Chapter 193 Volume IV - Chapter 38: The Smiling Creature
I wanted to open my mouth but realized I had no time to do so. Absolute Mind kicked in as fast as it could, and my sense of fear disappeared in an instant. I channeled mana into my obsidian sword, flames surrounded it and I swung it swiftly behind Hardil.
"Hrrgghaar!"
The yellow fangs that seemed to be smiling suddenly opened, accompanied by a snarl, and the creature moved, dodging the flames, but it did not stop there.
Even though enveloped in flames, it caught the sword I swung at it with its countless fangs and tried to break it.
I realized that the sword in my hand was trembling and tried to pull it back, but the creature's jaws were too strong.
Just then I saw something darting out of my side, something small and shimmering with the glow of the flame from my sword.
Dorhud swung his armor-clad fist right into the creature's face. The creature had to retreat before it could break my sword, or at least take it from me. The flames didn't seem to have done him much harm, and more importantly, it was precisely because of the flames that we could now see its whole body.
It was a slender creature with two long, really long legs that looked as if they had two knees. His arms were long too, and he seemed to have two elbows, just like his legs. It also had claws that were disproportionately large in proportion to its body, long and extremely sharp. Its face resembled an ugly person, and its whole body was dark. The smile was still on its face as if it was mocking us.
As someone who had completed one hundred percent of the game, I knew this creature, of course.
"That thing is an umbanth!"
I couldn't say anything more than that, because Dorhud rushed at the creature, and without even a moment's hesitation, he started swinging his clenched fists at it.
The creature quickly avoided the punches, even avoided Dorhud himself. It dodged past him. Its long, jointed legs and arms seeming to be able to move as it pleased. And so it did.
So, the umbanth ended up in front of Ezareth in an instant.
I only saw out of the corner of my eye, so I didn't understand what was happening, but as I was looking at them, something strange and dark suddenly enveloped Ezareth's body. It was like she was in the shadows. Her whole body disappeared in an instant as if she had vanished into thin air.
Her first stigma ability, camouflage, was even more effective than I thought it would be. Of course, I had to learn it the hard way, because the creature had chosen me as its new target after losing sight of Ezareth.
I quickly raised my hand, formed a big circle of flame, and attacked the creature with it.
When umbanth saw the oncoming attack, it put on an expression of annoyance and stepped aside. The circle of flame had left a burn stigma on the wall just behind it.
"Use every light source at your disposal!"
The umbanth is not a creature about which much is known. It is a very rare species, so I am the most knowledgeable person around.
The more light we have around, the easier it is to fight.
The creature retreated with a snarl, the smile on its face replaced by an angry expression. Its eyes were on me, it had seen that I could use magic, especially of the flame attribute, and since this was its weakness, it had to get rid of me first.
Dorhud realized this and appeared in front of me, small in stature but trustworthy more than enough.
I quickly scanned the room for a brief moment so that I could see the hannya who had just used her stigma to hide. She wasn't hiding now. She was standing in front of Hardil.
She nodded as if she understood what I meant by the brief glance I gave her, and I wasted no time in turning around.
"The two of us will hold him off, Ezareth will hide and attack it."
Dorhud couldn't give me a nod, because the creature rushed at us. With its limbs with extra points of articulation, it had a lot of room to move.
Dorhud quickly took up a defensive position to protect himself, but also me. I quickly formed a circle of flame and lifted it up so that everything in the room was in full view, every movement of the creature was visible to us.
Dorhud caught the creature's claw in mid-air and twisted it hard, the creature let out a cry of pain and at that moment I swung my sword, filled with my mana, at the limb Dorhud had grabbed.
The creature opened its ugly mouth as wide as it could, filled with countless teeth, and tried to bite Dorhud. Knowing that he could not dodge it where he stood, Dorhud had to let go of the creature's arm and the umbanth quickly retreated before my sword could reach it.
The pupils of its red eyes, the vertical lines of anger in them, were even smaller than they had been a moment before, and its huge mouth, which had been smiling at first, was now shriveled up and drooling.
I immediately checked on Ezareth in that brief moment. She was no longer in front of Hardil. She had left Hardil alone, trembling where he was, unable to move, looking scared shitless.
Frankly, I didn't give a damn. I just wanted to see Ezareth hiding in the shadows again, and I've seen it.
"We will be bait."
Dorhud nodded, and then we both took a short breath and lunged at the creature at the same time.
Not expecting us to attack, umbanth was surprised for a moment, but responded quickly. It avoided Dorhud's hard, crushing fist and parried my sword with its claw. Yet neither Dorhud nor I stopped, we both turned back to it at the same time, and Dorhud, with his tremendous reflexes, managed to grab the umbanth by the shoulder and pin him to the ground.
I quickly brought my sword down on the creature's chest, aiming to stop it from moving. With that, a heavy darkness suddenly fell over the area.
Right next to my sword, above the creature, a shadow appeared out of nowhere. The shroud of darkness around Ezareth's body slowly disappeared as her daggers were aimed directly at the creature's neck.
She and the creature looked into each other's eyes. One with fear, the other with determination.
It was an excellent opportunity. In fact, the best opportunity we could have had. Umbanth had underestimated us, that's why it was in this situation.
But... we had underestimated it too. Our struggle was far from enough to defeat it enough to allow it to escape, let alone kill it.
The creature twisted its neck at such an angle, as if there were a few extra joints even there, that it managed to hold Ezareth's dagger aloft with its fangs. At the same time, it twisted its right foot in the same way, kicking my sword and causing me to fall backward.
Then it twisted its whole body again, and as if it didn't have a bone in its body, it slipped out of Dorhud's grasp and flew in the opposite direction.
"It's runnin-"
I was interrupted, my eyes widened and what I was about to say was erased from my mind.
The creature was not running away. No, it had a target.
"Watch out!"
Dorhud's voice echoed in the room as I tried to run toward Hardil, even though I was on the ground, as we were facing the worst possible scenario.
That creature must not consume 'human' blood under any circumstances. I will not allow it!
Hardil just stared at the creature with shrunken pupils and pants that he had obviously wet himself. I saw his lips quiver and curl upward a little, as if this was all a joke.
Then the creature suddenly appeared in front of him. For a moment time stopped, for both of us. Then I saw a mouth with countless fangs open in a way that no living creature could ever open, and then I saw the same mouth completely encompass Hardil's head in its entirety.
I paused as I saw the creature swallow and a lump descends down its throat.
I smiled, then clenched my fist with difficulty and sighed heavily. Because the worst possible scenario... had now turned into the deadliest possible scenario.
"Fuck."
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