I found her. The smell is extremely faint, but it was enough to estimate what area she was in. From what I could guess, she was probably to the north of our home. Could she be fighting with those intruders she spoke of?
Calculating the distance between Elizabeth and us. It would take a little more over than 30 minutes to get to her. If I push my body further, would I be able to go the extra mile and reach Elizabeth? No, that would be impossible.
I clicked my tongue. I need to get there before my stamina runs out, but how?! I would need twice my current stamina right now to reach there. Damn this little endurance of a rat.
SHKWAAAAAAAAH!
A nestling dropped in front of me, screeching with its claws poised to strike. Some of them were hiding in the canopies?!
I quickly dashed diagonally to the left, effectively dodging its menacing claws. With my perception of time slowed down, I could easily predict what angle the attack would land. As I passed by the nestling, I dug my stinger down its side and kept running forward, leaving a deep and large gash at its flank.
The sound of wet footsteps resonated behind me once more.
「You have slain a Nestling Butcher Tarantis」
「You have earned experience.」
「You have leveled up (Level 9 -> Level 10)」
「You have reached the maximum level.」
「Conditions for Evolutions met」
「Options for Evolution Acquired」
「Evolving...」
「Candidate will lose consciousness for a few seconds while in the process of evolution.」
Lose consciousness?! What the hell! If I faint right now, I'll die. I don't even get to see or feel my evolved self! Is there a way to pause this thing?!
「Error: Candidate is in a state of panic and desperation.」
「Candidate must be in a calm state before the evolution proceeds.」
「Detrimental effects may happen if the evolution is done while feeling unstable」
「Evolution has been halted」
Yes! Now get out of my sight. I shoved the dialogue to the side and focused once more after being rudely interrupted by the nestling. If I'm not able to reach Elizabeth in time, I have no choice but to stay and hold my ground.
That meant certain death. I could handle one nestling, but if another one joins, things will go grim for me. Think!
SHKWAAARRARA
The screeching of nestlings caught my attention as I noticed Kon easily evading them and leaving them frustrated in his wake. Wait a minute! That's it! Kon's the answer! This dense centipede who has poisons for thoughts is the key.
Kon has been matching my pace all this time. Obviously, he could move faster than me, but he chose not to because he's been keeping an eye on me. Right now is a life or death situation I need to tell him!
"Kon! Run ahead!" I shouted, jumping over a rock to avoid tripping.
"why...?" Kon answered. This damned centipede won't even yell back. If I didn't have damn good hearing, I wouldn't be hearing him right now.
"Get to Elizabeth and call for help! You're faster than me and you can make it! I'll try to run as long as I can! Please!" I yelled desperately. I hope this centipede understands cause yelling something that long takes a lot of breaths away from me.
Kon remained silent and kept his pace with me, but he began to speed up after a few moments. He was twice, no- thrice faster this time. The distance between Kon and the nestlings chasing him has widened by a considerable margin.
I noticed him looking back at me as he ran at full speed. No, don't look back. Just focus and call Elizabeth. The more time you waste, the lesser chances I have of surviving. GO!!
He slithered under and around each obstacle with ease as his figure began to vanish, melding with the forest background. Godspeed Kon.
Now, I just need to survive until help arrives. That's the hard part, but that's okay. Wait, no, running for your life is not okay! What kind of optimism is this?! KEEP RUNNING!
Jump. Dash to the left. Under the log. Oh, look, a pretty flower. Trample it. Jump again avoid the thrown webs. Since Kon left, the nestlings behind me have further increased. I'm now sure all of them are chasing me, and none of them trailed Kon because he was too fast.
Ahead of me was a large rotting log that was miraculously held by nothing but a single vine wrapped around it in the middle. Thank you, nature, for this bountiful gift! Hiyah!
I ran my tail through the log and eventually cut the single vine that held it.
KKREEEAKKKK. THUUUUUUUUUD.
「You have slain a Nestling Butcher Tarantis」
「You have earned experience.」
「You have slain a Nestling Butcher Tarantis」
「You have earned experience.」
「You have slain a Nestling Butcher Tarantis」
「You have earned experience.」
「You have slain a Nestling Butcher Tarantis」
「You have earned experience.」
「You have slain a Nestling Butcher Tarantis」
「You have earned experience.」
The log swayed as it lost the only thing that kept its balance and fell with a giant thud squashing some of the spiders that were chasing me. Take that! That gave me time to relax my mind a little. Currently, there were no spiders behind me that would pose a threat or close enough to send sticky webs flying at me.
In a few seconds, this relaxation would dissipate, and the intensity of being chased would return once more. I must use this time to find another way to halt their progress.
KWAARARAAAAK.
The sound of something getting crushed resounded behind me. The Butcher seems to have stepped onto the log, and it didn't even hinder it for even a second. What kind of monster is this guy? Its day! Why are you even active at this time?! Are you staying up late for something?!
SHWWWWWWWWWIIIPP
A shadow began to loom over me, prompting me to glance upwards. Uh-oh.
A large net of web was thrown by the mother butcher. Hey, that's cheating! You know I can't fight you!
THUD. The net fell to the ground in front of me, forcing me to decide if I should run over it or around it. Damnit, I have no time. If I stop here, they'll catch up!
I ran over the web, carefully stepping on the patches of holes found in the net. If I take a wrong step here, I'm doomed. Jump here, step there, no- there, and here.
I've successfully escaped the huge trap! Take that angry mama!
SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAARR!
A deafening roar emanated from the Butcher. It seemed like I really did anger it, huh. Welp, that's terrible news.
I continued running, and the exhaustion was starting to take its toll on my body. My breaths became shorter and shorter, and the muscles on my legs felt tight. Cmon, keep running.
Ughk?! I didn't notice another nestling came close. It was lucky enough to land a hit on me, but fortunately, it was shallow and not enough to hinder my speed. I felt a hot sensation emanating from my back. Blood was trickling down my sides. Did I underestimate the damage?
I moved my tail to stab the nestling directly behind it, and my stinger met no resistance. I missed?! The nestling abruptly halted its running speed, successfully dodging my stinger. These things can learn from their mistakes too?!
I couldn't help but feel surprised every time they do something.
「The Skill 「Flee」 has been activated.」
「For a brief period after being hurt, you can sprint 35% faster.」
It looks like I've taken enough damage for it to activate. The wind on my fur refreshed me as I began to run faster. I quickly glanced over my shoulder and noticed that I'm gaining more and more distance little by little.
Alright! We have a fighting chance! It's been a few minutes since Kon departed and went to call Elizabeth. I'm quickly running out of stamina. When will they arrive?
I wheezed heavily as I forced my already exhausted body to keep the same pace. My entire body was screaming in pain with each step I took. It felt like I was inhaling flames, and my body was being stretched.
Bear through the pain until they arrive. You can do this, Vaeden! I gritted my teeth and persevered. I was already well past my limits, and I'm barely holding on.
Jump. Duck. Stay on the same path. Duck again. Left. Left. Jump. Go under. Keep focusing. Don't mind your body. As long as I escape this, everything's going to be okay. An extremely worn-out body is better than being dead.
Something's wrong. I haven't noticed spider webs being shot at me frequently. Are they planning something? I slowly glanced behind me, and in the distance, I saw the towering figure of the Butcher. The Butcher was fairly far from me, yet it was just standing while raising one of its claws.
I moved my eyes and scanned its claws and why it was raised, and there I found my answer. At the tip of its claw were a bunch of nestlings slowly climbing it as she readily poised to strike. What is it doing? Is she going to kill her own young?
Just when I had that thought. The unexpected happened.