A resounding roar tore through the nightly sky, piercing the boy's eardrums and hurting him badly. Yet he failed to show it but replied with an inhumane lunge.
Vertex saw his master and followed their usual attack pattern. A pattern honed from constant battles they faces together. Their strategy was simply but insidious, the boy would attack openly. His companion who was stronger followed up with occasional critical hits.
A lowly plan one might say, but it was the best way to study the opponent before implementing a devious tactic.
Before he lunged at the creature, a metal cuff fabricated around his wrist. Followed by links of interconnected metal rings, which attached like liquid metal to he hilt of his blade.
The chain connection was about half a meter. It served as a flailing mechanism for long ranged attacks. And its use would soon be actualized.yu
Getting into the range of the troll, he swiftly weaved to the side, surprised by the astonishing speed of the massive creature.
It brought its fist down. A resounding vibration shuddered through the earth nearly knocking him of balance. The fist came again but aimed to bash him into a tree.
He weaved backwards and sent his blade forward. A slice, an unavoidable one. It tore the troll's wood like flesh and drew greenish blood.
The beast roared, shaking the forest to its foundations. ' It's powerful, we might not win without me using my bloodlines.' Jumping above a malevolent fist, the boy dove away. A nick appearing on the troll's neck.
Lashing out its foot, it tripped and fell cause its raised heel was currently in Vertex's maw. The creature was strong, strong enough to clear an entire forest.
On a one on one fight with a human, the human would die pitifully and in an instant. The boy was unaware of what he was but he knew he could strategically plot a win.
He just had to make it devious.
Now he was just playing around with the creature, dodging its attacks while Vertex launched sneak attacks. Parrying a few attacks he kept slicing at the bottom of trees.
The boy did that in a particular area which he kept recirculating over and over again. Every time he would attempt to strike the troll but would hit the bottom line of a tree. He would be left open and would dodge an attack before it came.
This dragged on for quite a time, the boy wasn't able to land a single blow. All his attacks were from Vertex who had by then almost bleed out the troll.
The ground was mucky, slimy and dark green, clearly the blood of the vile creature. The creature's behind was riddled with gashes and nasty tears.
Its movement was dragged and sluggish, so far it had shown intelligence by continually attacking the boy instead of turning to attack Vertex.
However that had failed it in this scenario. Suddenly it screamed madly and attack with a punch. As usual the boy created some distance, shockingly dozen sprouts of hard thick roots shot out of the ground and towards the boy.
' Expected.' he thought dodging a few but finally getting wrapped up by a lucky root. It raised him to the sky and slammed him to the ground.
His bones were crushed but it seemed the troll wasn't done. He was then slammed into a tree and wrapped tightly with it. He grimaced slightly trying to reach for his dangling sword.
' I didn't want to use this special power but I have to. ' His palm tingled and the hilt of his sword flew straight into his hand. Then he bidded his time.
Calmly the hulking troll approached, gnarling with its fist clenched. Whereas the human before him look still, seemingly amused.
When the troll was close enough, the boy spoke, " Pounce, Vertex, Pounce." Moreover something spectacular happened, instead of a more mundane pounce by the enlarged jaguar. A golden blur shimmered under moonlight.
For a moment the boy froze, ' Isn't it to early for Vertex to use the energy of the divine.' He had Vertex Jaguarian Cleaver bloodline and all everything that came with it, it was a divine one and those of mortal rank shouldn't dare tamper with things of the divine.
That was a bitter lesson he learnt while experimenting.
The troll seemed to have noticed as it turned towards the shimmer, only to get brushed by a golden blur.
Vertex pounced on the tree inches from touching the boy; then pounced away disappearing into the darkness of the night.
This all happened at a collapse of time, as both the boy and the troll couldn't comprehend the magnitude to speed been used.
However this was still extremely slow compared to the true augmentation of divine energy.
A strained sound persisted from the tree as it fell away from the troll. The vines were loosened so the boy seized the chance to slip free.
' Thought I might have had to use it.' He cautiously circled the enraged beast, it bellowed loudly. ' Poor creature, probably the last of your vile tricks, while I have brought mine to the table.'
Blindly the troll rushed at the boy who jumped behind a tree. Once the troll swong its fist, the boy hit the tree before him and it groaned falling forward; on top of the troll.
Catching it fallen tree left the troll vulnerable. The boy and jaguar moved violently around the creature, leaving deadly gashes and tears all over its body.
This happened before it could get rid of the tree. Immediately it didn't, the boy switched to defensive and his companion went into camouflage.
The more it experienced failure, the more the creature ran into insanity. After the boy had done the same strategy on it seven consecutive times.
He had decided to end the battle, the troll now dragged itself like it was on the verge of collapse. The area of weakened trees the boy had created had been exhausted, with only a single remaining.
Casually as an act of provocation, the boy strolled to the last tree and stood besides it. The creature seeing an opportunity where his prey wasn't constantly moving erratically like a slippery eel, decided to attack.
A last charge. One that would spell its doom.
A satisfactory smile appeared on the boy's face as he tugged the remaining tree down right in front of the troll, when it was in full momentum.
It tripped and fell, causing a shockwave to spread around a meter radius. The boy was affected but he recovered quick enough to walk up to the creature's body.
He watched it struggle to rise, he watched it fail. ' Let your damnation, lead me to my path .' Holding the chain connected to his blade, the boy began swinging it around like a whip.
His palm tingling as he influenced the weapons movements.
Moments passed and he stopped, sure he had won.
[ You have slain The Lirapus Guard ]
[ Your Arsenal grows ever stronger ]
Licking his lips, the boy said with a bleak tone, " Let's reap our rewards, Vertex."