The bull creature’s charge rumbled the earth. Fire flared beneath its hooves as they struck the ground, and flames licked the tips of its horns. It radiated power, its very presence seeming to twist the air around it. Its rush felt less like an attack and more like a natural disaster, a tidal wave or avalanche hurtling inevitably toward me. I readied my spear almost in vain; there was no way I was going to be able to stop that thing; I doubted I could even avoid it. It would plow into me, battering my body, and there was nothing I could do to prevent it.
Even as futility swept over me, my body reacted, responding without my conscious direction. I dove sideways, rolling on the ground and coming to my feet as the huge bull swept past. The hot wind of its passage swept over me, and the earth beneath my back trembled and shook. My left shoulder burned and stung as I rolled over it, and the pain jerked me out of the sudden feeling of futility that clouded my thoughts. Even with my attempt to dodge, the bull’s horns had tagged my shoulder. Eventually, it would catch me…
A loud boom yanked me out of another odd bout of despair, and I shook my head to clear it. The bull had continued past me and crashed into the shelter Aeld had made. The massive beast ripped through the pile of rock, reducing it to rubble and destroying our campsite. Fortunately, Bregg had gotten clear of it; the hunter crouched to one side, holding his spear with one hand while pressing the other against his side. Apparently, he hadn’t gotten completely clear; either the bull’s horns or the falling stone from our broken shelter had caught him. I glanced sideways at Aeld; the shaman lay in a heap off to the side, bleeding from several shallow wounds along his back, and I realized that the bull had gotten him, too. He groaned and pushed himself up to his hands and knees, wincing and favoring a wrist that I suspected was broken. The fucking bull had charged one time, and it managed to hurt all three of us.
This was going to be bad.
The huge bull rumbled past our shelter and began to swing about, turning in a wide circle. Its hooves crushed stone beneath them, and its horns plowed through anything standing in its way. Soon enough, that would probably be us tumbled beneath its feet, flattened into furry paste…
“John, focus,” Sara’s voice snapped urgently in my mind, disrupting my spiraling thoughts. “Push it out!”
“What?” I asked, confused. “Push what out? What are you talking about?”
“Those thoughts, John. They aren’t yours. They’re coming from outside you. Here, I’ll show you.” The world shifted around me as See Magic activated. Thick bands of energy appeared in the twisting, writhing sky, seeming to wrap around the spires of spirit lights, burning an angry red color. A mist of the same color shrouded the ground nearby, flowing like an unseen fog and pooling near Aeld and Bregg. The haze thickened near their heads, and when I looked more closely, I saw tiny crimson tendrils sinking into Aeld’s skull.
“Exactly, John. The same thing’s happening to you. That’s why you feel hopeless. Try to push it out!”
I wasn’t sure how to do that, but I figured that if Sara could give me more precise directions, she would have. I’d just have to use my imagination and hope for the best. I took a deep breath, then pushed outward with my thoughts, imagining a wall spreading out through my head. I pictured that red mist being driven back by that wall, flowing out of my head and seeping back into the air around me. A throbbing grew in my skull as I pushed, a pounding that increased as I pictured driving the thoughts of despair and futility out, but I set my jaw and kept shoving. The pain increased, focusing behind my left eye, and I wondered if I was about to give myself an aneurysm or something. Again, I assumed if that were the case, Sara would warn me about it, so I simply pushed harder, ignoring the growing pain in my skull. Something pushed back against me, and I slammed the wall outward with a grunt of effort. I felt something give inside my skull, not the most pleasant feeling to be sure, but the pain vanished, and my thoughts suddenly cleared.
I straightened as the alien influence fled my brain and I came to my senses. What the fuck was I doing? The huge bull had almost completed its turn back toward us, and I was just standing there, waiting for it. Part of me had felt that attacking it was pointless, but I knew now that part hadn’t really been me. With my new clarity, I understood that I only had one chance to beat this thing, and it wasn’t standing around and accepting its charges. My spear wasn’t long enough for that, and I wasn’t anywhere near strong enough to hold it in place.
I glanced around me, but whatever had been affecting my thoughts had firm hold over Bregg’s and Aeld’s. Bregg crouched low, trembling and cradling his broken wrist, while Aeld had pushed up to his hands and knees but stayed there, not even trying to stand. I didn’t know if I could somehow snap them out of whatever it was, but I didn’t have time to find out. The bull was on its way once more, its horns lowered as it charged toward us, and neither Bregg nor Aeld were in any shape to dodge.
I gripped my spear tightly and raced forward, rushing toward the charging beast, then veering off to my left. I ran at a shallow angle, hoping to draw the beast’s attention; I could have easily cut hard left and dodged it, but then it would probably just trample the others instead. I needed it to think it could catch me without letting it catch me. Of course, the downside to that was that letting it get that close meant that it might actually catch me, especially if it had some weird abilities it hadn’t shown yet, but I’d deal with that if and when I had to.
The bull’s hooves dug into the ground, flinging sparks as it reoriented its charge toward me. Its bulk shifted ponderously as it tried to shift in my direction. That was its weakness: it was big and powerful, to be sure, but all that momentum meant it couldn’t turn quickly. It was fast, though, quicker than I expected, and I put on a quick burst of speed to try and race past I t. It roared and swung its head sideways as it rumbled past me, swinging its head sideways to try and gore me with its horns. I dove low and felt the thorny antlers sweep past me, passing just above me.
I twisted to my feet and stabbed out with my spear as the thing crashed past me, activating Spiritual Strike as I did. My thrust was off-balance and poorly aimed, lacking any real force behind it, but thanks to my ability, it still slid past the bull’s hide and plunged several inches into its rear haunch. The beast screamed in rage but couldn’t do much as it thundered past me—or so I thought until its back hoof kicked up a wave of stone that crashed into me and hurled me backwards. I rolled instinctively with the impact, but my chest and back still throbbed from where I’d been hit.
“What the fuck is this thing, Sara?” I demanded as I rubbed my aching chest. Nothing seemed broken, but I had a feeling the blow might have separated a rib or two from how much taking a deep breath hurt.
“It’s another spirit-possessed creature, John,” she said tersely. “And a dangerous one. Here, look.”
Undottyar
Spirit-Possessed Beast
Estimated Spirit Rank: Class N Elder
Estimated Physical Stats:
Prowess: 81 Vigor: 75
Celerity: 32 Skill: 33
“Holy shit,” I muttered silently as I examined the screen that had popped up in my vision. I knew that the thing was powerful; I just hadn’t realized how much stronger and tougher than me it was. “An elder spirit? Are you sure?”
“Not 100%, no. I haven’t seen an elder spirit before, but its energy is very different from a land or close spirit, and it’s too strong to be a beast or living spirit. Process of elimination.”
The bull brayed in rage, and I realized it was starting to orient on me again. I ran toward it once more, again angling off to my left. It anticipated the move, though, and had already begun cutting that way to intercept me. I waited for it to commit, then darted back to my right, rolling out of its path again and stabbing it with another Spiritual Strike. It roared in fury once more and kicked another wave of stone at me, but I’d been ready for that and was already moving out of the way. The explosion of rock and gravel still shook the earth beneath me, knocking me down, but I turned the fall into a roll with ease and rose to my feet, more or less unharmed.
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I could beat this thing, I decided. It wouldn’t be easy or fast, but I could do it. Its strength and size were a detriment, not an advantage, and I could whittle it down, shredding its spirit with Spiritual Strikes until it was too slow and hurt to keep charging. Then, killing it would be easy enough.
“I’m not sure about that, John,” Sara said gravely.
“What do you mean?”
“Those two wounds you gave it barely hurt it, I’m afraid. Extrapolating from those injuries, you’ll have to hit it another sixty-three times before the wounds become dangerous.”
I grimaced. Sixty-three was a lot, and that meant a lot of chances for things to go wrong. Still, it was possible; I just had to be careful and not let myself get arrogant or overconfident.
“I don’t think it is, John. Possible, I mean. I don’t think you can make that many Spiritual Strikes in a row.”
“What? Why not? I thought there was just the one-minute cooldown!”
“There is, but I based that cooldown on the assumption that you’d only need to use it a few times in a row. All of your abilities require energy to use, and my stores—and yours—are limited. For Spiritual Strike, I’m basically disassembling your spear and rebuilding it so it mostly exists in the spiritual plane, and while that doesn’t take a lot of power, it does require some. I might be able to activate it twenty times or so in an hour before I have to start tapping on your reserves to make it happen—and that means a loss of XP.”
“Fuck!” I swore silently. “Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“I didn’t think it would matter. You’ve never fought anything that would need twenty Spiritual Strikes in a row.”
I could see her point, but it pissed me off to find out in the middle of battle like this. Still, being angry wouldn’t help anyone, so I pushed my frustration aside. We’d talk about it later. For now, we had a monster to fight—although I had no idea how I was going to do it. I doubted my spear could wound it deeply enough to really hurt it, at least not with the glancing strikes I was managing to get in. If I could get closer to it, I could do more damage, but that would get me trampled. Of course, that wasn’t the only way to use a spear...
“Sara, would Spiritual Strike work if I threw the spear?”
“No, John. Once I lose contact with the weapon, it’ll disperse. Channeled Strike would, though.”
That was something; unfortunately, I hadn’t really practiced throwing my spear. I had an idea of how to do it, but I wasn’t confident enough to be sure of getting a solid hit on the thing.
“I can help some, John, thanks to your Throwing skill. I’m not sure how accurate I can make you, though, at least not until I’ve seen you try to throw it a few times.”
“That’ll have to do,” I said grimly, watching as the beast circled around for another charge. “If it takes a few tries to figure out how to throw it, then it takes a few tries.”
“Use the storm.” Kadonsel’s quiet voice startled me as she spoke, and I focused my thoughts on her.
“What?”
“The ancient storm. Use it to guide your spear, the way we use the wind spirits in our tulli. You don’t have to be accurate, then.”
“That—might work, John,” Sara said slowly. “In fact, I think I already have a pattern for it. Here, try this.” An image appeared in my head, a complex spell-form that quickly shifted into a few simpler pieces.
Concentrating on the spell as the bull rushed toward me wasn’t the easiest thing I’ve ever done. Power flowed up from the quiescent storm spirit, into my arm, and sheathed the spear in my hand. As the bull neared me, I hefted the spear, activated Channeled Strike, and flung the weapon at it, doing my best to imitate javelin throwers I’d watched on TV back on Earth. I felt the surge of spiritual energy propel the weapon from my hand, gripping it and guiding it through the air. The moment the spear left my fingers, I darted sideways, racing out of the beast’s path, and I was glad that I did.
The bull opened its muzzle in a loud bray that rang in my ears, but the sound wasn’t all that ripped out of its throat. A blast of brilliant fire swept out before it like a curtain of flame, rolling over the ground. My left leg burned as some of the fire washed over it, and I dove forward to escape the rush of flames that roared past me. I hissed in pain as the fire wrapped around my calf, scorching my fur and searing my skin, but the flames winked out swiftly, leaving lumps of curled, smoking fur in its wake.
The bull screamed as it thundered past me, and I looked over at it to see how well my attack had worked. The spear jutted from the hump of the beast’s shoulders, embedded at least a foot in the meat of the creature’s muscles, quivering and shuddering. The weapon winked out a moment later as Sara reclaimed it, and within seconds, I held its comforting weight in my hand once more.
“Did that hurt it?” I asked Sara silently.
“More than your earlier hits did, but not severely, no. I’d judge that eighteen more hits like that should do it—but that’ll tap your hunt spirit fairly deeply.”
“Then I need to be more accurate,” I thought grimly as I hefted the spear and ran toward it. If I was throwing the weapon, I didn’t need to wait for it to charge me anymore. Besides, its side presented a lot more target area than its front did.
“Telescopic Vision might help,” Sara suggested. “At least, it might help you spot the target you want.”
“Good call.” I activated the ability and stumbled as the world suddenly zoomed in on me, blocking my vision of the ground and throwing off my stride. I turned the ability off and ran to close with my target, stopping thirty feet away or so. The bull was in the middle of its wide turn, presenting its side to me, and I activated my ability once more, this time focusing on the charging beast. Its bulk suddenly loomed large in my vision, looking to be just outside of arm’s reach. I could see its thick ribs beneath its smooth skin; I could make out the play of bulging muscles rippling as it charged. I could also see the pulsing of its breath in its neck, and my first instinct was to aim there, but I hesitated. I didn’t know how accurate my spell made the spear, and a miss would likely get tangled in its horns. What I really needed to do was slow it down, not try to kill it outright.
I shifted my gaze and hefted my spear, channeling energy into it as I did. I took a couple steps before flinging the weapon, and this time, I watched as it sailed outward. I swore silently as the bull picked up speed—I’d led it based on how fast it was running—but to my surprise, my weapon curved to match the beast, altering its flight in midair. It streaked forth and slammed into the bull’s front shoulder, plunging into the meat there and unleashing a blast of spiritual energy.
The bull screamed and charged past me, trailing blood as my spear vanished and reappeared in my hand. It began to circle once more, but I raced to its other flank and flung the spear, this time burying it in its other shoulder. It bellowed and kicked the earth, throwing up waves of stone and belching flames, but it couldn’t reach me as long as I kept moving. My next spear landed just below the first wound I’d given its shoulder and sank deeper, and the thing stumbled slightly as the spear tore its muscles. A fourth throw pierced completely through its leg, and it fell hard, slamming into the ground and rolling as that leg failed it for a moment.
I reclaimed my spear and began to run toward it, but it quickly clambered to its feet. It stood a little unsteadily, facing me, and its beady eyes burned into mine. I could almost feel the fury and malevolence there, and I braced myself to prepare for its charge. Instead of lowering its head and rushing me, though, it lurched sideways, turning away from me, pawed the ground, and charged off, leaving me standing a bit dumbfounded. That lasted for all of a second before I realized it was headed toward where I’d left Bregg and Aeld. I didn’t know if they were recovered or not, but if they weren’t, this thing could kill them pretty easily.
I hesitated for a moment. Technically, this could solve my problems. If the bull killed Bregg, I wouldn’t have to worry about him anymore. If it trampled Aeld, Bregg would leave and return to his valskab. Even if it just badly wounded one of them, the other would want to remain here, and I could be on my way without them. All I had to do was nothing—and, in fact, nothing would be the most logical thing to do.
I swore silently as I raced after the bull, hefting my weapon and pouring energy into it. The Faceless Man would have let the bull trample the pair. Hell, the Faceless Man would have scampered when the damn thing appeared and left Aeld and Bregg to fend for themselves. That wasn’t who I wanted to be anymore, though, and that meant that I had to at least try to save them, even if it made my life a little harder.
This is exactly why people say that heroes are stupid.
The wounds I’d given the beast weren’t life-threatening, but they did slow it enough that I could catch up to it. It roared in fury as my pounding steps carried me close to it, and it flung another blast of stone at me, this time with its front hoof. I leaped onto the surge of rock, stepping off the top of it with one foot and cocking my shoulder at the same time. My spell wrapped around the spear as my eyes fastened on a spot just in front of its nearer shoulder, and I snapped my arm downward with as much force as I could manage. The spear shot forth at practically point-blank range, burying half its length in the bull’s neck just before the shoulder. The thing screamed and tumbled as its front leg failed it, crumpling beneath it, and its horns gouged a deep track in the ground as it slid to a halt.
The thing brayed at me as I landed heavily, stumbling but managing to keep my feet. My spear reformed in my hand, and as its head swung toward me, I hurled the weapon with all my strength. A blast of fire exploded from the thing’s mouth and blanketed me just as the spearhead vanished into the beast’s eye. It screamed and thrashed, and another wave of stone swept up from its kicking feet, crashing into me. A crack echoed in my head as something hard slammed into my skull, and I fell into blackness, the beast’s screech of agony the last sound I heard before consciousness fled.