Chapter 5
“THE MONSTER’S STRAIGHT AHEAD from here,” Latry said quietly about half an hour later. “We don’t know when it might notice us, so let’s hurry.”
Ahead was a clearing wide enough for all the hunters to fight as a unit. When hunting in a small group, it was common sense to hide among the trees and set traps. However, they were now traveling in a group of thirty, and the forest left little elbow room between them. They needed to move someplace optimal for teamwork.
Once they left the fortress, the monster was sure to pursue them eventually. As long as they reached the clearing before it caught up, they could wait and prepare.
Latry and two older hunters took the lead. The youngsters followed behind, then Dran and Mira. The Holy Knight took up the rear guard; if the monster ambushed the hunters from behind, it would be in for an unpleasant surprise.
Mira searched the area with her Biometric Scan as they ventured forth.
[Immortal Arts: Biometric Scan]
“Hrmm. Not so much as a bird.” The lack of any animal or monster life was unsettling.
“I’m not surprised. I bet the wildlife all turned tail and ran,” Dran replied when he overheard Mira’s muttering. Though they moved at a brisk pace, his breathing was unlabored. He had shocking stamina for a man over sixty years old.
“Hrmm. I see, I see.” Unsettling or not, this was ideal for Mira. It meant that any pings on her Biometric Scan were almost undoubtedly threats.
The party continued through the uncomfortably quiet forest. Surefooted, the experienced hunters dashed along with incredible speed and awareness. Young though they might’ve been, they had fantastic skills.
[Immortal Arts Movement: Shrinking Earth]
Mira deftly maneuvered in midair, keeping up with the fast-moving group. It was much easier to run above the forest floor than on it. The young hunters in front occasionally glanced back in amazement. The fact that Mira was dashing through the air in a short skirt above their eyelines caused much fascination.
Behind her, the Holy Knight made headway by brute force, crushing the foliage as it went. Small trees toppled, and branches snapped loudly as they flew off in all directions. Even though the summoned behemoth was on their side, the hunters made sure to stay ahead of it, and its intimidating advance only sped their movement.
The Holy Knight was also the most conspicuous thing in the silent forest. Sooner or later, the monster would notice that their group had left the fortress, and Mira wanted the Holy Knight to draw its attention first.
By the time they had advanced halfway to the clearing, the monster arrived.
A violent roar echoed through the forest. Some hunters flinched in reawakened terror, trembling. Dran and the others patted their backs and urged them forward. The roars continued, each one making it clear that the beast was gaining on them.
Finally, Mira sensed the monster’s presence. “I’ll delay it here for a bit. You all keep moving forward and get into position.” Hearing the hunters behind her agree, Mira descended to the ground and started walking toward the monster.
Dran worried about whether he should stay with her, but the moment he saw her display of determination, he quickly turned and ran to catch up with the younger folk. He knew his work lay ahead, not with Mira.
***
Mira stood next to the Holy Knight and stared into the forest as the monster approached. It leapt wildly at a speed faster than a human could run, and the trees swayed as the earth shook. The light, cheerful breeze seemed out of place as the malevolent presence stormed ever closer.
Then a storm of violence and noise split the silence.
The Holy Knight’s tower shield caught the monster’s first attack with a dull thud and a powerful tremor. Indeed, this monster had the power to break fortress walls. The beast’s roar was fierce as it assailed its prey, but the Holy Knight held fast.
Taken aback, the monster leapt away. The two titans now stood outside each other’s striking range.
The monster had two thick, black arms. Enormous muscles bulged visibly even through its fur. Legs as thick as great trees supported its three-meter-tall frame.
“Aha! A tyrant spikeback, eh?”
The gorilla-like giant’s most striking feature was the enormous crop of spikes sprouting from its back. As Mira suspected, the native of Ark was the source of the crippling poison from which Melissa had suffered.
In the blink of an eye, the beast closed the distance to the Holy Knight in a single bound. Now directly in front of the knight, it twisted to body-slam its spikes into the armor spirit with the destructive power of a siege engine. There was a boom; the sound of the impact reverberated powerfully through the air. No doubt a monster this powerful would have crushed the crumbling fortress in an instant.
However, Mira did not need to worry over such piddling power. The Holy Knight was not easily pierced, even by high-ranking monsters such as this one. Her concern was not the danger the beast presented, but why a tyrant spikeback had appeared in the Forest of the Devout in the first place.
The video game had simulated surprisingly robust ecosystems. Monster distribution was part of that, and various factors had balanced that distribution to form the world of Ark Earth Online.
Now this was a realistic, living world. However, deviance from local spawns was highly unusual. This tyrant spikeback’s presence was an aberration that only had a detrimental effect on the environment. At this rate, the monster would reign supreme over the Forest of the Devout’s ecosystem and throw it into disarray. It had to be eliminated.
First the blizzard eagle, now this. According to the hunters, they’ve seen other unusual monsters. What in the world is going on? Mira pondered the question as she engaged the monster.
A quick use of Biometric Scan let Mira know the hunters were still charging for the clearing. She resumed delaying the tyrant spikeback, but as she fended off the monster’s attacks, she began to fall back toward the hunters’ location.
***
A resounding boom caused one hunter to turn around in terror. Others turned to look with him.
“That was a hell of a noise. Think she’s really fine?”
A few seconds later, another blast shook the forest. The sounds of heavy battle drove stakes of fear into the hunters’ hearts, and their faces were taut with terror.
However, they didn’t stop moving, even as their legs grew heavy. Above the cacophony, Dran shouted, “Hear that sound, fellows?! The white knight hasn’t fallen! They’re still fighting! One could hardly ask for a more stalwart ally! Now run! Our destination isn’t far!”
They’d hoped to make it to the clearing before the monster found them. Still, from the sound of battle to their rear, Mira was improvising well enough. Taking heart, the young hunters mustered their courage and put more force into their legs, advancing step-by-step in pairs.
Soon enough, they broke into the clearing where they would make their stand.
***
It seems the hunters’ preparations are complete.
Thanks to her Biometric Scan, Mira saw that the hunters had spread into a circle; they were in position. She began retreating in their direction. The Holy Knight, cutting a trail through the foliage, followed her.
Thinking its prey was trying to escape, the tyrant spikeback let out a haughty roar and gave chase.
Suddenly, the forest fell away, and Mira found herself in a circular meadow, thirty meters in diameter. Dazzling sunlight poured into the clearing from overhead.
Mira ran in midair and landed in the clearing’s center. There, her Holy Knight stopped and turned just as the tyrant spikeback’s fist fell like a hammer on the knight’s tower shield. A solid, high-pitched clang spread through the clearing like a wave.
“Now the true battle begins.” As the hunters ran in to surround the tyrant spikeback, Mira backed away, leaving her Holy Knight where it stood. With the Holy Knight as their shield, the hunters would fight the beast as if it were a raid boss. Mira simply watched and kept Asclepius on standby.
The tyrant spikeback’s eyes remained fixed on the motionless Holy Knight as it backed away. The hunters behind the monster backed up as well. The knight remained, implacable.
When the monster glowered at the hunters, they began to lose their nerve. There were stifled cries, and legs began to quake; some hunters shrank back further. Still, the Holy Knight remained motionless.
In the face of the knight’s unfaltering bravery, the tyrant spikeback slammed its arms against the ground and let out a ferocious roar. Its display of power unleashed primal terror deep within the hunters’ hearts. Nearly a dozen dropped their weapons, pure horror on their faces.
But who could blame them? What was a pep talk or two, next to certain death? They were already risking life and limb. If they failed here, there would be no second chance.
The tyrant spikeback watched the hunters’ lines crumble with glee. Then it charged forward with inhuman speed, swinging an arm down to crush a female hunter who had sunk to her knees in fear.
She screamed. The beast’s fist accelerated toward her and slammed against a massive rampart of steel—the Holy Knight’s tower shield. A low thud echoed through the clearing as the tyrant spikeback reeled back in pain and confusion.
The huntress watched the magnificent sight in utter shock. Meanwhile, Dran smiled as his suspicions about the Holy Knight were confirmed.
“Damn, it’s fast!” Latry noted. He was astounded, not by the Holy Knight’s defensive power or strength, but by the fact that it had closed the distance so quickly.
“I told you I’d protect you, didn’t I?!” Mira goaded the stunned hunters, hoping to spur them to action.
“See?! That’s the power of summoning! Now take up your weapons!” Dran hollered.
The two other old hunters and Latry brandished their weapons at the monster. As they did so, one person after another stood up, grabbed their own weapons, and dug deep for their courage to face the very embodiment of their fear.
Righting itself, the tyrant spikeback attempted to stare down the Holy Knight. Yet the knight stood carelessly, showing no sign of movement or fear.
The beast glared at the hunters around it, shrieking and slamming its arms against the ground to terrify them. Instead of terror, however, it was met by the hunters’ own righteous roars.
The first blow struck the monster from its blind spot.
Swords, axes, spears, and arrows joined in, gouging more wounds into the beast. The monster gave a shrill roar—no longer boasting of its strength, it was simply expressing raw fury.
Berserk with anger, the tyrant spikeback swung its thick arms wildly. It struck nothing as the hunters nimbly feinted back, and the beast’s own inertia soon threw it off-balance. At once, the hunters moved in to take advantage of this opening. Blows rained down upon the monster, though none proved fatal.
Now the tide of battle had truly turned, and the hunters remained optimistic. Mira had gifted them a chance they would never have had to get back at their tormentor.
Enraged by the counterattack, the monster tried to strike the hunters yet again—only to find the Holy Knight standing between it and its quarry. The tyrant spikeback let out an annoyed cry and swung at the knight. Again, its blow was powerless against the massive tower shield.
The Holy Knight obstructed any attack against the hunters. So, the monster began attacking the obstruction, no matter how futile the fight seemed.
Mira watched from a distance. “Hrmm. This seems to be working quite well.” She had given the Holy Knight one order: to strike lightly to regain the tyrant spikeback’s attention by force when the enemy shifted targets. Therefore, the tyrant had no choice but to prioritize the knight, allowing the hunters to strike from its blind spots. The situation was optimal, to say the least.
Nine out of ten people might call it cowardly to rely on someone much more powerful to gain a victory—and the hunters were no exception. Regardless, they knew that this was the only way to overcome their fear and move forward. They fought with renewed vigor and not a lick of hesitation. Still, the beast would not go down easily, and they rotated fresh fighters on and off of the front line.
“Couldn’t do it without you,” a man who’d had to back off after breaking his arm told Mira. Her glowing white snake set about healing him right away. Once the man’s fingers regained feeling, he took his weapon in hand and returned to the fight.
Asclepius slithered around the battlefield, treating the wounded like a combat medic. Each treatment took time—but it drove fear from the hunters’ hearts.
***
Two hours later, the battle still raged, and fatigue was clear on the hunters’ faces. Half of them were away from the front line, waiting to be treated. Still, no one looked ready to surrender.
“Keep it up!” one elder hunter shouted. “It’s working, slowly but surely!”
The Holy Knight fended off deadly blows, the old hunters continued to support and encourage, and Latry’s skillful attacks wounded the monster more and more deeply. Their successes continued to rouse the spirits of the novice hunters.
Meanwhile, the tyrant spikeback’s attacks gradually slowed. Though the hunters’ strikes only cut the surface of its skin, hundreds and then thousands of tiny cuts soaked the grass at the monster’s feet in a pool of red blood. The beast’s breathing grew ragged, even as it raged.
It still had plenty of strength, however, and a swing of its arm could gouge the earth or strike a hunter dead unless the Holy Knight blocked it.
Then things changed. As the monster leapt high into the air, dirt and dust rained upon the Holy Knight as if to obscure its vision. The tyrant spikeback brought its hands together and swung them down like a hammer.
The full-power blow passed over the tower shield and slammed directly into the Holy Knight’s head. No matter how sturdy a warrior, the knight surely couldn’t survive an impact like that. The tyrant spikeback roared, assured of its victory.
However, its celebration was suddenly cut short—the Holy Knight emerged healthy and unfazed. As a weapon spirit, the Holy Knight had no human weaknesses. The tyrant stared in a state of shock as it realized its attack had proven futile.
Latry instantly closed in, stepping between the knight and the tyrant spikeback. From there, he could reach the monster’s throat, eyes, and nose. With a roar of his own, Latry raised his blade and stabbed it directly into the tyrant’s neck.
Soon, blood dripped from his sword’s hilt, and the beast began to lurch. Everyone stopped moving, and silence fell across the forest clearing. Latry had struck a fatal blow. Then, with a final burst of strength, the monster’s arm thrashed and sent Latry flying.
“Latry!” one hunter screamed, prompting everyone to run toward him at once.
Rolling across the ground, Latry swiftly stood up straight and thrust his arm toward the sky. The spikeback’s final attack had been so weak that the Holy Knight did not need to react.
At that moment, the ground shook under the hunters’ feet. The monster’s body had fallen. The sword remained stabbed through its throat, a final and undeniable sign of victory.
The tension drained from each hunter in the clearing, as if they had been awoken from a nightmare. Replacing that tension was a collective shout of joy.
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