It's here. Heavy paws sent waves of force through the sand as the beast rushed Noah. He could see it perfectly. It was a tiger, twice the typical size, and standing on two legs. Its striped orange fur was pristine and its eyes burned with determination as it closed the distance between them in a heartbeat. Noah grinned as he took in every minute detail of its approach–the extension of its leg, the raising of its paw, the extending of its claws. Even with the ability to know its movements, his body struggled to react in time. He desperately swung his hammer in a counter arc, managing to catch its wrist and deflect its claws. He lept back, not missing the shock on the beast's face, nor the sly smile creeping across its face. It lunged forward, both claws extended and it was all he could do to dive out of the way. Some things never change. Before he could get to his feet the tiger was already moving. He attempted to roll out of its path but its claws found purchase in his back. He winced as a line of red was carved into him. With what little momentum he could manage, he swung the point of his hammer at the beast’s head, forcing it to move or endure the blow. It withdrew and prepared to strike again.
Noah climbed to his feet and dropped into a ready stance. He had been fighting these relentless battles day after day and it would take more than a flesh wound to put him down. Once again the tiger lunged forward, but this time Noah was already in motion, swinging his hammer in an overhead strike. The spike of his weapons struck the top of the beast’s skull and it cried out in anguish. To Noah’s horror, it pressed the attack nonetheless and he watched in excruciating detail as his left arm was shredded like paper. He screamed and his vision went blurry. He desperately tried to clear his eyes but found there was nothing in them. No… He realized his brief grasp of domain had faltered in his lapse of focus, and he somehow knew he wouldn’t be getting back mid-fight. The cacophony of noise that came next was alarming and he doubled down on his senses, willing them to stay in the fight. Through his mundane vision, he examined the beast even as it watched him. He noticed a slight wobble to its steps. Concussion? He gripped the hammer with his right hand and started his approach. He swung the weapons like a club, aiming for its torso. It dodged, closing the distance and lashing out with a low kick to his shin.
He turned into the blow and drove his knee into the tiger’s thigh. They were close enough to hug and exchanged several rapid strikes with Noah coming out ahead. It appeared that his brief stint of martial training came in handy against an ascended beast who had abandoned its natural form. His hammer had been knocked from his hand, so as they broke apart he stepped back and snatched it from the ground. The tiger grinned predatorily at him and he felt his heart waver. It dashed forward, and before he could react it bit into his thigh, wrenching him from his feet. He hit the ground hard, his leg stuck in the vice. He kicked at it with his other foot, and desperately swung his hammer. It did little to dissuade the beast. This can’t be the end. Pain tore through him, and he struggled to hold on to his consciousness. No.. The spike of his hammer finally sunk into the tiger’s flesh and he felt its teeth tear out of him. He propped himself up, as much as he could on the one arm. The beast had a hole between the ear and eye and its mouth was hanging open. Bile rose in his throat. The beast began staggering toward him, its eyes were distant. He braced himself and positioned the point of the hammer between him and his foe. Its face twitched exposing bloody fangs, and it lept forward. Noah watched as it descended. One set of claws arcing near. Only to stop short. He blinked. The tiger lay still directly in front of him, its claws a mere foot from his mangled leg. A warm feeling rose within him, and he promptly wretched all over the beast. He began to fall backward only to be caught in warm hands.
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“I knew you could do it.” Jeline whispered in her ethereal voice. He was glad that he didn’t have enough awareness to respond. The healer began working on him and Jeline assured him that this would be the only fight of the day. They continued to speak but his thoughts turned to the System notification he had received.
[100,000 XP Gained.]
He smiled. He noticed the concerned expression on Jeline’s face but paid it no mind. He did it. He had enough to advance his Grade. Relief flowed through him and it seemed to tip the scales, and his vision finally faded. When he woke he was lying in his bed, pain free. Amazing. Even after a month of constant healing, he couldn’t get over the wonder of it. If only it had been present in the old world. He shook his head, one thing always begat another. He sat up and found that he had company. Jeline sat on his couch, sipping on some tea. She turned her head and smiled as she saw him.
“Noah, you’re awake.” She greeted. He blinked, finding the lighting in the room to be off.
“What time is it?” He asked.
“Just after dawn, after the healer finished I brought you here. The healing was…” She paused as if searching for just the right word. “Extensive. You lost more blood than could be easily replenished, hence the extended rest.”
“I see,” Noah replied, frowning. “Is there something I can help you with?” He asked. Her eyebrows knitted and he saw a flash of sadness cross her face.
“Noah, I think I made a mistake in the way I spoke to you a couple days ago.” She stated. His frown deepened. Before he could ask, however, she continued.
“Please remember that while I can speak with you as another person could, I am not accustomed to your ways of thinking. I have been advised that my approach likely came across as harsh and uncaring, perhaps even cruel.” She said, looking truly forlorn.
“This is not what I intended, but I can see that that is exactly what happened. The way you looked at me with such hostility—fear even. I don’t think I have experienced that kind of pain before. I have also been informed that one would typically apologize in these circumstances if they wish to mend the relationship. I’m sorry, Noah.” She finished. Noah stared at her in bewilderment. He had no words. The tyrant is apologizing? His brain refused to accept this as reality and he remained speechless. Jeline on the other hand looked close to tears. She got up and walked over to him, grabbing one of his hands between hers.
“Noah, you have to understand. I just don’t want you to die. When the neighboring kingdom invades I won’t be able to protect you. There won’t be a healer ready to mend your wounds. You will be on your own. If I don’t push you, you won’t stand a chance. That’s why I said what I did. Because I care.” Her voice was frantic as she stared into his eyes. Noah had heard this kind of language before, from a particularly unhealthy relationship with a girlfriend in college. She would hurt him and then beg for forgiveness saying ‘I did it for you.’ This however was not a human woman, but a sapient deer. Normal women were hard enough to understand, he didn’t dare try to get into her head. Against his better judgment, he raised his free hand to pause her speech.
“Jeline, I forgive you.” He replied. Real tears trailed down her face as she wrapped him in a hug.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am so happy we could mend our relationship. Speaking of, now that you’re healed, I will let the others know that you will be joining for training.” She said as if it was the only natural transition. With that, she left him, and Dalia came in with a cart of food. He rubbed at the crease between his eyes. I really shouldn’t have expected any different.
