Chapter 9: Crack

Chapter 9: Crack

The pair had walked deeper and deeper into the forest. The grass slowly increased in height, reaching Liam's knees.

Liam's eyes scanned the pages one by one. Wolves, pythons, bears and even lions, were all beasts that Lloyd had hunted.

However, they all seemed to have some sort of feature that separated them from the norm.

"Open page twenty-two. That's what we'll hunt."

Liam opened the page and saw a rabbit-type magical beast. It had pitch-black fur, with red slits for eyes. However, its size wasn't imposing, roughly being the size of a basketball.

"It's a weak Rank-0 Death Jackal. It can even be hunted by non-cultivators. One strong wack to the head can kill it, but it's extremely fast." Lloyd reassured.

Meanwhile, a pungent, burning smell entered Liam's nose, making him scowl and hold his nostrils tight.

"It's urine from the Jackals." Lloyd revealed, lowering his voice and gesturing to Liam to stay close.

"They have a small territory in the forest, so they piss over almost everything. The disgusting smell is what makes the predators stay away."

The surrounding terrain became more wild, similar to a jungle. A canopy of stretched leaves covered the sky, basking the space in darkness.

Liam could barely make out his surroundings, since it was approaching nighttime.

Soon, Lloyd gestured for Liam to stop. The sound of icky chewing could be heard, followed by the smell of blood mixed with various unpleasant scents.

"Do you see that?" Lloyd whispered, his eyes fixed towards a specific spot a few meters away.

Liam followed his gaze, barely making out a Death Jackal which seemed to be chewing on a dead deer.

A small river of blood ran through the dirt and spread out, originating from the dead animal's innards.

The Death Jackal's ears twitched back and forth, while his loud chewing continued.

The sooner you get used to it, the better; Lloyd wanted to say, but to his surprise, Liam's expression held no discomfort.

'What a strange kid.'

Liam focused on the Death Jackal's features.

The Death Jackal's hind legs were muscular and thick compared to the front legs, but the front legs had sharp claws on the ends of them.

Liam didn't forget the sharp teeth he saw sinking into the dead animal's carcass either.

"As I've told you, a blunt hit to the head can kill them, but these things are fast. They won't let you hit them that easily." Lloyd began to instruct. "The hind legs are the source of their speed."

"The back legs tense up when the Jackal wants to attack. Once those legs spring, you'll barely be able to see him with your naked eye." Lloyd explained. "They'll continue to dash from spot to spot, while either cutting you with their claws, kicking you, or biting with their teeth. You won't be able to do much in that state, but try to dodge."

Liam listened carefully.

"Yet, they can't continue with that level of speed forever." Lloyd revealed.

"You have a one to two second window when the Jackal takes a moment to rest. If you fail to hit him during that time, you'll have to go through another one of its crazy frenzies."

"Do you understand?"

Liam took a deep breath and nodded, a look of determination on his face.

"How do I begin, though?" Liam questioned. "Do I try a sneak attack or something?"

Lloyd nearly laughed, but managed to hold it in before Liam noticed.

"Mhm. You should definitely go for it." Lloyd spoke with a serious expression, leaving no room for Liam to doubt his words. "I'll be watching from close by. If you begin to get seriously hurt, I'll step in."

Liam nodded, before making a slow but steady approach towards the beast. He constantly checked his feet to make sure he didn't step on any branches or crunchy leaves.

Liam was only a few meters away when the Death Jackal's chewing began to slow down, releasing a nearly inaudible growl.

'Has it noticed me?' Was Liam's first thought as he stopped in his tracks. The Death Jackal still had its back towards him.

A second later, the Death Jackal's chewing went back to normal...

Then it became abnormally fast!

Its growl grew louder and louder by the second.

Instantly, Liam dashed and jumped right behind the Jackal, his stick getting seriously close to hitting its body.

Thump...

The sound of a stick hitting dirt could be heard, followed by a shrill hissing sound that gradually increased in volume behind him.

Bang!

The air in Liam's lungs was completely vacuumed as the Death Jackal landed a kick on his back, causing him to stumble and fall face first.

Liam pushed himself off the ground and dusted off his face. His eyes locked with the rabbit's.

Its blood red eyes flickered with anger.

With a shrill hiss, the Jackal began jumping from spot to spot, like a ping pong ball inside an arcade machine.

Liam was in center while the barely visible Death Jackal continued to hop from tree to tree all around him. Under the darkness of night— with its own dark fur to add— it was practically a shadow.

Without even having a chance to block, a red line appeared on Liam's right arm, followed by a streak of blood.

Liam limited himself to a low grunt. A shallow cut wasn't enough to make him lose his grip.

He didn't have the time to catch his breath before the hissing noise began once more.

At the same time, Liam realized that once the Jackal jumped, it made a 'thump' sound, giving him a vague sense of where the beast was.

The Jackal continued with its speed frenzy, forcing Liam to hold his defensive stance.

Multiple streaks of blood appeared on his body, but the rush of adrenaline numbed his pain.

Suddenly, the sound stopped last right behind him, giving Liam just enough space to duck right, dodging the Death Jackal's claws.

The Jackal didn't stop there.

More cuts surfaced on his body, blood dripped from his body and soaked him like a wet cloth, yet his expression wasn't one of pain, but of focus.

The Jackal started to slow down.

The cuts on Liam's body turned into scratches, and the 'Tock' sound began to dwindle in volume, as though the Jackal used its leftover energy to get further away from Liam.

'As if I'd let you.' Liam thought as he chased the faint noise.

Since most of its energy had been spent, the Jackal wasn't fast at all, and Liam was able to catch up with it.

His eyes lit up once he saw the resting Death Jackal just a few meters ahead of him.

Suddenly, a dangerous aura covered the beast. Its fur seemed to glow and slightly grow in length, while its eyes grew redder. It yelped continuously, as though it was in pain.

Whatever it was, Liam knew he couldn't let it continue.

Before the Jackal had time to replenish its energy and grow stronger, Liam prepared himself to throw the stick right at its head.

He assumed a throwing form, bringing the wooden sword above his head with both hands. As he breathed out, he threw the stick with all his strength.

The Death Jackal had stood completely still while it replenished its strength, unaware a hardwood stick was headed right for his soft skull.

Crack!