Then the forest broke and they found themselves in a glade perhaps fifty yards in diameter.
Alex gasped, eyes widening at what awaited them at the other side.
It was a boar, yes, but larger and fiercer looking than anything he had seen before, whether hunting prior spirit beasts or on his computer a lifetime ago.
The creature was massive, at least eight feet tall at the shoulder, wicked-looking ebony tusks glittering cruelly in the brilliant sunlight, beady red eyes glaring at Zeng Zeng and his fellow hunters with seething hate.
The creature’s squeal shook their bones, and it immediately began to charge.
“Ready your spears!” roared Zeng Zeng. Being no fool, he quickly retreated between the line of slaves, his own weapon poised to plunge into the boar should they manage to stop it in the charge, or perhaps through their backs, if they dared to flee.
Alex spared a quick glance at Zeng Zeng and Scar, both of them with spears braced alongside four other slavers, also forming part of the hunting party, just behind the front row of slaves. Alex knew he shouldn’t be surprised that he and his fellows were being used as meat shields as well as extra spears. All the same, perhaps because this was his very first hunt and because they valued him as a commodity, he had been placed on the periphery, to the left of his fellow slaves, though he had braced his spear like all the others, readying himself for the charging beast rapidly closing.
Then Alex could spare no more thought for anything save the doom fast approaching. Beady little eyes blazing with wrath and wild Qi locked upon Alex’s own, the hideous creature’s squeal sending shivers down Alex’s spine as it shifted course, now aiming straight for Alex.
His heart was pounding with an odd, terrible mix of exhilaration and dread, hands slick with sweat that nonetheless stayed firmly on the rough-grained wood.
Twenty yards to impact, Alex planted the butt of his spear in the ground, only peripherally hearing the curt commands of a too-alert Scar who sensed the shifting target, the slaves hastily bracing themselves and their spears shoulder to shoulder with Alex.
Ten yards to impact, Alex lowered his spear while crouching over, weight on the spear even as he subtly shifted balance, so he could spring aside in a heartbeat.
Five yards to impact and the ground was shaking in time with Alex’s racing heart.
Four… three… two… one!
You have successfully struck your target!
Death-boar has run up your shaft! Left lung pierced! Lug nuts failed to stop Death-boar’s momentum!
Your spear has shattered!
Quickness check made! You have dodged certain death!
Death-boar has clipped you for 20 Damage and 1 Light Wound! You have saved versus disorientation!
All his racing thoughts condensed to one point of focus, the rippling hide between the massive boar’s front limbs and neck. Hardest for his foe to dodge, his best chance of stopping it cold.
And even as he felt a momentary surge of exhilaration, feeling his spear jolt with contact, the butt skipped out from under his planted foot, but not before the broad spearhead punctured the thick, enchanted hide of the beast. An eyeblink later, the boar’s momentum carried it up the shaft with such force that the wooden pole snapped when the tough hide slammed against the guard designed to stop its momentum, and for all that Alex had braced himself for death charging past their paltry spear line, it was desperation alone that allowed him to jump away in time.
Still he was clipped, spinning away as the beast’s bristly flank slammed into his body, the air alive with the terrified shrieks of men being scattered about by the fearsome charge before they were raked and gored by the spirit beast squealing and glaring with hate at the mortals who had dared to challenge it.
A quick glance showed scattered weapons and men, many groaning, several deathly still, tossed about like broken dolls, one man shrieking as he was torn to shreds by demon-beast tusks before Alex’s horrified eyes. A final shriek and a spray of blood as the body was flipped end over end through the air, a shower of crimson mist and the awful tang of copper now infusing the air.
At that moment, only Scar and Zeng Zeng stood firm, and Alex could sense a violent burst of Metal Qi as the beast squealed and fresh blood erupted from the beast’s flank as Scar’s spear plunged into his target, Zeng Zeng roaring for the guards to get back to their feet and fight while distracting the boar with his own spear, the air radiating with hot, fiery Qi as Tang Dan spat words of flame, a whip of liquid fire lashing through the air and sizzling against the beast’s back.
A thousand thoughts flickered through Alex’s mind, and he sensed before him another fork in the road of possibility.
He knew with ice cold certainty that were he to run away now, he would get away free. No matter the collar around his neck, he was increasingly certain that if his enemies lost eye contact with him, he would have nothing to fear.
But the squealing boar had turned its attention to the slaves struggling to their feet once more, and Peng, the one man who had shown him kindness that day, was the closest target.
If Alex fled, Peng and the other slaves were as good as dead.
Perception check made!
For all that he had flown a good ten feet, somehow, he was not the only one. One of the slaver guards had landed with his steel-tipped spear just feet away, his torso ripped clean in half, eyes already gazing upon the River of Souls. The spear was worthless to him now.
Hating the risk he was taking, Alex made his choice, only hoping few would remember what was about to happen.
Compressed Bullrush successful! Target is less than 15 feet away. Simultaneous use of Adderstrike successful. You have put your entire body into the blow! Temporary invulnerability. You have taken no damage from your Bullrush. Death-boar has been critically hit! Invulnerability ends!
Strength check failed!
You are unable to free your spear from your target! You have been flung free of your target!
Finesse check failed! You have taken 10 Damage and 1 Light Wound!
You have taken 20 Damage and 1 Light Wound!
You are temporarily disoriented!
Alex blinked as he flew through the air, the last few furious seconds already a blur, surprised he had actually been able to combine his two Qi disciplines into one deadly attack, amazed when his spear had blasted so deeply into his target that even the lugs had been buried, making a gusher of a wound, and he utterly unable to free it and hanging on like a fool when the furious boar, distracted from his prey long enough to frantically shake Alex free, sent him flying into the trees even as Scar and Zeng Zeng took the opportunity to plunge their spears into the distracted spirit beast’s neck.
Even as his Qi Perception took in the frantic battle below, Alex frantically raised his hands to brace against the crack of his body crashing into a tree trunk some fifteen feet above the loamy forest floor.
He wheezed with the impact, amazed nothing seemed broken.
Then he fell to the ground, smacking so hard he was unable to breathe for a handful of perilous seconds, dizzy with need before a desperate wheeze finally filled his lungs with fresh, life-giving air.
“Finish it!” Alex heard Scar roar as he forced himself to wobbly feet, the earth seeming to tilt as he eyed the frantic combat still taking place. He was grateful to count Peng and at least a couple other slaves as well as several guards still among the living, the former wise enough to roar and call attention to how valiantly they were fighting, though all their thrusts were defensive, at maximum range, prodding the boar only when its focus was on Scar or Zeng Zeng, caught in the impossible tightrope of keeping themselves safe from the boar and Scar’s future wrath as well.
The boar squealed as the mage cultivator in their group lashed out with whips of flame once more, further distracting the beast.
Alex wasted no time once his sense of equilibrium returned, quickly spotting a discarded spear serviceable enough, despite the crack running along its grain, and rejoine
d the fight. And for all that the spirit beast’s hide was all but impervious to most of Alex’s spear thrusts, he recognized the pair of shattered shafts that were still stuck in the boar, plunged deep and still spraying geysers of pink frothy blood. And though it was Scar’s triumphant roar that preceded the boar’s final death throes as the man plunged his enchanted spear through the boar’s eye, there was no doubt in Alex’s mind as to which wounds had finally weakened the Death-boar sufficient for the slaver to make the final killing shot.
Alex could only hope the slavers wouldn’t figure it out, or he knew he would face no end of trouble.
And when Scar’s triumphant roar and Zeng Zeng’s fawning congratulations turned to hard stares for all the slaves whose spears had done so little against the greater spirit beast, Alex quailed, now fearing they would think he had done nothing worthy at all. His gut clenched with disgust and dread at what the repercussions of that might be.
But he suffered no worse than Zeng Zeng’s powerful hand shoving him off his feet and tearing free his spear, declaring him worthless deadweight, as he did the rest of the slaves.
“We lost two good men today!” he roared, glaring at the shredded remains of the pair of fallen slavers, not even sparing a glance for the horribly mangled bodies of the captives that had died as well. “If you fools had fought better, if you had acted like warriors instead of cowards, those soldiers might be alive! Their deaths are on your heads, and each of you pathetic wretches now owe a bloodprice to their families! By rights I should cut you all down right now. It is only thanks to Master Scar that you’re even permitted to live!”
Master Tang Dan snarled, glaring at each and every one of them, squeezing his fist. And Alex knew he wasn’t the only one feeling an uncomfortable heat pulsating from his neck if the startled gasps and desperate pleading were anything to go by.
Alex quelled his bitter fury. He was both horrified and outraged that his life could be taken from him so cruelly, so arbitrarily, but he knew his wisest move was to lower his head and stoically wait out the slaver’s diatribe, his face an expressionless mask no one could misread.
Scar, however, was glaring at the pair of spears lodged so deeply inside the fallen spirit beast. “Who cast these spears?”
Several slaves glanced longingly at each other, but none were so bold as to take credit. Alex just kept his head bowed.
“No doubt the final dying acts of defiance committed by our fallen brothers,” Zeng Zeng declared.
“No doubt,” Scar said, though his furrowed brow made it clear he wasn’t entirely convinced.
He glared at Alex. “You, boy. Look me in the eyes and tell me you did other than cower in fear like a woman.” He flashed a cold smile. “Look at the death around you, boy. Don’t be shy. Tell me you wouldn’t rather embrace a woman’s pleasures than risk your soft features in the crucible of the hunt a second time!”
Alex chuckled coldly, knowing he was at grave risk of offending the mercurial slaver before him, but part of him was beyond caring. “Point me at any beast you like. For a fair cut of the meat, I’ll happily hunt him down by your side.”
Tang Dan’s red eyes blazed with outrage. Alex cried out as intolerable heat tore through him.
You have suffered 30 Damage and 1 Light Wound from Inferno Burst.
Inferno Burst comprehension is now at 40%.
“That will be enough, Tang Dan,” Scar said, his raised hand clenching in a fist.
Alex gasped with relief when the collar immediately cooled, though his blistered neck stung with constant throbbing pain.
Scar gave Alex a cold nod of approval, eagle eyes arrowing on his weapon. “You did not quake like a coward or a woman. The tip of your spear is blackened with blood and the shaft is cracked, so it’s clear you fought in earnest, if nothing else.” He flashed a toothy smile. “This is good. We've harvested enough women on this run. I’m pleased you, at least, are turning out to be a fighter.”
He turned to glare at the handful of fallen guards and slaves that had been absolutely torn apart by the deadly spirit beast, the clearing already stinking of offal and blood. “We’ll need every warrior worth his salt for the rest of the trip. Zeng Zeng, organize our men and the slaves to gut and clean the spirit beast. You already know what to store and what to discard. And make sure to bury the offal and the fools who perished. Have our men assist. Don’t wait for the slaves to do all the work. We want to be done and moving before any predators make it to the kill site.”
“Yes, my lord,” Zeng Zeng said with a deferential bow as Scar headed back to camp with the mage in tow, quickly turning to glare at the surviving men, pulling out skinning knives, shovels, and other miscellaneous gear from some sort of sack of holding. “Men, begin dressing our kill. Slaves! Don’t just stand there looking like fools, begin digging that pit! And if I see you slacking for more than a minute, you’ll be buried right along with the corpses!”
Everyone immediately began doing as they were told, the slaves working desperately, the surviving guards joking and taking their ease as they skinned and gutted the carcass, and Alex was grateful to see that, save for a few hastily wrapped cuts and a number of bruises, there were no serious injuries among the surviving captives. And it made sense, he supposed. That boar had been so fearsome an opponent that whoever had been the unlucky focus of his wrath had been torn to shreds by those tusks. Anyone suffering more minor injuries had been hurt inadvertently, the massive beast knocking them aside in passing, much as it had Alex.
Still, the injuries and lack of treatment got Alex thinking about all his lessons under his former mentor, his eyes instinctively scanning the surrounding forest for any trace of herbs or mushrooms he might eventually use to make any one of the dozens of potentially life-saving botanical tinctures he had mastered so well. Tinctures that could speed up recovery, encouraging bones or muscles to heal many times faster than normal, or completely cure common fevers and lung infections or the like, using nothing more than the plant’s own natural stores of Qi, his Biochemical Mastery perk serving as an invaluable tool for helping him to maximize the potential of so many tinctures. And for those concoctions that had everything to do with healing mortal injury and nothing to do with cultivation, he could create those tinctures with nothing more exotic than the crudest of apothecary tools, no access to his ring necessary.
And though he felt a certain frisson of excitement at seeing a number of familiar ingredients growing nearby, such as Blackcap Head, Sageroot, and Feverfew, as well as a handful of other ingredients that together would allow him to make the most basic of healing compresses, he did nothing more than make a mental note of their locations, keeping a careful eye out for any other herbs of interest, his hands focused only on digging out the massive ditch all the slaves were working on, forced to ignore his strains and contusions as the afternoon light waned, until at last Zeng Zeng called out to them.
“Alright, fools. The ditch is plenty big enough. Now grab the bodies and toss them in. But pay some respect to the guards, damn you, they were good men! Alright, now the remains of that damned beast. Well, what are you waiting for? No one gave you lazy bastards permission to lounge about. Cover up the damn mound and let’s get back to camp!”
And it was an exhausted Alex that made his way back to camp, weighed down by what seemed to be a hundred pounds of hide as they trudged back, and not even the promised spirit beast steaks could keep him going once they finally reached their destination, Alex crashing to the ground by the fire where the other slaves had collapsed the minute he was freed of his heavy burden, and never could he recall having slept so deeply or soundly as he did that night, no matter that he was sleeping in cuir bouilli armor by a poorly tended fire, surrounded on all sides by fellow captives sharing body heat.
If one yearned for a good night’s sleep, some tiny part of Alex’s mind reflected, nothing beat utter and absolute exhaustion.
3
“You awake, kid? Best get up before Zeng Zeng’s boot does it for yo
u.”
Alex suppressed a groan, though he was grateful it was Peng’s voice wakening him as opposed to Zeng Zeng’s cuffs or curses. And though he still felt somewhat drained, he was relieved to find his body completely free of soreness and injury, for all that he had felt a bruised and battered wreck the night before.
His eyes widened with gratitude when Peng handed him a copper bowl filled with succulent, meaty stew, the incredible smell enough to awaken a ravenous hunger within him, his belly reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since midmorning the day before.
Alex devoured the stew, savoring its rich meaty flavor.
Peng chuckled softly, handing him a water flask. “Nothing is quite so savory and nutritious as spirit beast meat, and you and I did help take down the fiercest damned beast I’ve ever seen.” The man’s eyes grew haunted before he shook away the memory, flashing a jaded smile instead. “Scar was quick to declare himself a man of his word, all of us given as much stew as we wanted. But in truth, right now we have over a ton of meat, our storage packs are full, and the more food enriched with Heaven and Earth Qi that we devour, the healthier we will be, and the more coin we’ll fetch at the slave markets. So best eat up, boy. When all’s said and done, our best chance of survival is to be just as strong as we can possibly be.”
Alex nodded, all but inhaling the delicious fare, not hesitating to devour a second portion and then a third, when an oddly attentive Peng wordlessly handed him fresh bowls filled with stew.
His eyes widened only slightly when he finally registered the message quietly blinking in the back of his mind’s eye.
You have slain 1 Greater Spirit Beast. Do you wish to claim its potential? Warning. Dual Path Purification Technique is inaccessible at present. Cleansing Breath Purification Technique available at 3.5% efficiency. Do you wish to claim its potency at this time?
Silver Fox & The Western Hero: Warrior Reforged: A LitRPG/Wuxia Novel - Book 2 Page 3
