Chapter 9 – Clash

The Cave Dweller roars as I instantly drop to one knee, take aim, and start shooting it as it stomps on the ground and the corpses in it’s way while rushing towards us.

Even though it’s a huge beast, it’s now hunched over as it rushes towards us, almost on all fours as it’s claws and arms are long enough to nearly touch the floor. This makes the Cave Dweller look smaller than it actually is, but the monster is wide enough to still look incredibly fearsome.

“Get ready!” Chase shouts as he stands between me as I shoot Frost Bullet after Frost Bullet, the majority of my bullets hitting it on the chest and covering it in frost, but they weren’t strong enough to punch through it’s scales.

It’s slow, incredibly so, but each of it’s stomps cracked the ground beneath, and those massive arms it had could easily rip us in half or turn us to paste.

“One blow from that thing and we’re dead, so don’t get hit.” Chase helpfully growls out as he lifts his shield up and twirls his sword while I just keep on pulling the trigger.

I can see that it’s chest is now covered in frost, and his scales seem to be a bit damaged, but that doesn’t really help us much!

“Back!” I grit my teeth and jump back as the Cave Dweller finally reaches us, an incredibly loud roar coming out of it’s large drooling jaw as it stomps out of the entrance of the tunnel.

Only for it to be ambushed by both Markus and Beth. A pair of maces smashed into the beast’s skull with tremendous force, enough so to force it on one of it’se knee while Beth drew her fist back, then delivered a vicious punch straight into it’s left eye.

I grin as the beast roars in pain, the duo jumping back as the Cave Dweller swings it’s large arms left and right to try and hit them before one of it’s claws rises up to cradle is now ruined and bleeding eye.

Another gunshot rings out as I step back, then curse softly when the Cave Dweller snarls towards me.

Chase smashes the butt of his sword on his shield once more, but this time it doesn’t seem to work on attracting the attention of it’s intended target, and so the Cave Dweller stomps towards, tail whipping left and right threateningly.

The thing is twice my height if not even taller, but since it’s hunched over it looks far smaller, with it’s head being nearly on the same level as mine.

A bullet smashes against it’s throat, but it didn’t do much other then make the damn thing groan.

I jump back as it swipes it’s large claws at me, tearing a big chunk of the ground off as it does, giving me a chance to fill it with more Frost Bullets against the chest. The frost covering the scales in that spot is clearly growing colder and bigger, and hopefully it will slow down and tire out faster with the cold being so close to it’s heart and lungs.

I grin again when a mace smashes into it’s weak spot, the side, and ends up easily cracking the scales and pierce the skin beneath, enough so to draw a great deal of blood.

Beth rushes forward and uppercuts the beast before it could swipe at Markus, throwing it’s head back with the powerful blow and giving Chase an opening to rush around and stab his sword into the now open bleeding wound, making the beast roar in pain.

A large arm smashes into Chase shield, denting it and sending the it flying alongside the wielder while Markus smashes one of his mace into the Cave Dweller’s skull while I aimed at the bleeding wound, hitting it and the area around it with normal bullets. I’d rather not stop the flow of blood by freezing the wound.

“You alright Chase?” I call out as Beth and Markus force the monster back, it’s movements now even slower and more sluggish than before.

“The fucker messed up my shield!” I’ll take that as a ‘Yes, I’m alright.’.

I keep myself to it’s blind spot since not it can’t see anything coming from the left side, and I narrow my eyes as I stare at the bleeding mess where it’s eyes used to be. I reckon that I could put my bullet there and maybe kill it in a single shot, or worsen the damage by a great deal.

I run forward as the beast roars, using the echo and loud sound to cover my footsteps before slowing to a stop and lifting my rifle up.

A gunshot rings out, and the intimidating roar soon becomes one of pain as flesh and blood fly everywhere, the small messy hole left behind by the crushed eyeball having now become an even bigger mess of a hole.

I jump back to avoid it’s wide swing and see a thin pair of arms wrap around the beast huge neck, a pair of daggers in each head as Jessy’s face comes into view.

She mounts the Cave Dweller’s neck and swiftly sinks both of her daggers into it’s eyes, twists them, then pushes herself up and jumps off it’s back before it could grab her.

“Great job Jessy!” Beth laughs as she and Markus rush towards the now blindly swinging beast, ducking under it’s huge arms before each delivering a powerful blow that pushed the beast back once more, with Markus striking the bleeding hole in it’s side while Beth punched it hard in the throat, making it choke and stagger back.

“Bring it down!” I shout as I rush forward, and Markus doesn’t waste a second to smash both of his maces into the Cave Dweller’s knees, making a sickening crack ring out as the small limb caved in, then twisted in a very wrong way under the huge weight of the Cave Dweller.

The beast roars as it falls down on it’s side, and I’m instantly on it, pushing the barrel of my rifle into the bleeding and empty eye-socket, then pull the trigger over and over while using Frost Bullet.

[Cave Dweller] – Lvl. 14 has been killed!

The experience will be shared with others.

Kaera

Race – Artificial Fallen Angel

Class – Soldier Lvl. 10

Stats;

(Body) – 10

(Vitality) – 10

(Agility) – 10

(Mind) – 12

(Spirit) – 19

[Available Status Points: 10]

Personal Skill/s;

[Analyze] – Lvl. 2

Class Skill/s;

[Frost Bullet] – (3/10)

[Healing Bandage] – (2/5)

[Grenade] – (1/10)

What?

Not only did I Level up twice even though the experience was shared, but I also gained a new Skill without having to pick one.

A Skill about something that I’ve been thinking about recently.

Is it just a coincidence or is it related? Do my thoughts and desires manipulate the Skills I can gain? If so, that might be incredibly useful and exploitable…

I shake my hands, forcing down the excited grin that threatens to spread across my face as I focus on my Status. I have ten points now, so I’ll put one in Spirit, three in Mind, and two in all the rest.

Kaera

Race – Artificial Fallen Angel

Class – Soldier Lvl. 10

Stats;

(Body) – 12

(Vitality) – 12

(Agility) – 12

(Mind) – 15

(Spirit) – 20

[Available Status Points: 0]

Personal Skill/s;

[Analyze] – Lvl. 2

Class Skill/s;

[Frost Bullet] – (3/10)

[Healing Bandage] – (2/5)

[Grenade] – (1/10)

[Grenade]

Creates an explosive device that explodes on impact once the trigger is pressed.

Hopefully it doesn’t explode in my hands when I press said trigger…

I look down at my open hand and activate the Skill, feeling at least a third of my Mana disappear as motes of lights appears above my palm, then swiftly form a fist sized pitch black sphere with a small button on top.

It looks rather plain, but hopefully it’s quite powerful.

And perhaps I should start investing more points into my Spirit so to have my bullets pack more of a punch.

Speaking of which...

“Markus, how are you so strong?” I speak up as I turn towards the huge muscular man, and I watch as I puts away his maces and crosses his arms while a proud grin spreads across his face.

The rest of the team share a look before they all start chuckling among themselves.

“I always put all my points in Strength.”

Ah, yeah... That’d do it.