Hunter's Choice

by C E Keene

  But when he tried to pull his spear back, he couldn't get a good grip on it. It was stuck in the Petravor, yanked away when the creature dug its back limbs into the sand. What had once been a precarious foothold now allowed it to anchor itself, and it thrashed out toward the group of them, the razor sharp side of its fused claws catching Arheis' shield and knocking it out of the way.

  > Petravor slices you for 41 points of damage.

  He staggered backward, the sword-like edge cutting between his own armor and slicing deep into his arm. The cries and grunts of pain told him he wasn't the only one suffering from that swipe, and a quick glance showed him Higrem had caught the brunt of it. He was holding his greatsword in one hand while the other covered a wound that bled profusely beneath his armor.

  Higrem and Arheis weren't the only ones, either. The edge of the claw must have caught Mira, too, because she dropped her crossbow, scrambling for it as her blood mixed into the sand.

  Considering how much HP he'd lost from one hit--and the fact that he'd been completely disarmed--Arheis didn't have much faith in this "kill it before it kills you" approach. He fell back, looking for a chance to retrieve his weapons.

  "Only attack when you have an opening," he said, reminding himself as much as the others. "We can't afford to take hits like that."

  He waited, keeping his stance loose as he watched the Petravor. When it lurched toward him, trying to throw a shoulder check his way, Arheis dodged to the side. Sand shifted beneath his boots and he nearly stumbled, barely managing to catch himself in time. Thankfully Bren was attacking from the other side and he still had a chance to go for his shield, thrusting it out in front of him and activating Dauntless Guard to block the large, gut-ripping claws of the Petravor as its back legs thrashed outward.

  > Your Dauntless Guard is only able to absorb some of the blow.

  > Petravor charges you for 11 points of damage. (30 deflected)

  Dauntless Guard absorbed most of the blow this time, and a plan formed in Arheis' mind. When the Petravor was distracted again--this time by Higrem--he yanked his spear out of its body and hunkered down behind his shield.

  The fight became some kind of carefully choreographed dance. Whenever the beast attacked, Arheis threw his shield forward, absorbed the blow, then struck a counter. He watched his companions take on similar tactics, dodging out of the way only to run back in, get a bit of damage on the body, then back out.

  Slowly but surely they'd bring this beast down.

  Except… the plates were beginning to repair themselves. Little by little, the stony panels smoothed down against the body, even going so far as to regrow completely. Over the course of about ten minutes of the group not taking any risks, the Petravor had almost completely regained its armor.

  > Petravor is fully protected. Your attacks will deal significantly less damage.

  Arheis swore under his breath, the sight of that system message completely destroying the rhythm he'd found. When the Petravor reared up, pounding both of its forelimbs into the ground, the edge of the impact sent him flying.

  > Petravor slams you for 27 points of damage.

  > You are stunned!

  "Remember what I said to you." Arheis' ears were ringing, but he could still hear Treyous. "Fight in the moment, Arheis. Nothing else matters."

  He wanted to ask what that even meant, but there was no time. The Petravor rolled, throwing one crystal-encrusted shoulder into the ground and hefting its armored form toward him. He would have easily been crushed if not for Mira's intervention.

  > You are protected by Amira’s Shielding Bolt.

  The crossbow bolt pierced the space in between two plates and seemed to detonate, releasing a pulse of shielding light. The force knocked the beast back and Arheis used that moment to scramble away, picking up his spear and shield once more.

  Treyous followed his own advice, taking point with a cannon blast right to the creature's forehead. It let out a screech, Arheis' ears starting to hurt as the sound carried, but the damage to the Petravor was far more noticeable.

  Whether it was the sound of the blast or just the area of impact, Treyous' shot seemed to have a similar effect to that of the trap. Armor plating began to buckle and separate from skin, exposing vulnerable flesh.

  This time, Arheis didn't tell his companions to hold back and take turns. He didn't tell them anything. They fought of their own volition, dodging and weaving and striking with a fevered intensity.

  As he went for a strike of his own, surging forward with his shield out to slam into the Petravor's side, Arheis saw one of the Pruvari leap into the fray, her bracer glowing bright orange, a wreathe of flames around the weapon.

  An acrobatic, midair dodge carried the Pruvari away from gnashing teeth, a half-body twist seeing her land on the other side of the creature. She thrust her weapon forward, a gout of flame shooting toward the Petravor, super-heating the armor plating and effectively melting it away.

  Arheis pulled back, lifting his shield to block an incidental blow from the creature's fused front claws as it dove for a second Pruvari, this one bounding off of the beast's snout, contorting his body so that his hand extended toward the Petravor. A spectral beast slithered from beneath the Pruvari's sleeve, casting outward from his fingers and springing toward the creature.

  They were fighting. Pruvari who'd cast out one of their own for using his spirit on the hunt were now doing the same thing. They fought on in Zindar’s memory, and as Arheis pulled further back he saw even the Elder attacking alongside them, a hearty spirit charging from behind him like a raging bull.

  Armor bent and broke clean off, cleaved from the beast's body with every blow. More of his companions were ready with follow-up strikes, cutting and piercing and smashing deep into the Petravor's muscles. It should have been an easy turning point--the moment in the battle where everything began to cascade in their favor.

  But the Petravor had one more trick up its sleeve. It let out a deafening roar, the very world seeming to shake around it, rocks from the cliff tumbling down and crashing into the field of battle. Arheis wasn't able to move away in time, one of the rocks slamming into him. Bren and the Elder Pruvari took hits, too, the force of the blow knocking both of them off their feet.

  And still Arheis couldn't move, his hands covering his ears in a desperate attempt to stop the pain. Blood trickled from between his fingers, painting a warm trail down the sides of his face. By the time the sound finally let up, it was too late.

  The Petravor reared up on its back legs, its silhouette glowing as crystals sprouted anew from its back. When it slammed down, those crystals shattered, flying outward in a burst of shrapnel that caught Arheis in the arms, chest, and neck.

  > Petravor’s Crystal Blast hits you for 43 points of damage.

  No. He wasn't going to go out like this. He wasn't going to let his friends down--not when they'd given their all for their people, for Estalia, and for him.

  They'd fought knowing they might not come back--knowing that this could very well be the end. Even the Pruvari had signed their lives over for the cause. To make a difference in their world. To live on because of the actions they took.

  Just like Zindar.

  And if they could do it, so could he. If they could risk everything, put it all on the line, then shouldn't he do the same?

  As the thought solidified in his mind, Arheis could feel the rightness of it pulse through his veins. He'd never felt this way in the real world. He'd never felt like what he did mattered, like it truly made a difference. He'd never felt like there were people genuinely depending on him. People he would give his life for, who would do the same for him.

  He could go back now and live an ordinary life. He could get a new job and plug away at his career path and maybe get a raise and a promotion one day. He could go out of his way to meet new people in hopes of one day calling them friend over a beer or two.

  But it would never be like this. He had the chance to make a real difference here. To
stand with the people who trusted him and fight for the things he cared about.

  All he had to do was reach out and take it.

  "I choose this," he said, the words spoken like a whisper in his soul, lifting to a roar that threatened to pierce the heavens. "I choose this!"

  Adrenaline pulsed through his body, sending him upward in a surge of sudden movement. As he ran toward the Petravor, he felt faster. Stronger. Confident.

  > Your choice is made. You can no longer be resurrected in this world. In exchange, you have been granted certain boons.

  Leaping over what would have been a fatal swipe, Arheis pushed off of the Petravor's claw, its sharp edge slicing into his soles. Tossing his shield aside, he gripped the haft of his spear with both hands and used his own momentum to thrust it downward, following in its wake. When the spear head pierced the Petravor's skull he felt the resistance slam through his body, but he pushed right back, wrenching it deeper as he landed on the beast's head.

  He pulled backward, yanking once, twice before the spear came free, a brilliant white light pouring out from the fissure he'd made in the creature's skull, the explosion that followed sending Arheis flying amid shards of bone, flesh, and armor plating.

  > You have learned Ground Zero. When you fall below 20% of your maximum health, channel your fighting spirit into your spear and overwhelm your enemies with a devastating blast.

  He landed on the beach, catching himself before he fell prone. His heart pounded and blood rushed through him, drowning out all other noise except the constant, insistent hum of electricity. Arheis looked toward the sound, his gaze falling on his pack.

  He didn't think about what he was doing, he just listened to that deep stirring in his soul that told him to pull the bracer from his pack and fasten it around his wrist. Cool metal clamped down on his arm, melding to its shape, a surface-level pulse of electricity arcing through his nerves and traveling to the tips of his fingers.

  Thunder bellowed in the distance, storm clouds cresting the cliffs above. A bolt of lightning raced down the sheer cliffside, shaping into the form of a Fulcorn that charged down the straight drop.

  Arheis could feel the spirit, its heart pumping in time with his, its rage fueling his own. Wrapped up in the space between, the spirit shone just as brightly as his own, staking claim over his consciousness. Pride, bravery, and a fierce desire to help his friends came over Arheis, washing away any fear he might have felt as the Petravor bore down, preparing to slam its crushing weight down on top of him.

  He let out a yell, feeling the Fulcorn spirit pass through him, its antlers concentrating right at the tip of his spear as he thrust it upward, burying it into the underbelly of the Petravor. Lightning arced through the beast, shredding through skin, conducted through muscle by what plates remained.

  > Your Fulcorn-charged strike pierces Petravor for 217 points of damage.

  > Petravor is paralyzed!

  He dodged out of the way, carried by the swiftness of the Fulcorn, and watched as his companions descended on the beast. Higrem cleaved flesh from bone, Galen ripped now-fragile plates apart and shattered them in a spray of debris, and Mira shot a volley of bolts that pierced true, slicing through muscle and sinew, burying deep in the creature before they exploded in a shower of gore.

  When the Petravor finally fell, its brutalized form crashing to the beach, Arheis felt it reverberate through every cell in his body.

  > You have slain Petravor!

  > You have earned 500 XP.

  The Petravor was dead. They'd won.

  And he was as much a part of that victory--and this world--as everyone else.

  34

  Arheis’ muscles burned like he'd just finished running the last leg of a marathon. His body demanded he take in more oxygen than he was getting, and as his adrenaline levels plummeted, a tremor of fatigue snaked its way into his limbs.

  But none of it mattered. The Petravor was dead. The evidence of the kill was right there before him, the massive beast laying lifeless upon the beach, sand clinging to the coarse hair that covered its body. The beast was dead, and everyone else… was alive?

  That couldn't be true. They'd lost people during the Nepondus Queen fight. Even the Exsetus had taken out a few sailors. But as Arheis looked around, almost drunk on the awe of the moment, he saw everyone who'd joined him at the beach.

  Mira, Galen, and Higrem, all three of them seemingly crashing as hard as he was. Treyous and Bren, the latter of whom was standing protectively in front of her captain just waiting for the Petravor to move again. And the three Pruvari led by the Elder, their beast spirits standing beside them.

  Arheis let out a breath, his relief palpable. They all looked beat to hell and he belatedly realized he was bleeding from several wounds, warm crimson liquid staining his armor, but that didn't matter. He was alive. They were all alive.

  "Are you alright?" Mira asked, stepping around the Petravor's fused claw to make her way to him.

  "Oh, you know. Just bleeding. Maybe internally." His ribs still felt bruised and when he poked around at his belly it felt tense.

  "Is that all?"

  Her gentle smirk quickly faded to an expression of relief. Arheis swore he saw the shimmer of tears in her eyes before she blinked them away.

  It wasn't a surprise that this ordeal had taken a lot out of her, too. He could feel it now, that warring sense of exhaustion and elation. The worry she had for her friends--especially him--slowly easing, leaving her unsteady and desperate to make sense of the world again.

  Arheis acted on instinct, pulling her into his arms and hugging her close. Armor got in the way and wounds burned in pain, making the gesture more awkward than tender. And after a few moments she started to pull back just as Arheis realized he was--

  "You're bleeding all over me," she said with a light laugh.

  "Sorry." He gave her a sheepish grin and she shook her head, affection in her brown eyes.

  Mira fetched her pack from the ground and took out the more complicated supplies she couldn't exactly use on the fly. Herbal compounds, salves, and other mixtures meant to be applied topically. Arheis gingerly removed his chestguard under her instruction, letting out a hiss as a stab of pain reminded him that he definitely wasn't benefiting from whatever crazy powers he'd gained earlier anymore.

  "Once you're patched up, can you help me with the others?" she asked, and he nodded, watching while she worked.

  Warm hands slid under his shirt, pressing a cloth to the puncture wound that wouldn't stop bleeding. When it finally did, she applied a compound, then wrapped it up.

  > You have been healed for 54 points of damage.

  "Thanks," he said with a smile, catching her hand before she could fully draw it back. He gave it a gentle squeeze, then let go.

  "Can't have you keeling over on me now."

  There was a flash of pain in her eyes and Arheis soon understood why. Her gaze cast down to his bracer, her fingers reaching out to trace its design.

  "He would've been so happy to see you work alongside his spirit," she said, clearing her throat when her voice began to break.

  Arheis felt the now familiar pang of loss, but it was tempered by something else. Warmth. Compassion. Hope. It was almost like he'd been grieving alone this whole time, even if he knew that wasn't true. But now he felt that empty space beside him slowly fill, the pain becoming a bit more bearable.

  Just as he'd said he would, Arheis grabbed some healing supplies and made the rounds with Mira. He worked on Higrem first, cleaning and dressing a wound in his side. The man hissed and grunted under his breath, keeping most of his complaints to himself.

  "So. You made your choice."

  Arheis looked up, meeting Higrem's dark eyes. "I did."

  Higrem nodded, regarding him the way Arheis imagined someone might regard a fellow soldier. Reaching out, he clapped Arheis on the shoulder.

  "It's good to have you."

  No mean-spirited comment followed, no cryptically cautionary ta
le. The sentiment seemed genuine, and Arheis began to settle into his decision with a feeling of certainty.

  He looked across the beach, spotting Mira as she worked on Bren. Treyous stood beside them, his chin lifting in acknowledgment as he caught Arheis' gaze. A smile spread across the Ambassador's lips and Arheis nodded in return.

  He still wasn't sure what to make of the man, but it didn't matter right now. Scanning the beach for someone else to help, he saw one of the Pruvari was being tended by the other.

  Once Higrem was patched up, he walked over to see if he could help.

  "Can I do anything?" he asked, gaze riveted to the whirring tool the Pruvari was using to cauterize a wound on the other's thigh.

  "Help me hold him still," she requested, and Arheis moved to do so.

  The Pruvari bucked against the restraint but Arheis held firm, managing to keep him from moving too much. When the wound was fully closed, the flesh and nerve endings cleanly burned, the Pruvari eased and so did Arheis.

  "Zindar's spirit has taken to you." The Elder walked up from behind him, his own bracer-clad arm crossed over his heart.

  "I don't know how," Arheis admitted. "The bracer, it… called to me."

  "It is your connection to him. It allows you to connect to the Fulcorn, as well."

  Arheis looked down at the device. It pulsed with a dull yellow light, sending a spark through his arm that felt like the barest tickle. In his mind, a voice spoke clear as day.

  You have much to learn. I will guide you, as he would wish.

  That thread of connection tightened into a link that felt unbreakable. He could feel the Fulcorn, its pride and power washing over him, the touch of arrogance in its booming voice somehow completely unsurprising to him.