The Hunter's Heritage

*Chapter Twenty-Eight*

*Chapter Twenty-Eight*

I pulled the blade out of the ground and let it scrape the floor as I walked towards the cracked shell. My wounds were closing up, but I had used a considerable amount of energy to overcome the corrosive effect of its blood and heal myself.

The attacks were simultaneous. I felt like I was being attacked by a mutant octopus/snail. I know that I needed to get to the front, but to do that, I had to go through the tentacles. Although I had already cut down at least twenty of them, it didn’t look like they would end anytime soon.

I knew that I would either be drained until I couldn’t heal anymore or I would be eaten –

I froze, and I felt a slimy tentacle slip itself around my ankle. I felt the small but sharp rocks cutting into my skin. The ground was abrasive, and I felt small cuts form everywhere on my exposed skin. Before I could dwell more on the matter, I was suddenly lifted into the air. I was positive that I saw a triumphant look in the thing’s eyes. A few more tentacles soon wrapped themselves around me, suffocating me. Not a minute later, I was pretty sure that I resembled a mummy. The tentacles dug into my skin.

Please let this work.

I felt myself being taken forward towards the giant shell. Through the crack between the tentacles around me, I could see that the shell had suddenly split into two halves, resembling a vertically placed clam instead of a snail. In the center of the shell, a titanic hole with spikes on the edge could be seen. I was brought to the hole, and I could clearly see saliva dripping down from the edge of the hole.

Nothing to panic about, I was just about to be eaten alive.

I carefully planned out my move. At some point, it had to loosen me so that I could be dropped into the hole. It wouldn’t eat its own tentacles, right? It reeked of mold and decay.

No, I couldn’t quit now.

I felt myself stop just above the hole, and I seized the opportunity. Concentrating on my energy, I felt a faint glow started to enclose me. I pushed the barrier around me as far as it could go, and I managed to push the tentacles out of my way.

I was falling.

By the time it reacted, it was too late. I brought my sword down, and the sword pierced it straight into the hole. I felt the blood splatter out and land on my cheek, but I didn’t care. All I knew was that it was dead. The tentacles drew limply down its side, and the huge creature fell sideways.

I let out a sigh of relief.

I lifted my head up to glance at Lyorin, and that was when I felt it. In the enclosed underground, a tornado somehow made its way it.

*Lyorin’s POV*

Deep gashes covered my arms and torso, and blood oozed out them. A single wound slightly above my waist was deep enough that I could see the torn ligaments and a vague white shape of a bone. I refused to let those wounds distract me. For some odd reason, Laire just seemed to dodge my attacks at the last minute. I tried not to show my growing vexation, but it was hard. He chuckled lightly, and his cordial demeanor seemed to mock me.