Jack slid his walking stick/club under the Tuskbeasts throat with one hand, reached around with his other end to grab the opposite end of the stick and pulled.
This was, of course, a very risky maneuver. Jack remembered the beast’s description saying it was “Semi-aquatic”. He was betting this meant it was amphibious like a frog or toad. In other words, an animal that spent a lot of time in the water but still needed to come up for air.
If he was wrong, then the monster could simply outlast him. The Tuskbeast might have gills (though he he hadn’t seen any) or some magical way of breathing underwater. There was no way to tell for sure.
For a few moments Jack feared that he was wrong and that the Tuskbeast would simply wait underwater until he drowned. However, soon the monster began thrashing even more violently.
It shot to the surface, its head reaching for open air as it tried to get oxygen into his lungs. But Jack had a death grip on his stick, and he pulled it ever tighter around his foes throat. He fortunately, had the presence of mind to take another gulp of air in the few seconds he was above water before his mount dived back down below the surface in another futile attempt to shake him off.
Notifications flashed in the corner of his vision.
[You have inflicted Status Effect Suffocation on Juvenile Waterborne Tuskbeast]
[You have inflicted 12 Choking damage on Juvenile Waterborne Tuskbeast]
[You have inflicted 14 Choking damage on Juvenile Waterborne Tuskbeast]
[You have inflicted 13 Choking damage on Juvenile Waterborne Tuskbeast]
[You have inflicted 12 Choking damage on Juvenile Waterborne Tuskbeast]
Jacks strategy was working. However, there was a flaw in it. He himself was running out of air. If this didn’t end soon, he was going to be the one who suffocated to death.
Meanwhile, the Tuskbeast was getting increasingly desperate. It couldn’t breathe and it couldn’t dislodge the intruder from its back. There was only one course of action left to it.
Swimming over to the edge of the pool and leaping out of the water it began to charge the nearest tree. Jack had just enough presence of mind to relax his grip and throw himself off his unwilling mount just before it crashed into a sturdy oak with a loud BANG!
The sound almost drowned out the horrible cracking noise that Jacks left arm made as it broke upon contact with the ground.
[You have suffered Status Effect Broken Arm]
[You will not be able to use this arm until this Status Effect is lifted]
Blinding pain shot through Jacks arm. It felt like it was on fire, radiating waves of agony through his entire body. Gritting his teeth, Jack tried to assess the situation. The Tuskbeast, disoriented from its collision with the tree, struggled to regain its bearings.
Jack checked his stamina. It was at 40/120. Jack knew he had to end this fight quickly. With his broken arm and low stamina, he wouldn’t be able to last much longer.
Forcing himself to ignore the pain, he slowly rose to his feet and looked around for his walking stick. He saw it lying on the ground a few feet away.
Jack walked over to his weapon, picked it up… and cursed! The stick was broken about three fourths of the way down the shaft. This would make it less effective as a clubbing weapon. Jack would have to get in closer than he’d like if he wanted to use it. Although…
Jack took a closer look at his broken weapon. One end of it now terminated in a jagged, broken shaft. If he didn’t use it as club but rather… Yes. Yes, that could work.
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Turning towards his foe, Jack braced his improvised spear with his one good arm. He saw that the Tuskbeast had just about shaken off its disorientation and was looking straight at him, malice glinting in its small, piggy eyes. It was getting ready to charge once again.
Jack thought about how the creature had just attacked him. All he had wanted was some water, but the beast couldn’t just let him have that. Logically, he knew that the Tuskbeast was probably just a dumb animal that saw him as an intruder and acted accordingly.
However, logic was not Jack's immediate concern. The pain in his broken arm, the fatigue setting in, and the belligerence of this cursed beast demanded his attention. Gripping the jagged end of his broken walking stick, he steeled himself for the approaching charge.
As the Tuskbeast charged him, Jack reached for one of his Racial Abilities. It was a gamble, as he had never before used this Ability, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
The creature drew nearer..nearer.. and Jack ROARED! It wasn't just the outraged fury of a man; it was the visceral, burning wrath of someone who had faced the callous hostility of this alien realm. Every ache, every frustration, and every setback he had ever suffered fueled the flames of his fury. His roar echoed not just defiance but also a proclamation that he would not be a mere victim in this unforgiving world.
The Tuskbeast faltered, its charge petering out as a glazed look appeared in its eyes.
[You have used Savage Roar on Juvenile Waterborne Tuskbeast]
[You have inflicted Status Effect Stun on Juvenile Waterborne Tuskbeast]
Jack knew he didn’t have much time. According to Savage Roars description, the stunning effect would only last for three seconds.
Without hesitation he charged his stunned foe, lunging forward and sinking the jagged end of his walking stick through the beasts eye and into its brain
Notifications flashed in the corner of his vision.
[You have dealt a Critical Hit to Juvenile Waterborne Tuskbeast, Damage x4]
[You have inflicted 50 Piercing damage on Juvenile Waterborne Tuskbeast]
The Tuskbeast staggered back. For a moment Jack feared that even this wouldn’t be enough to put the beast down for good.
Then finally, blessedly, the Tuskbeast keeled over on its side… and lay still.
[Congratulations! You have slain Juvenile Waterborne Tuskbeast]
[400 Experience earned]
[Congratulations! You have levelled up]
[Congratulations! You have levelled up]
[You have gained + 4 Strength]
[You have gained + 4 Agility]
[You have 4 free points to distribute]
Jack shook his head, dismissing the notifications. He’d make decisions about what to do with his free points when his arm wasn’t blazing in agony. Fortunately, he had an idea about how to deal with that particular problem.
Jack looked around until he saw a nearby tree with thin peeling bark. Walking over to it, he started extracting the bark. With one arm it was difficult, and it took him a few tries, but he finally managed to extract enough bark for his purposes.
Walking over to the pool, he carefully dipped the bark in to moisten it. The bark was softer now and responded to his touch more easily. Fashioning it into a cup-like shape was much easier after the dunk in the water.
Dipping his improvised cup into the pool, Jack filled it with sparkling, clear water. He then turned to the Aquifer blooms on the pools bank. Awkwardly, he bent down and snagged a couple of blooms with his teeth. Chewing on them for a few moments, he spat the result into the cup.
He Identified the mixture.
[Improvised Healing Solution
Rarity: Uncommon
Quality: Basic
Properties: Accelerates natural healing; relieves pain and fatigue
Uses: Restores 10 Health points over 10 seconds; has a chance to removes minor harmful status effects
Description. Created by mixing Aquifer blooms with water from the Pool of Purity this is the crudest of crude healing potions. The creator of this potion failed to display the slightest bit of expertise when mixing these ingredients. The only reason this potion functions at all is due to the rarity of the ingredients.]
Yeah, I get it,” Jack thought sourly, I’m not some genius alchemist. Honestly, it almost felt like the System was mocking him for his lack of alchemical expertise.
Jack raised his bark-cup to his lips and drained the whole thing in one gulp. Instantly, the agony in his arm lessened and a feeling of relief spread through him. His arm didn’t suddenly fix it itself, but the pain felt more manageable now.
Jack continued the process of chewing up Blooms to make his healing concoction and drinking the resulting mixture. He drank 6 of his Improvised Healing Solutions before, with a sudden snap, the pain in his arm vanished completely.
[Status Effect Broken Arm has been removed]
Jack looked at his healed limb, marveling at how there was not a trace of the break. The pain was completely gone, and the once-broken limb moved with newfound speed and power.
Jack assumed that was probably because of his recent gains. Those extra 4 points in Agility and Strength made a noticeable difference.
That thought reminded Jack of his other notifications. Glancing at his notifications log, he came to a decision. It was time to examine his status and decide where to put his free points.