Linnie dodged and ducked, running circles around the porcupine bear. It was a method destined to fail at some point, since the bear certainly had much more stamina than Linnie did.
"Why doesn't my fire hurt it!?" he yelled.
"Its quills have mana-dispersing qualities, only physical attacks will work!" Alwyn shouted back.
'That type of thing exists!?'
The porcupine bear is a nightmare beast that is known to turn passing caravans into massacres. The creature stands nearly twelve feet when on its hind legs, and its bear-like body, which gives it its name, is covered in a dense pelt of bristling quills.
The quills range from small, dagger-length spines, which sit along its limbs, to massive spear-sized barbs jutting from its shoulders and back. Each quill glimmers in the sunlight—from the keratin laced with traces of mana. This strange composition allows for mana dispersal properties, which renders any non-physical spell effectively useless.
It also aids in the powerful and speedy expulsion of these quills, which are strong enough to fully impale an adult human.
Its face resembles a bear's, like its body, though elongated slightly, with its muzzle broken up by rows of fine quills. Its eyes are small and amber-yellow, though they're often completely concealed by the shadow of its strong brow ridge. And its teeth—blackened and jagged—grind constantly, even when it's still.
The creature is not a bear, but more closely related to the common porcupine. Though, such scientific classifications are useless for unnatural monsters born from the meddlings of hell or humans.
Luckily, this monster is more comparable to a strong animal than a real, hellish, threat. Even normal adventuring parties are able to take one down. Well, with proper coordination and teamwork, at least.
Linnie dove, grabbing a large stone off the ground and throwing it at the bear's face. By a stroke of luck, it struck the beast's nose, stunning it for a moment.
'So it can be hurt—could've fooled me. Are Alwyn and Aliza really not gonna step in and help!? I'm seriously gonna die at this rate!'
He grabbed another rock and threw it again, this time striking the beast's eye. Another one, he threw with newly gained confidence. This time, though, the bear just swatted it away.
'That's to be expected, I guess. Damn it, there's gotta be something I can do. Alwyn wouldn't give me an impossible task, would he?'
He looked over to Alwyn, who was, disgustingly, picking his nose, barely paying attention to the fight. Aliza gave a thumbs up for encouragement, not even faking a smile.
'They're trying to get rid of me, aren't they!? Well, I'll show them! A stupid animal can't take me out!'
Linnie looked at the rocks in his hand and thought back to Alwyn's fight with the two men. He remembered one moment when Alwyn had both assailants in his hands. With a spell, Alwyn had created a small explosion in both hands, and sent the two men flying through the air.
'If I could just replicate that... then maybe I could get some real damage off on this thing! But how?'
Linnie turned around, staring the bear in its face. He closed his eyes, focusing on the mana inside his body. He gathered it up in his hand, just like when he created fireballs. This time, though, he withheld the mana.
There was a particular prank he used to do, back in his hometown. As frequenter of the local bar, he often got pissed off when they wouldn't let him, a little boy, drink beer. As a response to this, he'd roll around the barrels of the fermented drink, causing the gas to create immense pressure.
Then, like a hose, he'd release the tap, letting the beer spray everywhere.
Like he expected, withholding the mana created pressure inside of his palm, just like the barrels of beer. It felt as if, from beneath his skin, mana was going to burst out and spray like a hose.
Once he decided it was enough, he stopped holding it back, releasting the tap and letting all the mana rush from his hand.
"EXPLOSION SLINGSHOT!"
'Oh?' Alwyn thought, taking note of the display. He nudged Aliza, who was equally as interested.
A pop filled the air, and, to his surprise, the rock actually shot from his hand. It flew through the air faster than even an arrow—but the accuracy was poor, and it just barely grazed the bear's cheek.
It roared, swatting at Linnie. Paw met chest, causing Linnie to fly off his feet and into a nearby tree.
'It... worked!'
Linnie shook off the breathlessness from the impact, stood up, and took aim. The bear was charging at him, but he had no fear. He repeated the process, shooting the rock square into his forehead.
The rock's uneven shape caused a less than ideal wound, though, and only enraged the beast further. It was knocked off its path and rubbed its head in pain.
It roared and, rearing, it shot quills in all 360 degrees. Linnie shielded himself with his arms, but dozens of small keratin needles lodged themselves into his body.
Linnie stared, wide-eyed, as a massive, sword-sized quill flew right at him. He flinched, only to be saved by a flying cat.
The cat had jumped into the fray, miraculously grabbing the quill from midair with its mouth and saving Linnie from certain death.
"So you do wanna become my familiar!"
"Meow..." it groaned. "Meow!"
Linnie looked back at the bear.
"I don't think it can shoot all those quills again. It took a while for it to do that after the first time. Let's finish this before it gets its quills back!"
"Meow?"
Linnie grabbed a handful of rocks and pebbles and aimed at the bear.
'If I can't get it accurate enough, I'll just shoot a bunch until it falls dead!'
"EXPLOSION SLINGSHOT BARRAGE!"
A pop filled the air, and the rocks flew in all directions, embedding themselves into the bear's flesh.
'How's it feel, you bastard!?'
Seeing that it wasn't enough, Linnie grabbed even more rocks as he ran from the bear. As he bent down to grab another rock, he slipped on loose dirt, falling to his knees.
'Oh no.'
He turned around, but once again, he was saved from certain death. Atop the beast's head was the cat, brutally scratching at its eyes. The bear reared, swiping at its own face, desperately trying to get the cat off.
"Thanks, man! You're the greatest familiar a wizard could ask for!"
"Meow! MEOOOOW!"
The cat was launched from the bear's back, soaring high into the sky. Linnie, seizing the moment, aimed one final time. This time, he had multiple large rocks in each hand, as well as dozens of small pebbles.
"DOUBLE EXPLOSION SLINGSHOT BARRAGE!" he roared.