment go to waste. Forcing my aching legs to cooperate, I leapt over the stunned serpent’s head.

Stabbing down with as much strength as I could muster, I embedded my spear in the serpent’s back, just behind one of its wings. The beast thrashed about in pain, tearing the spear out of my grasp.

Both me and the beast crashed down onto the ledge. With my spear tearing up the serpent’s wing muscles, it could no longer hold itself aloft. I stood quickly, drawing my knife.

The serpent was dazed and grounded, but far from out of the fight. It reared back unsteadily, eyeing me warily. My invisible force spells were clearly giving the beast a reason to consider its approach more carefully.

Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be able to rely on my magic for much longer.

Mana: 41/150

My dwindling mana didn’t stop me from weaving together another spell. The serpent wasn’t attacking anymore, and I was fairly sure I knew what it was planning.

Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

With a hiss, the snake reared back and inhaled. When it breathed out, bluish grey mist once more poured out. I was ready for the debilitating fog this time.

Before the cloud of mana infused vapors could reach me, I finished my spell. Most of my invisible force spells focused on exerting their power on as focused an area as possible. This most recent spell aimed for the opposite effect.

In most combat situations, conjuring a stiff gust of wind wouldn’t have been a particularly effective use of mana. This was definitely an exception. As the wind blew the cloud back into the serpent’s face, it simultaneously protected me from the gas and blinded the snake.

Before the snake could react, I lunged forwards with my knife. Though I aimed for where I believed the face to be, I couldn’t be sure through the fog. My knife found a soft target and sank deep into the snake’s flesh.

The agonized hiss told me that I had hit somewhere close to the serpent’s mouth. Unfortunately, before I could withdraw my knife, my fingers started to spasm again. The snake’s jerking motion easily pulled the weapon out of my rebelling grasp.

Stepping back quickly, I considered trying to remove the hostile spell on my hand. I decided that I couldn’t afford to waste time fighting the curse and started weaving another spell instead.

The fog around the serpent’s flailing head didn’t take long to clear away. As my foe came into view, so did my knife. Evidently, in a moment of blind luck, I had managed to embed my blade in one of the beast’s eyes.

Distracted by the serpent’s wounded face, I failed to notice its tail until it crashed into me. As I slammed into the wall, I lost my grip on my half formed spell.

Gasping in pain I fell to my knees. If I hadn’t already deflected a couple of attacks with invisible force before, the snake surely would have sunk its fangs into me then and there.

Hesitant though the serpent was to lunge at me again, it wasn’t without other means of attack. I barely got back to my feet before the massive snake started coiling around me. It barely had enough room on the ledge, but I was swiftly surrounded by a scaly wall.

I frantically drew everything I could from my mana pool as the snake’s muscular body rapidly tightened around me. My already bruised ribs protested as my arms were pressed against my sides.

I looked up as the serpent loomed over me. The hatred was easy to read in its one eyed stare.

I couldn’t breathe and I could feel my bones straining under the pressure. Weaving my remaining mana together took all of my concentration, but I gave the spell everything I had. I was fairly sure I heard my ribs starting to creak as I finished the last mana form.

The snake’s tightly clenching muscles rapidly loosened as a thrust of invisible force drove my knife deep into the creature’s brain.

Gasping for breath, I lacked the strength to pull myself from the serpent’s final embrace.

With the heat of battle leaving me, I could hardly maintain consciousness. My air starved brain refused to cooperate as I tried to figure out how I was supposed to escape from the massive snake’s coils. All I could do was try to rest while my mana pool refilled.

After so very long alone, this was not exactly the kind of hug I had been hoping for.