Chapter 20: Life

Chapter 20: Life

Time seemed to slow down in that instant, as Tom noticed a glimmer of silver in the periphery of his vision.

His emotions in that moment were hard to describe, a melange of horror, shock and fear so deeply intertwined with each other that it was impossible to tell which was which. He had planned, he had been tricky, resourceful and even though it went against his personal tenets, he had been ruthless.

Sometimes though, as Tom was now realizing, even that wasnt enough.

The thought of his consciousness simply ending, a phenomenon commonly known as deathit weighed upon him, a crushing weight that made it difficult to breathe, let alone move. Every insecurity, every fear and every sorrow he had experienced in his life washed over him, magnified dozens of times over. It felt like the world, his world, was ending.

At the beginning of all this, Tom didnt mind dying not if he believed that it was in furtherance of a greater cause, a cause that he believed to be greater. Perhaps it stemmed from his own low self-esteem, perhaps it was because he believed that saving that little girl back on Earth was the single greatest thing he could ever accomplish in his life and perhaps that might have been true for the person he used to be.

For better or for worse. that didnt hold true any longer.

What happened next, Tom wasnt entirely sure if it was entirely conscious thought that was directing him.

In one fluid motion, he cut off the SP he was feeding to [The Flame], causing the searing hot flames to flicker out. In the next, he pivoted on the balls of his feed, lowering his stature and angling his shield forward so that it could cover greater surface area.

In that moment, Toms mind was dominated by a single, solitary thought:

Live.

His thoughts were flowing with clarity, keeping into account that [The Shadow] was still obscuring his figure, which meant that the beast couldnt completely pin-point where his vitals were.

It could guess, but there was a difference between estimation and surety.

By the time hed angled to face the [Elfinclaw], it was already mid-air, its sharp, outstretched right claw aiming to rake away at his chest. Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

Bone chips flew in the air, a grating sound echoing out as the [Elfinclaw] made contact with the [Eflinclaw Bone Shield], blowing away part of [The Shadows] concealment in the areas it made contact with.

The impact caused Tom to jerk a few steps backwards, sheer grit allowing him to somehow retain his balance.

Tom let out a furious scream, his SP igniting to life as a torrent of flames erupted from his right hand.

This time, flesh sizzled, followed by a roar that seemed as angry as it was pained. However, Tom refused to let his guard down this time, not so easily.

His own flames obscured his view, but Tom had been listening for any discrepancies between what his eyes were telling him, his mind thought to be true, and reality.

Sure enough, he heard retreating footsteps.

Tom once again stopped channeling SP into [The Flame], already certain that the [Elfinclaw] had stepped out of his range.

Once again, the [Elfinclaw] surprised him.

Its fur was charred in patches and the tip of its tail still on fire. Its horn though, was unscathed, much like the male [Elfinclaws] had been, and its ruby red eyes seemed to have been spared the brunt of the attack.

At this point, Tom wouldnt mind if the beast chose to retreat. In fact, he was secretly hoping for it.

His expectations, however, were dashed in the next moment.

His strategy of enraging the Elfinclaw had apparently worked a little too well.

He could use [Water Propulsion] at range but it was too weak. If he shot, the beasts injuries would worsen, but it wouldnt die. And at this point, Tom really had nothing left to resist with. He had to get closer.

Slow your breathing.

Swallow your pain.

Dont make a sound.

Dont make a fucking sound.

The beast was clearly too preoccupied trying to put out the flames to notice what should have been a dying mans approach.

Soon, five meters were reduced to a mere two.

Tom could hear the thrashing beasts breathing at this point, while he held his own.

He could fire from this range, and his odds would be far higher.

But Tom refused to settle.

His face scrunched up with intensity, going as red as a tomato as he used a mix of his upper body strength and remaining limbs strength to get back on one foot, while the other hung limply. Thankfully the bloodloss had stilled, but the wound was still open and raw.

Tom cancelled [Earths Vitalitys] healing and dove forward.

Live.

Live.

Live,

Live.

Toms outstretched right hand slammed down upon the lower part of the beasts abdomen.

WATER PROPULSION, Tom screamed in his mind, the moment his hand slapped against the [Elfinclaws] soft underbelly.

Toms hand yanked back from the [Water Propulsions] recoil as he used the [Deck Card] in a manner it was not intended for and at the same time as the beasts abdomen exploded with the viscosity of a bloody water balloon.

Stay dead, motherfucker, Tom croaked in a hoarse voice as [Earths Vitality]s glow once again enveloped him. He lay in a pool of blood, not an ounce of strength left in his body.

His eyes were shut as he focused solely on healing.

If there was another beast lurking in the shadows, waiting to ambush him. Well,

Tom was spent.

If it struck at him now, Tom would really die without even knowing how.

He had a feeling though, that it wouldnt.

Because in that moment, Tom probably looked far more scarier than any mere beast could.