I was backed into a corner mentally as I sprinted across the forest.
The only option I had was to murder the 3-tonne murder tool chasing me. The moose had to die.
"How did I kill that deer again?" Ducking and sliding under a fallen tree, I got back up again. Running was going to eventually take a toll on me.
I didn't see any effects yet, but this body of mine was already tired beyond comprehension before this started. The fact that I was still running baffled me. I was sure I wouldn't last for too long.
Hell, I felt sweat run down my temples and I hadn't even gone a kilometre yet!
I started directing all my thoughts towards hunting the moose. If it was anything like hunting a deer, I'd say that I had this in the bag.
But that too would be a lie.
Back when I hunted deer, I was in the ideal position, I was guaranteed safety, and I had arrows. That was nothing compared to this.
There had to be something useful I could use from my experience!
I dug deeper and deeper into my mind that was still a mess.
Parallel thinking between dodging the obstacles and planning a hunt was just about to fry my brain until-
"SHIT!" A thought smacked my brain.
If I remembered correctly, deers had quite large lungs. I mean no shit. Its torso was huge. I could only imagine it was the same for an even larger moose. But knowing where to attack didn't mean that I could attack it.
'In the end, it was pointless.'
No! It was still something. Think better, El!
I had a target all I needed was a weapon to attack it with.
I turned even further left where the forest was so thick that it became hard for me to run.
But thicker forest meant harder trees. And if there were so many hard trees, there should at the very least be one Silver Tree. My mind was quickly adapting under stress.
The Silver Tree was local to our continent. The hardest known wood to ever exist. Or at least that's what that one man at the orchard said.
If there was anything that had a chance at piercing the moose it was that.
I WAS BETTING ON IT!
So I kept my eyes peeled but in this night sky, that one tree would be the most recognisable.
In an even thicker part of the forest, the moose behind me had slowed down to a noticeable extent. And at the same time, I almost tripped with every third step I took. One fall and you'll die. FOCUS FOCUS FOCUS!
I continued to run.
It had been well over a kilometre now- of sprinting in mud.
I could feel my legs slowly die. My breaths were weighed down by rocks. It was brutal. And the Silver Tree was still nowhere in sight.
After running on for that long without any results, I started to lose hope of ever finding that one tree. I had no other option to get out of this either.
The further I went into the training area, the more likely it was for stronger monsters to show up. Stronger than the moose. If that happened I would die for sure.
But if I stopped running, the moose would turn me into mush.
RIGHT THEN AND THERE- In an instant, all my labour paid off. My day that was just one disappointment after another got raised from the state of absolute abhorrence.
Glistening under the starless night, I saw the bough I had been looking for.
It was called the silver tree because it shone like no other. Its bark resembled the brilliance of one of the most brilliant metals. Its spikes resembled the finest blades. That light would be my saviour.
I leaned forwards and pushed ahead faster than before to gain some distance between the moose and myself. The tree was just an arm's distance away! An extended arm- My left arm.
Grabbing with my left palm, I pulled a long silver thorn right off the tree and hid behind the thick bough.
Save for any minerals, this was probably the hardest substance in the forest. Surely!
Only a couple of seconds passed and with a thundering crash, the moose rammed into the silver tree.
The ground shook and so did the tree. But the tree lived up to its name. Where every other tree fell, the Silver Tree continued to stand. Guarding me.
But that was all it could do.
I peeked from the other side and saw a completely uninjured moose. Its antlers stopped any of the spikes from piercing its skin. It wasn't even close to being dead.
FUCK!
No. Calm down. All was not lost. Not yet. Its antlers were stuck on the tree.
'I can do this. It's just an animal.' I tightened my grip around the spike in my hand. I peaked once more.
'I can do this.'
I could at the very least trust myself. I owed myself that much.
Deep breathes.
In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. In.
The pattern of air flowing through my nose aligned itself with that of the moose that was shaking the tree vigorously.
'I can do this, DAMNIT!'
In one move, I left the comfort of my space and charged right at the moose. Its reaction was as slow as it was big.
Its actual head wasn't as far above me as I'd expected so I ducked right below. The spike in my hand pointed up at its breast. Putting all my strength behind my legs and shooting up, I tore the spike through its chest.
But.
But...
BUT!
It only got so far.
After penetrating a couple of centimetres the spike stopped in its tracks. My momentum ran out and a fountain of blood started to ooze out of its chest. I wasn't strong enou- NO! The skin on the moose was too hard! Unnaturally hard!
'IT WASN'T A MOOSE! IT WAS A MONSTER!'
No, there was nothing I could do about it. It was just a gamble lost. I did everything I could, as perfectly as I could do it. The day wasn't on my side.
I fell back a couple of steps after noticing my failure.
In front of me stood an angered moose exhaling out steam. The rain continued to fall.