Book 5: Chapter 27 — The Dragonspawn (2) |
Three more spider-cats appeared from the cave just a few minutes later, staring at him with expressions of hunger.
Anger surged up in Bun Bun’s chest, his pride unable to bear this insult. Creatures daring to treat him as prey? And not even epic draconic cousins, these were mere overgrown insect-leg felines.
Bun Bun crouched on his hind legs with a growl. Temporal Warp slowed everything around him and Celestial Aegis surrounded him in layered shields even as he launched himself forward. He gave his wings a couple quick flaps to increase his speed even further, then streamlined himself into a deadly missile of draconic destruction.
His claws found the chest of the foremost spider-cat, tearing a deep gouge that released a spray of dark blood before he used its heavy body as a springboard to leap away at one of its comrades.
This one was ready. Even with his increased speed, these things were just as fast. Two of its legs caught him midair, swatting him aside and tearing away a whole strip of scaled fur from Bun Bun’s side.
He hit the wall hard enough to see stars, his vision blurring.
Health: 64%
Mana: 72%
He tried to roll aside as the third monster lunged at him, its feline jaws opening wide enough to swallow him whole.
[Elemental Body] has been negated by Cliffhanger Webbing.
He was stuck to the wall.
That was when Bun Bun started to panic, his eyes unconsciously twitching to the human-shaped dragon leaning against the far wall of the cavern.
The old one didn’t seem to have any plans to save Bun Bun, suppressing his presence so thoroughly that the monsters hadn’t even noticed him. Knowing him, he would consider being eaten some kind of lesson and keep waiting patiently for Bun Bun to figure his own way out of the monster’s stomach.
But that wouldn’t help if it bit his head off. What predator would be stupid enough to leave its dinner alive while it swallowed it? Bun Bun wasn’t that ignorant.
Bun Bun drew in a breath in that last possible moment as the monster’s jaws came down, focusing his Aegis around himself.
It wouldn’t be enough. It was at that second that Bun Bun properly, fully stopped holding back, because he knew that anything less would mean his death. Against a creature of this tier, even his strongest shield would barely slow it down. He needed something more.
His mana burned as he pushed Temporal Warp to its limits, thinking as fast as he had ever thought in his life.
He’d passed level 200 today, and he hadn’t done anything with the threshold yet. Dragons didn’t improve the same way as other lesser beings, and it wouldn’t be anything as fancy as when he’d become himself. But though Bun Bun himself was an almost perfect creation, his abilities had room for improvement.
He gathered every scrap of potential scattered across his abilities and focused them into his breath as he exhaled his final, desperate defence.
[Fire Breath] has evolved into [Elemental Gale].
A tornado of fire and lightning blasted directly into the lunging predator’s face, engulfing the spider-cat in flames and hurling it back away. The other two were sent flying to either side by the sheer force of the wind Bun Bun generated.
Mana: 38%
The spider-cat let out a scream of pure pain as it fell to the ground, twitching and sparking as it burned inside and out with the satisfying smell of well cooked prey. As it should be. Nobody tried to eat Bun Bun and got away with it. He was the one who was supposed to do the eating.
The other two let out a roar of fury and leapt at Bun Bun the moment his attack ended.
You have heard the cry of a [Cliffhanger Arachleon]
[Hunter’s Cry] has inflicted [Terror III]
[Hunter’s Cry] has inflicted [Paralysis III]
[Madness] negates [Paralysis]
[Draconian Heritage] negates [Terror]
Way too many legs skittered on the stone as the two monsters rushed him, expecting him to be helpless.
Bun Bun took another breath, infusing it with every element, but even as he did so he felt very tired. His reserves were depleted from forming the Celestial Aegis and using the Elemental Gale. If he used it again, he’d be empty, so he waited.
A quarter of a second he held the attack, just long enough for both to get as close to him as possible without actually touching, then he blasted out his second Gale right into their snarling faces.
Lightning crackled, wind roared, and fire hissed with hunger as it enveloped the remaining monsters. Their fur ignited, their eyes popped, and they screamed in a lovely chorus of pain as they were thrown back away from him. One of them had been unluckily mid-leap when his gale hit, and it flew all the way out of the cave and over the cliff edge.
For a moment, his entire view was filled with a maelstrom of elemental fury. Bun Bun felt the webbing behind him crumble, the heat drying it out.
Yes. This is correct. Bun Bun had never before felt so much like a dragon. No, almost a god.
Then his breath ran out, and he sagged as his mana hit zero. The flames died down and the sparks of lightning faded. He surveyed the result of the conflagration with pride.
The first monster had stopped twitching, fully cooked now. The second hadn’t reappeared after falling over the cliff.
The last limped back to its remaining feet, mouth open and still furious. Half its legs and all but one of its eyes had been casualties of the clash, but it didn’t so much as pause.
Bun Bun didn’t pause either, and jumped off the wall with a mighty kick of his strong rear legs. The remaining fragile web strands tore free. He soared through the air, wings gaining him height, then he dove and dug his claws into the surviving creature’s back.
The monster tried to throw him off, tried slamming him against the walls and into the floor, but its legs weren’t shaped right for reaching behind it and half of them weren’t working anyway.
It took him almost half a minute of burrowing through the creature's tough hide and tougher muscle until he found what he was looking for. With a sharp snap, Bun Bun stood, lethal.
The creature went silent, its body beginning to dissolve into the shadows just a second later as Bun Bun tiredly landed on the floor.
Bun Bun sat down heavily, his entire body shaking as the status screens appeared in front of him.
You have killed [Cliffhanger Arachleon (Uncommon) - lvl 419]
You have defeated [Cliffhanger Arachleon (Uncommon) - lvl 424]
You have killed [Cliffhanger Arachleon (Uncommon) - lvl 411]
You have reached Level 217.
Bun Bun licked at his wounds, his entire body shaking. That had been far too hard and far too close for his liking. It seemed that Bun Bun had gotten a bit rusty.
"Hmm, much better," the old one said, finally deigning to address Bun Bun now that he wasn't in a life-and-death battle. "It's a bit reckless and a bit inefficient, but at least you aren't holding back anymore. You have potential, little one. I expected you’d need my assistance to survive that fight."
Bun Bun wanted to make a sarcastic noise, but he was too tired, so instead he just sat there, grooming blood out of his fur and trying to catch his breath.
"Rest," the old one continued. "Once you're back to being fully healed, we'll go in deeper. The pack leader waits, and that one will be slightly harder than these."
Bun Bun's ears perked up despite his exhaustion. Pack leader?
The old one's eyes glittered. "Every group has a leader. I want to see if you can kill it. Consider it your graduation challenge."
Challenge accepted, Bun Bun agreed. He did need to rest, but after resting? Well, this leader would have something coming for it.
—
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Bun Bun knew something was different long before they reached the bigger monster lair, his hoarding instincts demanding he pay attention. Something ancient and forgotten waited nearby, something whose story wasn’t finished. He kept looking to the side as they passed through crevices and tunnels, many too small for humans, drawn to whatever lay hidden within the stone.
He didn’t know what to expect from the place, this was the first time he’d felt this draw. And he was excited to find out. Bun Bun's nose twitched as they started moving further away from the scent of ancient treasure. He only paused for a moment. He would hunt the delicious secrets once he finished his first task.
The old one stopped outside a larger crack.
The leader is in there?
“It is, and it is not alone. This is your trial, little one. Are you ready?”
They will feel my fangs.
Zax let out a low encouraging growl, one that washed over Bun Bun in warm energy. “You have done well, but your strength has not been advancing rapidly enough to match what we’ve come to. This will allow you to face them as you should be until your true capabilities match your spirit.”
[Elder Draconic Visage: Level temporarily increased to 299.]
[Draconic Reserves: +200% to maximum mana.]
Bun Bun wanted to argue that he was perfectly fantastic as he was, but he couldn’t deny it was pleasing to be an even more fantastic version of himself. He could cast Elemental Gale seven or eight times now before running out of mana, instead of two or three. Or he could put enough power into Aegis to actually block an attack instead of slowing it down.
Thank you, he said with the utmost reluctance. Bun Bun will not bite your ankles today.
The old dragon laughed softly. “Be wary, young one. They will not be caught unprepared.”
Bun Bun is always wary, Bun Bun insisted, then hopped past his escort and into the crack. This crevice went on for several minutes and turned and twisted up and down through the stone, but at last he reached the end and looked out over the cave beyond.
There were five monsters arranged in a semicircle on the ceiling and walls, crouching on thick mats of webbing that covered every available surface.
[Cliffhanger Arachleon Alpha (Rare) - lvl 482]
[Cliffhanger Arachleon (Uncommon) - lvl 429]
[Cliffhanger Arachleon (Uncommon) - lvl 427]
[Cliffhanger Arachleon (Uncommon) - lvl 422]
[Cliffhanger Arachleon (Uncommon) - lvl 421]
The Cliffhanger leader and its honor guard. They effectively blocked the only pathway through the cave. In the center of their formation stood a rather large spider-cat compared to the minions that Bun Bun had seen so far.
The leader was easily twice the size of the others, with scars covering its body and a mane of brown fur, and higher level than anything Bun Bun had faced alone so far. All of them were looking at Bun Bun as though he was a particularly appetizing snack.
He had to admit the old one knew what he was doing. If Bun Bun had come in against these all as he was, he probably wouldn’t have survived.
Bun Bun's ears twitched and he charged, a fiery Gale bursting out in front of him to dry out the webs before he could be trapped.
The four lesser arachleons moved to intercept.
Elemental Gale erupted in a spinning arc as Bun Bun twisted midair and poured even more mana into the ability. The difference between now and earlier was impressive. The flames burned two of the arachleons immediately. They screamed as their fur ignited.
The other two dodged before they jumped through the gaps in the flames.
But one of them Bun Bun targeted. He landed on the face of it and immediately used Acidic Bite along with Celestial Aegis, sending the barrier onto the fourth arachleon to push it backward, just to incapacitate it for a few moments as he bit down on the third one.
The arachleon thrashed, trying to throw him off, but Bun Bun held on with a lot of tenacity. This one thrashed nowhere near as wildly as the one that was burning alive, so there was no way it could dislodge Bun Bun as Bun Bun's acid melted through its face and burned its brain fully.
It collapsed, and Bun Bun leaped off its falling body just as the last remaining lesser arachleon's claws passed through the space where he'd been.
There was only one left to go.
But the alpha had finally recovered, and Bun Bun immediately felt a pressure against his mind. It was some kind of fear ability, trying to make him freeze.
He pushed back with pure spite.
Bun Bun is unafraid of a mere spider-cat, he thought at the massive alpha. Bun Bun has faced worse. Bun Bun has survived worse. And Bun Bun will eat you.
The alpha's eyes narrowed, seemingly understanding what Bun Bun was thinking. Or perhaps it was annoyed that its prey had failed to collapse under its power.
But nonetheless, Bun Bun immediately used Celestial Aegis, summoning multiple barriers, slamming them all into the last remaining lesser arachleon, crushing its head into a pulp.
Now it was just him and the alpha.
The massive creature's remaining eye had almost recovered. It was staring at Bun Bun with a grudging sort of respect now, along with annoyance. Unlike the other lesser arachleons, it didn't rush or charge blindly. It prowled forward, each step deliberate, as its massive paws left imprints in the stone floor.
Was it an intentional show of force? Bun Bun wondered. But it seemed that having lost to his human and the tall ones had taught it the lesson of patience.
Bun Bun found some more respect for it because he did respect those who learned.
It was still going to die, though.
Bun Bun leapt at it, about to sink his teeth once more into the alpha's face—but the alpha had expected this. Bun Bun thought it would use its paws to slap at Bun Bun, throw him to the wall, but the alpha did something that Bun Bun didn't expect.
It treated Bun Bun as an equal and launched at him. And it was much faster than him.
Bun Bun tried to dodge, but he was still too slow. The alpha's jaws were widening as it engulfed Bun Bun and almost immediately crushed him. Bun Bun used Celestial Aegis, forming a barrier at the last second and pushing himself out. The alpha let out a roar of fury as its jaws almost snapped apart, blood leaking out of its mouth.
The alpha slammed at Bun Bun with its paw, and despite the protection from Celestial Aegis, Bun Bun still slammed into the wall, the barrier he'd formed breaking. An electric pain spread through his body.
The alpha was once again cautious, staring at Bun Bun as if to determine whether that attack had gotten to him.
Bun Bun pretended to be very injured as he tried to get up but collapsed to the floor. The alpha's eyes shone as it leapt at Bun Bun, its jaws opening once again.
Bun Bun waited until those jaws were inches from his face.
Then he immediately used Elemental Gale, along with a few Celestial Aegis barriers to force its mouth open and keep it that way. The alpha let out a scream of true torment and pain as it fell back, the fire burning away at its body.
Bun Bun knew that even that wouldn't be sufficient, so he leapt at it, using his claws and his mouth to scratch away at four of the alpha's eyes this time, and immediately activated Acidic Bite, melting the rest.
The alpha tried to blindly bat at Bun Bun, but Bun Bun leapt from the alpha onto its throat and then bit once more. He felt flesh tear and blood spray. He felt the alpha's struggles intensify, but only for a moment. The fire, the acid, and also the Celestial Aegis that he drove through its body along with the fire... all of it was far too much.
The alpha collapsed and died.
Bun Bun still didn't let go. He couldn't let go, his jaws were locked around a massive part of the arachleon's throat and almost stuck. Maybe it was the pure instinct, the adrenaline running through Bun Bun's body, but he didn't let go until the notifications came in front of him, confirming that the arachleon was properly dead.
You have killed [Cliffhanger Arachleon (Uncommon) - lvl 429]
You have killed [Cliffhanger Arachleon (Uncommon) - lvl 427]
You have killed [Cliffhanger Arachleon (Uncommon) - lvl 422]
You have killed [Cliffhanger Arachleon (Uncommon) - lvl 421]
You have killed [Cliffhanger Arachleon Alpha (Rare) - lvl 482]
You have reached Level 268
Bun Bun finally released his grip and rolled off the massive corpse, landing on his furry back on the stone-cold floor. His paws twitched, his jaw was still open, and everything goddamn hurt, but Bun Bun was alive.
Bun Bun had won.
The old one's face appeared above him, those ancient eyes glinting with approval. "Now that's more to my expectations. You did really well."
Bun Bun tried to chirp something sarcastic, but all that came out was a pained wheeze as his jaw refused to function the way he wanted it to.
As Bun Bun remembered the hidden knowledge he'd sensed, a burst of energy spread through his body. Yes. There was something in this cave, wasn't there?
Bun Bun got up to his paws and hopped through the passage toward the spot on the wall closest to where he'd sensed it. It took nearly an hour of burrowing with his claws and breaking apart the stone with his Elemental Gale, and the occasional Acidic Bite for good measure, before he found the lost secrets.
Three sets of bones, long worn away to brittleness, and three slender magical books as untouched and flawless as the day they were made. The stone had collapsed at some point in the distant past, crushing whoever had been here and burying them far from anyone or anything else, leaving their treasures for Bun Bun to find.
He picked the tomes up one by one, each more satisfying than the last. He’d never had a hoard of his own before.
But the more he imagined sitting proudly atop the pile of books, the more wrong it felt. He was a guardian of knowledge, a symbol of strength, and right now there was someone else who needed it more than he did. His allies were his hoard, the more he thought about it.
Fine. Just this once. It wasn't as though he could do anything with them himself, and maybe giving this to the flame girl would earn him some goodwill and let him taste her boots more. That sounded as though it could be a good plan.
He barely made it back to the old one before he passed out. He’d driven himself far past his limits in his manic search, and now the exertion and his existing injuries were too much.
Bun Bun's human was awake when the old one carried Bun Bun back into the camp.
His human looked toward Bun Bun and then the old one, and when he noticed all the injuries on Bun Bun's battered form, his human's voice sharpened with concern. "Is he okay? Zax, you didn't drive him too hard with training, did you?"
"I did nothing, only observed," the old one said as he patted Bun Bun gently on his head.
That made Bun Bun chitter with displeasure, but the old one did help him and give him advice, so he may appreciate Bun Bun's pristine fur. For now.
"Your companion was the one who chose to hunt. He killed nine arachleons, and also an alpha. The last group that he faced, he faced five of them at once."
There was silence for a second, and then his human's expression morphed into shock, pride, and exasperation all mixed together. "Five?" Noah repeated. "He killed five of them by himself?"
"And five more before that. He's much more capable than you give him credit for," the old one said fondly. "The dragon blood in his veins is strong. With proper training, he could become truly formidable."
For a second, Bun Bun feared that his human would be displeased. But when his human turned toward him, his voice all soft and his hand stroking Bun Bun's fur with gentle care, Bun Bun knew that all his worries were unnecessary.
"You absolute doofus," his human said. "You brave, reckless, magnificent bunny. I know I told you to hunt a bit, but I didn't expect you to go this wild. But I guess that's necessary for your growth."
Bun Bun preened internally. Yes. Praise me more.
"Guess he resembles you in that way, hmm?" the flame girl mused, her expressions cycling through the same emotions Noah's had. "He killed five arachleons, though? All at once? Our Bun Bun?" Then her eyes narrowed. "Wait. Why does he keep staring at my boots?"