With the burst of skills I had instinctually activated, I managed to throw my body away from the spider, just in time to avoid the primary blast of the attack.

The problem was that the impact was massive. Although I avoided the full blast, waves of shrapnel were thrown towards me.

And even though my health and defenses were increased with the skills, it wasn't nearly enough to completely protect my body. Huge rocks and shards of crystal slammed down into my side, cutting deep through my skin.

I was thrown into the stone ground, skidding over the rock for dozens of feet.

When my body stopped moving, I managed to stagger to my feet, ignoring the new pain that flared up in response to my movements.

Then I realized I was entirely out in the open.

The Tiletik Mother actually hadn't seen me yet! It was still trying to pull its enormous body out of the new crater it had made on the wall.

But the blue creature was looking right at me.

Due to the strange light surrounding the other demon, I couldn't see its face, but it was facing me directly and wasn't moving. It started to slowly fly towards me, flitting in the air lightly as if it were confused.

But when it got close enough, I could finally see the demon through the light.

Overall, it looked humanoid, with two legs, arms, a tail, and a pair of wings. Its skin was a clear cyan, with light patches of darker spots in random places that may have been scars. The sharp claws on its hands and feet were completely black, along with the tip of its thin tail. Its wings were midnight blue, and a thin pair of dark horns pierced upwards from its forehead.

The horns sparked and crackled with electricity, the tips lighting up like lanterns.

Elemental Imp (Lightning): Level 12

A very rare variation of the standard Imp, Elemental Imps are magic-focused Devils that are much more intelligent than an average Demon. They are ambitious, smart, and very dangerous with their magic. Due to them being exclusively Devils, there aren't actual communities of Elemental Imps, just lone wanderers.

Okay, that's good to know. This thing is very smart and dangerous, but it doesn't have any friends to back it up.

Also, how the hell is this thing only level 12! I actually killed something that was level 11 earlier, even if it was injured!

How is this thing so much stronger than anything else! It's literally shooting lightning bolts and flying around in a blur! It's basically a boss monster in its own right! You're telling me it's just level 12!

And what the hell is the difference between "Devils" and "Demons" because the description makes it seem like they are very different things.

Before I could get too far down that train of thought, the pain flared up in my side and I winced, glancing down at my injuries.

My side was a bloody mess; stones were lodged into my flesh, blood soaked my tattered shirt and skin, and the arm wasn't doing much better either. It seemed like even with all of those skills I had used, I still barely made it out alive.

I then looked towards the small status block in the corner of my vision.

HP: 3/17

SP: 6/14

MP: 6/13

Alright. I've got 3 health left. That does not fill me with a large amount of confidence at all.

It also doesn't help that I literally can't move one of my arms.

I probably want to try and run away.

Turning around to try and locate the exit, I blanched as I saw the Tiletik Mother.

One of the monster's legs had been broken, completely snapped backward, and black demon blood was pouring down the side.

Now, bugs get broken legs and stuff all the time, and I usually don't get grossed out, but when the bug in question is the size of an elephant, a broken leg can get a little gnarly. Massive amounts of flesh puckered outwards from inside its body, and I cringed as my eyes locked onto the wound.

The spider seemed to think the same way because it was quiet for the first time in the entire fight.

It had stopped screaming and thrashing and roaring entirely and was just quietly pulling itself out of the rocks.

I was genuinely unsettled, and I think the Elemental Imp felt the same way. We were both quiet and stationary, and I can't speak for the demon, but I'm pretty sure we were both a little stunned.

And then, the silence was broken.

The Tiletik Mother let out a roar that ripped through the cavern and tore itself out of the rocks.

It focused all of its eyes back onto the Elemental Imp and let out a horribly bloodthirsty snarl.

The sound sank into my chest and froze my body, goosebumps erupting across my skin. I shuddered violently but couldn't take my eyes off the demon as it rose out of the crater.

I need to run, or hide, or do something to get away from that thing.

Luckily, the Tiletik Mother hadn't seen me yet. It was focused entirely on the blue Imp. The Imp seemed to glow even brighter, to the point where I could barely make out its body.

The moment stilled and blurred into complete clarity.

The Tiletik Mother, crouching at the ready in the center of the crater.

The Elemental Imp floating in the air, crackling and shining like a miniature sun.

And me. Standing to the side and trying not to piss myself.

....

Everything moved at once.

The giant spider charged forward towards the Imp while a huge burst of lightning was thrown towards it. While those two attacked each other, I started running back towards the nearest cover I could see, a large crag made of stone. It wasn't close to the exit, but I needed to get out of the open as soon as possible.

But things went bad almost immediately.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Tiletik Mother burst through the wall of lightning and actually hit the Imp for the first time in the fight.

The little guy was slammed backward, and an enormous amount of blood burst from the demon, way too much for a creature that small.

As I saw the impact, I tried to walk forwards but something caught in my broken arm, and I involuntarily yelled at the sharp pain.

I jerked my arm violently in reaction and gasped as that movement set off even worse pains, leading to me collapsing to the ground on my knees.

The fight in front of me had also taken a turn for the worse, with the Tiletik Mother inching forwards slowly, dominating the smaller Imp as the blue demon desperately retreated.

Wait- was I actually starting to root for that Imp? Shouldn't I be hoping for an outcome where both get as injured as possible? I shouldn't want one of them to win; at most, I'm hoping for the weaker demon to obtain a pyrrhic victory. Best case scenario: both get crippled, no winner.

So why did I say that it took a turn for the worse when the Imp got hit?

And why was I entertaining the notion of jumping in to help it fight?

...

Before I realized what I was doing, the health potion was in my hand, my thumb rubbing the small-cap anxiously as I stared at the boss fight from behind cover.

I couldn't move my injured arm at all, and the pain in my side was too violent for me to stand. I felt things shifting inside me when I moved, and I knew that I needed to regain health, fast.

But my mind kept going back to that warning in the item description.

I was told that the potion restores 10-20 health, but if it goes off the max, some bad things will happen.

Clenching my eyes tight and gritting my teeth, I opened the potion and stared forwards.

I had to do something. I was going to take the chance.

Raising the potion to my lips, I felt the red liquid go down my throat and warmth fill my body. It was hard to describe, filling my chest with this feeling of freshness and rejuvenation, like a calming fire spreading across my limbs.

I could see my wounds start to grow together, the blood disappearing of its own accord and a faint tingle, the only thing remaining.

+12 HP

I let out a deep breath I didn't know was being held and let the tension leave my body.

Looking up towards the fight, I clenched my hands tightly and stared towards the conflict, feeling my blood pumping.

It would be dumb, to say the least, to try and fight those two. I realized that now. The smartest option would be to slip outside and run until I left the cave.

I still didn't know if I was going to do that, though.

And when I saw the Tiletik Mother bite outwards with its enormous fangs and take a chunk out of the Imp, I didn't realize my body was moving until seconds after I started running into the fight.

My legs pumped hard, and a smile grew across my face as I stabbed the Cirilka claw deep into the back leg of the enormous spider, and Sprinted away before the monster could register what happened.

The sword was coated with the spider's blood, and I felt true satisfaction fill me.

Yeah. I could do this. Dart in and out while the spider is distracted, get a stab in, and run away. Hell, that monster barely even noticed me attacking.

Right?

It didn't make any noise when I attacked; it didn't notice me getting in close. That was what happened.

I was going to win. I was going to survive this place.

....

Then I turned my head upwards to see the Tiletik Mother looking down on me.