[Check Out My P4treon For +30 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! And get chapters before publishing them here for free on my p4treon][p4treon.com/echotales]
===
"Awooow! Roar! Roar!"
The Jagras leader's vision was still blurry, making it impossible to clearly see the attacker, but the pain kept coming. It wildly thrashed its body, shaking its head and whipping its tail to try and force the opponent back, but its strong, powerful tail only swept empty air.
It forced its eyes open. It could vaguely make out a figure standing directly in front of it, its "claws and teeth" locked together, emitting strange, never-before-heard mechanical noises.
"Discharge, damn you!"
Accompanying a loud shout, the "claws and teeth" changed again—separating, then locking together once more, transforming into a giant axe that crackled with electricity. It swung in an arc and slammed down onto its skull.
"Thump!" "Boom!"
With two successive muffled thuds, the Jagras leader felt an unbearable pain in its skull. It knew a large gash had been ripped open. Immediately following, a resonating energy was transmitted through the wound, making its head ring and buzz. Its body went slack, and it collapsed heavily to the ground.
"Phew… That was satisfying."
The long-handled axe disassembled back into the Sword and Shield and was slung onto Ethan's back. Ethan let out a long, relieved breath, then slammed a Paintball onto the Jagras's head before turning and running.
Although the attack had almost twisted his own back out, the effect was incredibly refreshing to watch.
Charging the phials, priming the blade, Shield Bash, and then the Super Discharge—the preliminary steps were complicated, but the inertia from every single movement flowed smoothly into that final strike, allowing it to unleash power far beyond what a normal brute swing could achieve.
Of course, as a consequence, Ethan once again felt the trembling exhaustion in his arms. It was only because he hadn't expended much stamina before this move that he managed to keep the weapon from flying out of his hands.
However, after that one strike, his combat effectiveness had significantly decreased. He could perhaps inflict a few more wounds while the monster was down, but when it stood back up, he would likely face a furious monster and the attack of its entire pack.
Too dangerous. Time to run, run.
Ethan sprinted through the mountain forest, following the direction the girl he had just saved had fled—the dangers of the wilderness weren't limited to the Jagras pack; not every defenseless person could survive on their own like he had.
…
The Jagras leader lay on the ground, wailing and struggling. It still hadn't fully recovered from the Flash Bomb's disorientation when that small creature slammed it in the head again. Its brain felt like mush right now; never mind thinking, it had lost control of its body.
Finally managing to struggle back onto its feet, the Jagras leader vigorously shook its head. Forcing its eyes open, it found blood streaming everywhere on its head, painting its vision crimson.
It couldn't see the attacker anywhere. It tried to rely on its sense of smell to locate the creature that carried the bloody scent, but one sniff only brought in an extremely strong, pungent odor. It shook its head, but couldn't dislodge the layer of blood-colored, pinkish fluid coating its vision.
Frustration, overwhelming frustration. Its mighty, powerful body was ambushed by that small thing, even getting slammed to the ground with one strike. It was humiliating.
Anger, absolute fury. That despicable attacker had simply run away, not even giving it a chance to strike back and vent its rage. It was trembling with fury.
Its heart hammered, pumping scorching blood throughout its body. White steam jetted from its nostrils, and its frill-like ears became even more vivid red from the blood rush. The Jagras leader was enraged. It raised its head and let out the loudest roar it had ever made.
"AWOOOO-ROAR-ROAR-ROAR-ROAR!"
Ethan, who had already run at least five hundred meters away, clearly heard the roar, and the meaning immediately became clear in his mind.
'Minions, pursue them! Kill him!'
Shaking his head, Ethan quickened his pace again. He could already see the two figures—one person and one cat—on a small creek bank ahead, stunned and disoriented.
Reaching the creek, he allowed the water to wash the blood from his weapon. Ethan cleared his throat, ran the sentence through his mind to ensure correctness, and then spoke:
"It's not safe here yet. They could catch up at any time."
The girl stood up first, bowing to him. "Thank you, Hunter. My name is Sophia."
Hmm… huh?
Wait a minute, Sophia?
Ethan turned and looked closely at her face. She was indeed wearing glasses, and her appearance certainly had that unique scholarly beauty. But unless it was a coincidence of names, why are you here?
Ethan had countless questions, but given his meager vocabulary, he decided to save them for later.
He nodded. "My name is Ethan. Follow me."
With that, Ethan silently led the way, while concentrating his attention on observing their surroundings.
Behind him, Sophia pulled up the disheartened, despairing Felyne and hurried to keep up with Ethan. She pondered silently as she walked.
This Hunter looks so young. He must be about the same age as me. Yet, he is already a reliable Hunter, while I have just become an apprentice Scribe…
Although he looks handsome and strong, he is surprisingly taciturn. It makes me afraid to speak…
Although she encountered danger this time, she finally realized her wish to see a monster with her own eyes. The Jagras, though only a low-ranking monster in the ecosystem, was unexpectedly tall and ferocious. How much more fascinating must the higher-ranking monsters be…?
Oh? Wait, why does this Felyne look so dejected? Shouldn't he be happy after surviving a close call?
Amidst their scattered thoughts, the two people and one cat took a circuitous route. After ensuring they hadn't left any scent trails, they returned to the Hunter's Camp.
"You, go to Yukumo Village?"
Sophia and the crestfallen Felyne nodded together.
Ethan gave the Felyne a curious look, but said nothing more. He picked up the other piece of meat he had carved this morning and set it over the fire to roast.
"Rest up. I will escort you."
Sophia sat by the fire, bored without a book to read. She was curious about the Hunter's life but, intimidated by his brevity, she didn't dare to ask questions for fear he wouldn't want to talk to her.
After much thought, she couldn't figure out how to start a conversation, so she quietly asked the Felyne beside her:
"What's wrong with you? Why are you so downcast? Shouldn't you be happy after surviving?"
Her question only made the Felyne burst into tears.
"Customer, meow! I am miserable, meow! I borrowed money to buy this cart and raise this Kulu-Ya-Ku. I finally earned back the capital bit by bit through trading, and now I've lost everything!"
"I have elders and young ones to support, meow! My whole family depends on this money to live, meow!"
"Without money, we'll have to move out of Loc Lac and try to make a living in the cruel Great Desert, sniffle, sniffle…"
He had even forgotten his habitual ending "meow" in every sentence, showing the depth of the Felyne's grief, which was truly regrettable.
===
Note: So far this story is published up to chapter 35 on my p4treon, go check it out
Gain access to exclusive early chapters, and so much more. This is your chance to get a ton of exclusive content while supporting my work.
p4treon.com/echotales
if you want more updates == supports with power stones
Power Stones == Bonus Chapter
every three 5-star reviews == Bonus Chapter