Chapter 14 - Chapter 13: First Fight

Jack locked eyes with the Four-Horned Boar, his leg screaming in protest as he crouched low. The beast lowered its head, wicked horns glinting in the harsh sunlight. When the boar surged forward, Jack sprang aside with a grunt, the movement wrenching a fresh wave of agony through his cracked ribs. A crimson cough wracked him, flecking the grass before him with blood.Gritting his teeth, Jack pushed himself to his feet, legs shaky but stance resolute. The boar, wary after its first encounter with humans, circled slowly, its dark eyes tracking his every move. He'd chosen this clearing at the basin's edge, hoping for a lifeline – a rope, perhaps, or a ladder lowered from above. But the faces peering down from the rim were a gallery of shock, save for a smug grin from Patrick's crew. Even Thomas and Agos were too terrified to move.Frustration clawed at him. This stalemate wouldn't last. The boar's powerful snorts and the tensing of its muscles signaled another charge. Behind him loomed the sheer cliff face, a grim reminder of his forced descent.Jack adjusted his stance, the weight of his final option settling on his shoulders. He'd have to outsmart, not outrun, this beast.As the boar launched itself once more, Jack executed a well-timed dodge, rolling only a hair's breadth away from the gnashing tusks. The pain, though, remained a constant thrumming counterpoint. The boar slammed into the rocky wall with a frustrated screech, shaking its head to dislodge debris. Jack used the momentary respite to scramble back, chest heaving.He snatched a hefty stone by the riverbank, fingers tightening around its cool surface. This had to work. He hurled the rock with all his might, aiming for the boar's broad head. But a shimmering blue barrier erupted just before impact, shattering the stone into a spray of shrapnel. Jack flinched, narrowly avoiding a shard that whistled past his ear. He was forced to roll again, landing hard on his right side, the taste of blood metallic on his tongue.Pushing himself up, Jack glared at the boar, defiance flickering in his eyes. His hand instinctively went to the pouch holding Julia's poison concoction, but he dismissed the thought. The dosage alone would be an issue, the boar a far cry from the nimble field mice it was designed for. Besides, his current state made him a sitting duck.A memory surfaced – Julia's voice echoing in his mind, "Risk it all. But not like Xerath. Not an eye for an eye." Jack understood. His risk would be different.He hunched low, his feet tracing a cautious circle. He couldn't risk another roll; the next blow could shatter him. The boar, accustomed to its brutal charging tactics, lumbered forward, seemingly underestimating its wounded prey.Terror clawed at Jack's heart, but defiance held him rooted to the spot. Retreat was no option. He lunged forward, a desperate gamble to remind the boar of its earlier caution. The beast faltered, its snort a surprised puff of air before it resumed its aggressive posture.Jack dropped to one knee, scooping a handful of sand. Weeks of grueling practice echoed in his mind – channeling mana, compressing the earth in his palm. His other hand tightened around a hefty stone, his last resort. He'd burned the last dregs of his mana reserve earlier, cushioning his fall. This was a one-shot deal.With a final bellow, the boar charged. Its four legs pounded the ground, the earth trembling in response. Jack's heartbeat hammered a frantic counterpoint. At the last possible moment, he flung the sand, a stinging cone that blinded the boar's fury. The creature shrieked, shaking its head in irritation.Jack used the opportunity to leap aside. With a surge of adrenaline, he hurled the rock directly into the beast's gaping maw. It lodged itself deep within the boar's throat, sending it crashing forward in a final, desperate lunge. Jack, slower than he anticipated, felt a searing pain erupt in his thigh as two of the boar's horns tore through his flesh, leaving a gash from knee to hip.Two agonized cries echoed through the basin. One, the death throes of a beast, the other, a guttural roar of human pain.Snort…snort…The boar convulsed, attempting to dislodge the rock. Jack watched, knowing the struggle was futile. Panic colored the creature's eyes as blood bubbled from its mouth, mirroring his own earlier stain upon the grass. The stone, lodged precariously, inflicted a double blow – a punctured lung and a ruptured stomach.Ignoring the excruciating pain in his leg, Jack lurched forward, bracing himself on his remaining limb. He couldn't risk leaving the boar unfinished. Its death throes could be a mere precursor to a full recovery, an outcome he refused to allow. Hatred, raw and primal, fueled his determination.The wounded beast trembled, its breaths becoming shallow gasps with each desperate heave. It attempted to rise, but its legs buckled beneath the weight of its injuries. Its eyes, wide with fear, held a single speck of sand, a final testament to its demise.Jack scanned the ground for a weapon, his gaze settling on a jagged rock near him. The boar let out a pathetic squeal, a desperate plea for mercy that fell on deaf ears. Patrick's group watched from above, their faces drained of color. Patrick himself was a picture of abject terror, cold sweat clinging to him like a shroud. Beside him, Pascal's fist clenched, his eyes flickering with a newfound respect. He'd just underestimated a very dangerous person.The rock plunged into the boar's eye socket with a sickening squelch. A final, ear-splitting screech echoed through the basin, blood erupting in a crimson spray that splattered across Jack's face. A chorus of screams erupted from the students above, some replaced by horrified gasps and accusatory finger-pointing. Only Thomas and Agos remained unfazed, their cheers echoing through the carnage."Big Boss! Big Boss is the best!"Their jubilation died in their throats the moment Jack launched into a new frenzy. Ignoring the throbbing agony in his leg, he sank to his knees, the rock morphing into a deadly weapon as he rained blow after blow upon the boar's skull. The sickening crunch of bone resonated through the basin, a grim symphony that sent shivers down the spines of the witnesses. It wasn't just the boar's demise they were witnessing, but a chilling glimpse into a wellspring of raw, primal rage.A sudden, earth-shaking tremor erupted from the basin's depths. The Cavernwraith, roused from its slumber by the weakening barrier, launched itself skyward, its malevolent gaze locking onto Jack."Hu…m..an…"Its voice, a sibilant whisper laced with the power of a brewing storm, sent tremors through the air. The chains that bound it rattled ominously as they were dragged across the stone floor.Jack slumped to the ground, his defiance crumbling into a shell of exhaustion. He didn't dare look at the Cavernwraith; if that monstrosity broke free, there would be no escape. His gaze, however, remained fixed on Patrick, a silent challenge that burned with an intensity the bully couldn't meet. Patrick, suddenly overwhelmed by a cold dread, flinched and averted his eyes.A translucent screen flickered into existence before Jack's fading vision.You have earned experience that the system cannot process. The experience will be reserved. It will be used once the initialization is complete. Initialization time: 84 days 14 hours 21 minutes 40 seconds.Jack's body finally gave way, his consciousness fracturing like a shattered mirror. The Cavernwraith's roar seemed to engulf him as the world faded into a welcome oblivion.