I scoot forward on my stomach, eyes squinted as I watch the creature move between trees. I’ve been out here two days now and I’ve found more empties than anything else. I’ve killed them easy enough. Almost too easily.
The fire I banked lights them up like dry kindling, and I’ve been able to kneel over their bodies to refresh my fire charges after combat. Things only got hairy once when a legless and armless empty literally rolled up to me and started biting my leg. It had been quiet as a whisper, and I’d panicked and used one of my stashed gun fingers to blow a hole in its head.
But I’m level 7 now and my power rank has finally bumped up from F- to F. Ever since, I’ve been able to bank four charges in my core and the compulsion to release what I had stored isn’t nearly as strong. Still, I had to finally let out the gunshot I’d been holding this morning.
That gives me four charges of fire to work with.
The elk thing finally comes close enough for me to get a real look at it. And shit. It’s tall and thick with muscle, but its whole body is covered in turtle-shell-like scutes that interlock. Worse, there are six lance-like horns sticking straight out from its brow, each jagged and serrated, tipped with a razor-sharp point. Its neck is unusually long, too, almost giraffe-like.
I lick my lips, considering my options. Yeah, I could argue it’s not worth the risk. But I’ve killed something like twenty empties over two days and only gained two levels. The bastards at that outpost were already so much higher level, and I doubt they got there by grinding on the easy stuff.
No… I bet they were taking on challenges like this.
And until I’m absolutely certain nobody’s following me, I can’t risk going back to my home outpost. I could accidentally lead those crazy bastards right to my friends, and I’m sure as hell not doing that.
So if I’m out here anyway on my own, I need to kill something I can actually eat. In fact, I’m surprised I’ve still been functioning since I haven’t had a bite of food since the day I left the outpost. I do feel hungry, but it’s not running me down like I’d expect.
Maybe it’s yet another benefit of these levels I’m gaining.
“Bugbug suggests reconsidering. This enemy is likely too powerful.”
“Yeah?” I ask. “Are you trying to make me want to prove you wrong? Because it’s working.”
Bugbug just sighs. He’s getting to know me by now.
“Fuck it,” I whisper, standing and sprinting toward the elk thing. I know the range of my fire fingers pretty well by now, and I need to be closer.
I halfway expect it to run. But I should’ve known better.
Its head turns, yellow eyes fixing on me.
And then the early morning dark turns orange as fire spews from my index finger like napalm. It sputters and spurts, globs of flame dripping from the arc before it lands on the elk, covering it in an inferno.
And then it drops, rolling in the snow in a quick, almost practiced motion that makes steam erupt from its body.
Aside from a few dark patches, it looks completely unharmed.
I swear under my breath, taking a step back as I start to raise my shield.
The elk’s head rears back and then whips toward me like a slingshot. I realize at the last second that one of the lance-like horns has detached and is flying straight for my chest. I jerk the shield to the right a hair, barely catching the spear’s tip as light erupts around my shield.
The force of the spear slams into me either way, making my boots slide several feet in the snow before I come to a stop. The power of the attack flows to my stomach, and I don’t hesitate. If this fucker is going to shake off my fire, I’ll see how he likes a taste of his own medicine.
I pull the power from my chest to my forefinger, watching as my finger elongates into a serrated, razor-sharp lance almost three feet long. My tendons and muscles seem to adapt, giving me the strength and dexterity to bend and lift the thing. The moment it finishes forming, I feel the charge leave my core—a little hollow spot where it sat before, already hungry for more.
I slash my new weapon once, testing it out.
The elk rears up, stamps its feet, then whips its head again.
I can only block four attacks before I run empty for half an hour, so I dive to the side as soon as I see it getting ready to attack. The lance whistles past me, far closer than I was hoping when I dodged so early. Fuck. It adjusted its aim, and it was close.
I don’t waste time, rolling and pushing to my feet as I sprint straight for it. I’ve got to get close to this bastard.
Even as I’m charging, I see a small point starting to grow back on its head.
God. It even regrows these things?
I pull fire to my pinky, spraying it as I run in. This time, I’m banking on the fact that it will roll in the snow, and it does, giving me a split second opening to jab at it. I’m moving full speed when I try to stab it through the shoulder with my lance finger. My shoulder jolts painfully as the weapon skids off its armored scutes, sending me stumbling forward so I trip over the elk.
By the time I’m back on my feet, it’s already rearing to stomp me.
I lift the shield, catching both hooves against the metal as white light explodes and I’m thrown backward, slamming into a tree.
I cough something wet, shaking the dizziness from my head as I stumble to my feet. Physical attacks are some of my favorite to absorb. This won’t be nearly as destructive as the giant’s punch, but this fucker is going to regret that…
I pull the kinetic energy of his kicks into my middle finger, watching as the skin transforms into a tiny flesh cannon. I flip him the bird with it, then point it and fire.
My arm kicks back, but nothing seems to break or tear as a wave of disturbed air bursts out in every direction. Snow falls from the trees and blows away in a line from me to the elk. The blast slams into its chest, shattering two of the large scutes and revealing the hairless, pink skin beneath.
Bingo.
I don’t give it time to recover, charging as I jab with the lance finger. Just before I can land the strike, I see it rearing its head back to throw another lance at me.
I skid, boots sliding as I crouch low, putting as much of my body behind the shield as I can. The lance booms against my absorption power, my forward momentum keeping me from being knocked back by the attack.
I stand, already pulling the stored energy from the attack to my middle finger and watching as my single lance finger merges with my middle—making the bony lance longer, thicker, and easier to control.
That’s new…
I run straight up to the thing and uppercut it with the lance. The tip punches through soft flesh and the creature’s body goes rigid, yellow eyes widening. Blood spurts from the wound and then it tips sideways, my lance fingers slipping out.
I fall to one knee, breathing hard as my neck tingles. Carefully, I reach up and touch my markings. I purse my lips, smiling as I feel two digits where they were one before.
I didn’t just get myself a much needed meal. I’m level ten now.
“What were you saying, Mr. Bugbug?” I ask. “Enemy is too powerful?”
“Human thinks he insults Bugbug by being capable? Human is mistaken. Bugbug dies if human is a failure.”
“Okay, way to spoil the satisfaction,” I sigh. I hold up my lance finger, figuring I can probably use it to carve some meat off this thing. Leveling may have improved the duration a bit, but from past experience, I should have about half an hour before the lance fingers fade on their own.
“How come I never see you eat?” I ask as I begin carving into the thing.
“Bugbug eats. Sustaining gels are pumped into my body through my ship.”
I look up, grimacing. “God… Sorry I asked.”
“When will human return to outpost? Exposure to threats like this is not wise.”
“Soon,” I say, sawing and hacking to get around the thick armored plates. “But I need to be absolutely certain I’m not followed first.”
“And if stupid friends go looking for stupid human?” Bugbug asks. “How will you know they have not doomed themselves?”
I pause. “They wouldn’t be that dumb.”
“Humans from other times are sentimental creatures. You have seen this yourself, no?”
Reluctantly, I have to admit to myself he might be right. At the very least, I could go back toward Merrick’s outpost and see if any of their tracks lead toward our outpost. Or worse, if I find any tracks that seem to be coming from my home outpost.