An arrow shot past Liel, almost grazing on his cheek if he didn't duck in time.
Naomi – his dead girlfriend that apparently wasn't dead in this new world – leaped backward to get some distance from the giant canine-like forest-themed creature. And by giant, Liel meant it was the size of a car.
The beast, canis picoon, growled louder as Naomi's arrow hit right on its right eye.
Liel jumped to the side, avoiding the massive, sharp claws. He quickly calculated and charged to the beast's side, slashing the Stone Fang Dagger against its grass-like feathered legs. He managed to draw blood from two of its eight legs.
Another arrow shot the beast's left eye, rendering it to be blind and thrashing even more. Its growl turned into a howl. Loud and unmistakably painful-sounding. It raged, and Liel scurried back, away from the lashing four pairs of legs and swatting tail that almost trampled him.
Compared to the wound from his forearm-length sharp stone dagger, Naomi's direct hit shots were affecting it badly.
"Attack its belly!" Naomi ordered before she shot another arrow. This time, it lodged on the giant canine's front paw.
The beast howled and continued to thrash blindly. With four pairs of massive legs, it was hard to get a look at its belly. Let alone attack it. But, it was Naomi's order. Liel would be damned if he couldn't even do as she told him.
Tightening his hold on the Stone Fang Dagger, Liel waited for the right moment to slip under the beast's giant belly. Naomi continued to shoot four more arrows on its front paws and head, almost as if avoiding its body.
[Canis picoon's grass-like feathers are worth thousands of drams.]
'That's why she wants me to attack its belly,' Lile thought, guessing that dram was the name of this world's currency.
"Two arrows left!" Naomi informed, urging him to make a move whether there was an opening or not. That was right. He shouldn't wait for an opening but make one instead.
Narrowing his now red eyes, Liel crouched and said, "Shoot its under jaw!"
Naomi pulled back the string, securing the target spot. The arrow successfully lodged on the giant canine's jaw, making it raise its head and howl louder.
Liel used this fleeting moment to charge forward. However, instead of getting under the beast to attack its belly, he was thrown back by a powerful smack from its second front paw. His unprotected back crashed against a sturdy tree.
Slumping down in pain, Liel was thankful enough that the beast's claws didn't scratch him. It could be a bloody mess if it did. Still, he cursed the System that modified his athletic body into this short stick figure.
[The System had nothing to do with your pathetic attack.]
'Shut up.'
Groaning, Liel was instantly alert when he heard Naomi's urgent, "Watch out!"
The hurting giant canine was blindly charging. Unfortunately, it was heading in his direction.
Using the short time left, Liel gripped his stone dagger and took a stance. He timed his attack well – now considering his shorter legs and arm reach – and brought the sharp stone dagger to the beast's belly.
He made a slash and quickly got away from under the giant canine before it fell down on him. Fresh blood spurted, and some landed on his hand and uncovered shoulder.
Naomi approached him, sending a cautious look towards the flailing canis picoon. She had one arrow trained on the beast. "You okay?"
Liel nodded, wiping the blood on his skin and weapon with some leaves he plucked nearby. "Wait for a while, it'll die out of blood loss."
Naomi regarded him with another look as she stepped closer to the beast. "Somehow you know my name, but I don't know yours."
"Liel Leinster," he said, not waiting for recognition to cross over her beautiful face.
Naomi of this universe looked precisely the same as his late girlfriend. From her height, wavy shoulder-length ginger red hair, and blue eyes to the freckles covering the bridge of her nose and cheekbones.
He wanted to say something more, but the words lodged in his throat. If he forced them out, he'd let out a sob. It had been months – two months and eleven days, to be exact – since he last saw her.
Since the day Naomi's wrecked body was buried in a closed coffin due to how horrible she had been.
His hand raised, wanting to touch her – to brush the wild strands behind her ears, caress her freckled cheek, brush at her plump lips, and just hold her forever.
But then, she raised an eyebrow in a silent question, prompting him to stop his hand mid-air and abort his wish.
"Do I know you?" Naomi asked, so close to the now silent, huge beast.
Liel wanted to nod, saying yes and telling her how much he missed her and how sorry he was for not protecting her.
For getting her killed just because they walked on the road, a meter away from the sideway, in the middle of the night.
To get revenge for her sake, but it soon failed because her murderer was alive again.
"You don't," he sniffed slightly, looking at the now completely silent beast lying bloody in front of them.
Eyebrows drawn together, she studied him. "How do you know my name, then?"
[Telling your real identity is forbidden.]
[The System does not tolerate information breaches.]
Liel gulped down his answer, hiding the truth of his identity and the fact that he had known her for years. It was painful, unable to tell her everything.
And for the record, it wasn't purely because the System told him not to, but because he didn't want to scare her and regard him as a nutjob.
However, before he conveyed a half-ass lie to her, the previously silent beast suddenly lashed out with the last drop of energy it had. One of his many legs struck Naomi until she was thrown to the side, hurtling her against dark bushes.
"Naomi!"
Liel didn't waste any time rushing to her. Dashing through the thick bush, he almost trips and falls to the cliff. Red eyes widened; he carefully looked over and found Naomi lying on the bottom, seemingly unconscious.
"Naomi?!" Liel yelled again. Carelessly, he slid down from the edge. His only objection now was to get to her.