For a brief moment, there was stillness, neither of us moving and just staring the other down. Yet just as the peace had arrived, the horse and I snapped into motion.
The ground beneath us was dented and thrown into the air.
I rushed to the side, trying to make space between Beatrice and I, but even in the brief moment of glancing back to make sure she wasn't being targeted it had vanished, seeming to practically teleport to be in front of me.
From its back two of the arms lunged, attacked by strange lengths that had too many joints as they snaked towards me at a speed that made them a blur.
I couldn't even react as one arm slammed across my jaw in a fist, several of my teeth loosening as I started to jerk back. The other lunged, the fingers straight like a spear as they struck and sparked off of my Lifeforce Control.
Hand Horse(C) has attacked
You have used skill Lifeforce Control(D)
You have used 18 Ki to take zero damage
Hand Horse(C) has attacked
Hand Horse had hit a vital point CRITICAL HIT
You have used skill Lifeforce Control(D)
You have used 56 Ki to take zero damage
From even just the impact alone I could feel the intense and spreading purple bruise on my side as I rolled to my feet, the wind knocked from my lungs as I panted, staring down the creature as it just stood, not advancing, not even powering up, just watching me.
I darted my eyes to the notification, before taking a moment to feel the impact of just that single exchange.
Two Hits had knocked me from 114 Ki down to 40. In less than 3 seconds I had gone from top shape to my defenses half broken through.
"So much bravado, and you practically go limp from a basic attack?"
The Hand Horse said, its voice practically dripping with how much it seemed to enjoy the cruelty of the situation.
I looked back at Beatrice who's face was pale, worry etched as they seemed to have caught on to just how powerful that attack was.
I turned back to the Hand Horse, a hateful blaze in my eyes as I lunged, A billowing snarl echoing both to hopefully hide the fear that was beginning to creep its way into my chest, but also to hopefully alert Aiden that we needed help.
You all just had a conversation on just how weak he was, just feed him to the horse, and run away with Beatrice
The voice sounded like one of my own thoughts, but I shook it off knowing the obsession was trying its best to worm its way in.
You have used skill Powerful Strike(D)
Your next strike is enhanced
You have used skill Iron Fist(D)
You have done 68 damage
My paw collided with the snout of the hand horse, as a sound like breaking bone reverberated throughout the clearing.
Pain like my paw was being sawn off by a bunch of fire ants exploded through my body as a mix between a howl and a desperate cry of pain exploded in my paw.
The pain, by the great gods above the pain.
I landed, rolling back as I held my paw, tears running down my face uncontrollably as the pain was too much for my body to be fully under my control any more.
The Hand Horse just stared down at me, its snouts only a small sign of damage being a hand that now had a very small and faint reddish line across it where the skin was irritated by the claws of my paw.
The Hand Horse seemed to have a look that bordered between confusion and disappointment as it stared at me, almost like it was wondering why I had been so confident before.
My ki was gone, emptied both by the use of my skills and by the recoil of striking something that didn't give and the force of the strike shooting back.
I could hear the sound of Aiden in the distance, the revving getting closer, but that only made a feeling of dread run through my body.
This isn't something we can fight, we need to run. It's too fast though, that we can't even do that!
Beatrice couldn't even heal me as I only took a small amount of damage, and without Ki, I would just be in even more pain.
The break was rapidly mending, the power that was both a blessing and a curse now doing its magic to mend what must have been a broken paw as I watched the Hand Horse.
It didn't even look at me, seemingly disinterested in me since I couldn't propose any level of challenge, its eyes locked on the woods where after a moment a spear shot forward, one of the hands on the Hand Horse shooting up to catch the shaft as the small string like length extending from the shaft went taught, propelling Aiden as he rocketed forward, his feet slamming against the Hand horse with full momentum.
A small shockwave shot out from behind the Hand Horse yet its body didn't move almost at all, like it was able to just ignore things like inertia.
Aiden landed, a look of pain on his face as his engine seemed to be humming in an oddly deeper tone.
"We aren't winning this, we need to escape, grab Beatrice, it can't kill me so I'll slow it down."
Aiden looked towards me with a look that spoke to him rapidly thinking before he sighed and turned back towards the Hand Horse, and much to my horror, I heard his engine die down.
"What are you doing we need to r-"
I started to say, but Aiden turned back where he was walking forward, an expression that asked me to trust him rested on his face.
"Hand Horse, I am here to bargain."
There was a moment of silence before the strange abominable creature began to shake, before throwing its head up with a strange screech-like sound that sounded like someone cackling to nails on a chalkboard.
Its eyes locked on Aiden, a cruel amusement like a cat hearing out a mouse's last words burning in their depths.
"Bargain, I can kill anyone in this clearing in less time than it takes for you to speak a sentence, even Jax here had his paw shatter against my face just by punching me. Hells I haven't killed you right now out of professional courtesy, but do go on and tell me what bargaining chip you could possibly hold over me."
Aiden's expression didn't falter as he stuck the butt of his spear into the ground and crossed his arms, before he turned his head upward and yelled.
"AWAKEN, HERALD OF D-"
The look of alarm that crossed the Hand Horses face as he began to speak could only be comparable to someone saying Red's name aloud and insulting him as its fingers all seemed to jump up in surprise as its body went ridged, but Aiden stopped, mid-way through yelling, looking at the Hand Horse with a serious look.
"You see I was given a funny little skill by someone, apparently, they wanted me to stick around a while, so they offered me a bit of a trump card. However, as a professional courtesy I will offer you a deal that benefits us both."
The hand Horse Scowled as it seemed to be staring at Aiden, its expression showing the calculations it was making about attacking before Aiden could use the skill before it snarled.
"Speak."
"We both know your boss probably doesn't like failure, especially out of cowardice, and we don't really want to die. Personally, I would rather save this trump card for something more important."
Aiden began to pace, his arms held in the small of his back as he was merrily kicking his feet, though I could see sweat rolling down his arms as his fingers were shaking.
"We are already heading for Tessegog anyways, and since it's got quite the swarm of monsters that are probably over our pay grade, I'm going to have to use my trump card sooner rather than later. So let us live for now and leave us alone, once my trump card is used, I can't stop you any more from attacking us."
The Hand Horse scowled, looking Aiden over as if trying to see through his bluff.
"Not good enough, I have a time limit for this mission. I can give you at most 3 months before I come back, if I leave now, I will be making a shake pact with you to not use that skill against me when I return, and mark my words, I will return with full intentions for death."
"Deal"
The two approached each other as a hand extended from the Hand Horse, and Aiden held out his own. A system notification appeared before me.
Team member Aiden Hollowcreek has made a Shake Pact with Hand Horse(C)
Pact conditions:
-Hand Horse will not continue its pursuit and hunt for 3 months, after which it will resume
-This period will be ended immediately upon the use of the skill Waking up the Herald of Defense(A)
-If 3 months passes before the use of the skill it will be sealed for the remaining duration of the Hand Horses hunt
There was a tense moment of silence as the Hand Horse stared with hate before it seemed to vanish, the wind billowing a second later as if to catch up.
Aiden immediately fell back on his ass, his breathing rapid as sweat began to run down his face in streams like a river.
I began to take a step forward to congratulate him, but a notification stopped me.
Your party has achieved something grand(Ward off a Knowledge Hunter)
Your class is ready to evolve
Dash Striker(D)
Watched of Ruin(C)
Way of the Laughing Fang(D)