"Why can't I ever catch a break?"
First, a giant Koonus attacks us, and now some knight-looking dudes are after us? They are more heavily armored than the guards we fought before. While the guards only had armor on their main limbs, one of these guys had armor on every inch of their body, along with some weird goggles on their eyes.
The armor did not seem to be made of iron or anything I have seen before. The heavily armored one's armor seemed to be a tint of blue, while one of the others had a tint of yellow. They seemed different, however, compared to the guards from before. I'm not sure if it's the design of the armor or the markings on some of the pieces.
What was definitely apparent was the large tail they had dragging along behind them. Judging by their green coloring and the tail, I can assume all of them are lizard or reptile people of some sort.
"If you surrender now, I can promise you a somewhat quick death!" the apparent leader that stepped up yelled.
He was the largest in size of the trio and also the most heavily armored. He had a curved blade as his weapon of choice. I can't exactly remember what they are called at the moment. I remember seeing them in a couple of films, however.
The other two also had distinct armaments compared to the leader. The one in the back had more of a heavy robe with no apparent weapon in hand. The last one had what looked like a sickle, and he also seemed to have lighter armor compared to their leader.
I looked around, but Faith and Nickoli were nowhere to be seen and were at a distance, so they might not have even heard the lizardman yell. This is bad. In a one-on-one, I might have a chance, but in a one-on-three, I'll definitely lose.
"I'll take your silence as your answer. Prepare to die!" the main lizard man said before he rushed towards me, weapon raised.
I don't want to risk running away considering I can't calculate his max speed, so I'll just need to hold my ground long enough for those two to arrive. Which hopefully shouldn't take that long considering Nickoli was only lightly injured.
"Bring it on... Oh shit, I forgot!" I exclaimed while panicking.
Shit, I forgot to change my weapon back to a pistol. Whatever, I just hope this thing packs a punch that is enough to stop him.
I quickly aimed and fired a shot with my new rifle. It was not what I was used to, so my aim was half-assed, but it should hit a straightforward target. The sound from the shot was almost ear-deafening, as it sounded almost three times louder than the pistol. Not like it matters at this moment.
The bullet did seem to hit its target, though. Judging from how he was not stopping, it doesn't look like it did anything.
Before I was able to take a second shot, they lunged forward and attempted to slice my head off in one fell swoop. Luckily, I was able to backpedal and dodge the attack. However, he did not stop. He continued to attempt to hack and slash my body, only for me to dodge the swings by a few inches.
"Is dodging all you can do, you filthy demi?!" he yelled at me between his attacks.
Demi? What the hell is that? Whatever, I need to find a way to get some breathing room before I mess up and get myself killed. No sign of Faith and Nickoli appearing anytime soon. Then again, those other two are not getting involved for some reason.
Not that I'm complaining, of course. If they did jump in, I would be screwed. I did see them laughing, or what looked like laughing, while they pointed at me. I guess they prefer to ridicule rather than fight, I suppose.
I continued to backpedal and dodge his swings. I can tell he seems to be holding back somewhat, almost as if he was toying with me. I could change up the groove of the fight and go on the offensive, but I'm not exactly well-versed in how to use a gun at close range. It also doesn't help that the glare of the sun is making me wince half the time.
Looking at my surroundings for anything I could use to try to trip him up.
"Shit... Nothing but twigs and grass," I said while looking around in quick glances between dodges.
At this rate, this will be a repeat of what happened before! Though it will end with them most likely not showing mercy, considering we technically broke out of jail. I mean, they also technically let us out, so...
"Where did these monsters come from?!"
I gave a quick glance at the source of the scream—it came from where the other soldier lizard people were.
"How did all these Vipers suddenly appear?!"
There seemed to be a large group of around ten or so ore vipers attacking them. One of them was even latched onto the robed soldier's arm as he frantically tried to yank it off.
The leader turned his head to face his subordinates before yelling, "You idiots can't do anything, can you?!"
Yes! This is my chance!
I took the opportunity to change from backpedaling to rushing forward. I held my rifle with my hands, each holding one end as I forcibly shoved him using all the strength I could muster. I was able to make him stumble a little as he had to catch himself mid-fall. I don't think he expected me to actually try to go on the offensive.
By the time he turned to face me again, I was able to change the grip I had on my rifle. Now, it was wielded like a baseball bat. I landed one good hit on his head as I swung it as hard as I could. Judging by how he began to backpedal himself, I can assume that did something compared to before.
"I might have underestimated you a little, you half-breed, but no matter. This ends now," the lizardman leader said as he regained his posture and fighting stance.
"I don't even know what you are talking about, but just so you know, I'm not just going to let myself die now," I snapped back.
The lizard man charged at me again, curved blade in hand, while I steeled myself. Instead of just hacking and slashing, he went for a thrust. I dodged backward by backpedaling, and he followed by raising the blade from the thrust and executing an upward diagonal cut toward me.
This time, I ducked and moved to his side, attempting to counterattack with my rifle, now being used as a baseball bat.
"Nice try!" he saw this and turned his cut into a slash. However, this time, instead of dodging, I blocked it with the body of the rifle.
The force of the impact was strong, and I felt the full weight of his attack. I tried to push his scimitar, which clashed with my rifle, but I felt the pressure from the lizardman leader increase as he pushed me back.
I couldn't hold him in strength for long, as the weight of the weapon increased, forcing me to backpedal to avoid my feet from fully buckling. The beating sun did not help me sustain the fight, as I continued to feel my stamina being drained from the battle.
"Where the hell are those two?!" I quickly looked back at the two companions of the lizard man, seeing them dispatching the final few ore vipers that were attacking them. If Faith and Nickoli don't get here soon, this won't end well for me.
"Eyes on the fight," the lizard-man leader mockingly said, shoving me back to get my attention.
Eyes... I remembered watching a movie where reptile-like aliens invaded the planet. One of the weaknesses they used to defeat them was the sunlight, which blinded them due to their sensitivity. These lizard people, or whatever they are, seem to have goggles on their eyes. Maybe if I yank them off, they will be blinded too.
I would have to quickly close the gap between him and me in order to try to yank the goggles off. Then again, it might not even work, and I'll just die stupidly trying. I mean, I don't exactly have many options, so I might as well try to create an opportunity.
"We finally killed those wretched vipers! Have you killed the demi yet?"
As if things couldn't get any worse, now his friends are here to bail him out, great.
"No, maybe if you two idiots had not let your guard down, we could be heading back to camp by now!" The lizard-man leader I was fighting with yelled back condescendingly.
As expected, I could see the two lizard men from earlier heading in my direction. The robed one looked injured, gripping his arm, while the other lightly armored one seemed fine. Injured or not, this was about to take a turn for the worse soon.
"Hey, what is that sound-"
I turned back to look at the two heading toward me, only to see a small debris explosion where they once were. If my ears served me right, it sounded like-
"Alex! Don't worry, we are here to help!" a voice I recognized as Nickoli's yelled out from an area with thick shrubbery.
As he finished the sentence, he and Faith both emerged from hiding, with Nickoli in his tankette and Faith riding on top of it.
"Looks like we've got some accomplices—what the-?!"
As the Lizardman leader got distracted again, I quickly maneuvered to his side before he could react and swiftly clubbed him on the side with the body of the rifle. After being hit for the fourth time, he fell to his knee, providing me with an opportunity to create more distance between us.
I started running toward where Nickoli and Faith were. Although I was tired, seeing both of them backing me uplifted my spirits again. However, just as I was about to reach arm's length, a trio of projectiles flew between us.
Recognizing the potential danger, all three of us stopped moving to determine the origin. We deduced that it came from the dust cloud left behind by the explosion, as the two lizard men reappeared from it.
"Don't think we're that easy to take out!" the lightly armored sickle lizardman remarked.
"Once we're done with you, you'll wish you were taken out right then and there!" Faith angrily snapped back.
"Alright, Faith and I will take out the sickle dude. Nickoli, handle the robed magician-looking lizard man," I commanded them.
"Who made you the boss?" Faith chimed in.
"This is no time to fight. Let's just take them out!" I said, feeling agitated by their remarks.
"Fine," Faith said as she got off the tankette.
"Let's end this quickly before the other Lizardman recovers," I said, getting into a fighting stance.
"Are you going to properly use your gun or...?" Faith looked at me questioningly as I wielded my rifle like a club.
I quickly adjusted my stance and how I held the weapon. "Yeah, my bad," I responded sheepishly.
"Alright, let's do this."
"Roger that."
"Whatever you say, General..."
Faith and I moved forward at a fast pace, closing the gap between us and the sickle-armed lizard man. Despite wearing a decently large cloak, Faith displayed surprising agility on her feet. I also noticed that she wasn't even wearing proper tennis shoes; she had heavy work boots on, similar to what my dad wore for work.
As we approached, the robed lizard apprentice began to close his eyes and raise his hand forward. It appeared that he was focusing on something. Wait a minute, I think I've figured it out...
"Delta Stalactite Barrage!"
In an instant, a barrage of projectiles resembling small stalactites manifested out of thin air. They shot towards me at high speeds. Fortunately, the robed lizard man couldn't aim properly and the projectiles landed where I was, not where I was going. By the time they reached my previous position, I had already moved ahead, unaffected.
"Lead your aim better, Mr. Magician," I said mockingly.
"Why you little-"
The next thing I saw was a small explosion near where he was standing, originating from Nickoli's tankette. It seemed to have at least drawn the attention of the magic man, as he focused on Nickoli now.
"You may have fooled the other two, but not me. This is the end of the line for you vermin!" The sickle-wielding lizard man said as he also dashed toward us.
I halted my advance and aimed slightly away from him. I had no intention of engaging in close-quarters combat anytime soon, or ever if I could help it. Faith continued running toward him, so I assumed she would come up with a plan. I decided to increase her chances of success by providing fire support.
Though I was still not used to my new anti-something rifle, it had a special effect—defense piercing or armor piercing, I forgot which one. I aimed and fired a single shot, feeling the recoil reverberate through my body.
I had to loosen my grip and readjust my aim to regain my composure. The gunshot rang in my ears, and it was louder than I expected. I really should find some ear protection to avoid going deaf from excessive shooting.
I wasn't even sure if the first bullet hit him, as he seemed to be moving fine. He tried to hack and slash at Faith, but she swiftly dodged and avoided all his attacks. She must have been an athlete or gymnast before coming to this world, considering her speed and agility.
While she fought barehanded against her armed opponent, she landed solid punches and kicks on his face or on exposed limbs that had thin armor. I did my part by hitting the target with approximately every third shot. It's challenging to aim at a moving target, even at a relatively close range.
Glancing to the side, I noticed the robed wizard Lizard. Oh, that rhymed! They continued to hurl more projectiles at Nickoli's tankette, but it seemed to have no effect on him. Then again, he had been launched a distance away when he was rammed by a giant Koonus. He might have been injured from the impact rather than the Konus itself.
I continued firing potshots at the lizard man fighting Faith. Judging by his fighting style, he also used speed to his advantage. If only I could determine their levels to gauge their exact strength.
"I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU!"
I looked to the source of the yelling on my right. It came from the original lizard man leader I had been fighting, now running straight at me barehanded.
"Won't you just give up already?!"
"I'LL KILL YOU FOR HUMILIATING ME, YOU USELESS WASTE OF RESOURCES!"
He lunged at me when he got close enough. Fortunately, blinded by rage, he forgot that I could simply sidestep him, which I did. He landed on the ground on his stomach before attempting to recover and launch another attack. I managed to get a couple of shots in with the rifle, but once again, it seemed to have no effect on him.
He got up and lunged at me again. This time, I held up my rifle to block, but he gripped it and tried to yank it off me. However, due to the nature of the weapon, it remained attached to me and pulled me along for the ride. He was in a blind rage, trying to disarm me while I struggled to prevent myself from falling over due to the constant yanking.
"You're fucking insane, dude!" I yelled at him during our struggle.
"You dare intrude upon our grounds, you detested Demi! I will have your head!" He hissed at me, continuing to yank.
Now I was back to where I started, fighting for my life against an even angrier Lizardman. However, I noticed some key differences this time. He was unarmed and had removed some parts of his armor for some inexplicable reason. Perhaps he wanted to make himself lighter for easier attacks. However, this decision worked against him, as it provided me with more options. Earlier, I couldn't have attempted to kick or punch any part of his heavily armored body, but now there were vulnerable spots.
To create an opening, I went with the yanking motion, catching the lizard man leader off guard with the sudden shift in balance. He was forced to backstep in an attempt to regain his posture. Simultaneously, I changed my weapon form back to my submachine gun.
During this transition, the lizard man leader lost his grip on the barrel of the anti-armor rifle as it shrunk down to the size of a pistol. Completely off balance, he had nothing to hold onto, leading to his fall. I seized the opportunity and lunged, landing on top of his body, pinning him to the ground.
I aimed my weapon at his head and yelled, "ALRIGHT, EVERYBODY STOP, OR I'M BLASTING A HOLE IN THIS GUY'S HEAD!"
The combat seemed to slow down as everyone turned to face me. I felt a little nervous, but in the heat of battle, I had more pressing concerns. The lizard man I was pinning down also ceased his struggle when he felt the weapon against his head.
"You heard me! Surrender now, or this guy gets a face full of lead! I don't know, but he will die!"
I quickly glanced at the other two lizard men. They seemed to be looking back and forth between each other, probably contemplating their options. Faith surprisingly also stopped her fight to avoid disrupting negotiations, which was the least she could do. Likewise, Nickoli opened the hatch to his tankette and peeked his head out to get a better view.
"Let me die!" the pinned-down lizard man said to his companions.
"Just know this, if you die, then the battle will become a three-on-two, and I assume that would result in our victory," I spat back at him.
The lizard man seemed to have calmed down as he carefully considered his circumstances.
"I'm sorry, boss, but the little demi is right. We would most likely lose if the engagement went on longer. We should fall back and regroup with the others," the robed lizard man told the leader.
The silence was palpable as the leader closed his eyes and began to think.
"Fine, what are your terms?" the leader asked in a defeated tone.
Hmm, maybe I could use this to gain something from them.
"Alright, we want you to surrender your weapons and hand over all the money you have. Additionally, I want three pieces of your armor, any piece will do, but it must be three," I demanded menacingly.
The lizard man eyed me before saying, "Fine, your terms are agreeable."
What followed next was all three of them complying peacefully. I'm not sure if it was due to their pride, but they seemed eager to leave as fast as they could. I requested three pieces from both the sickle-armed lizard man and the leader. Each of them gave me armor pieces that seemed to interlock instead of being one giant set.
Observing their previously armored limbs without armor, I noticed burn marks of some sort underneath. It might have been due to my rifle. I guess they were just so tough that they paid no mind to it. This is a good sign, though, as it shows that we are getting stronger.
Faith was initially adamant about killing them, but she seemed to have read the room and decided not to push the issue further. I'm sure if it were the guards, however, she would want their heads on a stake. Anyways, here are the two weapon forms I was able to unlock from the armor sets:
Tilium Metal Anti-Material Rifle LV 1
Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: +3 Defense
Special Equip Effect: Armor Piercing Rounds (Weak)
Weapon Mastery: 0
[O]
Lilite Metal Submachine Gun LV 1
Abilities Locked Equip Bonus: +1 Defense
Special Equip Effect: +2 Magic Defense
Weapon Mastery: 0
[O]
Interesting... this one is armor piercing compared to the Konus's anti-defense. Judging from this, I can confirm that this one is probably used to pierce actual surfaces, while the defense piercing just pierces or bypasses defense.
The trio left their weapons behind as they all went back to their camp, presumably. I absorbed the two weapons they had into my own weapon. Nothing was unlocked, but I assumed they went into storage inside it. Somehow, I wasn't zapped when picking them up. I'm not sure how that works, but I can figure it out later.
The other two also absorbed the armor pieces and unlocked new forms, but they seemed to be occupied with other things.
"I think that went pretty well," I said optimistically to Faith and Nickoli.
"That's easy for you to say," Faith said while bandaging her wounds.
Faith had some cuts along her body. I guess no matter how nimble she was, she wasn't fully unhittable. Nickoli seemed fine, just a little dazed from the constant barrage of rocks. I still need to figure out how to use magic. It would be a massive help in combat, especially.
"Alright, well, we should really get out of here. If I were those three, I would call for support once I got back to camp," I said, motioning for Faith and Nickoli to hurry up.
"You're always the one who comes out unscathed out of all of us," Faith retorted annoyingly.
"Well, I also don't run headfirst into an engagement barehanded," I spat back.
She quieted down after my response, and we quickly finished bandaging up along with Nickoli. We all started moving back to the mound to lay low for a while, considering those three would probably be seeking revenge.
Checking my inventory on the way to the mound, the money they gave me seemed strange. There were various drawings and unreadable stuff on it, with each piece being one of four colors. I decided not to think too much about it and just put the three small pouches they were in into my left pocket.
Wait a minute... This reminds me, I normally put my phone in my right pocket. Does this mean...? I guess in the heat of the moment, I just forgot I had my phone all this time. Being hunted down really makes your mind wander. Checking my pocket, I found... nothing, just some lint.
"Where did you go..." I quietly whispered to myself.
All three of us were riding on Nickoli's tankette. While it wasn't the fastest way to get to the mound, it was better than walking, as it was a distance away.
Faith, seeing me suddenly begin to semi-panic, asked, "What are you doing, Alex?"
"Nothing, don't worry about it."
"If you say so..."
Where could my phone be? I could have lost it in various places. Maybe it's where the hourglass is, in the town, or perhaps it's somewhere in the woods. But even the possibility of it being brought with me means I have to find it.
"Hey Faith, Nickoli, would you guys mind going back to the hourglass later, by any chance?"
"Why would we go back?" Nickoli asked, sounding puzzled.
"Because I might have dropped something."
"Dropped something? I dropped my knife, and I don't see a reason to go back and get it," Faith retorted.
"Listen, it's something important. We can be quick, but I just need it," I pleaded with both of them.
There was some silence until Nickoli responded, "Fine, but if I see any figures near it, then we are backing off."
"Yeah, I don't want to do any more fighting for now. Clearly, while we are getting stronger, we are not strong enough," Faith agreed.
The rest of the journey back was uneventful, with only a few monsters jumping us here and there. Nothing beyond our abilities to handle. Once we arrived back at the mound, we each attended to our own tasks.
Faith usually stayed on the lookout, while Nickoli slept leaning against his tankette. I made myself a makeshift bed using a bunch of leaves and shrubbery. While it wasn't very comfortable, it was better than sleeping on the dirt.
I still felt very dirty, though. I hadn't taken a shower in days, and wearing the same sweaty and musty clothes for sleeping and fighting didn't sit well with me.
I wondered if I could sneak into the village to grab a toothbrush or something to make sure I didn't get cavities after not brushing and eating nothing but fruit for the past few days.
Actually, let me check how many days have passed.
[Willowing Fields 20:19:32:12]
A couple of days have passed, and I've lost track since we found this mound. But luckily, this wave timer seems to keep me somewhat informed. Speaking of which, I'm not exactly sure how large-scale this wave will be. If it's just a massive horde of monsters, I don't think the three of us will be enough to defeat something of that scale.
We still have three or so weeks left of grinding, though our gains have been considerably slowing down so we might just have to start moving locations. Not sure if it's due to levels taking longer if simply monsters don't attack us anymore, but still.
Either way, I could start to feel the effects of all the fighting, so I decided to just eat some Tac fruit and call it a day. The flavor was starting to get old, but there aren't any better alternatives for now. The sun was already going down, so it wasn't too early to sleep. I laid down on my makeshift bed and fell asleep.
...
The next morning started as usual. Faith was usually the first one awake, even though she slept the least out of all of us. Maybe that's what makes her irritable easily. I usually woke up second, followed by Nickoli, who wasted no time attacking our makeshift crate of fruit where we stored extra Tacs from the day.
This time, instead of waking up to go grinding, we headed toward the location of the hourglass. While we hadn't seen it since the incident with the figures around it, we knew the general direction of where it was.
It was a bit far away, but nothing too extreme. We decided to proceed cautiously, hiding behind the shrubbery to scout the area.
"Seems like nobody's here," Faith remarked.
"Right then, just stay here while I look around," I said, getting up and moving toward the hourglass.
Alright, I have to be quick. I quickly scanned the area, jogging from place to place, keeping an eye on the grass in case it had fallen there. I spent a good couple of minutes doing this. To a normal person, I would seem crazy, but then again, who wouldn't be after seeing what I have to deal with?
After a few more minutes, I found it. My phone was facedown beneath some tall grass. It was a bit hard to spot, considering its green camo case, but for me, it was a familiar sight. I quickly grabbed it and dusted off the dirt, finding that the phone was intact with no cracks or damage.
I turned it on, only to feel my heart sink. It had only 17 percent battery remaining. I promptly shut it off completely to conserve the battery. This was both good and bad news. Good because I had my phone back, and bad because it had only 17 percent battery.
Absorbing it into my weapon gem for safekeeping wasn't an option since it might use up the battery to unlock a new form. While the idea of a phone-based weapon form intrigued me, I didn't want to risk losing the various photos and videos saved on it.
So I needed to find something that could charge my phone. In another world, if only it were as easy as it sounds. Nonetheless, this was good news. Though it wasn't the top priority officially, personally, I knew I had to find a way to charge my phone as soon as possible.
"Looks like I got a secondary objective now"
End of Chapter 6
[Other World Index]
[Hero Weapon lock]
While the legendary weapons do not allow the hero to normally wield any other weapon other than itself. That, however, only does apply whenever they wield said weapon with the intention to fight. This means that the hero is allowed to wield items such as cooking knives or other sorts of utility weapons.
Authors Note:
I hope your readers enjoyed the chapter, I will admit I still have lots of work to do writing my fighting scenes but it's a learning process. Alex and co were able to hold their ground somewhat against the lizard men, though who says they were strong, to begin with? Come back next week to find out!