Noah set off, ready to call on the magic of his Runes at a moment's notice if any monsters showed themselves.
He didn't have to wait long.
After just a few minutes of walking, hollering calls in the distance reached Noah's ears. He quickly adjusted his path toward them, moving as silently as he could while keeping a steady rate.
Through the trees, he spotted a pair of Chuckers in a small clearing. They were focused on each other, gesturing and thumping their chests emphatically in some sort of argument. That was perfectly fine with Noah.
He reached out, connecting to his Ash Rune rather than his Wind. Drawing on all the burnt trees around them, Noah thrust his magic forward. Bark creaked in protest as it was ripped to pieces.
The nearest Chucker spun, its eyes fixing on Noah just before four sharpened black spikes formed in the air and slammed into its chest, ripping holes through it. It shuddered, then crumpled to the ground.
Energy flooded into Noah, but he didn't let it distract him. He immediately ducked behind a tree, avoiding the attack that he knew would be coming. Sure enough, a large branch whistled past his head like a lance, embedding itself in the dirt behind him.
Noah stepped back out and flicked his fingers, commanding the Ash Rune once more. The spikes that had killed the first Chucker burst into black clouds and tore through the air, surrounding the other monster. They transformed back into a dozen spikes and slammed home, killing the creature before it could finish its scream of rage.
A cold smile crossed over Noah's face and he released his hold over the magic. The key to fighting Chuckers was making the move right after they attacked, while they were searching for another weapon.
That, or catching them by surprise. Then again, surprise tended to work against most enemies, so Noah wasn't certain he could count that as a key for any of them.
He stepped out from behind his tree and walked into the clearing to see what had caused the argument between the Chuckers. The corpse of a smaller monkey lay in the center of a clearing, already ripped in half and partially eaten.
Figures.
Noah's skin prickled. At one point, he would have frozen and tried to figure out what was causing the sensation. Instead, he lunged forward, throwing himself into a roll. The ground behind him shuddered, shaking so hard that he nearly lost his footing as he came back up.
Spinning, Noah brought his magic to bear and came face to face with a black-haired monkey that was just slightly taller than he was. It straightened back up, flexing its fingers and snarling in disappointment. It was the closest to humanoid out of all the other monsters he'd seen so far, and its hair was so close in color to the ashy trees that Noah had completely missed it.
The monkey snarled, revealing several rows of tiny, sharp teeth in its mouth. Paired with a bulbous, pointed nose and thin, half lidded eyes, it looked vaguely goblinoid in nature.
Kind of like a cross between a shark and a monkey. A Shankey. That's what this is called. Whoever invented this thing has some serious problems.
Noah hopped back, keeping his distance and watching the monster carefully. He was pretty sure that he could have killed it with a sudden Ash attack, but he restrained himself. A new opponent was more than just a kill. It was a training opportunity, and it wasn't one he was going to waste.
"Come on, then," Noah said, beckoning to the Shankey. "Let's see what you've got."
The monster snarled, spittle flying from its lips and splattering across the ground. It obliged Noah, charging at him. Noah hopped back and the monster matched his movement, lunging to bite at him.
Noah sent a pulse of wind out from his palms. It slammed into the Shankey and sent it rolling across the ground. The monster flipped to its feet and charged Noah again, not missing a beat.
Fast recovery and good reflexes. Better than anything I've fought yet. No apparent ways to do serious damage other than its teeth, though.
Noah sent a blade of wind at the monster's arm. It twisted, avoiding the spell. It kicked dirt at Noah, forcing him to raise his hand defensively to avoid getting blinded. Noah threw himself back. He heard a loud crack as the Shankey grabbed a tree and ripped it out of the ground with its bare hands, snarling in fury.
Strong. Short temper, too.
"What are you going to do with that?" Noah taunted. "Swing it?"
The Shankey swung it.
It smashed clean through the tree that Noah had expected to block the strike. Noah's eyes widened and he dropped to the ground. The tree hurtled over his head before crunching into another tree.
Noah rolled to the side and shot back to his feet. By the time he was upright, the Shankey was upon him. It was fast, but it didn't expect Noah to charge it as well. Its eyes flashed with surprise as Noah lunged, driving his fist into its furry chest.
The punch did little against its thick fur. Noah could have sworn he saw amusement flare in the monster's face an instant before he unleashed his Vibration Rune. A violent shudder tore through the Shankey's body, shaking its head so hard that its teeth cracked together.
Noah fired a wind blade into the monster's neck. It bit deep into the fur, but it failed to cut through. He cursed and set off a blast of wind between himself and the Shankey as it snapped forward, trying to bite his neck.
The wind sent him tumbling back and pushed the Shankey several feet away. Noah sprung back to his feet and called on Ash. Several jagged spikes formed in the ground before him, jutting up into the Shankey's path as it sprinted at him.
It vaulted over the first, grabbing onto a low-hanging tree branch and swinging for Noah, screeching in victory. Noah recognized the expression on his face. He'd let it show on his a few too many times.
A victorious grin.
Noah flicked his hand. Ash blew up from the spikes, forming into another one directly in the Shankey's path. It jerked its head back, trying to avoid being impaled, but it was in the air and had no way to dodge.
The spike punched clean through one of its eyes and the monster's body swung forward, carried by its own momentum. It went limp and hung in the air, suspended by the spike. Noah sent another blade of wind into its throat, leaving a deep cut. He narrowed his eyes and shot one final cut, this time separating its head from its body.
It crashed to the ground. Noah released his Ash magic as well, letting the Shankey's head thud down beside its body. A rush of energy enveloped Noah. He shuddered. It was far more than any of the other monsters he'd fought, and he could see why.
It was faster and smarter than the other monsters I've fought. That must have been a Mauler. I think Slashers are probably stronger, but they don't seem to know how to use their strength.
I think this is the first time I've defeated an enemy without dying to it first, though. Not bad. Not bad at all.
Noah only gave himself a few moments to feel satisfied before he shook himself out of it. He'd died a few too many times from getting too smug. He wasn't the hunter in this forest. Not yet.
He set off, leaving the blood-splattered clearing behind. The day was still young, and there were more monsters to hunt. He was certain that there was more to the Mauler's fighting style to learn, and he was determined to discover everything he could before the day was out.