The transformation halted and Atlas felt reinvigorated. Smells from the surrounding area assaulted him and almost overwhelmed him. The hint of pine, a few small animals, even the lingering stench of blood drew his attention. The most astonishing smell, though, was one he was sure was the smell of people. It even hinted at a general direction to follow.
All thoughts of this ground to a halt as his eyes caught the movement of his opponent. The cat dashed forward with a yowl and its mouth open to attack. It didn’t seem nearly as fast to him now, and Atlas inwardly rejoiced when the familiar images showed up. Instead of showing him how to block, they showed him how to dodge, so he followed the projected path and jumped to the side.
The Blood Hunter soared past him and he turned to follow. His muscles pumped, and he dashed forward, faster than he’d ever moved until he closed in on the enemy. Only one skill appeared in his interface, so he activated it. A two-hit combo of claws dug furrows into the animal and it howled as it backed up.
You dealt 14 damage to Blood Hunter with Furious Claws.
The Blood Hunter attacked again, and Atlas dove to the side to clear it. The move mostly worked, but a small line of blood trickled down his side where it glanced off of his hide.
Blood Hunter dealt 3 damage to you with Rend and Tear. (Glancing)
Atlas selected Furious Claws and dove forward with the attack. His first swing sliced across its left shoulder. As he began his second attack, his vision flashed red, and he slowed his movements to look for the danger.
The Blood Hunter’s paw raced for the side of his head, forcing him to jump backward to avoid the strike. The swing met empty air, and the cat hissed in fury. It propelled itself forward in a leap and extended both paws forward, claws gleaming.
Atlas let out a low growl and focused on the attack. Now was the perfect time to counter. With the creature in the air, it couldn’t dodge out of the way of any attack and left itself open. Since he didn’t have a Counter ability, he recalled the attack the animal just used on him. A pretty simple strike to the side of the head should knock him off balance and stop his leap.
He stretched forward and used every bit of reach he had to swing his paw in a wide arc. The farther away he could make contact, the better chance he could push the animal off course. A brief flash of surprise lit up the animal’s eyes before Atlas’ paw connected with the side of its head, tearing rents across its face with his claws.
You learned Counter. (Cat Form)
You dealt 6 damage to Blood Hunter with Counter.
Whew, that’ll be helpful. I’ve grown to rely on that move way too much to be without it.
Feeling a little better about the situation, Atlas activated Furious Claws. He pounced forward and carved furrows into the poor cat, causing it to hiss in alarm.
You dealt 14 damage to Blood Hunter with Furious Claws.
His mouth stretched into a wicked grin, fangs bared. The creature shied away with a look of trepidation in its eyes. It slowly circled to his right for a few steps before gaining its courage back and charging forward.
Atlas studied its movements and saw it using the same pattern it did when it hit him with Rend and Tear. Knowing what was coming allowed him to dodge to the side and activate Counter, followed by Furious Claws again.
You dealt 6 damage to Blood Hunter with Counter.
You dealt 14 damage to Blood Hunter with Furious Claws.
The cat fell to the ground and writhed for a few moments before pulling itself to its feet. Atlas knew its time was up and it did too. The Blood Hunter made one last attempt to attack, but it was halfhearted and slow. It took minimal effort to dodge the attack, and a quick Counter and Furious Claws finished it.
Blood Hunter died.
You gained 75 experience.
Atlas looked around the clearing. His ears twitched as he turned and picked up even the tiniest of sounds. Some of them he couldn’t quite tell what they were, but he could swear one of them was the sound of an ant walking along the dirt.
Nothing near him sounded dangerous, so the cat must’ve come alone. A sniff told him to head west. It was the direction of the blood he detected earlier. His body glowed and changed form again until he returned to his elf body. He considered staying in cat form but desperately needed to heal himself. The fight took a little over a third of his health from him and, while not immediately threatening, another surprise fight like that could end him.
A couple casts of Nurture and a cast of Harmony were more than enough to top him back off. His hike led him farther into the forest. Nothing looked out of the ordinary as he continued his walk. No obvious signs of a struggle or even disturbed ground. His hike continued this way for over an hour before he resigned himself to shift back to cat form.
There was no reason not to, anyway. His mana was mostly recovered, and he’d still regenerate more while in cat form. The familiar glow returned as his body fell forward and slowly morphed into the sleek feline form. With a flash of insight, he mimicked the most common move he’d seen cats do. He rocked back and stuck his butt up high in the air while his front legs stretched forward.
Man, that really feels good. Now I see why they do it all the time.
With a quick shake of his body, he walked forward. The smells drifted to
