Abystella - The Star of The Abyss

Chapter 8: The Battle of Monstrocity

Jack and Laura were both dumbfounded at how fast things had developed. An all out war between two species of beasts, which was a relatively rare occurrence, was happening right in front of them. The fungi-infected creatures left a trail of dead birds and blood on their path, yet, the birds were unrelenting and had a huge numerical advantage.

They held on to each other firmly as several thoughts raced through each of their minds. ''How are we even going to get out of this hellhole? We could try and wait for the storm to pass, but that leaves us too vulnerable in here.'' He honed in on his instincts to get a clearer view. ''No, every second we spend in here is a risk we are taking to either be found out or get caught in the crossfire.''

Meanwhile, more than ten birds were flying around the great spider monster and breaking its tough carapace relentlessly with their beaks. ''Thin Laura think! In the academy, they said that beasts of lower levels hardly have a capacity to think and strategize, but higher tier beasts might be able to do so and command their underlings. Thus, there are at least two high caliber monsters commanding those engaged in battle.''

Just as she was about to try and tell Jack that somehow, more and more crustacean wildlife with those off-putting mushroom growths started to join the battle that seemed a bit more even now. The ground shook with each step they took, and rivers of blood were flowing from the now mountain of corpses surrounding the larger monsters. Even the large spider from the beginning was horribly wounded and collapsed, dead after dealing with almost 20 of the avian monsters.

There was no mercy, no restraint in the reckless slaughter. Soon, a bird was thrown off the other monstrosities and right into where they were. Jack didn't hesitate either as before the bird could recover or make any sound he attacked it, killing the avian in no time.

Just as one problem was to be solved, another presented itself, due to the slighter lower level of the hiding place blood was quickly accumulating there and Laura avoided it like the plague. Jack noticed it together with the desperate expression on her face, and then suddenly it clicked, the reason as to why she was so worried about him when he was absorbing blood.

''Shit! How was I supposed to know that it isn't an everyday occurrence to absorb so much blood? Some nasty side effects should be in the picture from how she's avoiding it like the plague.'' He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her slender body above his head. Her natural response was to get angry at him and start hitting him to let her down. ''Don't worry! As you saw before, I'm not affected by whatever it is that happens when absorbing too much blood.'' She heard his words admitting to his secret and calmed down a bit, she definitely didn't have such an advantage and as such could really die for being in contact with too much of it.

That was when Laura felt it, if all fungi infected monster were big, this one was much bigger. The ground shook with every step, tree-mushrooms were being dragged around and torn down by its bare passage.

This one was definitely more human like, despite its massive size. It towered above the canopy of the mushrooms, some good 7 meters in height. Its body consumed to the bone by fungi growths that seemed to envelop the strange giant in a shining bio-armor. It roared furiously and began crushing and killing the birds like they were simple mosquitos to him. ''This has to be one of the monster-leaders.'' She thought.

It was Jack's time to sense something approaching, in the distance he heard the flapping of wings that stood apart from the hundreds of others. For it was much higher in volume and, thus, much bigger wings whatever it was that had joined the frenzy had. Laura soon saw it too, it was just like the previous birds, only this time, it was its natural evolution. Bigger, meaner, stronger and with a bright red color as if to warn anything and everything not to mess with it.

Pissed at the death of its children, it streaked through the air like a missile, maybe even reaching one in terms of speed.

The poor forest, that was no longer wider than some 15 meters from the plain area, was not enough to stop its approach, as only destruction was left in its stead.

The moment of impact stunned everything in a 30 meters radius and caused a shockwave that torn their small hiding place to shreds. On the good side, it had also stunned everything fighting around them, leaving Jack to move on instinct, while drenched in blood ''Not again...'' He thought while Laura with all his strength away from the clearing that the conflict had opened in the fungi jungle, and into it for more hiding spaces and cover.

Unfortunately, nothing ever comes too easy for the unlikely pair, as some birds and a fungi creature that looked like a large bull with four horns and infected growths all over its body began charging at them.

''Let us go!'' He thought. ''We need to reach the end of the clearing if we have any hope of not being seen by those colossal things or other monsters!'' Sweat was running down his body as it was running faster than actual monsters while carrying Laura.

Finally, they were about to reach the end of the battlefield, however just behind them the bull like beast was upon them, with some good 4 birds flying around him and inflicting damage whenever they could.

Jack looked at Laura's eyes and said. ''Sorry about this.'' While simultaneously throwing her off full force on top of one of the higher mushrooms and dodging to the side, only for the bull to hit the ironically red fungi she had landed on.

Two of the birds continued their onslaught on the moss and fungi bull, while the other two immediately turned to Jack.

''Come on then! Soon your blood will be in my stomach!'' He shouted pretty loudly and with an insane look in his eyes.

That was a strategy to try and intimidate the beasts, even if a little, and it seemed to have worked, as one of them took longer to move for the attack while the other did so almost instantly.

Jack dodged the deadly beak spear as it lodged itself on the floor. Looking to the side, he saw another coming straight to him.

But he couldn't lose the opportunity to attack, so he blocked it with one blade while slashing at the other's back with the second blade. It screeched in pain, loosing some movement of its wings.

However, soon both were up and ready to attack him with a flurry of blows again. ''Not this time, pieces of crap!'' He was, unlike his last run-in with multiple birds, stronger, faster and sharper.

To the extent that, no hit of the beasts was successful. He blocked, dodged and parried every blow with great ease. Only to notice, the bull was finally freeing himself from his horns being stuck in the mushroom.

The entire platform shook with the force of removing the horns, but Laura was unfazed, as she was in a great position for taking advantage of her archery skills. Drawing her heavy bow to full length, an arrow soon zipped past Jacks shoulder and hit one of the birds in the eye, killing it instantly.

Grabbing the golden opportunity Laura had created him, he went straight for the head of the second bird that was on him.

Now, the situation was reversed as Jack went full throttle with his own furry of blows that quickly tore it to shreds.

Meanwhile, the bull used it's now free horns to gore one of the birds hovering above it. It was such a horrid scene that the last bird seemed to give up and fly away, fearful of the bull, that now had the corpse of its companion dangling on its horn as a brutal display of might.

Now it was just the bull and the pair.

The bovine monster immediately turned to look at Jack, as he hadn't even noticed the young girl atop the tree. Our hero knew for a fact that this fight was definitely not going to be easy.

Thus, he knew he had to activate his skill, despite not knowing how many it would take to kill the abomination and even if they were even going to be safe after the fight is over.

He rolled his power, feeling his body go lighter from the lack of blood. Unluckily, his instinct didn't tell him to go forward, so he guessed it was either a dud or something that useless. ''I really needed some luck here, you damned skill!''

The bull charged at him full force once more, but he had the field advantage as there were many places to hind behind in the lush forest. Therefore, he managed to dodge to the side at the last moment as the thing's deadly horns destroyed a smaller mushroom tree.

Adrenaline fueled his every move as a soft steam started to evaporate from his body, the blood he had been drenched in before starting to disappear.

Before the bull could get ready and charge once more, it was suddenly hit in the body with an arrow. It pierced the top side of his back, turning the beast's already bloody body even bloodier.

At the top of her advantage point, Laura clicked her tongue. ''It's much harder to shoot in here, plus the fungi giving its body an extra layer of protection and how fast both of them are moving means... a fatal blow is very unlikely.'' This resulted in her changing her approach, shooting more precisely and in the right moment to support Jack.

At the same time, our hero dashed towards the beast, tuning in harder on his instincts to dodge another horn coming his way. Which he mostly did, twisting his body to the side and delivering a cut at its side, despite he himself being cut slightly on his shoulder at the same time. Nothing related to his skill happened as he had expected.

In addition to that, another arrow hit the bovine, this time in one of its hind legs. Somewhat limiting its mobility.

Jack wanted to give Laura a thumbs up, but danger was upon him once wore as he ducked and a horn whistled right above his head. Not satisfied, the bull also tried to stomp on him with its front leg.

At that moment, he rolled to the side and swiftly got up.

Next, he got up and began running towards a large mushroom tree that still left Laura with a good, clear vision for sniping.

The monster was frenetically chasing after him, tearing down anything in its path toward the warrior. Simultaneously, the sniper shot its other back leg, slowing it down much more, allowing Jack to strategize and decide on using his skill once more.

''I need something to pierce that damn thick armor he has! Please!'' He felt himself getting weaker again as he ran, almost stumbling on a plant root.

Instead of stopping and dodging like he usually did, he decided to bet on this skill, as his stamina would only get lower from then on.

Because of this, he was approaching the tree trunk at a very high speed and showed no signs of stopping, just like the bull growing on his tail.

When he was about to crash and be, well, crushed, he did something neither the bull nor Laura expected.

He jumped and kicked off the trunk; the bull hit the plant underneath him, while he landed on the monster's back with a mad grin on his face.

''It's my turn now!'' He yelled and started butchering as if he had a deadline.

The bovine-fungi tried shaking him off but had an enormously hard time as its horns were still stuck. And something was happening in its small mind.

Jack found himself bathed in blood once more, like a cowboy from hell dominating a wild monster. But eventually it managed to break itself loose, dropping the mushroom tree on top of both.

Our hero dodged and jumped off of the beast to the side, narrowly avoiding being crushed. Then he began running back towards Laura. Who was already aimed and set for the bull.

''At least I have someone covering for me. "Because this damned skill had no effect once more."Or so he thought.

When the monster broke through the fibers on top of it, bruises, arrows, and cuts were all over it. Turning around, Laura noticed the thing was somewhat different, its previously black eyes were foggy and grayish, as if its mind were trapped by something.

It hesitated for a few moments before charging one last time at both of them.

On its way, something odd began happening as it locked its vision on Jack, who was unaware of the effect his previous blow had given it.

Its image of the hero began warping, with him seeing doubles and even hallucinating a dangerous beast with horns and a monstrous visage. One so monstrous indeed, that it froze for a second, but could not stop its charge as the momentum carried onward.

The pair, noticing the opening and the hesitation in the bull, did not let the chance slip. Laura managed to snipe one of its eyes off. And Jack charged towards it, noticing the fear in its one remaining eye as the demonic presence he saw in place of our hero charged fearlessly at it.

Despite all its efforts to stop, these had only made it easier for Jack to attack it, as the only eye looking in his direction was the one with an arrow lodged in it.

Thanks to this, Jack was able to slide underneath it, without being trampled to death. Finally lifting both his blades in the air and using the momentum to slice open its belly, dealing the last blow and being enveloped by a waterfall of blood.

Laura, worried all over for the life of her companion, quickly descended from her shooter's den and made her way to the corpse that was on top of her friend.

Whereas Jack was furiously cutting his way out of its carcass as it was too heavy for him to lift. He was soon out and about again, thanks to her assistance, with no white spots on his body but only red.

She gave him a half-condemning, half-awed look.

Noticing it, he immediately began explaining himself. ''I just took the chance we created, and just followed my instincts despite the risks! Don't look at me like that.''

His teasing was annoying, but she ignored it because there was now an eerie silence all around them, for the colossal battle had ended, and there was no sound coming from that direction. She gestured at herself, then at her eyes. Afterwards pointed at the corpse, then at him. He nodded and began drinking as much blood as he could while she worked as a lookout; he needed to recover what he had lost if they hoped to find their way to human civilization again.