"Damn you are…. Ugly!" Dean repeated while adjusting his gauntlets, the equipment glowed red as the knuckles that were embedded with flux crystals suddenly flared to life.
Dean watched the creature and how the silent darkness around seemed to become thicker with each passing second.
The creature remained motionless, watching him closely with dimming yellow eyes tracking his movements.
Straightening up and ready to engage. The system finally decided to join the party, confirming Dean's suspicions, unlike his familiars that were just hovering like lost sheep in the darkness.
[Threat detected]
[Species: Night bleater]
[Class: Epic-Low]
[Threat level: moderate]
"Epic!"
Dean said in a low and surprised tone as he glanced across the system panel, he switched into a boxing stance. Keeping his body in a state of constant motion while he waited.
After the screen disappeared, Dean decided to refrain a bit and watch the creature, he wanted to see its patterns and hopefully get a grip on how to proceed.
From the system information, the monster that looked like a malnourished bipedal goat was epic class and above his wind sprite considerably.
Even though the system claimed the threat was moderate. Dean felt like it wasn't. The ominous air around the creature and the darkness gave a building sense of dread as he constantly heard phantom bleating sounds in the background.
Honestly, if Dean were any other human who was lacking Hermit's eyes or an ability like a vampire's night vision or a werewolf's senses, then this monster would have been feasting already.
He knew he had to be careful and definitely be on his toes since this was his first proper fight in this world, and he sure as hell didn't plan on losing it or his life.
"You two, over here," Dean called for both the flying familiars who tracked his voice toward his position.
But even while Dean seemed momentarily distracted with calling his familiars over, the Night bleater burst forward with powerful legs.
It closed the distance between them in a single linear dash. Swinging it's claws in fast and low slashes to gut Dean.
Still in a boxing stance, he moved like a butterfly, with calculated steps as he used Hermit's eyes to read the creature's movement patterns.
Moving from left to right, Dean side-stepped, weaved, and ducked under the Bleater's claw slashes and kicks.
He moved without backing off for a moment, instead going side by side, distributing his weight across his body to enable fluid motions until he spotted an opening when the bleater overextended.
BAM
Swiftly, he slammed a powerful right jab onto the creature's lower jaw.
The gauntlet connected. The red crystals didn't just hit hard, they burned. Leaving scorch marks on the creature.
The Night bleater reeled back instantly, as it let out a pain-filled screech while it shook its head trying to regain composure.
Dean looked at the red crystals on the gauntlets even as the smell of burned fur irked his nostrils.
He smiled. Ignoring the irk.
"Sweet."
The creature took a second or two to gain its composure, and that was enough time for Dean's familiars to flank it.
Dean knew very well that the wind sprite's skill wasn't going to be sufficient here. After all, it was only a common class compared to the epic class night bleater.
The slime also hadn't copied anything useful yet, but they could serve as distractions at the very least.
"Use your skill to the right," Dean instructed the sprite.
The familiar's body suddenly released a gust of wind that slammed into the ground, completely missing the bleater.
Dean shook his head. 'Shit!, I meant my right, not yours.'
This confirmed his theory that he and the bleater were the only ones not directly affected by the pitch- black cave right now.
'i have to go this alone, I guess,' Dean thought.
Quickly settling into his only option. The boy began moving in a semi-circle as he noticed the creature now fully focused on him after recovery.
Dean could tell that the bleater wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed with how clumsy its last set of attacks were.
He could also tell it was probably used to prey that would go blind immediately it was in this habitat. Prey that couldn't fight back.
But today, its luck had run out.
'This would be a piece of cake,' the black-haired Dean thought.
Stopping abruptly at an unusual angle, Dean was about to engage again when he noticed the creature hunched as its entire posture twisted.
It began sliding its leg backwards across the rocky ground, bleating ominously, in preparation to charge.
Dean immediately opened his body, acting as if he dropped his guard while his right fist tensed, prepared to finish the fight when the bleater came closer.
With little surprise, the creature charged forward with its head low and sharp horns forward.
The bleater, closing the distance, was at close range to Dean, who was ready to punch, when it did the unexpected.
The night bleater extended its clawed hands instead. As it angled it in a way to rip into Dean's shoulders, whichever direction he hoped to escape to.
This creature had set up a feint with its horn charge while hiding its true intent until the very last second.
Dean didn't have time to dodge normally, since he had caught this late and was in quite the dilemma.
But Dean didn't dwell on the impossibility of escaping. That was unlike him.
'What do I do?' his thoughts surfaced.
Swiftly, he made a last minute gamble as he used the skill he had channeled from the wind sprite earlier.
Using gale breath through his mouth. He aimed for the thick horns of the bleater.
Releasing a gust that slammed on the bleater like a wall and recoiled back to push him and his familiars aside.
The impact sent him flying into the walls on the right. His back slammed against the wall, sending a jolt of pain through his body.
Dean gritted his teeth at the sharpness that ran through his spine but didn't dwell in the pain for long. He didn't have the luxury to as he grunted and got on his feet swiftly.
He looked to his right and left, the slime and the wind sprite were recovering, but unlike the sprite that was just hovering and shifting.
The slime had settled within the darkness, completely motionless.
"What are Yo--," Dean was about to speak to the slime when his senses flared.
He felt a eerie feeling tugging at his chest even as the temperature of the cave felt colder.
His eyes fully switched to the night bleater who had the most devious smile he had ever seen.
The white of its teeth and the red of Dean's gauntlet were the only sources of light in the cave. Giving it a dramatic aesthetic.
The Bleater's eyes had turned fully predatory as if it was looking down on Dean.
The realization finally hit like a gavel. This creature had been playing him the whole time.
From his first successful hit to the moment the creature seemingly attacked foolishly and walked into his punch.
The very reasons that he'd branded it as low intelligence even before its rather obvious charge.
It was all a ploy. It was always just tracking his patterns.
While Dean arranged his thoughts, the creature had moved to block the exit with the satisfied smile still on its face.
'Yeah this thing is definitely not stupid. It's a hunter, and this cave is its kill zone, and i have just walked into it like food.'
"Fuck!"
Dean's body stiffened for a moment after that train of thoughts, but what happens next, the night bleater definitely didn't see coming.
Dean smiles right back at it.
'i ain't no food'
His eyes went cold like he flipped a switch.
This creature had made a mistake in thinking Dean was the prey. It had assessed a weak human and two weak familiars, but that was definitely not Dean. Whether it be Gray or Faust.
He immediately entered into a different fighting stance, with his body upright, he moved his hands high near his eyebrows, with most of the weight of his body shifting to his back leg.
He took the Thai march forward and dashed directly at the bleater.
He wasn't waiting for it to come for him as he swiftly entered the bleater's reach before it could react, or even comprehend why the prey was suddenly charging.
Inside the creature's reach, he knew its claws were less dangerous, since it would lack momentum to strike at close range.
The bleater instinctively swiped its claw as expected, but Dean deflected easily with his left hand, as he used the gauntlet's knuckles that snapped loudly with the bleater's claw, causing small sparks.
Simultaneously, Dean mustered his strength and drove the gauntlet in his right hand into the throat of the bleater, stunning it and sending its head flying upwards.
Before it could recover, Dean grabbed its head with his left hand, holding its fur at the jaw and forcing its mouth open as it struggled in vain.
Dean immediately drew the tanto on his waist with his free hand and drove it upwards through its open mouth into its skull as he twisted with a grunt.
The bleater's eyes went white with its mouth opened without a single sound.
It fell back with a thud as Dean pulled away the tanto free.
He exhaled softly while his dark, unflinching eyes reflected the crimson-stained white steel of the tanto.
Attached to this post is an illustration of a Night Bleater.
A/N: if you're enjoying the story, add to Library and support with Powerstones. I need the P.Stones to gain more traction. Help a new Author. Thank you...