Chapter 162: Aluminiles & Something Even They Are Afraid Of

*SPLASH*

Lee shot up into the air from the pond, and water splashed around. Right below him was a deep grey coloured crocodile!

The beasts retreated at the first glance of this aquatic behemoth. The silvery grey colour rose into the air chasing Lee, while it's enormous mouth big enough to occupy an 18 year old, spread wide.

Lee spread his legs and pushed his toes on the snout of the beast. Using that small boost, he increased his altitude. The beast began to descend, and disrupted the waterbody. The splash scattered the water all around in a much larger radius, and the beasts jumped back in fear.

That was an Aluminile! These beasts grow to almost 6 and a half metres, and weigh more than a tonne. They lay an egg or two in twelve years, and are fearsome beings since birth. Because of their infamy, they rarely die prematurely, thus complete 260 years lifespan.

Lee was utterly screwed! On land, there is a buffet of beasts which want to feast on him. In the water, Aluminile wait for his descend. As Lee managed to move his trajectory towards the land, two more Aluminiles popped up from the depths and joined forces. One of them crawled on to the land, and exposed the menacing figure of the amphibians.

Lee swung his legs and performed a forward mid-air spin, and fell on the Aluminile on the land. It was distracted by the land animals, and thus temporarily forgot about him, while securing the food. Lee falling on the Aluminile from a considerable height, did not injure it, but made him twitch with pain. The rough textures and spiky scales over the Aluminiles were made of biological aluminium, which is more stronger, and slightly heavier, than the normal aluminium.

The Aluminile tried to bite him, but Lee rolled forward and evaded the jaws. The pain of his ribs and bones were undeniably disorienting, and Lee sprinted towards his last option. His attempt to hold onto his gravely injured life was supported by the unorganised attacks of the Stone Snakes and Glass Scorpions. He had no other way, but to cut across the horde of animals. Thus the Six-legged Jaguars' heads became his footboards for motion.

Hoping from beast to beast, the Poison-spot Hornets found their target. Though similar to a normal hornet, they had a lethal adaptation of poisonous, yet beautiful spots and dots on their body. Lee tried hard to evade them, but couldn't avoid them brushing their poisonous body to his skin. The repeated stings of poison he received on his back made Lee yell out in pain, and it ironically gave him a boost.

Stomping on the last giant rodent's head, Lee flew into the cave and fell on the ground with a-

*thud*

He laid there motionless and his breathing became rough. With his face pressed to the soil, he tried to push his body up with the help of his arms, but sloppiness enveloped him. Lee raised his face filled with dust and soil, and opened his eyes to see the beasts halted about 8 metres from him. As he observed, they were standing as if an invisible barrier was blocking them from advancing.

Unknown to him, his eyes were turning reddish. Except for the jaws of Aluminile, his body has tasted the bite of Six-legged Jaguars, itchiness of the Sabertooth Bugs, whip of Glass Scorpions, club of Goblins, wrath of Giant Rodents, sting of Poison-spot Hornets, web of Purple Weavers and toughness of Stone Snakes.

The agony of bones and muscles were visible in his movements. Though no visible fractures are visible, most of his ligaments are at the verge of being torn. Hanging at the thread of life, he revised the actions and sufferings till now, and let out a sigh. A faint smirk was born on his face, as he confirmed that all body parts are safe and not severed.

Slowly raising his waist and pushing his torso up with the elbows, Lee caught a glance of the hungry Aluminiles. They were a step forward than the other beasts. An internal conflict had broken out among the beasts and some had started to fight among themselves. Lee used this chance to stand up, but ended up evaluating that he is in no shape to move or make a sudden move.

Lowering his torso on the ground, Lee used his arms to pull himself from the vicinity of the beasts. He glanced upward and sideways, thus taking a quick scan of the cave, which was seemingly harmless. He painfully crawled away from the mouth of the cave, and towards a wedge, which he spotted on the wall. It was big enough to occupy him.

*Huff*

Leaning his figure to the wall, he was obstructed from the sight of the beasts. A wave of peace and calmness rippled across his being, and Lee felt his ears fluctuating to pick up the sound around him. He opened his eyes and saw the other side of the cave wall, losing its luster. Before he could arrive at a conclusion, his body became still, and the heartbeat was getting dangerously low.

*GRRR…..*

A deep growl came echoing from the depths of the cave. The conflict and the chaos among the beasts died down immediately, and their eyes turned towards the depths of the cave. Unknown to Lee, those eyes reflected surprise and fear.

Rodents were the first to disperse and run aimlessly. Hornets quickly retreated to the higher set of caves. Six-legged Jaguars were in a hurry to find a refuge, but their attempt to corner and kill a few Bloodwood Chimeras still went on. Being as big as a musk, those animals were fleshy for a ferocious beast.

Weavers flattened their bodies and stuck themselves into the crevices on the walls. The walls were their turf, so they were able to catch a few of the hornets for a meal. The struggle for survival could be spectated live!

Spreading their wide mouths, Aluminiles were able to get a number of bugs into their cavity before retreating to the water. The chaotic battlefield soon became an empty natural cave, with pieces of flesh and blood smeared here and there.