Free Web NovelChapter 16: First Battle Hunt (2)
The massive bear-boar beast stood up on its back legs. The red light on its bone plates grew so bright that it hurt to look at. It let out a wild roar that shook the dirt loose from the roots of the trees. Then, it slammed both of its front paws down onto the earth with all its weight.
Boom!
The ground cracked open. A shockwave of red energy and broken stones shot outward in every direction. The blast was heading straight for Rohan.
"Rohan, jump!" Eric screamed from the bushes, his voice full of panic.
But Rohan did not jump. He did not run backward either. He took one step forward, right into the shadow of a falling rock.
The beast looked right at him, ready to watch him get crushed. But its amber eyes blinked in confusion. Because of his Shadow Linger ability, the beast’s brain did not see Rohan where he actually was. Its perception was slow. It thought Rohan was still standing two feet to the left.
The red shockwave ripped through the dirt, tearing up the grass and smashing the stones precisely where the beast thought Rohan was. The real Rohan was already moving past the blast, his body sliding through the dim light like a ghost.
By the time the monster realized it had missed, Rohan was already close.
He swung his Steelwind Sword in a quick, clean arc. The sharp blade cut across the beast’s lower leg, slicing through the thick skin right above its paw. Blackish-red blood sprayed out onto the grass.
The beast howled in pain. It swung its heavy arm around to hit Rohan, its long claws cutting through the air with a loud whoosh.
Once again, the Shadow Linger ability did its work. The beast aimed its giant claws at the spot Rohan had been a split second ago. The claws only hit empty air and mist. Rohan simply leaned back, letting the sharp points pass an inch away from his chest, his face completely calm.
"What is he doing?" Barry whispered, his jaw dropping. He was still holding his side, leaning against a tree. "His class is just a Common Class, right? How is he dodging an Epic Beast like that?"
"It is not just speed," Priscilla said. Her eyes were wide as she watched Rohan move. She held her black sword tight, her ice magic still active. "The monster is aiming wrong. It is like it cannot see his actual position until it is too late."
The beast was getting more furious by the second. The failure to hit this small human made its rage trait burn even hotter. Steam rolled off its back in thick clouds, smelling like burnt fur. It stopped trying to use smart attacks. It began to thrash around wildly, swinging its arms, its tail, and its heavy tusks in a chaotic circle.
This made the fight much harder. Even with Shadow Linger delaying the beast’s reaction time, the sheer amount of random attacks filled the space around Rohan.
A large tusk grazed Rohan’s shoulder. The sharp edge cut into his Ironhide Vest. The tough leather held up against the worst of it, but the force of the blow still pushed Rohan back. His boots skidded across the damp dirt, leaving two long marks in the ground.
The monster did not give him time to breathe. It charged again, its heavy paws thumping like a drumbeat.
"We cannot just watch!" Dominion shouted. She forced herself to stand up, ignoring her tired muscles. She placed her hands together and pointed at the earth right in front of the charging monster. "Stone trip!"
A small ridge of solid rock popped out of the ground, right under the beast’s front left paw. It was not enough to stop the monster, but it was enough to make it stumble. The beast’s massive body tilted to the side, its balance broken for a single moment.
"Good job!" Eric called out. He used his remaining strength to run forward, his arm marks glowing faintly. He threw his short blade straight at the beast’s neck.
The blade bounced off the thick bone plating on its neck, but the impact made a loud sound that drew the beast’s attention for a brief second.
That second was all Rohan needed.
He recovered his stance instantly. The shadow under his boots seemed to stretch as he ran forward again. He did not go for a heavy, slow strike. He knew the Epic Beast had too much health and too much armor to die from one big hit. He needed to wear it down, piece by piece.
With his Steelwind Sword held low, Rohan moved into the beast’s blind spot once more. The monster turned its head toward Eric, its delayed mind still trying to calculate where Rohan had gone.
Slash! Slash!
Rohan delivered two quick cuts to the back of the beast’s knee joints. The metal blade bit deep into the tendons. The monster groaned, its huge frame sinking an inch lower into the dirt as its legs started to weaken under its own massive weight.
But an Epic Beast was not so easy to defeat. Feeling its legs give way, the monster let out a desperate, guttular noise. The red glow on its body suddenly shifted, turning into a dark, oily purple color.
The air in the forest grew freezing cold in an instant, clashing with the steam from before.
"Watch out!" Priscilla warned, her element sensing the change immediately. "It is using its other trait!"
The purple light exploded outward from the beast’s bone plates, forming a shield of sharp, frozen spikes all over its back and shoulders. The spikes looked like jagged glass, and they radiated an intense, unnatural chill that made everyone’s breath turn into thick white clouds.
The beast spun its body like a top, using the frozen spikes on its armor to turn itself into a deadly wheel of ice and bone.
Rohan had to leap backward to avoid getting shredded. He landed on a large root, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed the new form. The beast was now fully protected. Any physical attack against its upper body would just hit the sharp ice spikes and break the weapon.
The monster stopped spinning and fixed its amber eyes back on Rohan. It breathed out a blast of icy air that froze the grass solid. freewёbnoνel.com
"Barry, Dominion, stay back!" Priscilla commanded. She stepped forward, her green armor glowing as she raised her black sword high. "My ice magic can counteract its shield! I will break the spikes, then Rohan can strike!"
"Understood," Rohan said quietly from his spot on the root.
Priscilla ran forward, her movements graceful. She swung her sword, sending a wave of blue light toward the beast. "Ice shatter!" she cried.
The wave of magic hit the beast’s purple ice spikes. The two similar elements clashed with a loud grinding sound. Small cracks began to appear on the beast’s frozen armor, and several spikes broke off, falling to the ground and turning into dust.
The beast roared in anger at Priscilla, raising a heavy paw to smash her down.
"Not happening!" Eric appeared from the side, his legs glowing with his speed rune. He grabbed Priscilla by the waist and pulled her back just as the giant paw crashed into the earth, creating a deep crater filled with frost.
The beast’s right side was now completely exposed, and the purple ice spikes in that area had been broken by Priscilla’s spell.
Rohan moved. He dropped down from the root, his body becoming a blur in the dim light.
The beast saw a shadow moving toward its left side and immediately swung its left arm to block. But because of Shadow Linger, it was blocking a ghost. The real Rohan was already on its right side, standing right in the gap where the ice spikes had been destroyed.
Rohan held his Steelwind Sword with both hands. He channeled his strength into his arms, his muscles tightening under his vest. He did not hesitate. He thrust the sword upward with immense force, aiming right for the soft flesh under the beast’s jaw.
The blade went deep, sinking half its length into the monster’s throat.
The beast stiffened. Its amber eyes widened in pure shock. A thick, dark fluid began to pour out from the wound, staining the silver blade and the green grass below. It let out a choked, wet sound, its massive body shaking violently.
But it was still not dead.
With a final, desperate surge of energy, the beast’s red and purple lights began to mix together, glowing with an unstable, dangerous brightness. The air around it started to vibrate. The monster was going to detonate its remaining energy in a last-ditch effort to take everyone down with it.
Rohan kept his grip on the sword, his gaze steady as the beast’s body began to swell with destructive power.
