How To Survive A Calamity

The closest thing I had to a stun grenade with me were flares.

But vaguely five seconds was a lot lesser than I expected.

"Can't be helped then..."

As for why I had flares with me on a hunt, just because.

I actually had a bunch of seemingly random stuff like extra pairs of clothing, a few ropes , extra daggers, etc. I didn't want to wind up in an unexpected situation like before, so I brought a few minimum necessities along each time I came out to hunt.

I glanced back at the cave and at the flare sticks in my hands.

I had about a total of twelve of them, and by my estimate a single flare could last about five minutes at minimum at usual.

But something as 'mundane' as a flare will simply be devoured in a lesser period of time by that living and undulating darkness.

Five seconds.

Each flare was equivalent to about five seconds of lighting. The thought I had to finish things off within a short period of time was almost exciting!

[You're crazy.]

I shrugged.

"Who decides what's sane?"

In any case.

"Aren't Midnight Foxes cool? Imagine if I had one of those as a pet or something kind of familiar..."

Hmmm... maybe I'd get one for myself?

I made my final preparations and headed back to the entrance of the cave, when I heard Meta input.

[The good thing at least is that, there wasn't a Level 11 Beast, Midnight Fox!]

Yeah, I guess that was a good thing.

I stuffed the flares in my pockets, and pulled out one before rushing in.

Once more, as soon as I took a step into the cave, a wave of bloodlust and animosity washed over me from all over, threatening to drown and suffocatr me in the heavy darkness that ensued.

I felt the various presence of multiple figures swiftly moved and approach me, and even with Appraisal, I could barely only make out a couple of vague figures.

'First stick...' I broke the flare in my hand and tossed it overhead.

A crimson red radiance burst above and spread a miniature halo of light into my immediate surroundings. At the same time I could clearly see the radiance of the flare swiftly diminish as the darkness that was temporarily chased away enriched back around it.

But that shirt moment was enough.

"There you are~" I drove my spear forward through the dimming light at the numerous figures that wer already uncomfortably close to me and stabbed on le through its eye, and smashed the head of another with my legs reinforced with Armament.

...

[Ding! You have slain a Level 11 Beast, Midnight Fox!]

[Ding! You have slain a Level 11 Beast, Midnight Fox!]

...

Hehe.

Just as expected, their defense was thoroughly lacking and the first three foxes died in a single blow.

I barely felt the trickle of power that usually accompanied a kill, but I didn't pay mind to it. Instead, I stepped into my next movement and bared my spear one more time.

At the same time another fox died to my spear, the glow of the flares were mostly almost non-existent now, and the darkness began to reign supreme once more.

I spun my spear then dragged the tip through the cave ground in front of me, throwing dirt and dust into the faces of the foxes that tried to seize the opportunity and laughed loudly.

"Here's another one~" at the same time I broke the fuse of two more flares and threw them just above my head and above the nearest beasts, then thrust my spear forward.

It penetrated easily through its head as a notification of its death rang in my head. At the same time, I brought my elbow down at the wooden shaft of the spear...and broke it in half before withdrawing the one with the spearhead in the corpse, and striking another nearby fox with the other half against the head.

Weak.

These guys are weak!

No. Maybe I'm too strong?

Fighting with a spear in a cave would be disadvantageous the deeper I went, so instead I broke it in half and resulted to using the piece as some sort of wooden baton.

I would switch Armament from Agility to Strength and with them both, I unleashed a massacre on the group of Foxes while carefully utilizing the temporal radiance of the flares.

...

[Ding! You have slain a Level 11 Beast, Midnight Fox!)

[Ding! You have slain a Level 11 Beast, Midnight Fox!]

[Ding! You have slain a Level 11 Beast, Midnight Fox!]

[Ding! You have slain a Level 13 Beast, Midnight Fox!]...

[Ding! You have grown stronger! You have leveled up!]

...

I leveled up two entire times during my rampage until finally, a muffled groan left my lips. I felt an inexplicable force, akin to something powerful running into my back and I was flung forward with little resistance.

I crashed into the ground then tumbled a few times before recovering balance and looked up with a bleeding lip.

The last flare I used was almost gone, but I could see a much larger shadow outline loom over me in the returning darkness. Then my mind registered the presence and {Appraisal} skill answered my questions.

'Fuck, Meta! I thought you said there was no Boss?! '

[...I had no way of knowing at the initial time. My senses are linked to yours; you didn't detect a Boss back then, and neither did I.]

...

[Name: Midnight Foxes

Type: Beasts

Affinity: Shadows

Level: 19(+2)

Rank: D+

Strength: 14(+1)

Speed: 15(+1)

Agility: 16(+1)

Defense: 14(+1)

..

I cursed as I pulled out another stick of flare, prepared to break the fuse and ignite it.

[The Boss most likely was masking its presence with its ability until now after acknowledging you as a threat that it decided to show itself.] Meta's explanation was plausible but it didn't matter.

It's only level 19, the scenario was almost like the Wolf from four years ago, it's not much stronger than me now—!!

I broke the fuse of the flare and my thoughts momentarily froze. The flare cast its red radiance on my immediate surroundings and the features of the Boss, shrouded in swirling darkness became clear to me.

It stood over 53 inches and was twice the full size of a full grown fox. Black lusterless fur that almost glinted int the darkeness with traces of dark violet purple, a long snout with shapely dark eyes that looked down at me from above with what resembled aloofness.

But it was what was behind the fox that left me speechless.

A low laugh broke from my lips.

"I've decided. You're the one i want!"

It had three furry tails!

The darkness that was so thick and seemed impenetrable around the Boss Fox surged and one of its larg tails whipped at me at a speed my eyes failed to follow.

I took a hit that felt like having a car ram into me and my body flew an entire room across the cave and smashed through a stone wall.

A blinding pain ravaged my whole body like a heat threatening to consume me from inside and out. The impact from the tail had made me a few ugly bruises, but the collision through a wall left my whole body a broken mess of shattered bones and misplaced joints.

A low groan reverberated from my throat deeply as my body cringed in pain against the bare ground, but as a result my senses were painfully clearer.

Two boost in levels...i forgot about that part...

I struggled to drag my body across the ground and realized I could see much clearer here compared to before. It was still dark, but it wasn't as impenetrable and suffocating as the cave in the other side of the shattered wall.

The darkness here felt more natural. As a Mortal Awakened, I had no trouble seeing clearly.

That was why as soon as I felt my vision and surrounding grow darker and heavier, I understood that the Boss was already approaching from behind.

'Dammit, I lost my spear pieces when I got hit. I can't use my bow either, there's no time and everything hurts like crap!'

The darkness was already upon me. Everything was shrouded in gloom and a suffocating pressure descended slowly.

Fuck...

A trickle of sweat beaded down my face as I felt a dreadful presence just behind me. I didn't dare to turn around and only continued to drag my body across the ground.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck...

'Meta, any ideas? '

[...] No response.

'H-hey, Meta, I said I need a little help here! '

[...] Still nothing.

'Meta! Whay aren't you answering me? Meta! '

[...]

Nothing.

Fuck!!

Feeling an inexplicable emotion boil from inside, I growled, grabbed a rock and threw it desperately at the fox behind me. Obviously that did nothing. I watched the rock vanish into the darkness as the beast only closed in on me.

I picked another and threw, then another, and another. Then one more too.. I continued to shuffle backward away from the beast until I felt the touch of the hard wall against my back.

"Hah... Hah..." My breathing was ragged and my chest heaved as I panthed deeply. I stared at the billowing mass of darkness that was the Midnight Fox...and suddenly laughed.

"Hah... Ahahahahahaha! Hahaha!

It always ends like this, doesn't it? Just like back on Earth, and four years ago. Done in by greed and avarice.

Haha.

I laughed self mockingly as I stared at the billowing mass with a resigned look.

Then I sighed deeply, feeling a weight lift from my shoulders.

"Well...it was fun while it lasted, I guess."

"And, Meta. You're fucked if I see in on the other side. " Uttering my final words with unrestrained laughter, the darkness surged and rapidly shot at me.

I couldn't see whatever it was, everything was a massive surge of haze and shadows but I could fee lwhatever it was quickly approch me.

But all of a sudden, a bright light erupted and repulsed the approaching darkness.

What? My vision returned, the entire cave was dyed in the soft blue glow that seemed almost magical. I watched the darkness swirling around the Fix recede sharply as if avoiding a plague. And even the Midnight Fox bared it's long white fangs, expressing its agitation and wariness at the sudden development.

It took careful steps backwards while growling at me and at the light. It was at that same moment I noticed the srange glowing marks forming an intricate circle... No, semi-circle around me.

It was wide, and pulsing with runes of power. It was also from this that the strange light suffused from.

With only bewilderment, I watched the light swell and slowly increased with rising intensity.

What was happening, for some reason I was just too tired at this point to care. I just sat there with a pitiful smile as I stared at the features of the Boss wolf still growling at me.

Deep regrets rooted in my heart as I smiled bitterly at the Fix with three tails.

"Dammit...i really wanted to keep it."

Then the light swallowed up my vision, and everything went bright.

***

Rewiring a chapter is never the same. I still feel like there were a few things Iissed out on this rewrite....sigh