Chương 47: I'm Sure

Joel grunted as he yanked the splintered stake of wood from his arm. It hurt to grip down, so he tossed his dagger into his other hand. Surely Hottor had to be gone by now? But he hadn't heard the lift move in the other room. Had he missed it in the chaos? The yeti's thunderous howl snapped him out of his thoughts as the creature charged him, smashing through crates like they were sandcastles. Joel leapt up onto a nearby crate and threw himself onto one of the pulley's ropes.

Still clipping the yeti's shoulder, he was flung into a dizzying spin on the rope until he steadied and shimmied himself up. As he swung and landed on the upper workstation, an aching pain shot through his arm and side, forcing a grunt to escape his lips. To his horror, the yeti only needed a small jump to pull itself onto the wooden platform, creaking under the creature's weight. The monster beat its chest and shook its spiked head like a rabid animal.

Joel's dagger felt like nothing more than a toy compared to the yeti. The yeti jumped at him, high in the air and with its arms raised. Joel threw himself off the platform, going the same way he came and aiming for the rope. He caught it with his hurt arm, but then the yeti crashed through the platform and the pulleys collapsed with it. This sent Joel flying off the rope as he hit the floor hard. He gasped, writhed, and clutched at his hurt back. [Damage taken. HP: 33%] Only allowing him a second to thrash in pain, the yeti stomped out of the wreckage. Each growl sounded murderous and its white hair bristled. How was it getting even more angry? It'd been the only one attacking so far. Joel dragged himself to his feet, still clutching onto the dagger and holding it out at the monster. He couldn't believe that Pest had left, but as the towering yeti approached, it was becoming harder to blame him.

With muscles bulging big enough to put a bodybuilder to shame, the yeti was a combination of terrible strength and rampaging savagery. He tried to clear his head and focus. One wrong step and he'd be ripped apart like a paper doll. He couldn't allow himself to get grabbed. That meant, as much as it hurt, he had to stay as light footed as possible. So he bounced on the balls of his feet, loosening himself up. Each hopping step sent a pang of pain from his wounds. He tried to gulp away the pain. It didn't help.

When the yeti charged him again, he didn't run or dive out of the way. This time he meant to keep his dodges as close as possible, just like how Pest had done. He brushed past the yeti's thick arm; the passing force of the reaching grab blew his hair up. Okay, it was doable. Joel slipped another attempted snatch, pivoting so he angled around the yeti with every dodge. Maybe even more than doable. He fired a quick and precise jab with his dagger.

It wasn't a powerful thrust, only managing a shallow cut across the abdomen of the yeti. He didn't need more than that. Another dodge, another jab. He controlled his breathing to match his succeeding tempo. Dodge, jab. By the time Joel broke away to catch his breath, he'd peppered the yeti with a dozen slashes. Blood seeped and stained the monster's white fur. Most of the cuts were superficial, but it confirmed what Joel needed — the timing of their exchanges. He could win.

A furious bellow pitched into a shriek as the yeti's bloodshot eyes glared at him. It smashed forward, in an even more reckless and obvious manner, but he was ready for it. He shot out his arm in a deft thrust, piercing the gut to the hilt, and darted back. The yeti finally showed some weakness, staggering as it held its stabbed stomach. Joel faked another pricking jab, which forced a flinch from the yeti.

Instead of leaping away this time, he followed through with another step and aimed a punching jab at the monster. [Vargo Bese defeated. 50 shared EXP gained.] The notification caught him off guard, nothing more than a brief distraction. He hit his stab all the same. Another deep piercing into the massive yeti's gut, only inches shy of the heart. A solid strike, but the alert did its damage, as he misstepped onto a stray dagger on the ground. His footing slid with the blade, his stance slipping wide.

With his current DEFTNESS, Joel was nimble enough that it only cost him, at best, a half moment. It was all that the yeti needed to tackle and wrap its arms around him in a suffocating embrace. His dagger-wielding arm was trapped at his side as the yeti's arms squeezed. Pain from his already battered ribs rifled through his body as Joel writhed and pushed at the yeti's face with his free arm. [WARNING: Restrained (Status Effect). Tilt 1 afflicted.] [Damage taken. HP: 30%] He found it hard to breathe, his diaphragm being crushed. His bones were screaming in feeble resistance. Though he slammed his fist into the monster's face, the vice-like embrace only tightened. He heard something pop — whether it was a bone or tendon was unclear, but he shrieked all the same. [Damage taken. HP: 26%] Joel was losing feeling everywhere, the strength in his left arm slipping away quickly. He tried to jab his fingers into the yeti's eyes.

It merely shook its face away while roaring hot and rancid air. Joel would've gagged if he wasn't getting the life choked out of him. His weakening arm flailed wildly, trying to push for space, when his hand came across cold metal. [Damage taken. HP: 21%] His fingers clutched around the spike in the yeti's temple. He tugged downward with all his strength. It refused to budge. He'd hardly even moved the creature's head. Instead, his entire body was quickly becoming numb, and floating spots were filling his vision.

Trying to piece his thoughts together, he summoned his [Homebrew] screen. [Ability Score Upgrades]. He didn't recall how much EXP he had. He didn't care; he wasn't going to die like this. Another squeeze made him spit the first number that came to mind.

"[MIGHT +300]! Confirm!" Joel felt his body go hot as if his blood boiled. His tendons and joints stretched to match his muscles as they corded together. He could feel his pinned arm once more so he strained against the death hug. However, more importantly, his grip on the nail tensed as tightly as he was getting squeezed. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. [Damage taken. HP: 15%] Enough of this pain.

Joel activated [Berserk] with a scream, and then he pulled with all his strength. A relentless fury poured out of him, washing over him in its intoxicating haze. The sweet comfort of an anger that dulled the mind. He was sick of getting beat. He was sick of the pain. He was sick of the monsters. Most of all, he was sick of being stuck in this goddamn game. [Damage taken. HP: 11%] Roaring like an enraged beast, Joel tore the spike out of the monster's head. Hot blood and brain matter sprayed out. Not nearly enough.

He stabbed the large nail into its eye, cheek, and neck. It was all this monster's fault, everything was its fault. He jammed the spike into its face again. He kept hacking away until he felt the yeti's grasp loosen enough to get his pinned arm free. So he used it to grab the other nail, only for the bloodied yeti to give up the smothering hug to grab his wrist. The monster dared to try and defy him. Fury overwhelmed Joel. He didn't even know what he was shouting anymore.

All he knew was that the screaming made him stronger, and getting stronger meant prying this nail out of this fucker's skull. He ripped his wrist away from the monster's grasp, yanking the crude spike. Spike in each hand, Joel rained down piercing blows onto the yeti's face. The yeti's white mane turned into a squelched pink of mushed bone and meat. Joel kept screaming as he slammed the spikes into its head again and again. He was relentless, refusing to stop even as the monster collapsed backwards.

Some alert pinged nearby, but it wouldn't trick him twice. No more distractions until this was done. No more mistakes. He didn't bother stabbing with the spikes anymore. Instead, he used them like iron cudgels to beat away at the yeti. His hands were slick but his frenzy kept his grip from slipping. He ripped away, digging into the flesh with the iron nails. One fist came down after the other. Again. And again. And again.

Until finally, the weight of exhaustion and pain returned with a vengeance, clearing the red haze that occupied his mind. As his senses recovered, he dropped the nails, letting them clink against the floor. He fell forward from his knees, his hands catching him from collapsing. The ground was a warm and wet mush. He was almost delirious and too tired to muster a gag at what remained of the yeti. Its head and neck had disappeared into a growing pool of blood, turned into a nightmare gruel of mashed flesh and bones.

On second thought, maybe he wasn't too exhausted to hurl. He bent halfway to the side to retch.

"Four fucking hells…" a voice said from behind him. Joel whipped his head around to the entrance door. Over a dozen town guards stood there, wide-eyed and flabbergasted. He imagined that his appearance didn't help. His arms were layered in bloody viscera. It was likely the same case for the rest of his body. He dragged himself up to his feet slowly and, despite being several feet away, it was enough to spook some of them back. The guards parted as a voice barked behind them.

"You never cease to amaze, porter." Galagrin's amused voice nearly made Joel flinch. The baron's brother was dressed in a tabard with his family's heraldry, three links of gray chains upon a crimson background. His armor gleamed from the held torches of his men.

"You sure you won't spare this one, Alarion?" Relief swept over Joel when he saw Al walk up next to Galagrin. If Al was shocked, he hid it well behind a frown and a shrug.

"Joel's his own man. If he wanted to ride alongside you, we wouldn't stop him. But, truth be told, he'd be wasted in a mercenary company." Joel wiped the blood from his eyes as they approached him.

"You hurt?" Al asked, already taking out his flask and handing it to Joel.

"Everywhere." Joel greedily gulped the water, realizing how parched he'd been. He used some more to splash across his face.

"Is Alis okay?"

"She's fine. Siv's with her, getting some poor people out of the other warehouse. Good thing you got that boy to fetch us." Al glanced at what remained of the yeti.

"Though it doesn't seem like you required the help."

"Oh shit, help, I almost forgot." Joel looked back to the cavern passageway on the other side of the room.

"Someone helped me. Name's Pest. I wouldn't have survived that Dominion guy otherwise." Both Al and Galagrin froze at his words.

"Dominion…" said Galagrin, his brow furrowing.

"Here? You're certain?" Joel nodded.

"As certain as I can be. Executors or something? He kept yapping on and on about some Lord Emperor." He caught the worried look shared between the two of them.

"I take it that's bad?"

"So the Dominion's own Executors are colluding this far north," Galagrin sighed, taking a look around.

"You'd think they've conquered enough after how much blood they spilled to take the Republic. Now the Dominion is sniffing around up here."

"Lord Valgruv should be warned," Al said.

"I doubt he'd be happy to learn there's a slaving operation within his town."

"My brother shall be wroth, but I'll bear the burden of informing him." Galagrin motioned the guards to secure the site before patting Joel's back.

"My men and I handle everything from here. Well done." Al took Joel's arm over his shoulder, relieving some of the pain in his steps.

"Remind me to never leave you and Alis alone again," he said with a smirk.

"Please don't." They both chuckled as pain throbbed through Joel's side. Soldiers filed past them as they made their way to the warehouse lift. Joel hobbled to balance as the lift took them up. Unread notifications stared back at him. [Yeti defeated. 500 EXP gained.] He nearly waved it away before recalling the sudden surge of strength during his [Berserk] state. Scanning the previous notifications above, he paused as he saw a confirmation notification for an extra 100 Might added.

It was on top of the 300 Might he'd confirmed earlier. How strange. He didn't recall adding that. A pit formed in his stomach. Was he using EXP while berserked? That worried him. He was lucky that it'd only been 100 EXP and it'd improved the correct ability score, even if it all worked out in the end. It just meant that he'd have to be even more careful about using the Barbarian ability.

"You're certain you can manage?" Al asked, noticing the concentration on Joel's face.

"Once we get up there, you can rest there. I can get Siv."

"No, no, I'm fine," Joel said. It felt foolish to say that while covered in blood and having his arm draped around Al for balance, but it was true that he didn't feel any other severe injury impeding him. It was an ache here and there.

"I look worse than I feel."

"If you say so," Al scoffed with bemusement.

"Executors and a yeti? You don't know how lucky you are to survive."

"Tell me about it. The Executor… I don't think I've met someone so strong." His mind flashed to Wirbald.

"Maybe."

"Those Dominion dogs are not to be trifled with. Only selected elites are recruited into their ranks. Some of them are even former Freewalkers. And I'm not talking about the ordinary kind like us."

"The Freewalker League allows that?" Al shrugged.

"They can't stop people from getting recruited. Honestly, it's not that uncommon. You'll hear of a local lord that'll want a Freewalker as some bodyguard or court mage. They'll pay handsomely and you won't be risking your life fighting some monstrosity." He gave a pointed look at Joel's disastrous appearance.

"Can't truly blame them." Joel thought about the death hug he'd survived. A comfortable life being some rich lord's stooge? He could see the appeal of such a life. He'd already been offered a place by both Galagrin and Ysobelle, though he had a sneaking suspicion that their ambitions didn't lead to a cushy lifestyle.

"Still certain about becoming a Freewalker?" Al asked, his expression becoming serious.

"There's no shame in deciding otherwise." Joel took a second glance at the alert of his victory, the EXP earned from battling the enormous yeti, blinking back at him. For the first time, more than fear, dread, or relief, he felt the tingle of excitement. The lift finally came to a shaky stop in the warehouse, and Joel already knew his answer.

"I'm sure."