Chapter 24: Despair

Fuck

My mind was working as fast as it could to get me out of this predicament. But no matter how hard I concentrated, a solution to this problem never appeared. The only option I had was to escape. There was no way in hell that I was going to kill all of these berserkers. One was a challenge by itself. If there were just two of them, I might be able to manage them. But no, there were more than six of them. If I didn’t think of something soon, then I would be dying a painful and brutal death. That was something I was not looking forward too.

But if I was going to die down here in these wretched sewers, I was going to make sure I took all of these motherfuckers with me. Or at least most of them. With a solemn look on my face, I turned towards Viola. She would be of no help here. The only way she could help me was by going into her berserker mode. And even if she did that, she would only stay alive a few more seconds than she normally would. No, I had a better use for her. Tapping into our mental connection, I began to speak.

“Viola, I need you to escape. Once you have, I need you to fly towards the bat base and ask for help. My survival depends on you.”

If she did this, I would be killing two birds with one stone. Not only would Viola be safe, but she would be able to get reinforcements.

“What! How can I just leave you to face all the foes? You struggle with just one! The moment I leave will be the moment of your death. If we are going to die, let us die together. I’ve already died once. I don’t care if I add one more death to that count.”

Shaking my head slowly, I responded to my barat.

“No, you will not die here. In a way this is my fault. I should’ve been more cautious. What was I thinking going so deep into the enemy territory? But it’s too late to regret my decision. I need you to live. All you have to do is trust me, I’m pretty sure I can last long enough for reinforcements to come.”

If Viola died, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself. I had grown fond of her over time. She had been the light in my darkness. Without her, I would have slowly driven myself insane. Fighting rats in pitch black darkness with no one to talk to would turn any man insane. Not only that, but I considered her my greatest creation. All of my other reanimations couldn’t really be counted as great. But Viola, she was different. She had unlimited potential! All she had to do was keep on eating enemies and she would grow stronger. If I died, only she would be able to continue on my legacy.

Viola tried arguing with me until I finally just yelled for her to go. With a sad look on her face , she jumped off my shoulder and bolted towards a gap in the giant rats. But before she could past them, one of the giant rats prepared to attack her before she could escape. However I wouldn’t let that happen.

Utilizing my concentration skill to the maximum, I dropped my spear and shoved both of my hands into my pockets. With a scream of rage I began tossing all of my tupas at the berserkers. I mainly focused on the ones close to Viola, but I still managed to aim some at the other berserkers. Once the tupas were in the air, I activated a wind gale from my hands. This way the berserkers wouldn’t be able to dodge the fruits. They were just too fast and too close.

As each fruit took its toll, I placed my foot under my spear and kicked it up towards my hand. Grasping it firmly I charged towards the berserkers that were poisoned. Thanks to the effects of the tupas, only these two could move. The other berserkers would be paralyzed, confused, and drowsy for a short period of time. I need to gather the attention of these two while the others were inconvenienced so Viola could safely escape.

By directing mana to my feet and spear, I launched several earthen spikes in tandem with a dark bolt. The berserker that was on the left had its feet pierced while the other one managed to dodge the spikes. Thankfully my dark bolt managed to nip both of them however the damage was negligent. I would need to come up with a better strategy if I wanted to kill them. However that wasn’t my goal. My goal was to escape!

Twisting my body fluidly, I turned around and bolted in the opposite direction of Viola. This way when they chased me, Viola would get farther and farther away. This plan did have its downsides though. All of the berserker rats would be chasing me and I doubted I could elude them forever. But I could still try.

As I approached the berserkers behind me, I noticed that one of them was attacking the other. Was it because of the confused tupa? Shrugging my shoulders, I cleared any distractions from my mind and focused on surviving. I would not die here.

As I ran towards a random tunnel, a berserker stood in my way with a vicious look on its face. Launching a dark bolt at it face, I jumped in the air. Placing my left hand behind me, I gathered a good chunk of mana and launched it from my hand. With a ferocious roar, my wind gale threw me a good distance away from the berserkers. But since I used wind gale with one hand, my balance was off and I was scraped against a wall as I flew. Gritting my teeth in pain, I kept the wind gale going until I was at another branch of pathways.

Tumbling to the ground in an explosion of dust, I pushed myself up with my spear. I took a brief glance at my arm to see its condition. Red blistered skin that was turning a curious shade of blue met my eyes. I also noticed that I ripped some of my fur cloak. Oh well, I would do what I had to in order to survive.

I took a few seconds to decide on which pathway to go. Although both of these pathways led deeper inside the rat territory, there was nothing I could do about it. The pathway behind me was filled with berserkers and I definitely was nothing going back. Before I could think anymore, my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of pattering feet. Shit, the berserker rats were catching up. Turning towards my left I bolted down the tunnel. I needed to turn around somehow so I could get back to the bats. But unless I found a tunnel that headed in the opposite direction, there was nothing I could do.

As I ran,  I set several traps behind me in so I could slow some of the berserkers that were chasing me. These traps ranged from earthen swamps to small earthen spikes that would tear the feet of anyone that stepped on it. The more time that passed, the more ragged my breath became. I was really glad that I had decided to put points into agility. If I didn’t then these berserker rats would have caught up by now.

Ignoring the pain in my legs, I risked a brief glance behind me. If I had to guess, I would say that these berserkers had been chasing me for around fifteen minutes. I had lost a good chunk of them, but I ended up gaining more whenever I ran into a group of enemies. I also noticed that they seemed to be even angrier than they were before. The only reason I could think of was because I had slammed my knee into a rat that was in the way, instantly killing him. If he didn’t want his neck snapped, then he shouldn’t have been in my way.

What met my eyes when I turned around were two berserkers and a couple giant rats. This was better than what it was before, but not by much. The reason for this was because there were still more enemies that were behind them. If I wanted any hope of escaping, I would need to pick off the fastest runners. But if I tried doing this, there was always a chance of the other rats catching up. I would need to make a decision about what I was doing quickly since my legs wouldn’t be able to last much longer.

My decision was made for me when I noticed several tunnels off in the distance. I would be able to hide in there in none of the enemies saw which one I entered. Glancing back and forth between the enemies and the way in front of me, I launched off several attacks. Wind arrows and electric bolts surged towards my enemies like twin dragons. The reason I was able to launch electricity was because my electric shock had leveled up when I had been running. And it had been a lifesaver. Whenever a bolt paralyzed an enemy, I was filled with hope. All I had to do was keep running.

Downing my mana potion, I tossed my spear in front of me and slammed my hands into the ground. As I faced the rats, I launched a variety of earthen spikes and began to create an earthen wall at the same time. This was easier to do thanks to all the level my concentration skill had gained.

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As the giant rats tried to dodge my spikes, I quickly erected a wall that blocked their line of sight. I was able to make my earthen wall quickly because I focused on size rather than defense. A giant rat would be able to destroy it quite easily now. But by the time it did that, I would be gone in one of the many branching pathways. And no matter which tunnel they chose to go down, the odds of all of the rats that were chasing me to find me were quite slim.

With a burst of speed I began to run towards the pathways with all my strength. As sweat poured down my face I glanced at the many pathways before me. Where should I go? I needed to make my decision pronto since my plan would only work if I disappeared without them knowing where I went. A few precious seconds went by with my indecision until I finally just ran down one at random. I could not afford to waste any more time.

The moment I passed through the entryway, I sacrificed speed for stealth. Although I wanted to escape as quickly as I could, I couldn’t afford to make a sound. If I did, everything I had just done would be for nothing. As I walked, I inwardly cringed whenever I kicked a rock. There were just so many things to avoid, and  I was walking pretty fast. Hearing a series of squeaking off  in the distance, I began to unconsciously hold my breath. Would they find me?

My heart felt like it was going to burst through my chest. There were so many rats following me. Too many to count. If they found me, I was sure to die. There was no question about it. Worry spread throughout my body as I walked. But what I heard next sent my heart tumbling down all the way to my stomach.

Shit.

I could hear some feet pattering in the distance. Although it was still far off, it was getting closer. From the sound of it there were less rats following me than before. Most likely the rats had split up and went in each of the tunnels. Normally I would’ve tried to ambush this rat, but I currently had little to no mana left. And even if I did ambush the rat that was coming, I would need to kill it before it alerted the others. If I didn’t, then it would bring a whole pack of rats on me.

Scanning my surroundings frantically, I looked for some place to hide. A frown etched itself on my face as the footsteps got closer and closer.

There!

Sliding into a narrow crevice, I painfully squeezed my way through the gap until I emerged into a clearing that was on the other side. As I gasped for air, I used the rest of my mana to cover up the crevice with earth. Once this was completed I rested my head on the newly patched earth. With my ear against the wall, I listened out for the rats that were following me.

A few seconds later, I began to faintly hear the sound of sniffing. Could it smell me? The moment I asked myself this question, I was filled with dread. Didn’t rats have an excellent sense of smell? Fuck, I didn’t even think about that. But wait, would it be able to tell where I was? I did block up the gap I went through.

A whole minute of excruciating silence went by as I waited for the rat to find me. I almost had a heart attack the moment a blue box appeared notifying me of the skill I gained. Due to all of the hiding I had been doing, I had gained the skill stealth. I utilized this skill for the next several minutes until I was sure I was safe.

Hwaah

Letting out a deep sigh I closed my eyes and rested against the wall. Whew, that little chase had taken a lot out of me. What was I going to do now? I needed to get back to the bats without being seen. My new stealth skill would help me, but I didn’t know by how much. Opening my eyes slowly I looked around to see where I was. Only to meet face to face with a new species of rat.

Formidable Giant Rat - Lv.14

 Hp: 90/90

Fuck! Could I never have it easy? The enemy that was in front of me was a new species of rat that I had never seen before. Even though I had trouble fighting the berserkers, the enemy that was in front of me was even stronger. Similar to the berserker, the rat in front of me had an immense size. It was even bigger than the berserker! It was also a higher level than me too. Five levels higher to be exact.

Before I could examine the formidable giant rat any further, a spray of scarlet blocked my vision. Huh? What the hell was blocking my line of sight? Confused I glanced down only to see a gaping cut appear in the middle of my chest. What? My head began to fill dizzy as I pawed at the wound. So much blood was coming out. If any more came out, my body would be virtually empty.

Surprisingly I couldn’t feel any pain. Huh, that was odd. I was pretty sure I should be feeling pain right now. I let my spear drop to the floor as  I tried to stop the blood flowing from my wound. But the moment I dropped my spear, a large tail slammed into my face sending my crashing across the ground. Oh, there was the pain.

FUUUUUCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!

More blood gushed out of my body as I slammed into a nearby wall. Fuck, I could feel pain right now. It hurt so much that I couldn’t even see anymore. Only black dots filled my vision. As I collapsed to the ground, I heard the formidable rat come charging toward me. Shit, what could I do? I didn’t have any mana left and my spear was on the other side of the cave. Trying to grab it wasn’t an option because I couldn’t even see. What should I do?

My question was answered as my body was tossed into the air and slammed back down again.

GAH!

Several of my ribs had broken from the attack that I had just received. Shit, I couldn’t do a single thing. I could hardly move any more. The pain was unbearable. Wheezing on the ground, I tried to force air through my lungs. But before I could get a breath of air, I was distracted by a large crack.

No…..

I stared down in horror as my leg was broken by the formidable rat. My leg shouldn’t be facing that direction…..The next few minutes passed by in a blur as I was tortured by this damnable rat. The only reason I was still alive was thanks to my Greater Red tupas and my health potion. But as I was battered around, I began to wonder if death was better than this hell I was living. Why the hell couldn’t it just kill me?

But the moment I felt I couldn’t take anymore, the rat stopped. Could it sense that I was close to deaths door? I stared at the rat in unconcealed fury as my blood began to pool around me. I can’t believe I was about to die here. Stretching my left arm, I dug my fingers in the ground and began to crawl towards the rat. Or at least that was what I would’ve done if I still had my left hand……

…………..God Damnit……………….

I guess this was the end. I couldn’t even feel the pain in my body anymore. All that was left was a sweet numbness. I turned my head to look at the rat that had done this to me. My brown eyes met his grey ones. I hoped it could tell that I hated it from the bottom of my heart. That wretched piece of shit. If I got out of this alive, I would kill every fucking rat I saw. Thoughts like these circulated my head as my vision began to fail. As I began to feel dizzier and dizzier, the rat began to move.

…Wait, was it drooling? Forcing myself to stay awake, I watched in fear as the rat approached me. Was I about to be eaten alive? Tears began pouring down my cheeks as I tried to escape. I was not going to be eaten alive. I couldn’t be. I had too much of my life ahead of me.

But alas I couldn’t move. As a gaping maw began to envelope my vision, a fiery rage began to fill my heart. I would get revenge…no matter what. This life or the next. As the mouth began to close around my head I closed my eyes.

Visions of my friends, my family, my barat, and other things began to flash before my eyes. Was this the whole see your life flash before your eyes thing? Oh well, none of it mattered. Hopefully my loved ones survived. It was a shame, I hoped to see them again. As the teeth of the rat touched my neck, I regretted my weakness. If only I had been stronger.

I guess this was the end.