Chapter 10: Chapter 10: the hunt concludes

I groggily lift my head as something feels off, and no sooner than the moment my head leaves the pillow, I hear a loud sound and whoosh directly next to my head. Feeling my mind quickly sharpening at the sudden noise, I realize that someone fired an arrow at me. The hole in my cushion confirmed it. Someone really doesn't want me to have something soft to sleep on. 

Quickly standing up and looking for the offender, I see a group of elves. Fucking elves again? I fire a lightning at the one who holds the bow, presuming her to be the offender, but a barrier appears to block the bolt while shattering into shards.

That’s not good, they came prepared this time. At this realization, I take out my staff and look at the one that created the barrier. He seems to be an older elf, and seems to have a large quantity of mana. Next to him is another elf wielding a spear, charging towards me.

Sensing another arrow coming my way, I step down from my improvised bed, causing it to barely miss. I send another lightning bolt at the elf, putting slightly more mana into it, and passing it through my staff. Once again the mage creates a barrier, but this time it doesn’t fully stop my bolt, causing the bow wielder to scream in pain.

Not really having time to contemplate the specifics, I step around the stab from the spear, and start channeling smaller sparks of electricity to slow him down. This works as his movements become slower and more jittery, making it easier to move around his repeated stabs and slashes. That is important because I can feel the mage doing something and I should probably stop that.

I spend a couple more seconds dancing around the spear whilst charging a larger spell, which I intend to throw at the mage. I can’t really stop to discharge it, since the spear would probably find my insides in that case. Hoping to create enough room to disengage for a second, I smack the spear user in the face with my bushy tail, and jump directly away from him. This stuns him just enough for me to fire off the lightning bolt at the mage, causing him to abandon his spell and jump to the side.

His spell appeared to be a liquid ball of some kind, but it matters little since it flies off in a random direction. He doesn’t manage to fully avoid my bolt either since a few of the branches hit him. I don’t think it killed him, but hopefully he is down for the count long enough for me to deal with the spearmaster that’s once again charging me.

Seeing as I have a bit more leeway now, I resume the dance with renewed vigor. I start to channel more powerful currents between us, and I can see his face twisting in agony, but he powers through it with twitchy and uncoordinated motions. 

To finish off our dance, I gather a significant amount of electricity in my hand, I step closer and grab him. His eyes widen for a fraction of a second, before he collapses in a heap on the ground as the electricity wrecks havoc on his insides.

Seeing as I now have a bit of breathing room, I run over to the mage, as his mana is doing something. He is lying still on the ground twitching slightly, but his mana is circulating in an odd fashion. Maybe he is healing himself? Either way, they attacked me, I feel no remorse as I finish him off via electrocution. 

The archer has managed to sit back up, but struggles to pull her bow while aiming at me. Her fate is much the same as the other two’s.

Looking around for other potential threats, I see a smaller elf hiding in a bush, seemingly terrified at the event that unfolded. She stiffens at my glance, and as I get near her, I recognize her. She was with the other elf that attacked me yesterday. She probably knows why they attacked me.

 

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The monster doesn’t waste any time and retaliates by firing a lightning bolt at Kortni, but Ares places a barrier in its way. The bolt actually shatters the ares’ barrier, which hasn’t happened in years, but doesn’t go further.

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Gulme then charges it, but before he reaches it, it takes out a staff with a large red gem and fires again at Kortni. This time Ares doesn’t manage to stop it. 

I all happened really fast after that, and all I could catch was the beast systematically dismantling and killing our village’s elite. I couldn’t help feel their demise as each thunderclap reached me. All I could do was to keep quiet and hope my hiding spot is good enough.

The best we have to offer were defeated in such a short time, even when they had all the advantages. Once again, I realize just how helpless I am in these situations, as I can only try to minimize my presence.

As the beast looks around for more of us, its eyes catch sight of me, and I freeze as it makes its way over to me.

It stops near my bush and orders me to get out from the bush. I hesitate for a moment, but the flaring electricity in its fur makes it clear that I don’t get a choice. As I get out trembling, it start to speak again

“Why did you attack me?”

The question catches me off guard, and I answer “because you killed Rafael.”

“Was he the one with you earlier?”

“Yes.”

“Then why did he attack me first?”

I genuinely don’t know, but the look it gives me lets me believe that answering that is a bad idea, especially since it recognizes me from last time.

After a bit of panicked thinking under its intense gaze, I stupidly answer “because you’re a vampire.”

I say stupidly, because in response it grabs me and says in a dangerous tone “I am not a vampire” before dragging me over to it’s improvised bed. It then proceeds to point at the ruined cushion and continue speaking “Here is what you are going to do. You are going to return to wherever you live and fetch me a replacement bed. There should be at least three free ones, but I don’t care if you have to liquidate your life’s savings. If you don’t come back with it, or someone else attacks me, I’m going to visit your home.”

After having delivered its orders, it releases me and stares at me. I take that as my sign to leave, and rush back to the village. Hopefully it keeps its words and leaves us alone if I give it a bed.