Cockatrice

Greg, who had his back to the window, wondered about Grey and Amy's reaction until the glass wall behind him shattered, with the bird-like creature crashing into it. Grey pulled Amy out of the way and covered her from the shards of glass, but Greg wasn't as fortunate. The bird-like creature gripped him by the shoulder with its powerful claws, dragging him forward. 

Greg screamed and cried out for help, but he was silenced by two stabs of the bird-like creature's beak piercing his skull, ending his life. It then dropped Greg's body on the ground and frantically began to gobble up the inside of his brain. Grey and Amy watched in horror at the gruesome sight. 

"Oh, that's a scary one," Apollo uttered in an amused tone. Amy covered her mouth, holding back the urge to throw up, while Grey's scrutinizing gaze lingered on the huge bird.

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[Name: Cockatrice]  

[Quest: Defeat Cockatrice in 30 minutes]  

[Reward: New Skill]

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The head of the cockatrice resembled that of a rooster, complete with a comb and wattles, and its serpent-like body was elongated and covered in scales. The cockatrice eyed Grey with its glowing eyes, its serpent-like tail with a spiked tip flickering as it glared at Grey and Amy. However, it chose to ignore them and continued feasting on Greg.

"It's underestimating you... good," Apollo commented.

Grey tried to gauge its strength, comparing it to that of the juggernaut zombie. He could tell it wasn't as strong as the juggernaut zombie, but it was most likely faster and more intelligent. It would be tough, but he wasn't as nervous as when he fought the juggernaut zombie.

"Don't be overly confident. Though the chicken is underestimating you, don't be foolish and make the same mistake." Apollo warned.

"Shut up. Are you just here to comment? Aren't you going to help?" Grey asked.

"I'll help,"Apollo said. "By making comments." he grinned.

"Useless," Grey insulted, but Apollo wasn't provoke. As he said, he was going to observe until Grey got strong enough, and that was what he was going to do.

"What... what do we do now?" Amy asked with a shaky voice.

Grey's face hardened. If it was just him, he would be fine, but with Amy, things were going to be tough. Battling the cockatrice while trying to protect someone would be difficult. Should he abandon her? No. Amy had a valuable skill; it would be such a waste. 

Grey sighed, then equipped his [Bane Sword] and turned towards her with an urgent voice. "Go down the stairs to the floor below. I'll stay and fight the cockatrice."

Amy shook her head, the thought of being alone too scary. "I can't... what do I do if I run into a zombie on the way?"

Grey pointed to the cockatrice and then asked, "Is fighting a zombie scarier than dealing with that?" 

Amy looked at the cockatrice, breathing heavily. Its eyes were like those of a snake, its beak and face red with blood and brain matter as it feasted on Greg. Hailey gulped. Both were scary, but she knew she stood a better chance with the zombie, so she grabbed Greg's steel bat and ran. 

Grey let out a sigh of relief. If she had chosen to be stubborn, he would have been forced to kill her for her ability, [Heal]. If she died to the cockatrice, that ability would have gone to waste.

Sensing hostility from Grey, the cockatrice raised its head with a glare. Grey's heart thudded in anticipation as he readied himself for anything the bird was going to dish out. The cockatrice then let out an angry caw, and with a few steps, it appeared in front of him, its razor-sharp beak heading towards his face. Grey, seeing this, swerved to the side and swung down at the cockatrice's neck. But in a surprising move, the cockatrice raised its feathers, and as Grey's sword and the feathers met, a clang resounded like two metals striking against each other. 

Grey's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't noticed before, but the cockatrice's feathers were made out of metal blades. At a speed too fast for Grey to comprehend due to his shock, the cockatrice kicked Grey in the chest with its powerful talons, causing him to slide backward from the heavy blow. Grey gritted his teeth as he felt a sting of pain from the cockatrice's claw piercing his skin.

The cockatrice chased after him, ready to finish him off, and swung down, but Grey ducked, placing his hand on the bird and immediately using one of his special lightning moves, [Overcharge]. Electricity coursed through the cockatrice, and it winced as it stepped back. But Grey followed, slashing at the cockatrice with lightning-powered blows, forcing the cockatrice to block with its blade wings. After receiving a couple of strikes, Grey's attacks started to dent its wing, and eventually, one slice cut through, causing blood to spew.

The cockatrice let out a powerful scream of pain, causing its feathers to stick out, glinting under the light. "Oh, you better watch," Apollo, who was watching like a spectator, warned. In a sudden motion, the cockatrice shot out feathers in a scattered motion. Grey, shocked by this, reacted immediately, releasing a burst of lightning that stopped the blades heading towards his direction from reaching him. Blade feathers were stuck into the walls all over the place, but none reached their target.

Apollo, too, was unharmed, having some skill to block the attack. The cockatrice glared daggers at Grey, panting heavily, its mind filled with various thoughts. It hadn't expected Grey to be this strong, enough to harm it and block its [Blade Scattershot]. There was also the strange monkey, but it seemed to have no intention of interfering in the fight.

On seeing the look in Grey's eyes, the cockatrice felt an eerie chill that caused its feathers to rise. Grey eyed it like a predator with a wide grin on his face.