*Bang!* *Bang!*
The ground erupted like there were explosives planted in them and had been remotely controlled to detonate. Shards of rocks burst out, flying everywhere like they had been shot from a high-range, double-barrelled machine-gun. More dust veiled the arena ground, thickening with each eruption from the earth.
Eric coughed lightly, breaking his character code of 'no display of weakness' for the first time. His hands vibrated as he conjured up hard, sharp and jagged rocks from the exact points where the Centiclaws were partially buried. He swerved around and realized that every other Terra-man was busy with something the underground attacks too. But no one was as big as him, the freeman.
He sped around the ranks, shooting up rocks endlessly to support those positioned at each spot in the formation. His overpowered earth control jutted out more rocks faster and ranges more than the other earth controllers.
There was too much explosive noise and chaos that he couldn't quite hear any other detail. The ground he was moving on shook so hard, cracking and rattling with such great intensity as befits a mini quake.
He looked up to Alice. She was busy yelling at the other Terra-men, but nothing of what she was saying reached Eric's sensitive ears. It was all chaos coated in thick brown dust.
*Chime*
The system suddenly popped the screen open, partially blurring Eric's view. He stumbled upon a rock and almost fell, flapping his arms and desperately trying to regain his footing.
[One Beast Mana Unit Detected]
[Consume And Phase Into Beast Mode?]
No, I'm good. I don't need anyone to see this cool freeman as an unhinged fool.
Plus, I have a Beast Phase skill already. I don't need your prompt to 'beastify' myself.
I'll just leave the beast mana hanging for now. I hope they don't disappear by the time I'm really gonna need them.
But it feels good knowing one out of the ten Centiclaws are dead.
Now we wait for the rest to scamper out of their buried site.
Alice zoomed mid-air past Eric, moving laterally in an almost perfect arc with the swift motion and grace of a water dancer. A gust of wind hit him, almost doubling him over but for the his solidly planted feet.
Huh? I see she's clearing the air of the dust.
Good, now I can see clearly and–
Suddenly, a vicious, snarling Centiclaw came bounding out of the soil, caked and completely covered in brown dirt, the mud totally masking their originally thick black fur. It came out with a huge leap full voracity.
"Gah!" Eric got the scare of his life as a paw filled with scattered numerous claws whizzed past him, scraping lightly his right shoulder.
Silvery blood misted out as he leaned back and fell on the soft earth behind while clutching his bruised shoulder. The sleeve of his right arm was brutally shredded too, leaving his shoulder bare and the fresh wound gaping up at the sunless sky. His blood steadily seeping out to drench the rest of sleeve in an unusual silvery coating.
He heard Alice's sudden cry of command, hitting his brain hard and irritating even at the moment but he couldn't care less about any formation or a careful combat command now. He was a freeman after all and wasn't supposed to be really bound to the formation.
His only senses working perfectly at the moment were his prickling skin and his sharp, angry eyes that gazed intently and brutally focused on his target—the Centiclaw who still had a piece of the torn clothing stuck between its awfully designed claws.
I never realized they were that fast.
To think I was surprise attacked by the first round beasts...
It's really gonna be a long day, and I'm well sat for that.
Grab your pop tarts and smack your lips while you watch me savage these diseased pests.
You want speed? I'll show you speed.
"Use Killer bash," he said through the unimaginable chaos that was before the entire formation now. More Centiclaws were already digging their way out of the ground, bruised but even more wild.
[You have used the skill, Killer Dash a total of 10 times]
[Reward...]
Shut it, System.
The Centiclaw has also locked its eyes on Eric as a full-time target, leaned swiftly on its fore limbs. With a little bounce, it sped blindly at him, snarling ferociously with its white razor sharp teeth gleaming at him, posing the Centiclaw as an imposing assailant.