Calamity in the farmlands

The two Widow Makers began moving toward me, not bothering to rush as they got closer. It was like they knew I was cornered, and they were simply savoring the moment.

Tossing the bow and quiver I had been carrying aside, I reached back down to pick up my sword, making sure to keep my eyes trained on them at all times. The last thing I wanted was a surprise attack when I wasn’t looking, especially one that meant death in just a few hits.

While the two massive six-legged, gray-colored monstrosities gradually got closer, I utilized the brief moment of calm to look up my stats. I wanted to see if I got any new abilities that could at least help me last longer in the coming fight, after already successfully taking down one of the creatures.

Plus, I only ever checked my stats when Rachel showed them to me, and I really needed to make it a habit of checking more often. And by only thinking about it, my AI companion in my head instantly knew what I wanted.

She brought up a blue menu screen that took only a small percentage of space in the corner of my vision, so I could still keep an eye out for the Widow Makers as they slowly got closer.

__________

Basic Info:

Name: Hunter

Age: 22

Height: 7’2”

Weight: 360 pounds

Class: Monster Slayer, Weapon Summoner

Level: 13

EXP: 19

Silver Coins: 28

Skills:

Combat Level: 24%

Weapon Summoning: Level 12

Cooldown time for summoning: 2 minutes

Available Weapons and Items:

Bow

Arrows

Sword

Dagger

Gloves

Book

Special Abilities:

Weapon Summoning by Voice: Available

AI Companion: Active

AI Capability: 18%

Enhanced Speed and Agility: Unlocked (12%)

__________

Holy crap.

To say I was surprised would have been an understatement.

I had a bunch of upgrades. I was now not only faster than before, but my combat, level, and field experience had all gone up. My cooldown timer for summoning weapons had also gone down by half. I no longer had to wait four minutes to summon new weapons. I only had to wait two.

“It’s because of the one you just killed,” Rachel said, confirming my suspicions before I even asked for a clarification. “Taking down that Widow Maker gained you a lot of experience. You are now able to go head-to-head with one of the creatures, but not two at a time.”

“So, despite the fact I’ve gotten a little stronger and faster than before, that basically means I am still fucked,” I said to Rachel while I monitored the two beasts drawing closer to me.

“Maybe,” she replied. “Unless you get creative.”

I searched around my surroundings for some other weapon I could use. The field was littered with corpses, both man and horse alike. Although I had my sword in my hand, I couldn’t rely on it for close-quarters combat with a single Widow Maker, let alone two. I might have been lucky with the one I killed, but I wasn’t about to test that luck for a second time.

I needed a weapon that could give me some distance. Not too close, but not too far off either. I needed a spear. And luckily for me, there was a dead Widow Maker with a bunch of spears sticking out of its body. I just needed to get past the ones moving toward me before I could grab one.

The two Widow Makers in front of me finally lost their patience and moved in for the kill. The creature on the left was the first to begin scuttling toward me while the one on the right followed behind. I gripped the hilt of my sword tighter and readied myself for what I was about to do. Then, as soon as the first creature lunged toward me, I spun to the side while slashing away at its face with my blade.

The monster squealed in pain as the tip of my blade sliced it between the eyes, sending reddish-green blood spilling onto the grass. Hoping that was enough damage to get it off my ass for at least a second, I turned my attention to the second Widow Maker rushing up behind it.

The thing saw me and altered its course to begin charging toward me. But instead of lunging at me at the very last second, it utilized its massive stinger and shot it directly at my head.

Thanks to my newly enhanced speed and agility, I was able to move away just as the creature’s scorpion-like tail shot past the side of my face. It was almost like slow motion. Then an idea crossed my mind in that very moment, and I lifted my sword upward before bringing it back down with sufficient force.

I sliced off the Widow Maker’s stinger in an instant, and I didn’t wait to see what happened. The creature shrieked in pain and I utilized the distraction to run past it. I needed to reach the corpse of the dead Widow Maker and pull a spear out of its body.

I continued running, and I could hear the resumed scuttling of one of the creatures behind me. One of them had recovered and was now coming after me. I couldn’t stop to check how close it was, however. I couldn’t even risk glancing over my shoulder. I was already so close to the dead Widow Maker. I just needed to...

CHOMP.

Something sank its teeth into my left shoulder from behind just as I grabbed hold of one of the spears sticking out of the dead creature’s body. The Widow Maker clamped its jaws around the left side of my torso, sinking its teeth deep into my flesh before lifting me up and tossing me aside like a ragdoll.

I came crashing into the ground a second later, and the sheer force from the throw kept me rolling for a few feet, causing me to smash my head on some rocks in the process before eventually stopping when I rolled onto the main road.

I was faced up and staring at the morning blue sky, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open thanks to the amount of blood now pouring down my face and the sides of my head. I was breathing heavily. I couldn’t move my left arm either, or turn my neck.

The Widow Maker that had chomped down on my shoulder had also crushed my collarbone, and the left arm that was only just healed a few days ago was now rendered useless. The amount of pain moving up and down my body in that moment was indescribable, and I no longer held the spear I had removed from the corpse in my hand. I couldn’t even tell where it was. It must have gotten lost during the fall.

I was lying down in a pool of my own blood, something I was losing more of by the second. An icon appeared in the corner of my vision, displaying my health, which was now at 61% and dropping.

Damn, I was already out of the fight, and pretty early too. I was so weak. I was useless.

I couldn’t do much in terms of getting up and defending myself anymore, let alone trying to get up and defend multiple barns full of people. I was pretty sure the Widow Maker I had slashed in the face must have recovered by now, and the one with the stinger I had sliced off must have been the one that had briefly turned me into its chew toy, just like the one that had attacked me back at the cabin.

There was nothing much else I could do but wait For death. And sure enough, the silhouettes of the two creatures soon eclipsed my view of the sky as they arrived to finish me off. But then, something happened.

Someone screamed at the top of her lungs, and I instantly knew who it was and what direction the scream had come from. It was Lumia.

“LEAVE HIM ALONE!” she cried out, pelting one of the creatures with a rock to the face. “I SAID LEAVE HIM ALONE!” she repeated, picking up another rock and hitting the second creature with it.

What the hell was she doing outside? I thought to myself in the heat of the moment. She was supposed to be hiding with the other farmers after she had finished healing those who required attention. Why would she do something so reckless that was obviously going to get herself killed?

I hadn’t even finished my mental rant when both monsters suddenly lost interest in me and turned their attention to the woman who was standing behind them and pelting them with stones.

“No. No. Please no.”

I tried screaming for Lumia to run while simultaneously trying to draw back the focus of the Widow Makers, but all I could do was cough up blood.

I thought maybe if I could just summon my dagger, I could somehow take down one of the creatures when it got close enough to bite my head off, and maybe even kill the other one before it killed me.

There was no chance in hell I was going to let them hurt Lumia. There was no chance in hell I was going to let them hurt the people hiding in the barns. But deep down, it was all wishful thinking. I was no longer in a position to fight, and even if I was, I would only be delaying the inevitable.

The Widow Makers were just too strong, and coupled with the fact there were two of them, it only made it all the more impossible for me to handle. How was I meant to save these people if I wasn't strong enough yet? If I kept getting knocked down every time?

I was so stupidly weak, it was really starting to get annoying. Even with my recent leveling up, it still wasn't enough.

All of the people hiding in the Barnes were about to die, Lumia included. And I hate it myself for not being able to do anything about it. I hated myself for being useless in this world, just as my memories show I was in my previous one.

The ground beneath me began to rumble as dozens of horses were running on the main road toward the farmlands. Toward us. The cavalry had arrived. I couldn't believe it.

I couldn’t see them, but I could both hear and feel them approaching. And soon, arrows began zipping past my line of sight as archers from the approaching company targeted the two creatures standing in the open field.

The monsters turned their attention away from Lumia, but they couldn't attack the approaching vanguard either. The arrows were too much for them to handle. Coupled with the injuries I had managed to inflict on them, they were no longer at full strength, so they both decided to retreat.

It was a welcome sight watching the both of them bounding away back into the forest from the corner of my vision. However, my health had continued to drop rapidly and it was now at 42%. And as Rachel began to frantically shout my name repeatedly in hopes of keeping me awake, I just couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer.

“Hunter!” Rachel yelled. “Hunter!... Hunter!...”