Chapter 22: Ember Skyfall
"Oh damn." Lucien cursed. His heart hammered against his ribs.
As he held the Thornback Boar with his blade, another was charging from his right angle with immense speed.
Dust followed behind, hindering vision. The air grew thick, choking.
Now he had to make a choice where he wouldn’t be harmed.
Being hit with the thorn or tusk – if not careful, it could severely injure him. He couldn’t remove his blade from the one in front of him, or else it would attack him. There was no time to think – only to act.
Now he was torn in making a choice. A sudden plan.
Lucien immediately entered the Heart-Mind Fusion state. This made all those emotions disappear. The world turned cold and sharp.
He concentrated. He was like a war machine now, his instinct leading him.
He coated the Fang with Originat, making it more deadly and able to pierce through their defense.
The second boar was closing in – twenty meters, fifteen, ten. Each hoofbeat was a countdown.
Lucien shifted his weight. Instead of pulling the blade free, he pushed it deeper into the first boar’s shoulder, using it as a lever. He twisted his body, planting his foot against the beast’s flank, and launched himself sideways.
The first boar squealed as the blade tore through muscle. Lucien rolled across the ground, dust filling his mouth, and came up in a crouch. Grit scraped his tongue.
The second boar missed him by a breath. Its tusks scraped against the first boar’s hide instead, drawing blood. The two beasts collided, grunting and snapping at each other.
Lucien didn’t wait. He ran – not away, but to the side – putting a fallen log between himself and them.
The boars separated. Their red eyes found him again. Hunger and hate burned in those eyes.
Two of them. Both angry. Both armored.
He couldn’t use Flame Lash – not yet. His MP wasn’t something he could waste, and the whip form drained him too fast. He had to do this the hard way.
The first boar charged. He dodged left. Its tusks tore through the log instead of his legs.
The second boar came from behind. He heard its hooves, felt the ground shake. He dropped flat. The beast leaped over him, thorns scraping his back, tearing his shirt.
He rolled, got up, and ran again. His lungs screamed for air.
This wasn’t a fight he could win with brute force. He needed to wear them down.
War of attrition.
He led them through the clearing, around trees, over rocks. Every time they charged, he dodged. Every time they cornered him, he slipped away.
His lungs burned. His legs ached. But the boars were slowing too. Their breaths came in heavy grunts; their charges grew shorter.
He spotted a boulder – waist high, wide. He ran toward it, jumped, and landed on top. Stone scraped his palms.
The boars circled below, snapping their tusks at the stone.
Lucien panted. He had maybe two minutes before they figured out how to climb or knock it over.
He checked his MP. 140. Not enough for a full Flame Lash, but maybe enough for something else.
The passives of the Fang – Silent Draw, Void Edge, Thirsting Cut – were always there, working without him thinking. No sound on the draw. Ignoring 10% of the enemy’s defense. Giving back 1% of health with every landed hit.
The neck, he reminded himself. If I can get above them.
The boars slammed into the boulder. It shook. He nearly lost his balance.
No more running.
He jumped – not away, but onto the back of the nearest boar. The air rushed past his ears.
His boots landed on its spine. The beast thrashed, trying to throw him off. He grabbed a thorn, ignored the pain, and held on. Blood slicked his fingers.
With his other hand, he raised the Fang.
He stabbed down. Steel met bone with a wet crack.
The blade sank into the base of its skull.
The boar collapsed. Lucien leaped off before it crushed him.
The second boar charged. No time to celebrate.
Lucien ran toward a tree, kicked off the trunk, and spun in the air. The boar passed beneath him. He landed behind it and slashed at its hind leg.
The Fang bit deep. The boar stumbled, dragging the wounded leg.
The beast turned, slower now. Its red eyes dulled with exhaustion and pain.
Lucien didn’t wait. He ran straight at it, ducked under a wild tusk swipe, and drove the blade into its throat from below. Hot blood sprayed his face.
The boar gurgled. Its legs gave out.
But there was no sound of notification, which surprised Lucien. A wrongness crawled up his spine.
His guard immediately went up, and he sensed an unusual wave of energy.
Before he could look, he found himself in the air. He flew, his body falling with speed to the ground. The wind roared in his ears.
Lucien let out a grunt of pain that had shaved 15 of his HP. His ribs cracked against the earth.
He grimaced in pain as he slowly stood up.
Looking before him, he saw the Thornback Boar standing in front of him, unharmed. No scratches. No blood. Impossible.
Their aura seemed strange – ferocious and evil. He didn’t think much of it, because from their aura, he felt intense danger, which meant he could die. Death breathed down his neck, cold and patient.
"Do you need my help?" Seraphina’s voice came through in his mind.
"Don’t worry, your husband should be able to pull this off. There’s this move I have been waiting to try," he replied. His voice was steady, even as his hands trembled.
Seraphina fell silent. She watched the battle.
When Lucien was sent flying, she had almost made a move, but she reined in her anger because of Lucien. She knew he wouldn’t like it. Otherwise, she would have taught those boars a lesson.
The Thornback Boars charged again, but....
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