If you're scared, FIGHT WHILE SCARED!
It was like he could hear his father's raspy voice yelling at him. Everyone was panicking.
Fear is just your hypothalamus releasing norepinephrine, Another memory of his father smashed into his brain.
"Knowing that doesn't help at all! I'm still scared, Dad..."
"I'm scared... Oliver, do something..."
Aline's trembling, tear-filled voice hit him like a hammer to the skull.
Sssssssssssss! Sssssssssssss! Sssssssssssss! Sssssssssssss!
The symphony of those damn creatures hissing was getting louder, but his eyes were locked on Aline's blue oceans.
That look again. The look of someone putting all their faith in another person without even asking for permission.
Old memories flashed through Oliver's mind, and his body moved before he could think. His fingers intertwined with hers, his eyes locked on hers.
"Protect the girls. We'll kill these abominations."
From the corner of his eye, Oliver saw David flash a wide white grin, eyes wide open.
"Why the hell is this psycho staring at me like that? How the hell can he look so satisfied staring death in the face?"
Truth is, even Oliver didn't know why he did it. But something inside him was burning. He had never faced this many serpents in such a short time, and some voice deep inside told him it was only going to get worse.
Still being watched by David's crazy eyes and his psycho smile, he stepped forward beside the others... no, not boys anymore. Young men. Because any hint of innocence was about to be stripped away.
His body was still that of a chubby nerd from the 21st century, and none of the guys around him were more athletic than your average skinny dude. But there they were. Wooden spears in hand. Backs straight.
Aline stood in front of the two girls at the rear. When Oliver looked back one last time, she nodded.
"She looks kinda cute trying to cheer me up."
He had no idea why that crossed his mind, and quickly shoved it to the back of his head.
And then, when he turned his gaze forward, he saw it. Four heads, covered in dark green scales and dripping with deadly venom.
Fear sank into his bones, and his breathing started to fall apart.
"If you're scared, fight while scared..." that voice was softer this time, but still firm. A mature woman, the strongest Oliver had ever known. And she'd be waiting for him when this was all over.
With no clue where that strength came from, he screamed.
"There's a saying in the army that soldiers shout before going into battle...", he pulled the strongest voice he could muster and shouted.
"If you're scared, fight while scared, BUT DON'T STOP FIGHTING!"
Honestly, that last part he just made up. But it came straight from his heart, which was on fire. They wanted to live, they had to survive.
Right after the shout, hell came crashing down. Four sets of fangs lunged at four young men, and all they could do was raise their spears to block.
Boom!
The impact echoed as Oliver was launched a few meters downhill along with one of the scaled demons.
His hands tingled. Fangs dripping with venom were inches from his face. But there it was his biggest enemy, pinned down by a sharp piece of wood. He had to make an opening.
A chance.
Oliver threw his head back and closed his eyes, hoping it'd work.
He headbutted what had to be the serpent's snout.
And it worked.
The pressure on the makeshift spear loosened, and he used that split-second to roll sideways, just out of reach from those ivory daggers.
"My arms hurt. My lungs are burning... and I'm still scared. Just a few seconds in and I'm already like this?"
Screams and curses echoed all over the hill. He wasn't the only one fighting and definitely not the only one afraid.
He focused on the serpent's slits, and now he could see it more clearly. Blood dripped from its scales, wounds of all kinds visible.
Beep!
A notification blinked on his bracelet, but Oliver couldn't take his eyes off the creature. He ignored it.
Sssssssssssss!
It hissed, then lunged again. He managed to step back just in time, but the poor fallen tree behind him wasn't so lucky. It shattered on impact, and he saw the viper stagger from the blow.
"My chance!"
Gathering what strength he had left, he charged at the creature's head just as it turned to look for him.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
He drove the spear right into its jaw, but of course, it broke. The earlier impact had already weakened the makeshift weapon, and it clearly couldn't handle this strike.
The spear snapped just centimeters before hitting the roof of the serpent's mouth. All that kinetic energy wasted. Oliver's body rolled down the hill, tumbling like a ragdoll.
SSSSSSSSSS!
The scream of pain echoed, and as he stood up, blood was gushing from the serpent's jaw. Half his spear was still embedded in its mouth. But now he was disarmed and facing an apex predator.
"If I'd pushed just a little more, I would've pierced its jaw straight into its brain!"
And the serpent seemed to know that. It didn't hesitate. Didn't give him a chance to run. It was her turn now and she wasn't about to waste it.
Her eyes locked onto his, and she lunged again with full force.
"OLIVEEEERR!!!"
The world seemed to slow for a moment as Aline's scream hit his ears. He didn't need to turn to feel the air distorting, something was flying toward him.
The fear was still there. It never left. His heart thundered and every inch of his body ached. Even dodging hurt. The impact from earlier and his untrained body were already showing the damage.
But now he understood his father. Thousands of years of evolution had armed humans with ways to adapt and the flood of adrenaline his body was pumping out was one of them.
The pain faded for a moment. The fear was still there, but somehow smaller. Not gone, just controlled...
The spear flew toward him and he managed to grab it midair, barely caring which side was the sharp one. The viper was right in front of him. There was no dodging. It was kill or die.
Gripping the spear tight, he clenched his teeth and drove it into the side of the serpent's head. He felt the weight of hundreds of pounds slam into his chest. Felt his flesh tearing as they tumbled down the hill.
His mind started to go dark, and all he could see was the damn notification that had popped up on his forearm minutes ago.
[Sufficient data analyzed...]
[Combat: 12]
"Now this is starting to feel like a damn RPG..."
That was the last thought in his head before everything went black.