Staring down the enemy that was in front of me, I felt myself begin to sweat drops of mucus down my forehead. Freezing in the cold air, the drops slid down the side of my face onto the floor.
'5%, one-hit.' I reminded myself as I looked straight at the Frostfang. Dribbles of delicious blood still fell from the holes in front of its body. Leaning downwards, it seemed to be low on stamina and energy as it shook - the battle tired it out and it was running low on blood as it tried hard to pick its body back up.
I stared into its eyes. Afraid and tired.
I stared more at it.
Its body looked supple. I imagined sinking my teeth into its body. Will it explode with flavour? Will its meat melt in my mouth.
Looking hungrily at it, I as my body prepared to launch a preemptive attack.
I pulled myself back.
'Calm down.' I reminded myself. Although the hunger didn't take control of my body, my body began to subconsciously move on its own. 'I can't run in without a plan.' I thought to myself.
The Frostfang too seemed to prepare itself mentally. Steadying its body, I watched as rage and determination set into its eyes.
I was running out of time. I had to move and defeat the Frostfang before my buffs wore off.
The Frostfang was running out of time as well. Blood continued to drip out of its body. For every second it wasted, it would lose more blood. For every second it wasted, the stacks of icy poison that it injected into my body would possibly wear off.
Under a time crunch, our eyes met once more.
We both knew that it was going to be the final bout: Gluttonous Rainbow Shell vs. a Grey-backed Frostfang.
It moved first.
Shifting to the side, it used its long tactile legs to slide across the thin layer of mist towards me.
It launched an attack.
'Need to bite it... no, I can't.' I thought in a split second as I dodged towards the side.
Still under the effects of [Devourer's Euphoria], [Euphoric Rush] and [Hungering], I easily avoided its attack as it pounced sideways at me with two of its remaining feet.
After it missed, the Frostfang immediately recovered as the floor beneath us bounced as it absorbed the impact of its jump.
Hopping backwards dexterously, it backed up away from me.
'It's scared, but I need an opening.'
I knew I couldn't directly attack it, nor could I take a hit.
'I need to distract it!' I thought.
Before it could recover its stamina and launch another attack, I pulled my foot backwards. Concentrating a pool of mucus on my foot and aiming as precisely as I could with my single good eye, I flung tiny drops of mucus at its body.
Crystallizing in mid-air, a shower of ice pellets rained over its body and head.
My intention was to distract it or somehow cover its vision.
I rushed forward.
It seemed to react immediately as it jumped back even more.
Losing the strength in its legs, its body collapsed into the ground as it tried to regain its balance.
'A chance!'
Swiftly I charged forward at it as I opened my mouth to swipe at it.
Seconds later... Crunch.
Picking up two of its legs into my mouth, I savoured their taste as I held on tighter and tighter.
I tightened my bite.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
In a struggle, I could feel the poison covered tips of its feet rack up against my teeth. I knew that it wanted to inject me with more poison.
But... the taste of its blood was just so good.
'LET GO!' I yelled in my head as I begun to shake its body around between my teeth.
More blood entered my mouth as I reined myself in.
Fighting against my body and my primal instincts to feed, I let go.
Flung across the floor, the Frostfang bounced two or three times before it fell back down in a crumpled state across the filaments.
'That was too close.' I replied to the voice as I panted and felt my stomach growl in a complaint.
[Skill: Hungering LV.1]
Current stacks: 5
Current bonus: + 25% all stats
I glanced at the grey body of the Frostfang. Flipped upside down and on its back.
'Is it dead?' I asked myself as I stared at its unmoving body.
Droplets of blood stained the floor and I didn't let it pass me by as I felt my thirst quench slightly with its blood.
As I approached its body, I felt my body jolt.
In an instant, I felt the world crashed down upon me as I lost all the strength within my body.
[Skill: Devourer's Euphoria and Skill: Euphoric Rush has expired] the voice in my head chimed in.
I felt the cold from the surroundings rush back into me as I collapsed under the weight of my own shell.
My hunger was suddenly replaced with sharp throbs of pain throughout my body. Like someone threw me into a bucket of ice cold water, I felt my body sting all over - the icy poison. As if someone suddenly cut into my body and was pulling out my insides, I collapsed onto the floor in pain - my wounds.
Struggling to control my body from spasming, I tried to get back up but I couldn't.
Seconds later, after panting in deep breaths, I managed to lift up my one good eye.
I glanced at the Frostfang.
Comatose, I saw its blurry body.
As my vision begun to clear as I focused on its body. It's leg moved.
Just a twitch.
And then another.
'It's... not... dead.' I thought to myself as I watched idly as the Frostfang used two of its legs and flipped itself over.
'I'm... TRYING!' I yelled in my head. Angry at my poor luck, I struggled.
My shell, my home, my strongest characteristic, became a prison as I was locked into place against the ground.
The Frostfang moved once more.
Struggling to pull its body off the ground too, it was also in dire straits.
It moved.
It lifted its body up as I felt my body throb with pain as I tried to as well.
It dropped back down - too weak to stand.
Flexing my body, I tried once more. I needed to land a killing blow before it recovered. I watched as my yellow stamina bar drop drastically as I tried to lift myself.
'No good.' It thought as mucus begun to drip down my head once more and drop onto the ground like my body.
I glanced up once more as I tried to catch my breath.
It had gotten up!
A feeling of panic begun to well up within me as I watched it move.
With its four remaining legs, it seemed to pull itself towards me with the last of its strength.
Barely able to crawl, I looked straight into its eyes once more.
Like I could read its mind, I knew its intentions clearly.
"If I'm going to die, I'm taking you with me." It seemed to say in the most clichéd way possible.
Unable to move my body, all I could do was wait as it continued to struggle towards me. Droplets of blue blood continued to drip out of its wounds as it tried to get closer.
Just a few centimetres away from my body, I felt the floor suddenly vibrate.
It dropped back down onto the webbing.
I felt the floor vibrate once more as it tried to get up once more as its legs shook.
I clenched my mouth shut tightly as I pulled together all my strength to get up.
I failed and it...
It had succeeded.
...