Chapter 17 Metal Gods

I turned tail, and started to run back through Adrian’s tent, hoping that the concentration of their forces were back at the front. As I barrelled through the opening I’d made to infiltrate Adrian’s tent however, I saw that there were three avatars stood sentry there.

No time for subtlety, I used my newly equipped Vandal’s blade to skewer one, taking him down in two blows, whilst directing Larry to attack the other two.

I felt a sharp pain, and my vision blurred slightly. I looked to my left to see a shaman, casting magic at me. I took a few points of hit point damage, as arrows flew at me as well.

[Hit points – 423/450]

I fought the instinct to fight back. Every second I wasted here, more of Adrian’s war band would swarm me. I had to get to the jungle. It was the only place of safety. I mentally commanded Larry to follow, to give up his savage attack, but found him resisting me.

‘Damnit Larry!’ I shouted, as I speared an avatar closing in, whilst another came at me with clubs, both of them striking me. The bone armour held, but my hit points continued to diminish. I thrust my spear out in a wide arc, striking back both of the attacking barbarian avatars. ‘We don’t have time for this shit!’

I didn’t know if the dominate was wearing off or if Larry was simply succumbing to his bloodlust. He had attacked me on sight both times, so I guessed there was some primal instinct in him that told him to attack avatars. Surrounded by so many, maybe Larry’s lizard brain thought it was at a buffet.

But Adrian had been right. Even the toughest bosses would fall to a raid party, and this one was growing bolder.

I fought my way towards him, firing off two precious bone arrows to stop him from getting overwhelmed, and bought us precious moments. ‘We. Have. To. Go!’

Larry growled savagely. His eyes reflected the moon, and I saw again every scar upon him, the dent I had caused by tricking him off the edge of the cliff in our very first encounter. Hatred in those eyes… and something more.

He would come back to life. I could just leave him. Even if he died here, even if these gnats overwhelmed the king through sheer numbers, he’d be back and fighting fit again. I knew that. But what did it cost the king to die each time? Did he remember every death? What toll did it take?

Those fiery eyes. This was no simple mob. There was life there. A soul.

And without thinking, without even really understanding what I was doing, I opened up my HUD and ended my concentration on the domination ability, severing the link between the sabretooth king and I. He was free once more. There was nothing to stop him from tearing my throat out.

From his point of view, Gods knew I deserved it. We stared at one another, as arrows flew again, striking at us both. He tore away from me, rushing into the night. Whether it was into battle or to flee, I didn’t know. Larry’s fate was now his own. As was mine.

[Hit points – 353/450]

I ran. Only attacking those who immediately impeded my way, and made my way back to the loose palisade to escape. The way was barred by two more avatars, and I loosed two bone arrows to take them down. It didn’t kill either, but was enough for me to finish them off with the Vandal’s blade. I was down to six bone arrows now, consciously aware of my diminishing precious resource. I heard the unmistakable howl of Larry behind me, the sabretooth king continuing to sow chaos.

I hopped through the palisade, thinking I was finally safe. Surely they’d give up now, knew they couldn’t match me. After all, they’d hardly tried to hunt me when I was hidden in the jungle, but they poured through behind me. I saw what strength it gave them to be a part of that angry mob.

They weren’t thinking. All they knew was that I had destroyed what little hope they had. They’d hunt me to the ends of this savage world. I couldn’t outrun them forever.

Opening up my HUD, I looked over the mini-map desperately, searching for some way out of this hellish chase.

Then I saw it. A chance perhaps. A Hail Mary. It would either save my life, or, more likely kill me in an instant.

[Hit points – 274/450]

At this point, what the fuck did I have to lose?

I stormed forwards, the mob behind me. Shaman’s spells, arrows, and thrown spears came down like a hail against me. Most missed of course, fired by the inexperienced avatars, but there were enough that my hit points took another hit. I opened up the hotbar and drank down one of my precious healing potions. It was obvious to me that there would no way to craft such luxuries in the Stone Epoch, but now was not the time to conserve consumables. My hit points shot up a flat fifty before ticking up at a decent rate, though the exact value had been pushed out my mind by the attacking war band.

I had hoped that my increased dexterity and stamina would mean that I could outrun them, but this didn’t seem to be the case. Movement speed was clearly influenced by something else entirely. What’s more, even without Adrian the war band was getting co-ordinated. Whilst some pursued me from the back, others had split off to draw me off at different passes. Gods, I was a fucking fool.

I’d assumed they’d react like mobs in a video game, or any army in any superhero movie, where once you killed the boss, the army just deactivated. But these were real people. If I lived through this night, I would not be making that mistake again.

This book’s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

I sprinted, but was conscious of my stamina bar. My health was almost back to full, though suffered constant attrition from my pursuers’ attacks. I wished more than anything that I had some kind of stamina potion, but no such luck.

I chanced a glance at the mini-map once again to make sure I was on the right track as I made it to the edge of the jungle.

Jungle. A little hope rose in my chest. The jungle was safety. The jungle was refuge from-

Blinding pain, as I fell flat to the underbrush, slamming face first into the dirt. Disorientated, I saw an avatar appear, and, with all his might, he slammed down hard with his club. The damage it did was astronomical from a single strike. Desperately I opened up the combat log.

[Disadvantage – You are disadvantaged due to snare. All strikes against you are automatically critical whilst disadvantaged.]

Shit. That’s when I saw what had tripped me. In my haste to escape the ensuing mob, I’d completely failed a perception check and walked straight into a primitive snare trap. I’d never even crafted a trap, though I was capable of doing so. I could never see the use of them, as you had to set them down ahead of time, and hope your enemy would fall into it.

Now, I couldn’t fail to see the value. That was the last time I would ever underestimate traps. The barbarian came in for another strike, but this time I was ready, blocking the strike with my spear, and forcing him back, as I quickly sliced through the ropes ensnaring me.

More coming. I loosed three more bone arrows. Three left.

Moving more carefully this time, the jungle had lost its refuge status to me. Had they come ahead of time to place these traps? Had this been their plan all along? Too many unknowns. It was a desperate balance. Move too slowly, they’d catch me. Move too fast, get caught by a trap.