A few moments ago, while hearing their roar, an idea struck Fratley's mind. Randy had clearly said that the roar shaking the forest came from an Eyndeer Alpha.
That meant someone, or something, was attacking it. And whatever it was, it wasn't weak. Fratley could tell from the force of that roar alone.
If the Alpha sounded that pissed, then whatever made it feel threatened had to be dangerous. Maybe even dangerous enough to help him.
The crimson eyes grew clearer. More than eight Eyndeer were charging straight at him. Now that he was running toward them, he could finally see how terrifying they truly were.
Before, he had only focused on their size. But now? Their horns weren't ordinary antlers. The material gleamed like metal, catching slivers of sunlight, and their edges were razor-sharp.
SLASH!
Fratley cut down a large tree branch and kicked it toward the lead Eyndeer. But the beast didn't even flinch. It dipped its head, and the horns sliced clean through the wood like a knife through butter.
Fratley frowned, a chill crawling up his spine. One hit, just one, and he'd be nothing but meat mulch for the herd.
SLASH! SLASH!
He chopped down more branches, this time hurling them toward their eyes. But the Eyndeer weren't mindless.
Their eyes shimmered with intelligence. They dodged mid-run, weaving through the debris without losing speed.
As the distance closed, Fratley knew one thing for sure, he wasn't escaping unscathed. His plan had been to blind them with wooden shrapnel. But the Eyndeer weren't taking the bait.
He raised his spear. As they closed in, Fratley tensed his muscles, then launched it like a bullet.
The lead Eyndeer reacted instantly, sweeping its head downward.
Clang!
The spear deflected off its horn and stabbed deep into a tree.
Meanwhile, Fratley kept sprinting forward, raising his assault rifle. He switched it to burst mode and opened fire without hesitation.
BRRRT!!!
The bullets tore through the air, slamming into the Eyndeer's face. The beast flinched, raising its horn to deflect the barrage, but some rounds got through, punching into its flesh.
"Hraaahhnk!!!" The creature let out a furious roar as blood splattered across its white fur. Its body then collapsed with a heavy thud.
Seeing their fallen comrade, the others' eyes turned fully crimson, a sign they were going berserk. One of the Eyndeer lunged forward, ramming its head straight into Fratley's side.
BAM!!!
Fratley felt his hand snap on impact. It was like being hit by a freight train. He gritted his teeth through the pain, twisting mid-air to adjust his fall.
His rifle was knocked from his hands, skidding across the ground. And now, he was face to face with another charging threat.
The Eyndeer opened its mouth, aiming to chomp Fratley to death. His body was launched straight into the air, right toward its gaping jaws.
He couldn't change direction, he was mid-air, weaponless. His spear was embedded in a tree meters away, and his rifle lay somewhere on the ground behind him.
The world slowed to a crawl. His body moved on instinct. He slammed his broken hand into the gaps between the Eyndeer's teeth.
CRUNCH!!!
The Eyndeer's jaws snapped shut. Bones shattered, flesh tore apart, but Fratley's plan worked. His arm was mangled, nearly torn clean off, but it jammed the beast's mouth just long enough to stop it from biting down fully.
The sensation was agonizing. Like ramming a fishbone into your gum, only worse. The Eyndeer let out a furious roar of pain.
Fratley kicked off the Eyndeer's face, hurling himself sideways. He tumbled across the ground, landing hard. Dirt filled his mouth, his shoulder dislocated, but at least he was alive.
"Well… I hope Randy still has a spare robot arm in stock," Fratley muttered with a grin, glancing at what was left of his left arm.
It was barely hanging on. Fingers twisted at impossible angles. Two were missing, bone exposed.
Thankfully, thanks to his gene traits, his body had already begun to heal. The bleeding had stopped, and the pain was dulling.
He took a deep breath, then started running again, straight toward the direction of the Alpha's roar.
Even after that mess, he was far from safe. The rest of the Eyndeer were still roaring behind him, hot on his trail.
Before, he'd only wounded one. Now? He'd killed three and injured two more.
There was no way they'd stop. Not until one of them was dead. Fratley maneuvered through the forest, snatching up a broken branch to use as a makeshift spear. It was shorter than a real one, but better than nothing.
It didn't take long before his surroundings began to change. Small craters dotted the ground, scars from explosions. Trees had been blasted apart, and the air was filled with the sound of combat.
'This energy… A mage!' Fratley could feel it clearly now. The air was thick with lingering psychic energy, residue from powerful spells.
His gaze narrowed. He looked back at the Eyndeer chasing him, then toward the direction of the battle ahead.
From the leftover energy alone, he could tell, more than a dozen mages were involved.
'Please don't be the Empire… If it is, I'm screwed.'
Without hesitation, he dashed forward, straight toward the chaos.
BOOM!!!
"Fireball!!!"
"Ice Lance!!!"
Multiple elements tore through the air, slamming into the Eyndeer Alpha. Its appearance was similar to a normal Eyndeer, the only difference being its sheer size, and its horns.
If the average Eyndeer's horns looked like forged metal, the Alpha's looked like they were carved from crystal. They refracted light into a kaleidoscope of colors, beautiful and terrifying all at once.
Facing the beast were six mages, hammering it with nonstop spells. But Fratley wasn't focused on them. Behind the row of mages sat a woman, calmly sipping tea like she was on vacation, not in the middle of a battle.
Her expression was calm, completely unworried. If anything, she looked impatient. Then, her amber eyes shifted, locking onto the newcomer. She stared directly at Fratley.