Mobs

If it wasn't for a fluffy weasel tail holding me in place I would most likely be dead.

Fuchikari weren't like horses in the slightest, it wasn't a bumpy ride where you skip along and get sore thighs. It was more like a fluffy super car that accelerates and drifts for no reason, since they absolutely refuses to travel in straight lines.

It was the most terrifying experience of my life, well lives, and I've had a whole building collapse on me.

We were zipping through the forest weaving through trees at the speed of a hungry cheetah.

Rather than feeling like I was a fantasy beast rider, it felt more like I was a passenger on a terrifying roller coaster I had no control of. The only considerations for the passenger were that the seats were fluffy and there was a convenient seat belt.

After about half an hour I felt I had the confidence to look up at the scenery. We were no longer near the Forest Of Spring Trees that concealed the kitsune village. We had travelled an incredibly far distance.

Tall mountain ranges loomed in the distance with snow peaks piercing the clouds. One dark mountain was emitting its own clouds wait- was that smoke? It was bizarre to think that there would just be an active volcano existing so close to a kingdom of people but there was a volcano dungeon in the game. Was this video game logic or was the video game based on the place...

It felt like a chicken or the egg type of problem.

We hadn't come across any bandits which was fortunate. No roaming mob monsters as well. It looked like random encounters was turned off, fortunately enough.

After another hour and a half of riding we were approaching a forest made of grey trees. This was it...

Pofu began to slow down and turn his head to look back.

"We're almost there, everyone on high alert we'll be slowing down."

The Fuchikari automatically synchronised like a school of fish and slowed down to match the new human running speed level of pace.

Komi, who was riding as the rear guard, made a bird noise and gave a signal with her hands, Pofu immediately picked up on her behaviour and signaled everyone to be quiet.

"High alert, we're being followed."

I scanned the dark trees and bushes around us but all I saw was the green forest hidden by shadows. We weren't even in the actual grey forest yet, there was no way for us to be getting ambushed this early.

The hairs on my back prickled up in paranaoi as I expected the brutish body of the Boar King to burst through the treeline at any second.

We slowed down to walking speed before Pofu jumped down.

"They're here."

I looked around in fear and confusion but didn't see anything. The Fox Gaurd also got down from their mounts and took a fighting stance.

"You should get down whilst you can. Fuchikari are quite skittish, so its not good to be on them during a fight. They can move very fast to keep themselves safe." Gatou said whilst he took out a long green wooden staff and placed it in front of him.

Death by whiplash. Of course.

I unfurled the tail and scrambled down with anxiety. Taking quick glances everywhere, I still didn't notice anything.

[Battle Start]

The words appeared floating in the air in front of Pofu but nobody noticed a thing.

Pofu dashed forward and punched a bush...

A bush?

[Critical Hit!]

What the...

The bush howled in pain before collapsing on the floor with the head of a dopey looking wolf sticking out of it. Its tongue rolling onto the grass.

[Bushwolf Defeated!]

The bushes all around us began to rattle and let out growls.

No way...

It was a pack of Bushwolves!

Around us, the bushes jumped around beginning to circle us. The Fox Guard quickly got into formation forming a circle around me.

Patting down my ninja robe I found the tanto and quickly pulled it out. Never having used a sword before I felt nervous but it felt steady in my hands and I could almost feel what attack patterns I should use. It was like having not ridden a bike for years yet you just knew, that sort of feeling.

[Bushwolf]

Each Bushwolf had a small red health bar hovering over their head. They were a funny looking early game enemy.

Gatou shot out a blue spirit ball from his staff. It crashed into a Bushwolf launching it into the air.

[Bushwolf Defeated!]

When they got hit, their leaves fell off revealing more of their body. They looked quite funny in sprite form with big wolf heads sticking out of a bush but in reality they looked quite terrifying. Their jaw was the same size as my torso. One bite could swallow my head in one gulp.

Komi jumped into a tree and began taking shots. With each shot the monsters took now and more damage, staggering them.

Tori and Yaki were both wielding spears and small bucklers. They were worked together to block and strike.

[Bushwolf Defeated!]

This interface overlaying on the real world was so strange that I began to murmur. "Pause... Menu... Stats... Start... Up Down Up Down Left Right Left Right... Damn."

A Bushwolf leaped towards me before being punched away by Pofu.

"Now isn't the time to be daydreaming Tobu."

Crap.

I was treating this like a game again. This was a life or death battle yet...

Boom.

[Bushwolf Defeated!]

The monsters were quickly being decimated. The floating words on the air were breaking my sense of urgency, it all felt so surreal but the smell of blood was pungent.

"Let's get rid of a few more first."

Pofu merely ran and punched the monsters in the head until only four were remaining from the initial dozen.

"This is good training, Tobu. I want you to take on these last four yourself. I've trained you to a high level so even though this is your first monster fight it shouldn't be a problem."

No. No. This was definitely a problem. I had no memories of this training. Seeing everyone looking at me expectantly I was forced to move forward. As I nervously walked a sense of muscle memory flowed through.

Short sword in hand, I felt how to move forward with an attack in my head. It almost felt like a mental tutorial funnily enough.

"Use a basic attack on this one whilst Gatou keeps the others at bay."

Psyching myself up I moved forward with a sprint, the jaws of the malformed wolf in a bush looming closer.

Dashing forward I changed angles to lightly slash the wolf before it could reach me. The sheer agility I was feeling was unreal.

"That was a light attack. You didn't execute it all that well so try again."

The tutorial man was acting like this was a coaching session rather than a life or death battle.

I circled to the other side and gave another slash.

"Good that was better."

It barely took any health off the Bushwolf. How was everyone else killing them so fast? Where's my cut scene style instakill.

"Now try a jump attack."

I went through each style of basic attack and dodge roll, sweating buckets just to kill a regular mob monster.

What was this insane difficulty?

"Alright. It's time to finish it off. Use a Spirit Attack."

Before I could ask how to do it I noticed that same tingling feeling at my heart from my interaction with the Fox Spirit. I breathed in a deep breath imagining it extending to my sword and dashed forward with a visualisation of the attack playing through my mind's eye.

My tanto glowed a faint blue light as I swung it in an wide arc as the monster came for a suicidal charge.

[Spirit Blade]

I tore through the body of the beaten up Bushwolf in one swipe.

[Critical Hit]

[Bushwolf Defeated!]

It was my victory!

I felt a burst of energy right after slaying the Bushwolf.

Yes.

Give me that sweet exp.

I need strength.

Power!

Just as quickly as the feeling came, it faded away, leaving me tired and out of breath.

Give me a bed.

I need rest.

Sleep!

"Alright. That was good. Now you've got three more to deal with."

Pofu gave me an expectant look.

Standing there waiting for him to say he was just joking proved to be futile.

He was serious.

A signal was made and the Fox Guard backed away leaving me on the front line.

Exhausted and barely able to run three Bushwolves attacked all at once.

What kind of soulslike nonsense was this?

I rolled away from the consecutive attacks.

Damn this difficulty level