Chimera Tunnels (5)

On the off chance that he could somehow get lucky, Cyril tapped his wrist while thinking of his Employee handbook and hoping that a meteor strike straight to the head would eliminate the muscular pixie or at least chop off one of its wings.

Unfortunately, things didn't go the way he wanted.

The employee handbook appeared gently in his hand, looking as pristine and sturdy as ever.

Glancing at the giant pixie cocking its arm back, Cyril flung the handbook like a frisbee and sprinted to the side.

Ba-BANG!!

"Ughhhh!"

The two-pronged spear smashed into the ground, creating a crater with enough concussive force to knock him and everything on the ground up into the air.

As he began his descent, Cyril flipped his body and began to attempt to control the ground with his Landscaping skill.

Soften!

Soften!

Please turn into soft soil and grass, perfect for growing flowers, so I don't crack my neck on landing!

Forcing the skill to activate despite the jolt of pain that stabbed his head, and blood trickling down his nose, Cyril wrapped his hands to protect his head and fell.

Thooomp-

The grass covering the ground moved slightly, and dark, moist soil erupted into a small mound that slightly cushioned his landing.

"Oummffff!"

The air was completely knocked out of him, and he could only lie there like a fish out of water, while struggling to breathe.

"Fhkifdhnashdjasj!" the angry gibberish sounded out, but instead of a follow-up attack…nothing happened.

Playing dead, Cyril peeked through slit eyes and saw the large pixie flying away from him while launching its spear in a different direction while shrieking.

It seemed like it focused on those who were moving around. Good to know.

Seeing that he was temporarily safe, Cyril quickly turned back to the employee store.

Was there anything here that could help him escape?

Would leveling any of his current skills help? It was doubtful.

Could he afford to buy any combat skills?

No, and he didn't plan on experimenting with lamely named skills like Cooking Fire, Watering Hose, or any others to see if they could be used in combat.

There were no useful items that could save his life within the price range he could afford.

The only thing was… could he possibly use the exchange function?

Opening it up, it only said 100kg of dungeon flora was needed.

It never stated that it had to be harvested or chopped up.

All he had to do was touch the object and select exchange.

It might be possible to use it to protect himself from attacking plants.

Mentally pulling up his map and comparing his current position to a cave he had seen when he had been flown over, Cyril breathed deeply to prepare himself.

2 miles.

If he made it through the plant barrier, he would have to run two miles through a forest as fast as he could while hoping to avoid any other monsters and that raging maniac of a pixie.

Could he do it?

He would have to, or the alternative was dying here.

Quickly peeking around him for a moment to make sure the giant pixie still wasn't focused on him, Cyril quickly leaped up and began running toward the closest forest edge.

As the plants there rapidly began reaching forward to stab him while rising up to block his way, he compressed his body as much as possible with one arm reaching to touch the thickest branch of the plants blocking his way, and the other pressing the exchange button.

Krrrrrp-

Swoosh-

"Hiss! Fuck!"

Sharp vines, branches, and leaves stabbed through Cyril's baggy sweatshirt, piercing his side and slicing through his face as he was momentarily stopped. 

The Employee Store seemed to buffer again as if it was contemplating something, and he repeatedly smashed the exchange button as more and more plants began slicing and wrapping around his body.

And then…

Poof.

Like a magic trick, the tree touching his hand and the vines twined around his body immediately disappeared, causing the ground to cave in at the sudden absence of roots.

Seeing the momentary gap, Cyril threw himself forward while pressing on the injury to his side and began sprinting for his life.

He ran as fast as he could, weaving around trees, leaping over downed logs, and ducking vines that hung down.

Huff-

Huff-

As he ran, Cyril could feel his lungs begging for a break, and his side continued to get stickier despite putting full pressure on the wound.

He was tired and, despite doing his best, was gaining more and more injuries all over his body.

Ssssslewwwww-

Hearing the sound of a vine slicing through the air towards him, almost instinctively, Cyril rolled to the side, getting a mouthful of dirt in the process of curling up into a tiny ball against a large tree and holding his breath. 

With all the energy he could muster, he controlled the grass to lean over and cover him while wiping the blood coming down his nose.

Please don't be here.

Please don't be here.

It was a mantra he chanted with all of his strength, as he didn't know if the giant pixie was actively hunting him or sending out random plant feelers to flush out the prey as it had been doing earlier.

He had already covered his previously white clothes with as much dirt and foliage as he could and was steadily running in a zig-zag pattern far away from the pixie grove and heading toward the cave.

But for some reason, the plants kept attacking him, and he could occasionally hear the garbled shouts of anger as the pixie flew by.

He could only be thankful that due to the pixie's rage, no other monsters seemed to be in the forest, but that brought its own issues as well.

Ba-bang!

The familiar sound of a spear crashing into the ground was heard, and from where he was curled up, Cyril could feel the resulting wind blowing the grasses surrounding his body.

Feeling a chill down his back, Cyril glanced up into the air to see a slightly tired-looking golden winged pixie hovering in the air with a distinctly rectangular-shaped bruise across its face.

…almost as if it had been hit by a book.

"Tsk."

Cyril could only click his tongue while lamenting his aim.

If the handbook had hit a bit higher and he could have blinded the pixie.

And if the throw had been a bit stronger, wouldn't the head have cleanly flown off?

If only he could afford a skill to strengthen his body.

As if it had heard him clicking his tongue, the face of the giant pixie suddenly turned red, and it suddenly screamed one word.

"KAGA!"

Cyril's ears heard the unknown language, but his mind instantly understood the meaning.

Die.

The giant pixie then launched its two-pronged spear at him. 

With only enough time to roll slightly to the side, Cyril avoided a direct impaling but couldn't avoid the concussive blast.

The blast launched him straight into a large bamboo-like plant, and his head ricocheted against it with a cracking sound before his body fell limply to the ground.

A severe amount of blood was pouring out of his head, dyeing the dirt-covered white hair a dark red and drenching the pale face, covered in bruises and wounds.

As another concussive blast slammed him through several thin saplings, Cyril felt his consciousness wake as his arm snapped and his back slammed into the trunk of the tree.

A burst of pain shot through his entire body.

Then everything in his eyes went blurry as he lost all sensation.

His eyes could vaguely see something with yellow wings approaching him through the air, and his mind, knowing it was dangerous, began to scream.

Move.

Move.

Cyril MOVE Dammit!

Despite him internally screaming and straining, his body refused to cooperate.

He couldn't feel anything; the only sensation his brain could compute was what was coming through his eyes.

Move! Move! Move!

His mind was screaming, but nothing was reacting.

The only thing that moved was a little ripple of earth below him, and even it fell still as Cyril continued to stare blankly into the air, unable to blink as vines aggressively tore through the air to stab him.

Feeling his impending death once again, Cyril had one thought.

I really hope it doesn't hurt this time. The last time was terrible. 0/10. Would not recommend.

Then, as if remembering, a slew of curses began filling his head.

And also. Fuck you H.E.L.P Apocalypse Co.

I hope you rot in hell.