The screech of galloping hooves was muted by the tunnel walls and made disorienting by their echoes. Still, it was clear that whatever was behind the burning eyes now fiercely approached her and was getting closer. The only problem was that she could not see where the charge was coming from. The noise was becoming louder, closer, and there was a sudden blast of hostility above her.
Rana lowered her body and dashed forward. The massive body of the enemy shot past above her like the arrow of a ballista. The monster hooves thundered away from her and back into the walls of the tunnels.
It was the correct decision to advance rather than retreat. The tunnel corridor was too narrow to escape to the side, especially without knowing how large the monster was. The speed of its charge and the direction it came from also made retreat an even worse option. She would be too slow and the monster would ram into her with the momentum it built up. However, the momentum was the reason why the dodge forward was possible.
If Rana could sweat, she knew this would be a time where she did.
When it came to anticipating the attack of monsters, there were two aspects that were the most important. The first was the attack trajectory warning that every marked one could see. Monsters were creations of the System and their every action was predetermined and recorded in it. Those warnings were the projections of the System’s action. However, she was unable to see any in this situation. It made no sense. The idea of visibility was inconsequential and the darkness did not hide the trajectory. The warning was represented visually, but it does not require anything but the warning being in her line of sight. There was no reason why she could not see it.
The second aspect was the monster’s hostility. They were difficult to understand in a more detailed and informative manner, but it was usually a good indicator of where the monster was. The issue now was that she could barely sense the hostility coming from her enemy. It was not that it wasn’t there, it was that it was hidden. When the monster dove into the stone walls, it was as if the hostility was being diluted by the emotions of the Dungeon.
Rana found herself in quite a troublesome situation. If she could not see the warning trajectories or sense the monster’s hostility, then there was only one option left.
She rushed towards the exit of the tunnel. The monster did not stop her. It was intelligent. It no doubt knew that the narrow path to the open platform and the drop was more advantageous to it rather than her. It was a familiar sense of oddity, that monsters within these new Dungeons created by Mara exhibited senses of intelligence. If she was allowed to retreat without being challenged, then it was clear she was the one running towards a disadvantage. However, it was a risk she would need to take.
Stolen novel; please report.
If she could not sense hostility or see the warning trajectories, then there was only one correct approach to dealing with the enemy. Observation. The tunnel was too narrow and dark, so even if it was riskier, she needed to be in the open, where whatever tricks the enemy monster had hidden within the shadows would be laid bare.
Rana stood at the end of the narrow path, right before where it connected to the platform, and waited. She could not see it, but she knew the monster was coming. The question was where.
Behind!
It was the most optimal direction for the monster to attack, and it knew that fact too. However, even though the monster exhibited intelligence, it at most gave them the ability to restrain their aggression and choose a course of action with a higher probability of success. It did not give them the ability to scheme and plan. The monster would not know that its prey expected and wanted it to attack from behind.
The monster charged. It was swimming in the stone and unimpeded by the solidness of it. However, she knew that its ability to ignore the terrain did not apply to her body. It reminded her of the giant monster they encountered that swam in the earth. This one was not as large, but it exhibited the same capability.
Rana jumped off to the side as the open maw of the monster came charging towards her. The monster did not care, it simply continued forward along the path. If its prey fell, it died; if the prey ran, it would die eventually. However, she quickly turned around and slammed her staff and lodged the crescent blade within the stone path. The monster again ignored her action. It would simply knock off the weak twig preventing her from falling.
She would call the monster foolish, but it did not make the decision based on careful planning. It simply chose what was optimal.
Rana slid her blade off of the path and slashed it forward when the monster maw came. The edge cut between its jaw, but it was barely a scratch. However, she would not fall. The attack hit and it triggered the Support Attack Talent. Distance and time lost their meaning. She would choose her follow-up attack.
She was suddenly above the monster. She slammed her staff into its back. The monster screamed in agony and its screech shattered her nonfunctional eardrum. Without any further delay, she let the edge of the blade burn, and ashes ignited within the monster with the help of Fool’s Fire. The explosion slammed the monster against the floor and the momentum of its unrelenting charge caused the monster to tumble off of the narrow path. It fell into the abyss as the dust settled.
It was not over, naturally.
Hostility flared and it rose from below and rushed towards Rana. She quickly moved to the platform, narrowly avoiding the giant body that shot upwards like a ball of shadowy fire. The explosion did not hurt it too much, it only damaged its pride.
The monster stood tall and proud as its massive body hovered in the air, or rather, as it descended slowly. Its mane was shadows that burned like flames and covered its muscular build. Its legs were numerous, each one with hooves that shined like obsidian and with edges that gleamed. Its nostrils breathed heat that distorted the air around it, and its eyes burned crimson.
The monster was a mutated Wave Weaver.