With increasing speed, the goat charged directly at El. He contemplated firing an arrow but hesitated, uncertain whether one shot would be enough to kill it. The confined space of the cave forced him to prioritize an escape. Observing the goat drawing nearer, he honed his senses, calculating its speed, intent, and the trajectory of its impending attack.
3...2...1
As he counted down to one,with adrenaline surging through him,he tensed his leg muscles. He leaped upwards toward the cave's entrance, rolling forward with his bow still in hand, coming to a halt just outside. That was exactly what he needed—an open area.
Suddenly, a deafening crash reverberated through the cave, marking the impact of the goat's assault. Spinning around with his essence arrow aimed, he witnessed the goat beginning to turn towards him, assessing the damage inflicted on the cave wall. The stone was indented and cracked, with fissures spreading outward. 'What force!' El frown in his thoughts, though he had anticipated a strong outcome. The actual damage still startled him; had that kind of attack landed on his limbs or chest, he would surely have sustained broken bones. And if it was a strike to his head it would have been deadly.
The goat completed its turn, pausing for a moment to face him. El, unblinking, sensed emotions in its gaze—anger? Irritation? He couldn't be certain; after all, he had no skill in interpreting a goat's feelings.
Scraping its hoof against the ground, the goat charged forward again, but this time was different;he stood outside. Activating the enchantment of the [essence arrow], he conjured a white glowing arrow—ready to fire. All of this transpired in just four seconds, while the goat's attack was set to land in seven. He drew back the bowstring, preparing to unleash the arrow, but halted just before taking the shot. He realized he was perilously close to the edge of the cave platform. 'Why not use this to my advantage?' A quick plan formed in his mind. He took several small steps toward the platform's edge to lure the goat. As the creature raced closer, he braced himself.
At the last moment, as it reached him, he propelled himself to the left and rolled, spinning to face the goat, believing it would have followed him right off the edge.
However, to his astonishment, the goat halted just an inch from the brink, its imperturbable control startling him.
'What,insane body control!' A dark expression came to his face.
He had intended to turn the goat's own momentum against it, hoping to send the beast sprawling to its doom. But as the goat turned its head to him, wearing what almost resembled a smirk which was eerie to look at on a goat's face, El finally acknowledged that he was facing a smart adversary, likely as formidable as the vile ape—a creature that could indeed kill him if he underestimated it.
Irritated and somewhat rattled, El grappled with the fact that the first creature he encountered in this new world was such a powerful one,and that he has played a score on him. Although it appeared less versatile than the ape, it was still a dangerous foe.
'Where are the lesser beasts? Where are the easy kills and the quick EXP?' he lamented, recalling his friend Noah. He hoped Noah was faring well on his own. The thought shook him further; if this creature had greeted him first, what other horrors lurked out there?
Suddenly sensing movement again, he saw the goat fully pivot and charge at him once more. With no other options available, he resolved to attack.
As the arrow was still active,poised for action, he acted swiftly, calculating its trajectory before releasing it towards the goat's eye. The projectile sped forth, quicker than the animal could react. However, the anticipated outcome faltered; instead of piercing its target, the arrow merely bounced off, leaving El in stunned disbelief. He quickly gathered his wits, ready to conjure another arrow, but hesitated. With his high senses he detected that his essence was on it's last leg and If such a shot could be deflected by the eye, what chances would he have aiming for the creature's tougher flesh? Perhaps it possessed weak skin, yet he preferred not to gamble on that notion.
With the goat drawing nearer, he scanned his surroundings for an escape, but found no room to maneuver. His gaze lifted, and, to his relief, he spotted a protruding rock suitable for climbing. Without further delay, he dashed towards the wall and leapt, seizing the outcrop. A fleeting glance downward revealed the goat halted, fixated on him, snarling. Not wishing to linger in its sight, El pressed on, scaling higher as he pursued the summit.
---+---
El perched at the edge of a platform on the mountainside he was scaling, the snow swirling around him like playful spirits. If he were to tally the hours, it had been nearly four since he began his ascent from the ground. Approximately two hours prior, he had engaged in a futile skirmish with a mountain goat, a confrontation that unfortunately he had lost. Shortly after that encounter, he felt the ebb of his essence, but fortuitously harnessed the power of a binding seal from one of his runestones, managing to replenish his essence energy.
It was then that he understood the reason behind the initial failure he experienced using the binding seal within the cave. An invisible rule governed its application:
While this restriction was indeed bothersome, it bore a certain fairness—after all, even a loophole seal must adhere to limitations.
---
Time had slipped away since he had attended to basic human needs such as bathing or eating, and he yearned for both, though he lacked the means to facilitate even his most mundane desires. Yet, for the time being, he could circumvent these necessities; essence energy coursed through his muscles and veins, minimizing waste and dulling his hunger. It triggered the release of norepinephrine or dopamine, chemicals that tricked his brain into a false sense of satiety, but such a reprieve was only temporary;and eventually,he would need to reconcile with his bodily demands.
With each passing moment, he contemplated the extraordinary transformation awaiting him once he secured his own personal reserve of essence energy after this trial. It raised unsettling questions like: Would he still be human after that? Was this what he truly desired?
He exhaled deeply, reflecting on the precarious circumstances back home. Could he afford to chase after what he wanted? Doubt crept in, and the path laid out before him seemed inescapable—he would have to embrace becoming something greater. If this was indeed the destiny foretold for him, he might have grappled with resistance,after all he hated been commanded to do something and even more with the excuse of destiny, but with his sister still out there, the last vestige of his family, compliance was imperative. He had to do what was needed to be done–for her sake and for the death of those bastards who brought about such tragedies.
He would get the strength necessary to fulfill his purpose, resolute in his mission and Once it was all over, he would find a moment's respite—perhaps even write a book chronicling these harrowing experiences he had—though an unsettling intuition gnawed at him, whispering that the normalcy he sought would likely elude him forever.
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