This better work…
This was his last thought as the armor began to shimmer, its glow replacing the dying ambient light. It was finally time to use the armor's exoskeleton ability.
He was certain it'd buy time, but he still had to act fast.
In a split second, he used the space created by the armor to wedge his sword in-between the monster's jaws, although while nearly barfing everywhere due to the nauseating smell. Fortunately, the beast didn't feel the now lodged weapon, and thus continued to viciously clamp down until blood was drawn, the resulting geyser of blood painting the entire cavity.
Please…
When the excruciating pain finally made its way to its brain, the reptilian let out a wild and savage roar, its black eyes turning crimson from rage.
It had never expected that a weak and pathetic human would try to make it yield, as centuries of dominance proved.
This couldn't be happening. At least certainly not on its watch.
In a barrage of erratic maneuvers, the creature then began to tumble and violently shake its head, making Derrick bounce around in its mouth in comedic fashion.
But for the necromancer, it was all but.
While being thrown around like a rag doll, he still had to do his best to avoid the poisonous tongue since he didn't have the antidote, meaning a single scratch could prove fatal.
Luckily, the sword's damage had caused the monster to open its mouth ever so slightly, leaving a tiny gap in-between its razor-sharp teeth.
This is it!
After crashing and failing a few times, he finally landed on the exact spot he wanted, which he exploited by madly lunging forward, transforming into a human missile.
On his way out, he again did his best to avoid the poisonous tongue while grabbing back his sword, which was followed by a feral barrage of slashes in all directions, further injuring the creature's mouth.
This instantly caused the beast to let out another ear-piercing shriek, its mouth opening a bit wider and allowing him to cleanly slip through and subsequently tumble on the ground, his state a complete mess.
He had large bruises, fresh cuts, and the beast's saliva streaming down his body, not to mention the foul smell tying it all together.
His armor fell apart shortly after, its remains shattering unceremoniously.
[WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!]
[You have been mildly poisoned! If the Host is poisoned any further, his body will not be able to cleanse itself, resulting in death!]
[Your stats are temporarily decreased!]
What the fuck?!
The prompt was loud and flashed in his mind like fireworks.
Tsk… I wasn't even able to avoid it while being this careful, eh…
He had to finish this, and fast.
Meanwhile, the creature kept crazily howling while shaking its head, its black blood flying grotesquely everywhere.
After a few seconds of what could only be agonizing pain, it finally turned its gaze back onto him, followed by an extreme pressure that nearly made him buckle to his knees. The amount of hatred behind those crimson eyes was simply staggering. He had pissed it off real good this time.
But…
''HAHAHAHA YOU UGLY REPTILE! YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD KILL ME, YOUR MASTER?! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A SACK OF MATERIALS!!!''
His laughter and insult tore through the gravity of the situation like an unaware jester on the verge of his execution, although by design. In the months leading up to this fight, Derrick had learned that improvisation was key, with his favorite flavor being cheap provocations that generated chances out of thin air.
Let's see if there's any intelligence behind those eyes.
Clearly, the monster hadn't understood a word of what he'd just said, but it definitely grasped his demeanor. It had been injured by that weak bug, which was now taunting it?!
Unforgivable!
It didn't wait another second before blindly charging with all its might, causing the ground to wildly shake under its weight while Derricks' eyes excitedly shone, its weak point finally exposed.
It's been a good one, but I've had enough.
Barely an instant went by before they were face to face, with the monster opting to clumsily ram him due to its injuries.
Still, this was more than enough to kill him, and without armor, Derrick couldn't fail his next move, or his body would turn into a fine mist.
Not now… Not now… NOW!
At the very last moment, he dove and slid underneath the incoming monster, therefor narrowly avoiding the wall of scales.
So far, so good.
Without skipping a beat, he then raised and forcefully jammed his sword through the soft underbelly unfurling above, his rushed grip and technique barely coming through.
This better be deep enough, now fucking hold on!!!
He could feel his wrists, his muscles, his tendons overextend during this unending parade of monster flesh, but he was determined to see this through, to finally close this chapter.
In fact, their momentum was such that both parties continued until they were 20 meters apart, a silence now reigning between them.
The Komodoensis had stopped moving, and so had Derrick, whose sword had dark blood dripping from its tip, a small puddle forming beneath it.
*SPLASH*
Suddenly, the entrails of the beast left its body, ultimately brought down by gravity.
His gambit had been successful.
But despite the gruesome result, the gigantic reptilian still refused to collapse for a few seconds, its hatred and disbelief fueling its last few breaths.
Seeing such resolve was a first for him in this cave, earning it a bit of his admiration.
All things, however, came to an end.
After a low and miserable howl, it finally collapsed in a loud but dull thump. He had won. Finally. But despite feeling relief he couldn't put into words, he had no time to celebrate, at least not until he had addressed the poison running amok in his body.
Without wasting another breath, he ran to the corpse before hearing an announcement.
[Would you like to make a
This was it, what he had waited for. He had hoped to upgrade his
It was time to reap the fruits of his patience.
''Yes.''
As soon as the word left his lips, the ground started to rumble, with dark plasma seeping out as it rapidly gathered at a single point.
The air, previously still and cold, began to feel humid and suffocating. The process was clearly different from Io's, prompting some caution.
Low howls and cries then began to rise from the fresh corpse, sending ice through his veins.
What is this??? What have I done?!
The dark plasma, having sufficiently gathered, then turned into floating black goo as it started forming the new body of his minion.
Each building block could be seen, from the cells to the muscles to the tendons to the bones to the organs. It was quite the sight.
When it ended, the new Viper Varanus Komodoensis was 10% bigger than its past self, with its previously black eyes now shining like rubies, and its shadowy figure as beautiful as it was terrifying.
Right then and there, Derrick knew that it would be an invaluable partner in the future… But that was until the red eyes suddenly turned to him.
"I never thought you could kill me, Human!"
When he heard the voice, his heart skipped a bit while he instinctively darted backwards, his sword at the ready once more.
How the hell is it talking?!
''Who are you?! Explain yourself!!!''