I felt my heart skip a beat at Jordan's reckless action. It was as though time had slowed down as Jordan broke through the poison fog. This fog was even more potent than the previous I could feel my skin tingle slightly in discomfort and that was with my [Poison resistance] passive skill.
How severe would this poison be on Jordan who had no poison resistance to begin with?
My body was already moving before my brain could even give the command. I rushed in after Jordan. I felt the ground tremble and heard the loud sound of something heavy impacting the earth and then silence.
There was no sound from the Lurker or Jordan.
'No, no, no'
Worry began to cloud my mind and I feared for the worst. However before long I stumbled upon Jordan. The big guy was keeled over and coughing out large amounts of blood. I didn't think twice. I sheathed [Black Salamander] and hooked my arms beneath his armpits from his back and then with haste if pulled and pulled until we left the vicinity of the poison fog.
It was only after I managed to do this that I fell on my butt and took in breaths I didn't even know I was taking. I then checked on Jordan who was lying on his back.
His skin was pale and sickly with parts of his showing some abnormal veins of black and green. They covered his arms and legs and part of his face. It was clear the poison had done a number on him but thanks to the [Spiritual Earrings] his condition was at least stabilized. He wasn't completely free of the poison as this dose was far stronger than the previous version but at least for now the poison wouldn't spread.
As I was confirming Jordan's condition, I saw his lips move.
"Huey...the Lurker escaped into the forest. I managed to cut off two of the bastard's legs though"
I frowned. I could understand the unspoken word in his phrase. He didn't want the beast to escape and honestly after what the bastard had put us through I didn't want that either, however...
"What about you?"
"I'll be fine besides..." the fiendish aura that had surrounded him before was fading away.
The duration of [Rampage] had expired.
I sighed, then I stood up
"Fine...wish me luck"
Jordan gave me a knowing smile and said:
"Doubt you'll need it"
...
The Woodlands Forest hadn't changed much from what I could remember, given that it had been less than three days. Back then it had been dark and I could barely see more than 3 meters from me hand but now even though most of the sky was covered by gray clouds, the lighting that managed to seep through was more than enough to take in everything in its full glory.
The manifestation of mana had really changed a lot of things. The trees had thicker leaves, their barks were wider and most of the trees had become far more taller than normal. The ground here felt sturdier beneath my feet.
And the air, though heavy with mana, also felt like a breath of fresh air which was a far cry from the air on the battlefield over fifty meters to my back which was filled with the scent of blood and iron.
Speaking of blood.
I looked down on the heavy trail of blood on the ground below. It covered the grass and the ground in a heavy layer of green. It was fresh and slightly warm. The Lurker had passed through here not long ago. For a wounded beast, it had travelled far in a short amount of time.
Barely two minutes had passed since I began to track it down and the Lurker had already travelled more than a hundred meters, if I was a little later in following its trail I might have lost for good.
Following the trail of blood led me deeper into the forest but also to the far west of it. Going in you would expect the place to be brimming with mutated beasts, however the entire area was silent- as though the forest itself was holding its breath.
The rhythmic sound of grass shifting and the leaves brushing against the wind rustled in my ears. I felt a dry twig snap beneath my foot and paused, body full of tension as I glanced around. It was often in these final moments that people made fatal mistakes.
And I didn't want to be one of them.
Seconds ticked by with nothing moving in the forest. Only then did I relax a little and continue forward. Ten minutes later the ground seemed to slope just the slightest bit higher, the trees also gave way to meadow covered clearing that led to what one would call the end of the world...well maybe not.
The rising slope ended at a cliff face and below that the sounds of water slapping against it reached my ears. The air tasted of moisture and smelled of damp earth. A trail of blood lead directly to the large vehicle sized spider.
The Lurker was in a really sorry state. Its abdomen had a gaping hole- one could literally see the other side of, it had lost several of its legs- one at the front, another left leg at the back and finally two of its right legs. Its eyes were covered in burnt flesh and there was an open wound at the center of its head where its chitin was cracked almost beyond recognition. And finally the worst of its wounds was the large diagonal cut below its body. The beast was still losing blood from that wound.
All in all, the Lurker was truly on its last legs... Metaphorically of course.
The lurker gingerly turned in my direction. Some of its somewhat good eyes seemed to have dimmed considerably. Just moments prior those eyes had held a deep feeling of disdain as it schemed and rallied all the creatures of the Woodlands Forest to stage an all out assault on the human settlement it had considered puny all for the goal of killing and absorbing the pure soul essence within the human now standing before it. Everything had been going well, no it had been going spectacularly.
The humans of the settlement were overwhelmed, the hordes led by the Fiery Panther, Bone Ape and the Alpha Bear. It was a battle as good as won however things began to go wrong. Horribly so, the human boy standing before it had killed not just the Fiery Panther but the Alpha Bear too.
At first it had been a shock and the Lurker had even been filled with doubts however when it thought about it wasn't it even better? The human would collect even more pure soul essence and all the Lurker had to do was come at the end and reap its rewards.
Simple right?
No. Not really. Everything went horribly wrong its three generals were killed! By three humans who weren't even at the peak of the First Star Order! And then to add insult to its wounded pride the Lurker had to step forward ahead of its plan and fight Bennet White...that cursed human who had put it in a sorry step and then as if that wasn't enough when it finally got to stand before its target, its greatest weapon Poison Sub-domain had been retendered useless and then it had suffered once more- no even more than it was supposed to!
And now...
"You must be shocked" I calmly walked forward.
By now the adrenaline of this who battle was finally beginning to wear off and in its place exhaustion began to set. Not to mention the bruises on my battered body were now catching up, the poison from the Lurker's fangs made my entire left arm feel numb. Mana was running low, making my head feel slightly dizzy and a general feeling of weakness threatened to take over.
However
'Not yet' I stepped forward.
The Lurker opened its maw let out a horrifying shriek that pierced through my ear drums.
"Argh... Damn bastard"
In a final burst of strength I lunged at the wounded beast. The Lurker's remaining front leg snaked through the air, I ducked and rolled forward feeling the limb whip past me, barely missing my head by a couple of inches. I hit the ground and immediately sprang back up. This time the Lurker's open maw was right infront of me.
Shifting my weight, I thrust the blade of Black Salamander forward.
The sharp weapon tore through flesh but then it met resistance. Something was blocking the sword from going any further...
'Bone?'
It didn't matter. Bringing my numb arm to the bottom of Black Salamander's hilt, I pushed the blade further putting my entire weight to it. The Lurker struggled. Violently swinging its head from left to right to get the blade off.
I could feel my feet slipping on the soil. I grit my teeth:
"Oh no you don't you big ugly bastard!"
And one final push flames ignited from my palms but instead of the usual lance of burning radiance shooting forward, it travelled through the hilt of Black Salamander, coursed through the pommel of the sword before finally flowing through the blade and shooting forward from the tip. Whatever resistance there had been melted away in an instant and the sword pierced right through. In a torrent of hot blood the tip of Black Salamander exited from the top of the Lurker's head where its injury had severely weakened its outer skeleton.
The Lurker shuddered and let out one last mournful wail before it went still. Its body toppled forward before it could fall on me though I rolled away just as it collapsed on the meadow with a thud, lifeless.
Breathing heavily, my back felt the cool touch of grass. I just laid there for a moment and stared at the green letters that filled my retina:
[You have acquired the soul essence of Level 42 Second Star Order Cunning Lurking Spider
You have received Strength +56, Stamina +30, Agility +60, Mana +25, Magic +23]