The witch…!!
「Skill 'Instinct' is warning you」
Panic overcame me, the thought of losing my sole companion dulling my senses. I was disheveled and my mind was jumbled. Though such thoughts were the last of my concerns.
In my foolishness, I did not notice an arrow aiming for my heart.
The arrow whizzed as it cut through the air. With my attention still focused on the other side of the pit, I did not bother paying it any heed.
That's what I thought, at least
「Skill 'Instinct' is activating」
Then, I took a step back. It was weird and disgusting, like a foreign entity had just possessed and taken over control of my locomotive movements.
The sudden and unexpected step brought the fast approaching arrow to my shoulder; it's fatal trajectory had been thwarted.
…What the…
A little late, I wake up from my trance.
I thought about what just happened, assessing the situation. I had just been moved by what I assume to be my own skill, this has never happened before. While skills help me fight and give me abilities beyond what I could imagine with the common sense of my old world, it had never done taken over my body.
Sadly, though, I did not have the leeway to reflect on the sudden occurrence.
「Skill 'Instinct' is warning you」
Another arrow was flying towards me, this time aimed at my thigh. It would seem that the Night Beasts were trying to play it safe, prioritizing on limiting my mobility, then finishing me off. It was smart and clever, certainly worthy of praise for creatures who did not appear to be incredibly intelligent.
I leap to the side, out of the arrow's trajectory. Another came, then some more. There were at least three archers with mounts that I could see, all of them aiming for my life.
「Skill 'Instinct' is warning you」
A warrior with a spear in his hand charged at me atop his mount, he was screaming–saying something. I could not understand the words said, and that somehow felt disrespectful.
The archers were traced on my movements, their keen eyes focused on my next action. From what I have assessed, they were trying to predict my next action.
I thought, perhaps, that they were using the same technique that I used to heighten my concentration.
This thought was immediately thrown to the side, though. The lancer was fast approaching, his spear drawn and pointed solely one me. The warrior on top of it looked sharp too, his eyes having somewhat of a steel-like aspect to it.
I was in a pinch.
My back was a no-go, the archers would no doubt bombard me full of holes with arrows the moment I even THINK of taking a step back. That went the same for the sides, too. The archers were in the far back, always moving. They were always just a couple of steps apart from the mage. Those ones, it seemed, were the mage's main guards.
The front was just as bad. The lancer in front of me had unhidden fury in his eyes, the madness taking over. He seemed to be not in the right state of mind, or the opposite. I was not close enough to tell either way. One thing was for sure, though:
If it came to it, he wouldn't hesitate to trade his life just to lose my own
That left me with no other choice.
I lower my center of gravity and point the blade's tip to the ground behind me.
I take a deep breath, then push heat on my lower muscles, especially my legs.
This should be enough
It had to. Then, with my mind made up and my focus solely on my target, I take a burst of a step forward. The rubble by my feet flew, creating a dust cloud from where I had just been.
There were shouting afterwards, each one directed not on me, but at the warrior in front of me.
"…!!"
The spear-wielding warrior looked flabbergasted, his eyes growing wide by my sudden acceleration. For a second, I thought I saw fear in his eyes.
My thoughts were quickly disproven though, as the experienced warrior efficiently repositioned himself. One could easily tell that he was adept when it came to close-quarters combat.
I swing my sword from behind me, the blade clashing against the spear's shaft. Sparks flew.
Our weapons struggled with each other, either side not backing down. The beast gritted his teeth at the sudden blow, clearly struggling from the force I continue to push against him. Then, with a dark shadow looming behind the beast for a brief moment, he gave me a wide grin.
This was my trump card, more of a gamble than a special move. Since the beasts considered me lower because of my temporary deficiency of mana, they did not expect much from me in terms of fighting strength.
This all changed when I killed one their own, though. By that time, they were all wary of me. Their thoughts were uncertain whether I was really the easy prey that they expected me to be.
This meant that my bluff(gamble) had a timer on it. It was only a matter of time before they found out I was faking it.
From the start, I had been lying about my strength. I purposely let myself act weaker than usual to trick them into letting their guard down. This worked for a brief moment, letting me kill one of their own. That was exactly the moment that I decided to use the strength I had been saving up.
There was a problem with this, though. By then, all of them were wary of me… except one mad, clouded, and confident lancer.
The spear-wielding Night Beast cocky grin grew somehow cockier. He was probably expecting me to let up anytime now.
I push heat onto my arm, focusing on my other hand. The one with the enchanted dagger.
The witch's blade was stained by yet another beast.