Chapter 14: Hakuna matata

Chapter 14: Hakuna matata

Claire was panting. Priam was moving fast, and keeping up with him was no easy task. Meanwhile, the young man was trying to pierce the mist with his eyes, when he heard exclamations to his left. He slowed down and motioned to the girl to be quiet.

"Noise on our left. I'll go first. Follow me."

Claire nodded her head in agreement.

Priam quietly approached the clamor. Quickly, the opaque mist cleared up, revealing shadows twirling around. Priam stopped in front of the spectacle that was offered to him. Three men armed with swords were fighting massive boars in a surreal scene. Humanity is impressive. Nine days ago, the majority of humans had a sedentary lifestyle. Except at the zoo, a man could go his whole life without seeing a dangerous animal. Today, I see three people with sabers fighting rabid boars.

The three strangers were no strangers to violence. Unfortunately, despite their dexterity and coordination, the animals were too numerous and resistant. A herd of eight boars was continuously charging them. The sabers' wounds inflicted on the animals seemed to drive them mad. They were charging blindly at the individuals, seeking to take them with them to the next world. None of the men were injured, but Priam guessed the situation could quickly change. The mammals' canines were half a meter long. One mistake would mean death.

No sooner had he had this thought that one of the boars scratched the thigh of one of the fighters with its tusk - a lower canine. The wound seemed superficial, but it disturbed the warrior. It could be the beginning of the end. I have to intervene now if I want to help them! Priam had questions, and only living men could answer them. Announcing himself with a shout to distract the boars, Priam leaped into the fray.

His agility and kinetic energy control skills were particularly well suited to fighting heavy, slow, powerful monsters. Priam put his hand on the snout of a male and absorbed some of the energy from the charge. The animal slowed down, and Priam took advantage of the situation to throw a titanic punch. Using his strength combined with the energy he had just stolen, the blow broke the beast's neck.

Lvl Up: [Strike] lvl 7

FOR + 1

The cracking sounded like the announcement of a brutal death. The sound was so horrible that Priam was afraid for his hand. It's a great way to break bones. My bones too. The other boars snarled and, in one motion, tried to attack Priam. Their massive size prevented them from attacking as a group. The animals were getting in each other's way as they tried to run in the same direction. Priam spun around to find an exit, his senses alert. There! With a leap, he found himself balancing on the head of a boar its comrades had pushed. [Art of Movement] allowed him to regain his balance in a split second. Priam slid down the boar's side and grabbed its tusk. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he slowed the beast by absorbing its kinetic energy and planted his feet on the ground. Exercising his thigh and back muscles like never before, he lifted the animal and threw it to the ground in one motion. Without giving it time to get up, Priam finished off the stunned beast with a spear to the head. Only six more to go.

"Never again will I fight a pathetic battle," he encouraged himself.

Priam felt his [Focus] skill activate as his mind focused on the fight. The skill allowed him to forget the pain in his side. He looked back at the rest of the animals. The herd was disorganized, and the beasts had lost sight of him as he jumped. Priam retrieved his spear as one of the boars finally caught sight of him. Seeing the corpse at the young man's feet, it charged, blinded by rage. Priam drove his spear into the ground and prepared to absorb the kinetic energy of the assault. There was something terrifying about seeing a hundred-kilogram monster charging at you. The collision was brutal, but Priam absorbed the energy of the movement while closing his eyes. The beast's violent stop raised a cloud of dust. Mentally, Priam admonished himself: depriving himself of vision during a fight was madness.

Fortunately, he had not been attacked at that time. Opening his eyes, Priam could see the animal's open jaw and spear piercing its brain. He could feel the warm blood of the wild animal splashing on his face. Only five left.

Priam stood up and pressed his foot against the beast's head to try to free his spear. Shit, it's blocked. The rest of the group charged him before he could recover his spear.

"Do you know how to do anything other than charge stupidly?!"

The boars' cry seemed to indicate a negative response. As they came within five meters of him, Priam took off and jumped over them. Once behind the beasts, he laughed and went after them. I'm playing leapfrog with bloodthirsty boars.

[Focus] helped him choose his next victim: the rightmost boar, a little more isolated than the others. As the warthog's charge ran out of steam, Priam caught up with his target and slapped it on the rump. [Kinetic Control]. The animal braked in surprise and Priam took advantage. Planting his left leg on the ground, he kicked the beast in the mouth with a circular kick. Mobilizing all of his kinetic charges in the blow, the beast was nearly decapitated. Four more to go.

By the time the rest of the herd figured out what had happened, Priam went back for his spear. He finally released it under the stunned eyes of his audience. Focusing on the fight, he didn't notice the men's amazement or the concern in Claire's eyes.

Priam's eyes were clear. [Focus] was influencing his thoughts and he was no longer worried. The men, Claire, the Reunion, and even his family were in the background. Only the fight mattered, and his mind was totally focused on his victory. He would win and he knew it. The boars had to die and he would be their executioner.

The survivors had stopped. They were reluctant to attack, and rage had given way to fear. When the rest of the boars were indecisive, Priam provoked them with a wave of his hand. Time stood still for a silent second, before the biggest male got angry. He charged first, before his family followed. Priam swung his spear in the air to save kinetic energy. The other three boars were far behind, and the duel would be the last.

The monster was getting closer and was soon only a few meters away from Priam. He prepared to dodge it, standing firm on his feet. At the last second, Priam shifted his weight and evaded the beast with one lightning step. The canines brushed against him as Priam prepared his piercing attack. All his bodily and kinetic energies were concentrated in the attack. The animal didn't have time to move a step away as the spear's tip pierced its skull. The inertia of the charge took the animal and the spear with it.

Priam turned around just in time to catch the tusk of one of the boars planning to skewer him. With a pelvis twist, he turned the beast's momentum into a spin. He managed a half-turn on himself while lifting the beast. When he let go, it was as if the boar had jumped off a merry-go-round. It was thrown back several feet. [Focus] and [Kinetic Control] gave Priam a great deal of freedom to counter the boar's brutal and basic approach. He felt like a great judo master taking on eight children. The boars were heavy, but that was their only advantage. They could have smashed through a one-centimeter-thick metal door but could not hit Priam.

As he approached the beast, Priam realized that one of its tusks had gotten stuck in a root when it fell and lodged its head in place. Its inertia had broken its neck as the rest of its body continued. I have to be careful with the terrain. If I get my foot stuck in a root, it will be the end.

The last two warthogs were coming back, too stupid to understand that their foolish tactics would have no impact today. One of the two warthogs was faster and outpaced its comrade. This decision proved fatal when Priam grabbed one of its tusks and threw it at the last member of the herd. Both beasts rolled to the ground, and Priam jumped on one of them to finish it off. Grabbing a canine tooth with one hand to steady himself, he used his other hand to pummel the animal. His palm repeatedly struck the skull of the enraged monster.

"Well, I'm going to leave before Dad gets here. Sorry, Pumbaa."

On the way back, Priam thought about the fight. He had plenty of room for improvement, but the attitude of the three men bothered him. They hadn't helped at all. Maybe not to get in his way, but the more he thought, the more he doubted. He started to run.

When the mass grave came into view, Priam stopped short. One of the men was dissecting the boar corpses. Another was keeping watch, spear in hand, and immediately warned his companions of the young man's return. The last man was holding Claire at bay with his saber.

When he saw Priam unharmed, he threatened Claire with his blade. "Not another step."

Status : (Average value for a Homo sapiens male before integration: PHY 10 / MEN 10 / META 0)

PHYSICAL:

Force 59

Constitution 77

Agility 90

Vitality 112

Perception 66

MENTAL:

Vivacity 77

Dexterity 49

Memory 29

Willpower 44

Charisma 36

META:

Meta-affinity 8

Meta-focus 20

Potential: 144

Tier 0The roots of this story extend from novell bìn origin.