[HP: -40]
One hit and Jack was nearly down for the count. And it wasn't even a direct strike. The beast's claws had only grazed him—yet that was enough to leave him staggered and hurting.
His mind raced, filled with adrenaline and relief. 'If that had been a full hit, I'd be mince meat… but it wasn't.' He grinned at the creature, watching as it snarled and struggled to free its claws, now firmly embedded in the thick trunk of a tree.
He had been cutting through several logs of wood from trees and he could tell how hard it was to pull out the axe after each swing.
The more effort he put into his swings, then much more effort would be required to pull out.
He expected similar to happen to the beast and Jack's little gamble had worked.
Dropping his blade, pretending to be defenseless, had made the beast overconfident. It lunged in full, expecting easy prey, but he'd sidestepped just in time. Now it was caught, fighting the solid resistance of the tree's trunk.
'Perfect. This gives me a chance to get out,' he thought, his mind racing through his next move.
He didn't want to bother much on it, he could tell that at his current level tearing through the hides of the beast would be troubling, 'I can't even risk going close to that thing'
But he wasn't done yet. Smiling mischievously, he strolled right up to the creature, as close as his courage would allow.
WANK! WANK! WANK!
He slapped each of its three heads in turn, hard enough to leave a sting.
"That's for messing with me," he taunted. The beast roared in fury, straining with every muscle to rip itself free. But its posture was all wrong, its balance thrown. All three heads thrashed, saliva dripping from snarling mouths, but it couldn't reach him.
Jack picked up his blade from where it lay in the dirt and swung his bag, which still held his earlier catch, over his shoulder. He shot a mocking whistle back at the struggling creature. 'I'll leave you for now, but the next time we meet, it's going to end,' he thought, shooting one last smirk over his shoulder as he made his way back.
But his triumph was short-lived.
Behind him came the sharp crack of wood splintering. Jack whirled around, just in time to see a shadow loom over him, dark and foreboding. The beast had broken free. Its three heads glared down at him with murderous intent, saliva dripping from its jaws. This time, it wasn't interested in games.
"Damn it," Jack muttered, heart pounding. He tried to dodge, but a sharp pain shot through his ankle—a sprain, likely from all the sudden maneuvering earlier. He stumbled just as the beast lunged, its claws slicing toward him like razors.
In sheer desperation, he activated a spell.
[Flame Ball]
[MP: -10]
[MP: -10]
[MP: -10]
Three fireballs burst forth from his outstretched hand, blazing bright enough to cut through the night. But the beast's middle head opened its maw wide, unleashing a gust of wind that extinguished the flames instantly. It glared, its twisted grin growing wider as it realized he was out of tricks.
He had completely forgotten that it was a magical beast!
Surely, it was meant to have at least one element within its control.
"A friend of the wind" it appeared as though this was the only words he could think of whenever it came to the magomon Trion.
The beast was close now, its claws glinting in the dim light as they reached for him. Jack knew he couldn't dodge—not with his injured ankle, not without another spell at the ready.
'This is it,' he thought, strange calm settling over him. Strangely, he felt no fear, only a quiet acceptance. It was as though something within him was begging to test the fangs of death. 'So, this is how it ends…'
"Idiot"
But then, he heard a voice and following it something stirred the air.
A sudden, powerful gust rushed past him, so intense it felt like a mini-storm, whipping his hair back and leaving his skin tingling. Jack's eyes snapped open, disbelief written across his face as he watched.
A punch.
A single fist, gathering energy, glowing with an otherworldly power, swung down like a hammer from above.
Jack could hardly track it, but he didn't need to. The force alone was enough. The punch collided with the beast, and the creature's snarling heads were silenced instantly. The impact tore through its hide, sending chunks of flesh flying. Its mangled body was sent crashing through the forest, tearing down tree after tree before finally coming to rest, sprawled in the dirt, utterly broken.
Jack turned, wide-eyed, and saw his savior.
Standing there, as if he hadn't just torn a magical beast apart, was Alogra, looking down at his blood-stained hand with mild distaste.
"What… how…?" Jack stammered, unable to process what had just happened.
Jack certainly didn't expect such an immense show of power, he had never really fought in this new world.
Of course, chasing after a running beast couldn't be considered fighting.
Because of this, Jack couldn't really tell the difference that laid between each power levels.
Now though, he had witnessed Alogra's power, probably a portion of it. And it gave him a brief understanding of how far he was.
Alogra's grey eyes met his, cool and unimpressed. "I thought you had things under control. But… well, I guess you tried, for a young genius." He smirked, wiping his hands on a cloth he pulled from his pocket, acting as if he'd done nothing more strenuous than washing up for dinner.
Alogra had an indifferent look on his face as he turned to Jack, "I believe you've already made a catch.... Add that one and let's get going, it appears I became hungry soon after you left" Alogra said with an innocent looking smile.
Jack stared at Alogra in awe. 'He barely even looked like he tried… What level is he at?' he wondered, but before he could voice the question, his system flashed with a notification.
[Alogra Velianor]
[Level: ???]
'