[10/22]
Crimson blood was flowing and falling on the green grass. The stench of iron was nauseating, different from the smell of the seemingly kind Oasis. It was different; different from the monsters that I murdered.
Different, because the blood was mine.
The side of my abdomen, below the obliques, was pierced. My bones were definitely broken after the thrust. My breathing immediately became faster.
Notifications were appearing in my side-view. What's broken, what's fractured, how much health I lost...
'Damn! 10%! Just from a single strike!?' I was not sure if the attack was a skill or not, but my intuition was telling me, unfortunately, it seemed to be a basic attack.
I wanted to scream out loud, from this unfairness, though I think that if I did, I would want to curl up from the sudden pain.
The High Warrior finally took out the spearhead that was lodged in me. I wanted to immediately flee, but the jerking motion caused me to stumble and lose my balance.
And just like it took into account my spin from before, it also realized this move. The spear of the High Warrior began to glow blue as it swung it to the side of its hip. Both hands were gripped tightly.
'Skill!' All kinds of inner warnings were blaring inside me, as if the 6th sense of an animal was manifesting itself in me, telling me to run; telling me to escape for my life. I wanted to pull out my shield, or at least a bigger weapon. Anything that could possibly defend my precious life.
But it was all too late.
Chk!
Chk!
Chk!
Chk!
[You've lost 1,500 health!]
[You have received the 'Bleeding' effect!]
And my body was sent flying back.
'A third of my total health... just like that...'
Difficult. Scary. Incredible. Impossible.
These words resounded in my head. I just couldn't understand it. The difference in our strength... no, not even that-- our basic stats. It would be hard for me to even strike back if my body was at full strength. Then, what about now?!
'I have to move.' Thankfully, I wasn't paralyzed in place, since the damage I took didn't achieve the '40% in one hit' criteria. I immediately darted back, trying to escape from the High Warrior's clutches. The knockback from the attack helped, but the sheer size of the monster almost stopped me out of just fear itself.
Its gait wasn't too long though.
I ran hard, using my [Dash] skill in the process, but I was still not able to get away. After all, the Inductees were still alive. Specifically, one of them was right ahead, ready to cut me down.
""Grrratt Gurk!!!"" It seemed another command echoed from the High Warrior. There was a shift in eyes of the Inductee, its enmity changing to annoyance. It seemed to apply to itself a... defensive stance?
'It's gonna block me,' I immediately concluded. I couldn't care less of my current grammar, as what barricaded my way was far more pressing.
I searched in my inventory for any item that I could deploy to help me defeat the Inductee, but nothing could succeed in accomplish such a Herculean task. The problem wasn't how difficult it would to defeat the Inductee-- it would be killing it before the High Warrior attacked.
Even with a relatively short gait, for something over 2 meters tall, it could still cover ground.
'Well, if I can't take it out immediately, another plan should be enforced,' I told myself; but what plan? Whatever I could think up, it would have to be immediately.
The only thing that I could possibly stake a chance on is...
My eye landed on a 'weapon's' icon.
"Grrrt!" The Inductee growled at me, trying to instill dread. But I was beyond that point; all that was keeping me going was a hope and a dream.
It took a slash at me, but it was lackadaisical, it just wanted for me to slow down. And so I did. Sliding underneath the attack, I pulled out the 'weapon,' and I threw it down right behind me.
The gears were turning in my head. The current-yet-evolving plan all relied on how well I could judge and predict these Hobgoblin monsters. No matter how intelligent they were for their species, they weren't humans. They wouldn't change at the drop of a hat unless ordered to.
And was this Hobgoblin not just [Commanded]?
Betting on my own hopes, I began attacking the Inductees in every way possible. I cut at it, I thrust at it, I bashed it with the handle.
My legs and arms were unrelenting as well as I tried to cause as much damage as possible. Kicks when it was pushed back, and thrown strike in between each swing of my sword… even the sand and the grass weren't left untainted.
If someone watched from afar, they would think I just returned from prison with how I fought…
'Morals change when your life is on the line,' I said to justify myself.
'And I am fighting a Monster! What need is there for me to justify my—!'
"Guuurakk!'
The howl almost froze me. It came from the approaching High Warrior.
'It's about time.'
My plan would soon begin. Whether it would work or not, I would just have to give it a shot. And if it didn't… then it didn't.
'If it fails, I die and fail the quest. If it succeeds, then I can survive for just a little longer.'
Yes.
The plan didn't guarantee my survival, much less my win. The High Warrior was stronger than I expected, and that [skill] it performed on me… I'm not sure if I am prepared for it again. I am laying my life down just for this faulty plan. A plan that relies on how much I have understood these Hobgoblins over these multiple weeks.
"…"
"Honestly, what a shitty plan."
I couldn't help but laugh out loud.