Haeros Dungeon - Chapter 37 preview (Patreon)

The impact of the furred body was the first thing I consciously processed. Unconsciously, I had started turning towards the motion before I had even thought about it, raising a hand such that the shield blocked the descending mouth. It did nothing for the claws that pierced the skin of my armor, pushing into to me as I was bowled over.

The shadow cat was not truly a cat, more a six-legged Komodo dragon than cat, but with longer legs and more fluidity in motion than the reptile. The shadow cats also, thankfully, lacked the paralytic and venomous nature of the Komodo dragon’s bite, more reliant on utilizing its massive neck muscles and serrated, hooked teeth to grab and tear when it struck.

The midnight black nature of its normal skin gleamed as it scrabbled, a slight camouflage effect on them allowing it to better blend with the shadows, clawed toes of four of its legs scratching and tearing at me. Two were turning my legs into so much salami, the third was hooked on top of the edge of my shield and the fourth waved futilely in the air as it braced itself on the ground with the last pair. Its head snapped forward, trying to bite, and met my own helmeted brow, sending it reeling back as I sprawled on the ground on one elbow.

The creature panted, long, forked tongue flicking outwards, rasping against the air as it attempted another bite. I dodged this time, shifting my body and head out of the way, the sweet cloying scent of its breath mixed with the rotting meat in its teeth.

Turned as I was from it, I utilized a push of momentum at an angle along with a wrenching sit-up, groaning as that motion pushed clawed feet into my thighs further. Blood poured out of the open wounds, the damn creature somehow managing to get around the armor and slice the bindings open so that it could get to my flesh beneath.

It was painful, and dangerous, but with the creature levered off me and my momentum building with each moment, I managed to shove the monster off me and over its own tail and back legs. One leg managed to slip out and under it as it turned, but a second was caught on a rocky outcropping and could not move. It broke with a nasty snap that could be heard over the hissing and panting we were both making, even as the monster landed on the ground.

Unfortunately, even as I tried to get top position and hurt it, the creature was turning, scrambling to the side. Ignoring the pain in its leg. Realizing there was no way for me to hold onto its slippery, cold body, I struck out with my gauntlet. Still configured to do the most damage to the tree, the numerous spikes on the gauntlet punched into the creature’s body, piercing hardened flesh and tearing as it twisted away.

I landed a couple of good punches before it managed to move away, one of which really pounded into the side and cracked a few ribs, tear open the muscles. The shadow cat hopped back on its middle legs and remaining back leg, forcing me to block its waving front claws with the shield before it retreated.

I tried to get up to follow it, but my legs weren’t working very well. Stumbling and falling to the ground, the creature lunged at me and only a momentum-inspired bash of the monster’s snout and body kept it back, shield impacting with a meaty thud.

Sinking down, I curled my foot underneath me and focused my healing vault on it, wondering how low all my reserves had gotten. A quick glance had me wincing.

Vault 1: Health

Conserved: 93.11 days

Not a lot of health left, if you figured it took six weeks to heal a bone, and a body needing full replacement was in the range of a few months. I had enough for the fight, but I would need to start being conservative very soon. It always cost more to heal the entire body from near the brink of death, which was something I had to be careful of.

Stitching the wounds back up and stopping the bleeding was, thankfully, not a high energy cost, though. It did no good with regard to vast gaping wounds though, but that was something to consider for another time.

In the meantime, I kept turning, slowing my movements with each turn, losing focus as I blocked and waved my weapon at the shadow cat. Trying to lure it in. it might not have worked, if not for the overwhelming smell of blood in the air, and the rather obvious and clear truth that it had managed to tear into my legs and the artery below.

A smarter creature, one less inclined to playing, might have slinked away. Left me to die, and come back later. The shadow cat, though, wanted me to suffer, wanted to hurt me, so when I let myself slump to the ground, almost senseless and head drooped, it sprang forward. Mouth aimed for me.

What it had not noticed was the way I shifted to a much larger single spike. Nor did it expect me to block and punch, moving with greater speed than ever. Claws caught on my shield, it yanked me down and sideways, but that only helped with the curling haymaker of a punch I had thrown, letting it loop around to slam into the side of the creature’s body.

I missed the skull, punching more into the thick neck. I sank the spike two thirds of the way in before the creature managed to retreat, ripping my spike out of its head at the same time. I chuckled darkly as I pushed myself to my feet, the shadow cat finally realizing I had been faking dying. Too late now, as gouts of blood pumped out of its neck.

Now it was the one that was dying, and while it retreated by reflex, it stopped just outside my range, as it did some mental math. Realized it was dead, pretty much. A vindictive light returned to fading eyes, as it changed course.

Stalked sideways in an attempt to get a better angle on me, but I just shifted.

Knowing it had only so long before it was dead, the shadow cat no longer played, throwing itself directly at me. The fight was quick, a series of jabs and punches with spike and shield. I took no chances, aware I could be torn apart if I did.

When it was over, the monster lay on the ground, my spike embedded in its skull just in case, and my exhaustion caught up on me as I lay, slumped over the body.

Damn cats. I was always more of a dog person anyway.