Chương 27: Desperate Fight

Rosanna was bathing in the afterglow of the setting sun when she felt a kick in her stomach. A smile blossomed on her face as she rubbed her protruding belly. There were still three months until her delivery, yet her unborn child was already growing impatient. She had already settled on a few good names for the baby, be it from Ember or Rain, but she still managed to resist her urge to learn whether it was a boy or a girl.

Of course, she herself was incapable of determining it, but many high-rankers probably could after a little probing. Even Cliff was now capable of it, though he resisted after hearing her request. The skies knew how much she missed him. With Rain busy with her schooling and Ember off on his first outing, Rosanna was alone and forlorn in the house for long hours. She couldn't even attempt cooking some long-winded recipes, as there was nobody home to eat them.

Her eldest had no interest in learning the art despite giving up combat. In her own words, she would never become half as good as her without the class, so why bother even trying? At least Ember showed more enthusiasm. After Cliff was gone, he seemed to have taken up the role of her cooking attendant, even trying himself at times. He wasn't terrible at it, but he still had a long way to go. Well, her standard might be a little high with her Chef class.

She stepped back on her way into the house, perhaps to help herself to something sweet and sour, when she heard a disturbance coming her way. She turned to find her father-in-law trudging into their compartment with the help of one of his sons. Rosanna recognised this one at least. Cloud wasn't among the most talented of his offspring, but he had some quality to become something of an assistant to his father.

For now, her gaze lingered on the older man, who seemed to have aged a decade in the time she hadn't seen him. Compared to his ever-pristine appearance, his hair was now dishevelled, a gruff beard growing on his face, though the worst of it was his left leg. He was missing it completely, only trudging along with the help of a wooden stump. Rosanna's heart skipped a beat as the man approached.

"I can walk on my own," her father-in-law said, pushing off his son.

"You think I'm useless just because I lost a leg."

"But Father, the healer said—""Fuck off from my face." Cloud had no option but to back away as the elder came to stand before her, his expression solemn as he examined her. Her unease only grew greater with each passing second. As far as she knew, Timber Blackstone was out on the same expedition as Cliff, though he had been one of the late additions. But now he was here, missing a leg... Oh Heaven, please... please don't let it be anything bad.

"There has been an incident in the northern folded plains," he finally said in the most neutral voice possible, and Rosanna's heart leapt out of her chest.

The demonic lizard wasn't as large as the one Zephyr was dealing with, but it was still evidently of Iron rank, its presence menacing, its cries more than unnerving. Ember had no time to check where the others were, or even look for his lost wands. He couldn't even unsheathe his sword when the monster leapt towards him.

Now, his Tier 6 shield could still hold its own against a peak Iron creature, but he didn't take his chances, immediately bolting out of the way with Sprint Burst, missing the maw of the horrid creature by a hair's breadth. He didn't stop there, shifting as far as he could with the incessant application of his advanced running skill. Regrettably, the reptilian creature wasn't any worse at sudden bursts of movement either.

Ignoring all the others in the vicinity, even the fallen beasts or people, it charged after him. The demon spawn's cries almost broke through his concentration, striking his mind like a pinprick. Thankfully, he had evolved his Heightened Focus to Iron rank Split Focus. Ember only had to endure the pricking psionic attack, as his concentration was sublime. He managed to unsheathe his blade by the time it reached him. The sword's edges grew radiant as he channelled mana into it, his eyes tracking the monster.

His Tier 4 sword might be able to hurt it if he could manage to land a blow. Still, he didn't chance it and evaded when it drove its massive form at him. Sprint Burst, at its very limit, still seemed to be losing to the monster's movement. Ember considered climbing up a tree, but there was no guarantee it couldn't follow. At least he made his movement erratic, zigzagging through the trees, trying to use the forest to his advantage. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The repulsive spawn struck the trees a couple of times, but it was hardly slowing down. It seemed to take him as a sporting endeavour as there were far easier targets in the vicinity. With Split Focus, he divided his mind to build some kinetic force. He hadn't acquired the Kinetic Release skill, but he could still build up some unstructured force by pressuring his breath of mana.

It might not be as strong as the Tier 3 wand, but as long as it could even obstruct the lizard for a blink of an eye, it could give him an opportunity with the sword. Ember had little fear so long as his protective ward held. It still had enough mana to last a few more minutes; after that, he could channel his own mana into it. He even had a mana reservoir ready on his ring. Ruminating on that, he grew bolder. The monster was likely below level 50. The sword could break through its defences.

Bracing himself, Ember sprinted parallel to the beast, waiting for it to shoot towards him without a care. His blade was brandished with mana in one hand, while his other palm held the concentrated kinetic charge. The longer he held it, the more power built, but it grew in proportional pain as well. His mind ached as he waited for the opportune moment. All his mental skills and attributes were hyperactive. They worked together for this single moment.

So when the iron lizard hurled itself at him with all its momentum, Ember didn't back away. He released the kinetic charge, smashing into the creature head-on as his sword fell upon its rugged bulk. An electric spasm ran through his palm. It felt as though he had struck a rock. Setting his jaw, he poured all his Will and mana into the blade, thrusting it with all his might.

It penetrated its iron defence and almost dug through, finding little resistance once the defence broke, but then a piercing screech hammered into his mind, followed by a sweep of its lower body. Its thick tail smashed into his midsection, hurtling him several metres away. Despite the protective shield, Ember felt a substantial brunt of the blow. His sight darkened, the blistering air caught in his chest as he hyperventilated while crashing down. At least he managed to cling to his sword, his only remaining weapon.

The horrid spawn wasted no time bolting after him. Still disoriented, Ember charged Sprint Burst to move away from its pounce. He coughed, escaping safely, though he was unsure how long he could keep it up. The shield would keep him in one piece, but Ember was certain he couldn't take it head-on. A couple more blows like that, and he'd lose all control over his body. Thankfully, as Ember bolted off, someone finally came to his rescue. A guard stood between him and the creature, wielding a gleaming blade.

He charged at the monster, swinging his weapon in a wild arc.

"Run!" said the guard, "I'll hold it off." Ember knew the guards weren't the most talented of the clan, but they still possessed a fighter class. He presumed they could hold their own against it for a while, yet the outcome wasn't any different from what he himself went through. Well, at least he managed to evade it for a few seconds. The guard was knocked off the track, his swing missing the creature by a stride. Fucking fuck! Cursing his luck, Ember bolted off again.

At least the skink monster went after the guard, giving him a moment of respite. Ember would have liked to find his wands; unfortunately, he had already covered a good distance from where he might have lost them. Even as he tracked back, he had no hope of finding them before the iron creature was once again on his trail. To his dismay, he didn't see any of the other kids or the other guard anywhere. Well, the valley was already visible from there. Maybe they weren't as unlucky as him.

[Title acquired: Hunter] [Merit: Hunting (Copper) +1] [+10 EPs.] Perhaps Ember would have been happier receiving the title at another time, but in his current predicament, there was little the skill could do. Then, to his surprise, more notifications appeared before his eyes. [Sprint Burst (Copper) +9 → Max.] [Mana Shaping (Iron) +4 → 5.] [Split Focus (Iron) +1 → 2.] [Keen Mind (Copper) +4 → 5] [+850 EPs.] Ember was already pushing for upgrading Sprint Burst, but that wasn't the end of the notifications.

[Would you like to learn Mind Wall (Iron)?] [Required skill slot: 9.] He hesitated. A mind-related skill? They were supposed to be rare. It was likely something that came from enduring the psionic cries of the monster. It might be useful, but Ember had no slots to spare, especially since he could resist the cries with only a pinprick of pain. Opening his status, he was about to go for Sprint Burst's upgrade, but goosebumps crawled along his arms once again as he heard a deafening cry from behind.

[Would you like to evolve Sprint Burst (Copper)?] [Required skill slots: 6.]"Yes," Ember shouted, scurrying down the valley. He could already feel the tremor running through the earth with each step the demonic spawn took. He tumbled over, rolled down the downward slope, but somehow managed to return to his feet without missing a beat. The system took its time presenting him with the skill prompt, perhaps fearing it might distract him from fleeing.

Before Ember could pay it any attention, he saw more people running ahead of him. Among them were the rest from their group, as well as other groups of hunters. There were sentries present, draped in thick armour and wielding lances. Unfortunately, it seemed they were already swarmed by a flock of giant centipedes. They fought the demon's creatures, bearing swords and spears. There was no shortage of spells flinging around either. Ember felt as though he was saved.

He shouted after the group, oblivious to whether they had any time to worry about someone else. The chilling shrieks pulled him back to the monster behind him—and the choices the system presented him. [Please choose between the options: Blitz Steps: reduces bodily movement, increases acceleration. Swordstride: increases accuracy, reduces strain.]