Chương 161: Chapter 151-Chosen Drake

Sometimes plans go sideways. You know they… Huh, why is a plan going sideways a bad thing? Is there something inherently wrong with being sideways? Okay, let's try another one. Sometimes plans go belly up… What?! Belly up? Why is that bad? I sleep belly up, belly down, belly sideways. Sideways! There it is again. Enough, I need to focus on what I'm trying to say here. One more time. Sometimes plans go pear-shaped. Ugh. Pear-shaped? What's wrong with pears? I like pears, strawberries, apples, and even carrots.

Although my aversion to carrots has grown lately based on how often I see Hopper eat them. I need to talk to Luna about that. Hopper's been sneaking carrots again. It may be funny, but at the same time it's probably a bad thing for him to be doing. What was I talking about again? The Drake barrels down the mountain as it gains on the fleeing Hopper. OH, right! The plans gone down in flames. See! That one makes sense. None of this sideways, belly up, pe- Penelope grabs me by the collar and flings me out of the way.

Skidding hard against the ground, I watch as Penelope disappears and then reappears in front of the running Hopper. Without stopping, he runs right into her, and they both disappear, only to reappear next to me. Right as they reappear, the Drake lets out a beam of crackling lightning that digs a groove into the ground where I was standing. The smallest Giant falls as the beam veers up and shocks him to death, leaving behind charred flesh and the smell of smoked meat.

If my fight with Tyra was any indicator, it won't be able to do that again for a small while. Which means it's time to get the fuck out of this area, maybe even the mountain range.

"Wait! This is a perfect opportunity," Penelope says as the four remaining Giants charge the Drake.

"A perfect opportunity to die?" I ask as Hopper catches his breath.

"The perfect opportunity to [Level Up]. We wait for our moment and then take them both out while they're distracted. That was the original plan after all," she says as she draws the edge of her greatsword up her forearm.

"That plan was supposed to have us up on that mountain, not right next to them," I point out as the throbbing in my hands makes it hard to hold Stabby. Hopper watches as the largest Giant grabs the wings of the Drake and tries to pin it down.

"Whatever we're going to do. We better do it now," he says as he draws his bow. Penelope gives me a look as the thin Giant is hit by the Drakes spiked tail, drawing blood.

"Fine! Hopper, blind them and provide cover. Penelope, clip that Drake before it has a chance to fly away," I say as Penelope's greatsword crackles to life.

"What are you going to do?" she asks as Hopper hops to the high ground.

"I'm going to annoy the shit out of them," I say as I run towards the fight. Before I can even make it five steps, Penelope appears on the back of the Drake. The four Giants that are pummeling the Drake continue as if she wasn't even there. Then, with moves I've never seen before, she gracefully [Steps] between the hits. The speed of which creates a blur of multiple Penelopes. With each [Step], she slashes at the base of the wings, until they're shredded beyond use. How was she able to dodge that?

At the same time, a volley of arrows from Hopper flies overhead. Froppy fires his own arrows, causing a chain reaction of bouncing that pelts the faces of the Giants. The rest of the arrows fall towards me. Without a care in the world, I keep moving forward as they land perfectly around me. The now blind creatures roar in anger. Giants blind. Drake grounded. Now it's my time to shine.

"Poor little Drake. Without your wings, you might as well be a normal lizard and not even a dangerous one. At least that's what these big dolts think, right, big guys?" I [Taunt] as I run behind one of the smaller Giants. Penelope disappears off the back of the Drake as it lunges towards me. With a stroke of luck, the large Giant blocks it with his leg. In response, it slams violently down, clipping the Drake's leg.

"Oi, bleeding fuck! Feeling a bit lightheaded, or is that just natural for you?" I [Taunt] as I duck behind the muscular one. With a swing, the bleeding one slams face first into the thigh of the muscular one. Without much thought, it kicks, sending the bleeding one straight onto the back of the Drake. With a swing of its spiked tail, it crushes the head of the bleeding Giant. One down. Three more to go. Danger pricks the back of my neck in my moment of distraction.

Looking back, I see the meaty hand of a Giant as it closes in on me. Shit! Penelope rockets through the air and slices the hand off at the wrist.

"Move!" she yells. Without hesitation, I run and barely dodge out of the way as the Drake leaps straight towards me. How did she notice that? Not now! I need to focus.

"Move it, slowpokes! I've seen cows move faster than that!" I [Taunt] as I slide right under the foot of the large Giant. The one-handed creature rushes to my position, accidentally tackling the large one. The two of them struggle to get up as they slam into each other in an aggressive and panicked manner. In their struggle, an arrow flies between them, creating an icy sheet. That should keep them busy. The air crackles with static electricity and the sound of a high-pitched whine floods the area.

It's then quickly followed by the feeling of danger. Turning back, I spot the Drake as it glows with a yellow energy. It's got its breath back! Right as it goes to shoot its beam, I hit the ground. At the same time, Penelope slams greatsword first into the jaw of the beast, sending the beam right around me and into the two frozen ones. Pain-filled groans and the smell of charred flesh fill the air as they go limp. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

A wash of relief passes through me for only a second as I watch the muscular Giant slam Penelope into the Drake. Shit! With no hesitation, it goes for another strike.

"Hopper!" I yell as I [Throw] Stabby. Come on! I'll [Gamble] it all on Hopper. He can stop the hit! I know it. Stabby flies through the air, heading straight for the chest of the Giant. It's too far! That won't do anything if it hits! It'll be like stabbing me with a thistle. As the fist comes down, an arrow clips the edge of Stabby's hilt, sending it spiraling higher. The uneven edge of Stabby slashes straight across the shoulder and out the back. The fist of the creature falls, missing Penelope completely.

Stabby must've cut a muscle or something. Penelope shakes herself out of her daze and immediately runs up the arm of the muscular Giant. It takes its working hand and slams itself in an attempt to get her, but almost as if predicting it, Penelope slides under, narrowly avoiding the hit and cutting off three fingers in the process. The meaty fingers fall to the ground with a loud thump, rousing the dazed Drake. Drawing The Chosen Blade, I rush forward and leap onto the back of the Drake.

The creature almost immediately tries to buck me.

"I'm not very strong. So I may need a foothold, sorry!" I yell as I stab my blade into its neck. It howls in pain and then slams its spiked tail into me. One of the spikes digs deep into my stomach, causing an audible groan. It barely grazed me, yet it hurts this much? Fair play, I guess. Giving me no time to rest, it goes to slam me again. Not good. Putting my hand up, I watch as Stabby falls back down right next to me.

Grabbing Stabby, I block the next attack, right as the spiked tail is a hair's breadth away from my eye. The ground shakes as the muscular Giant falls with blood pouring down its neck. That's great. I'd feel much better about it if I wasn't in mortal danger! The tail suddenly goes slack as Penelope slashes through the base of the tail.

"Took you long enough," I say as the hole in my stomach starts to heal from [Gamble].

"I had a Giant to kill," she bites back. Crackling electrical energy reverberates through the air.

"It's forcing a breath attack! We need to kill it now!" I yell as I slide off the crackling Drake.

"What do you want me to do? Even after the beating it's taken, it's still standing," she asks as the beast turns to us.

"A [Shield]!" I yell as we run away.

"I'm out of MP!"

"Think you can tank it?"

"Hells no!" As we bicker, an arrow flies between us and right into the mouth of the Drake. Ice forms around its open mouth. The beast struggles and writhes as the electrical energy builds and builds with no path of release. The scales burn bright hot at the edges as they bulge out like a parasite trying to escape a body. Without warning, the bulging stops and is promptly followed by an explosion of electrical energy, blood, and Drake guts. 2 LvL. 12 Giants have been Defeated. 3 LvL. 3 Giants have been Defeated.

Lightning Drake LvL. 23 has been Defeated. Level Up!! Skill <Taunt> has Leveled Up +1 DEX +1 LCK With a huff, I look around at the various bodies. We pulled that off. We actually pulled that off? I didn't think we could d- OW! A pulsing pain emanates from my stomach as the hole in it has barely closed. Guess the healing from [Gamble] wasn't enough to fully close it up, forcing me to double over in pain. Penelope struggles to keep her lunch as she doubles over.

"Two [Levels] in less than a week. Reminds me of the good old days." Hopper leans against a wall as sweat beads form on his brow.

"I wouldn't call them the good old days. I, for one, don't miss this feeling. Good thing we're not doing anything after this."

"What do you mean?" Penelope asks in confusion.

"Oh, Hopper! There's something I need to tell you," I say as I suddenly remember something important. Penelope stares daggers into me.

"Yeah, what's up?" he asks.

"We're doing something after this."

"You didn't tell him?!"

"I'm not going to rest after this, am I?"

"No," Penelope and I say in unison.

"Great…"