"Damn you are…. Ugly!" Dean repeated. As the gauntlets he wore flared up. Its knuckles glowing red and ready for action.
The darkness grew thicker with each second as the creature remained motionless.
It watched Dean closely with dim yellow eyes tracking his movements.
Dean straightened up and was ready to fight. He planted his right leg in preparation to charge when the blue screen appeared.
He read through it swiftly.
[Threat detected]
[Species: Night bleater]
[Class: Epic-Low]
[Threat level: moderate]
'Epic?' The class of the creature confirmed his suspicion and made him change his approach.
He switched into a boxing stance. Guarding his body as he decided to watch before taking the initiative.
From the system information, the monster that looked like a malnourished bipedal goat was a class above his wind sprite.
And though the system rated its threat as moderate. Dean believed otherwise.
There was something eerie about the creature and something even more disturbing was the bleating sounds that came coming from within the darkness.
Dean was quite aware this monster would have been feasting already if he didn't have Hermit's eyes that helped him navigate this darkness.
That alone was proof, that it had mastered this very hunting grounds.
'Play it safe. This is the first.' he thought while he looked around to see the slime and the sprite who were moving blind.
"You two, over here," Dean called for both the familiars who tracked his voice toward his position.
But in that split second. The night bleater burst forward.
It closed the distance between them in a single linear dash. Swinging it's claws in fast and low slashes to gut Dean.
Still in a boxing stance, Dean moved like a butterfly, with each calculated step enhanced by Hermit's eyes ability to read his attacker.
Moving from left to right, he side-stepped and weaved, dodging the bleater's claw slashes and kicks.
Dean moved but never retreated. He just made sure to stay nimble while he looked for an opening.
And just then when the bleater over-extended. He took advantage.
Bam!
He slammed a powerful right jab onto the creature's lower jaw.
The gauntlet connected hard but the flaring red crystals on the knuckles didn't just hit hard, they burned. Leaving scorch marks on the creature.
The Night bleater reeled back instantly, as it let out a pain-filled screech while it shook its head trying to regain composure.
Glancing at the red crystals with an expression of approval. Dean ignored the irritating smell of burned fur that filled his nostrils.
And proceeded forward...
With the bleater taking a second or two to regain its composure. Dean's familiars flanked it by his command.
"Go."
Fully aware the familiars wouldn't be too effective.
Dean still wanted them in the thick of things. The class difference between the sprite and the bleater didn't matter.
Just as much as the fact that the slime hadn't absorbed anything yet.
He knew they could always serve as distractions when the time came.
"Use your skill to the right," Dean instructed the sprite.
The familiar's body suddenly released a gust of wind that slammed into the ground, completely missing the bleater.
Dean shook his head. 'Shit!, I meant my right, not yours.'
This was the final straw. It was now obvious only him and the bleater could see in the pitch-black cave.
'i have to go this alone, I guess,' Dean thought.
Quickly settling into his only option. The boy began moving in a semi-circle as he noticed the creature now fully focused on him after recovery.
Dean could tell that the bleater wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed with how clumsy its last set of attacks were.
He could also tell it was probably used to prey that would simply go blind when they stepped in here. Prey that couldn't fight back.
But today, its luck had ran out.
'This would be a piece of cake,' .Dean thought.
Stopping abruptly at an unusual angle, Dean was about to engage again when he noticed the creature hunched as its entire posture twisted.
It began sliding its leg backwards across the rocky ground and bleating ominously, in preparation to charge.
Dean immediately opened his body, acting as if he dropped his guard while his right fist balled up, preparing to end the fight when the bleater came closer.
With little to no surprise, the creature charged forward. its head was low, with sharp horns pointing forward.
The bleater, closed the distance and just when it was inside Dean's safe space.
It did the unexpected---
The night bleater extended its clawed hands instead. Placing it in a way to rip into Dean's shoulders in which ever direction he hoped to escape to.
This creature had set up a feint with its horn charge while hiding its true intent until the very last second.
Dean didn't have time to dodge normally, since he had caught this too late.
Though he was in quite the dilemma. Dean didn't panick.
'What do I do?' he thought.
With the claws inches from him. He rolled the dice for a gamble. As he channeled a skill from the wind sprite.
Gale Breath--
Using the skill through his mouth. He aimed for the thick horns of the bleater.
Releasing a gust that slammed onto the bleater like a wall, then recoiled back to push him and his familiars out of the way.
The impact sent him flying into the wall on the right. His back slammed against the wall, sending a jolt of pain through his body.
Dean gritted his teeth at the sharpness that ran through his spine.
It hurt but he knew, he didn't have the luxury of staying down.
He grunted and got on his feet as quickly as possible.
Looking at both flanks. He noticed the familiars recovering in their own ways.
While the sprite hovered and shifted. The slime had settled within the darkness without moving an inch.
"What are Yo--," Dean was about to speak to the slime when his senses flared.
He felt a eerie feeling tugging at his chest even as the temperature of the cave grew colder.
His eyes moved to the night bleater and the creature had the most devious smile he had ever seen.
The white of its grin and the red of Dean's gauntlet were the only sources of light in the cave. Giving it a dramatic aesthetic.
The Bleater's eyes had turned fully predatory as if it was looking down on Dean.
And then the realization hit Dean. This creature had been playing him the whole time.
From his first successful hit. To the moment the creature seemingly attacked foolishly and walked into his punch.
The very reasons that he'd branded it as low intelligence. Were all a set up.
A ploy.
It was always tracking his patterns.
Even while Dean arranged his thoughts. The bleater hung around the exit. Its satisfied smile still lingering.
'Yeah this thing is definitely not stupid. It's a hunter, and i have just walked into its kill zone like food.'
"Fuck!"
Dean's body stiffened for a moment after that train of thoughts, but what happens next, the bleater definitely didn't see coming.
Dean smiled right back at it as he thought out loud.
"I ain't no food."
His eyes went cold like he flipped a switch in his mind.
This creature had made a mistake to think Dean was the prey.
It had assessed a weak human and two weak familiars, but "weak" was definitely not Dean.
Whether it be Gray or Faust.
He immediately changed into a different fighting stance.
With his body upright, he moved his hands high near his eyebrows, with most of the weight of his body shifting to his back leg.
He exhaled slowly and took the Thai march forward, before he dashed directly at the bleater.
Dean was done waiting for it to approach. He entered the bleater's reach before it could react or understand why its prey was now charging.
Inside the creature's reach, he knew its claws were less dangerous here, since it would lack momentum to strike at this close a range.
But just as expected. The bleater swiped its claws instinctively to slash Dean but he deflected with his gauntleted left hand that snapped loudly with the claws.
Simultaneously, Dean mustered his strength and drove the gauntlet in his right hand into the throat of the bleater, cutting off its air and stunning it while its head flew upwards.
Before it could recover, Dean grabbed its head with his left hand, holding its fur at the jaw, forcing its mouth open.
It trashed and struggled. As Dean immediately drew the tanto on his waist with his free hand and drove it upwards through its open mouth and into its skull as he twisted with a grunt.
The bleater's eyes went white with its mouth opened without a single sound.
It fell back with a thud as Dean pulled the tanto free.
He exhaled softly while his dark, unflinching eyes reflected the crimson-stained white steel of the tanto.
That was job done.
Attached to this post is an illustration of a Night Bleater.
A/N: if you're enjoying the story, add to Library and support with Powerstones. I need the P.Stones to gain more traction. Help a new Author. Thank you...