"Shit!"
In a desperate attempt to dodge the claws, Dean kicked off the ground just at the last second. However, the set of claws still found their way to his neck. And then, he felt a deep stinging sensation as...
Drip! Drip!
A wet, crimson liquid dripped onto the ground beneath him.
Thud!
He collapsed on his butt, breath hitching as a pair of dark claws snapped shut— just inches from where he stood.
The sheer speed of the attack left him rattled, but he forced himself to move.
Crack!
He rolled left just in time for the claws to spear through the ground, cracking it like brittle stone. Scrambling to his feet, he put distance between him and the creature.
"What a bastard!" Dean cursed under his breath, taking deep intakes of air, "Can't believe it almost had me there."
Dean's heart pounded in his chest, his breath coming out in sharp, ragged gasps as he tried to maintain his calm.
'Yet, something was... off.'
A frown tugged at the corner of his lips.
'Why hadn't the supernatural detector detected the creature?'
That certainly didn't leave him with a good impression of the creature before him. Not that he had any "good" impression of any supernatural creature in this cursed land in the first place.
But nevertheless, the fact that it could elude his detection was unsettling and unnerving to say the least. However, as his gaze lingered on the creature, a bone-chilling realization soon settled within me.
"No wonder," Dean muttered under his breath. 'The creature. It was a Negéth.'
A dark creature known for its 'cunning'— an ability to coil beneath corpses while assuming a perfect death-like state— and waiting in ambush for unsuspecting prey.
With its amber slits, a pair of dark-crimson claws, a stygian tail, and most disturbing of them all— a grotesque, misshapen form covered in countless impenetrable scales.
Added to its cunning ability, all that contributed to the hardness, if not the impossibility of detecting these bastards.
At least, not until they had made their killing move.
With a grim expression, Dean exhaled.
'I think I really need to find a way to get stronger. And very fast at that,' he thought with a frown.
However, before the thought could settle within him, the Negéth lunged again, its stygian claws slicing through the air at an absurd speed.
'Shit!'
Only now did he grasp just how dangerous his current situation was.
He had no weapon and he didn't doubt for a second that one wrong move and those claws would shatter his soft bones like twig.
Creak.
Rolling left, Dean narrowly avoided another strike just as a sharp sting bloomed across his cheeks.
Touching it, his fingers came away slick with warm, red liquid. The Negéth, however, pressed on with its relentless assault. With each strike, its aggression intensified, frustration seeping into its very movements. Yet—
"Is that all you've got bastard?"
Dean scowled and held his ground with everything he had. As a result, even if only barely, he was able to put up a decent fight.
'Which was keeping his life!'
He ducked, side-stepped, and rolled on the floor, doing everything he could to avoid getting hit.
Crack!
Spider-web cracks ran across the ground as he distanced himself from the Negéth, eyes scanning the surrounding, desperate for something, anything that could be used as some sort of weapon.
'Come on... With how crazy this cursed land is, don't tell me I can't find a single durable weapon!'
Cursing under his breath, Dean side-stepped, two dark-crimson claws stabbing deep into the ground beside him. The sight darkened his features.
With a dark grimace, he rolled left and pushed off the ground, retreating from the supernatural creature.
"Huh, Huh."
Gasping for air, Dean scanned his surroundings, trying to find some sort of weapon.
'Come on, give me something!' he thought.
And just as he began to lose hope, just as anger and frustration began to ripple through every fiber of his being,
Flick—!
He saw it.
An Antraizel Tree.
A tree renowned for its durable property. Its tip was exceptionally strong even if the body was a little brittle. But for now, it was all he had got. It was more than enough.
His stomach churned.
'He hoped it was.'
Without wasting a second, Dean bolted towards the Antraizel tree and leapt into the air. In the next second, a pair of dark claws slammed into the ground.
'Shit!'
Scrambling to his feet, he started running once again.
With each step, he gasped for air, his mind racing with a torrent of thought.
'With my level of strength, cutting off the branch of the Antraizel tree is rather impossible. However,' A small imperceptible smile curled up his lips. 'Since I can't do it myself, why don't I just let someone else do the dirty work for me.'
Skidding to a stop, Dean turned to face the Negéth. He bared his teeth, as though he were ready to go all out.
Thump! Thump!
He coldly watched the Negéth speed towards him, its hulking body trembling the ground with every step. Just then—
"....!"
It lunged.
Its stygian claws cleaved down with unstoppable momentum. At the very last second, Dean pivoted, ducking left just as the pair of claws whistled past him, slamming into the Antraizel tree.
BAANG!!
The impact shattered the tree's trunk. Three branches snapped clean off, splinters and shards of wood hurtling through the air at a terrifying pace.
"Perfect!" Dean grinned, pumping a fist into the air.
However, even after piercing the tree, the pair of claws still went deeper, cutting it into two as shards of wood tore through the air at.
'Not so perfect!' Dean screamed internally as a solemn expression crept up on his features.
Although he hadn't expected such a situation, he was still quick to react. Even if only barely dodging the numerous shards hurtling towards him.
...Just then, just as he lost sight of the creature, he felt it—
'Crap!'
A cold, unnatural wind rose behind him.
A pair of claws radiating a powerful murderous intent flashed through the air from behind, cleaving right towards him.
Ba- thump! Ba- thump!
In that instant, panic along with terror surged through him.
However, he managed to calm his rapidly beating heart just in time to make a strenous back-flip, the pair of claws barely scraping past his face.
Thud!
Landing on the floor, he immediately made a short run for the nearest broken branch. The Negéth seemed to have understood Dean's intent as it wasted no time in chasing after the petite figure.
Thud! Thud!
The ground trembled under the beast's charge, and before Dean knew what was going on, he felt a powerful force slam onto him with such terrifying force, it hurled him through the air.
Crack!
Pain exploded through his ribs as he crashed across the ground, each impact jarring his senses. Mid-crash, he gritted his teeth and rolled forward, reaching out for—
'Yes!'
The broken branch. His fingers tightened around the broken branch.
It wasn't much, but now, now... he at least had the chance to fight back
A grim expression spread across Dean's face as he rose to his feet. In that moment, the snake-like creature came at him once again, its claws poised to kill.
'Go to hell bastard!'
Dean scowled and swept the Antraizel spear forward, veins bulging as he met the incoming force.
BAAAANG!
The impact sent him skidding backward, but he was able to keep his footing. Though with great difficulty.
Just then—
"....!!"
He felt a cold chill run down his spine. In an instant, his hair stood on end and dread pooled around his chest like an iron vice.
However, Dean was able to regain his bearing. Grimacing, he twisted just in time to see two more claws slicing toward him.
'Fast. Too fast!' he thought in dismay.
Barely managing to raise the broken branch, he braced himself as the attack struck.
BAANG!
The force rocked his body, pain tearing through his muscles.
Coiling his body, he desperately tried to cushion the force of the attack. He did succeed, but at the risk of a terrible pain shooting through every fiber of his being.
"Ukh!"
Gritting his teeth, he refused to fall.He couldn't afford to.
Making use of the opportunity, he leaned forward and thrusted the spear with every ounce of strength he had left.
The branch's tip pierced through the creature's scales, the force from the strike leaving the dark creature in an unbalanced state.
Seeeing the opportunity, Dean leapt into the air and landed behind the Negéth. In the next second, he thrusted the spear towards the creature's tail. The part of its body were its scales impenetrable trait was at its weakest.
He struck fast, and twice. And then, cracks started to appear on the Negéth's tail, bit by bit, the crack widened until it exploded into fragments.
"AAAAARGH!"
The snake-like creature let out a loud blood-curdling shriek. One so deafening, Dean felt a throbbing feeling tug at the walls of his mind.
"Kgha—!"
Coughing out a mouthful of blood, for a second there, he almost lost his footing. However, he was quick to regain his grip on the ground beneath him.
"Akh—!"
He held myself firmly, and without wasting a breath nor a moment's thought, he dashed towards the dark creature still tumbling in a world of pain.
Upon seeing the human, an all-consuming hatred ignited in its pupils as it slashed forward, aiming to cleave Dean into two. Dean ducked and took two steps forward, pushing himself off the ground afterwards.
Landing atop the creature's massive shell, a small smile curled up his lips. And for once, twice, perhaps thrice, he was grateful he knew old man Garren.
'All things made up of any form of exoskeleton all of have a weakness, usually between the small gap just at the back of their neck.'
A dark grin crept up Dean's face, and with a sharp exhalation, he drove the spear down. For a second there, time seemed to slow down as the spear pierced through the opening.
The Negéth let out a loud shriek, its nightmarish frame convulsing violently before it finally collapsed.
As it slumped onto the ground, Dean jumped off its shell, rolling to his feet while panting heavily.
"Hu, Hu..."
His chest rose and fell as he stared at the dead carcass.
"That was quite a hell of a battle," He muttered, still gasping for air. "But on the bright side of it all, I got myself a delicious meal."
A weary smile crept up his face. For a second there, he wanted nothing more than to lie down and rest for a while.
But just then,
"...."
He heard it.
A voice. It whispered:
[You have slain an awakened beast, Negéth.]
[Your darkness grows stronger.]