Like an uncanny hunting dog, I stalked my prey. But I wasn't a dog. I was a snail. Without a nose, I followed small dribbles of blue blood as I waded through the mist.
Like a child following a trail of candy, I slurped up the blue blood as I travelled. Nothing went to waste. Not even a millilitre as I cleaned the white floor below me.
What... gross? No. I was hungry and it was also for a point. It helped me focus on finding the Frostfang and prevented me from following the same trail of blood twice or more.
Having a treat while I slid forward was also a plus.
...
Speeding up, I felt the webbing beneath my body bounce and vibrate.
I turned towards the source.
A flash of grey.
'It's close.' I thought as I started to salivate once more - I could almost taste its flesh in my mouth.
Seconds later, I felt a large vibration.
Emerging from the mist, the six-legged Frostfang launched an attack from my side. Instead of launching an attack with its legs, it pointed its abdomen forward.
I stood my ground once more.
Opening my mouth, I swerved to the left to take a bite at it.
I missed.
Ate a mouth full of filaments as I swallowed the disgusting white paste that it was made of.
The Frostfang had switched strategies as it rapidly dissipated back into the mist.
I felt another vibration.
'From the right!' I thought as I turned around and snapped at it.
Another miss. New streams of filaments took its place.
It had attached them to my body.
I felt another vibration in the floor.
'From the back!' I thought as I tried to swerve around.
But I couldn't.
I was attached to the floor.
Its quick attacks were to misguide me as it bound me to the floor. In my headstrong attempt to devour it, I didn't notice that I had fallen for its intentions!
I struggled as I felt more filaments attach to my body.
Yes, I was stupid. Soon after I thought I had an advantage, I ran in headfirst and lost my advantage almost immediately - falling within its trap.
My situation became direr as I felt few new stabs of pain as I felt its two sharp fangs. Not its legs, but Fangs slam into my body - with it, a slew of icy poison as I felt it enter.
[Warning - Status: Icy is growing]
- 40% strength
- 40% speed
Current stacks: 8
+ 1 stacks / 5 seconds x 2 [Eurphoric Rush (Active)]
My health flashed once more as it slowly decreased to approximately 45% as the Frostfang held on tightly to my body.
Under a time crunch, I immediately reacted.
The first second passed, I opened my mouth. All the while producing as much mucus as I could. Spraying mucus out from my foot behind me and swallowing as many disgusting white strings that were bound on my right side, I tried to release myself on all fronts.
Four seconds had passed. I switched my attention to my left side as I downed the sticky tasteless paste. Almost gagging, I forced it down as I felt my body release itself a little more.
[Warning - Status: Icy is growing]
[Warning - When debuffs reach 100%, the death of User will occur]
I didn't pause while I heard the voice. No. Knowing that I was nearly out of time, I started to turn as strands of filaments that held my shell from the back broke off.
Swerving quickly, I took a bite at the Frostfang who had sunken its flesh into my flesh from behind me.
It let go as I felt the final filaments that bound me to the floor snap.
My bite missed, but I managed to swat its body away with my two eyestalks as I turned.
A total of 8 seconds.
I took a total of 8 seconds to release myself from its jaws as I threw it back into the mist once more.
Glancing at my flashing health bar that had depleted to 25% I heard the metallic voice enter my mind once more.
[Status: Icy]
- 55% strength
- 55% speed
Current stacks: 11
'10%' A number flashed within my head as I thought about my situation. 'Two more hits of poison and I'm dead. 25% more health and I'm dead.'
'No.' I replied to the voice in my head. 'It's too risky. We need to even the playing field.'
'Don't worry, I'll be quick.'
I had a plan that popped into my head.
Knowing that I could eat the filaments I did. My intention was to cut into the floor itself.
Unlike what the Frostfang had expected, I turned in the opposite direction as I slid forward.
'I'm not going to play your games any further and run into another trap.' I thought as I started eating the floor beneath me.
Disgusting white paste filled my mouth as I did.
'Just wait.' I told the voice.
Seconds later, I made a left as I continued to watch the mist around me.
Seemingly like it noticed that I wasn't following it anymore, the Frostfang began to chase after me. But I was too quick.
I felt the floor beneath me shake.
'An attack!' I thought as I quickly hid in my shell. 'I can't take any more stacks of its poison!'
Feeling two hard hits to my shell, I quickly swatted my shell from side to side before I stuck my head out and continued moving while eating through the filaments below me.
Thinking that I had moved far enough, I took another left.
I felt the floor beside me drop as it started to warp downward.
'Perfect.' I thought as I continued.
Just like the hole that I had appeared from initially in the room, I wanted to create another hole. The cold air seemed to be drawn to the lowest point in the room. Like my weight while I was sliding over the elastic floor seemed to guide the mist towards me, the mist streamed downwards through the hole that I had created.
I continued forward.
As I did so, the hole continued to enlarge as more and more mist was drawn down into it.
Seconds later, it had cleared below my eyestalks as I was able to see above the mist.
Seeing what was up to, the Frostfang took another chance and jumped at me.
But I was ready. With some of the mist gone, I saw it bend down from the distance. Stopping my movement suddenly, I prepared for its attack.
A bounce.
Before the vibration in the floor hit me, I opened my mouth once more.
The Frostfang reacted. It suddenly changed direction and swung at me from the side. Magic? No. A filament? Yes. Tied to the floor, it used its momentum to and swung around at me like a ball attached to a rope.
We collided.
It knocked against my shell as I felt it prick my body with one of its sharp feet and dodge back.
'5%' I thought as I slid forward as soon as it hit me.
[Status: Icy]
- 65% strength
- 65% speed
Current stacks: 13
Clearing more of the floor, the mist seemed to disperse completely as the rest of the mist drained into the floor beneath us.
'Let's see you try to take me down now.' It thought as stared at the Frostfang's body.
...
What? What did I mean by 5%? Well 65% from [Icy] + 30% from [Cold] is 95%. If 100% = death then I was 5% away from death! You should be able to do math much better than me because you're supposedly all-knowing. Why are you questioning my math?
You were just testing me?
=.=
...