Part Seventeen – A Game of Pig and Truffle

“OOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNK!”

That fear-inspiring roar carried with it a wave of mana so oppressive, a normal human would’ve fainted. It was most likely the effect of a Skill, one which unnerved anything hit by it. Even my own heart skipped a beat there.

“Oh god! Did you hear that!? We’re all gonna die!”

“I’ve never heard something that angry!”

“It’s gotta be the Dungeon Boss. Anything that strong has to be!”

“Aaaaahahhhaahahhahah.”

That last guy aside, what are you all getting carried away for? It’s obvious from the roar that it’s some kind of Orc. It’s not like it’s some unknown monster. And I’m pretty sure the last guy went insane in the last few minutes.

Damnit! At this rate, they’ll all get themselves killed, simply because they’ve lost the will to fight. What idiots! Could I simply leave them behind? No, they’ve got the compass and I’ve got no way to return back to the fort. If in the unlikely scenario I stole the compass and they did return, well the consequences wouldn’t be pretty. This is a shit sandwich.

I had to come up with a plan quick, both to ensure my safety and to keep as many alive as possible. I didn’t know what kind of assignments we might get later on, so we needed as many people as possible. Sampson’s back to normal? Hmm, yeah that could work. This might be surprisingly easy

“What a bunch of pussies. They’re running around like chickens with their heads cut off.”

He was watching the others. While most of them were panicking, Jansen and one other were trying to calm them down, to little effect. They just didn’t have the clout or menace required to gain control of the situation. I probably didn’t either, though I’d think some of them would listen. But there was one person who could break us out of the situation, if he was willing to play along.

“Heh, I thought you’d head over. We’ve got a lot more in common than you might think. We’re clearly the strongest guys here, so why don’t we ditch them and head back on our own?”

Huh. He does think like me. I’d had that thought not even seconds ago, but I discarded it. Maybe I’m softer than I thought.

“Trust me, I’d love to. But doing so will disadvantage us in the long run. If we abandon the others, who’s to say they won’t do the same later on, when the stakes are higher? Besides, I’ve got a plan to get most of us out alive.”

“Ohoh, want kind of harebrained scheme have you come up with?”

“It just so happens that I’ve got this fantastic piece of meat that can attract certain kinds of monsters. Specifically, the kind that’s usually stronger than the other monsters in the Dungeon. All I need for my plan to work is for someone to get control of the others. I’d do it myself, but it sounds like an enormous pain-in-the-ass.”

“So you’ll push it off ta me then?” his grin, while mirthful, was filled with an unbelievable amount of menace.

“You were doing it earlier. This would just be an extension of that.”

“Heh, and what’s to keep them from squawking when I try and push them around? They haven’t been the most cooperative bunch.”

“So what? I bet you’d like for someone to challenge you. It would give you a chance to show off your dominance, without seeming like a tyrant. I wouldn’t offer this if I thought otherwise.”

We held each other’s gaze for a few moments, before he burst out into exuberant laughter.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Oh you’re a tricky one, yes you are. I’ll take you up on that then.”

Still laughing, he went over to the others and began to do his thing. Well that’s done. Now for step two.

There was more than one reason why I’d suggested this. Every time the monster roared, a large quantity of mana accompanied it. I’d been having a hard time finding monsters that could really push me, so I was hoping that this would jumpstart my growth.

After waiting until they’d finally gotten their shit together and headed out, I quickly found a suitable spot to place the Fragrant Meat. After that, I returned to the supplies and prepared my next move.

Got to do this quickly. Any hesitation on my part could be fatal.

[Sampson’s POV]

That kid's got some guts, more than most men have. If he survives his reckless stunt, I’d love to recruit him. People like us should live and die in battle and other people just won’t get that.

He’d followed along with the youth's plan, wrangling the cowards into doing what he wanted. It wasn’t hard, he just had to threaten them a little and they fell into line like dominoes. Despite his appearance, he was actually fairly intelligent, he just preferred to use his fists instead of his head.

I just don’t get why he needed to set the supplies on fire. He was incredibly adamant about it. It’s not like the person who does it gets a reward, so no one had any complaints. But I just don’t get it. He’s got enough to deal with, unless. No, he’s not stupid enough to do that, is he?

If he’d explained the thought he’d just had to either Alicia or Cameron, they would have told him that yes, Michael is indeed that stupid. Or maybe reckless is a better word.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!*

FUCKIN’ HELL! Is he trying to burn down the whole damn forest?

[Protag’s POV]

Woooweee, that was intense! I didn’t think the explosion would be so intense.

I’d done an amazing job, if I said so myself. After the others had left, I’d gotten to work. First, I’d spread dozens of Combustion Bombs throughout the oil-soaked pile. Then, I’d left a trail of Fragrant Meat leading to a little hollow I’d built into the pile. Once the monster had approached, completely unaware, I’d thrown another Bomb at the pile, setting off the whole enchilada. Which resulted in that intense explosion.

The hardest part had been moving the crates to create a space for the monster. If I hadn’t undergone the System’s strengthening, I wouldn’t have been able to do it in time. But as it was, I figured the Orc was dead by now. Unlike the others, I didn’t think it was the Dungeon Boss.

I didn’t get a good look at it, but it was probably a Mid-boss. It’s far too early for the Boss to show up and I don’t think a normal mob in thus Dungeon would have so much power, so that’s as good a guess as any. I wonder how hard it would be to sift through the burning wreckage to see if there’s a chest?

Also, why would it go right for the meat? I know that’s what it’s supposed to do, but it seems a bit strange. Monsters aren’t completely mindless, so why would it walk right into an obvious trap? I’d expected to have to use the explosion as an opening attack and then kill the Orc myself, so I’m not upset, but it’s still strange.

It was things like this that made it obvious that there was a difference between Dungeon monsters and those outside, but what it was would need to be investigated later. Mostly due to what followed.

“OOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNK!!!”

OH LIVING HELL! ITS ON FIRE! HOW IS IT STILL ALIVE!?

The Orc, having blown away the surrounding debris, was completely pissed. To be fair, so would I if someone had tried to blow me up. This was the first time I was getting a good look at the monster, as the trees or the crates had obscured my line of sight until now. And I wasn’t happy with what I saw.

Orc General

Rank: C

Type: Warrior

Description: An Orc that has Evolved to more easily lead its brethren. While it’s abilities are more focused on commanding, it is still a formidable Warrior with a plethora of combat techniques. Currently serving as the leader of the Demi-Human division of the Monster Army that’s besieging Fort Aries.

Oh hell, oh hell! It’s a FUCKING C-RANK! Oh god, oh fucking hell! Why is there a C-Rank that’s not the Dungeon Boss?

The General had seen me and was scoping me out. If you told me that it was an Orc, I’d say you were crazy. Where the other Orcs had pinkish or light brown skin, this one’s was like aged leather. It’s body was incredibly muscular, even more so than Minotaurs. Two tusks, each as big as my forearm, stuck out from its mouth. All in all, the impression it gave me, was that I was fucked.

Not to mention that it was STILL ON FIRE! Seriously. It was actually burning alive as I watched it, but it looked like it didn’t even care. Or even feel it, for that matter. Shit, I’ve got to run. I won’t be able to kill it right now. Shit!

I didn’t like my chances in a head-on fight. I was already in an exhausted state due to the earlier fights and the exposure to its aura. My mana reserves were running at less than half, so a prolonged fight was not in my favor.

“OOOOOIIIIINK!”

It wasted no more time as it charged straight at me. I ran away as fast as my legs could carry me, putting distance between us. It might have an advantage over me in physical might, but I was quite confident in my Speed. It wouldn’t be catching up to me in this terrain.

“OI-OI-OIIIIINK!”

Or it’ll just mow down all the trees. Why wouldn’t it do that? The General released an incredibly powerful swing with its greatsword, destroying not only the trees, but gouging the very ground.

Wait a minute! I recognize the Aura around its sword! That’s Crushing Aura! It can use Skills from the System!? Or is that a monster equivalent?

I was in no state to keep calmly analyzing the situation. If I tripped up even once, the General would catch me and crush my body beyond recognition. It’s not fair how it can simply plow through all the obstacles! This isn’t some running game, this is real life! I need to slow it down somehow. I reached into my magic bag, looking for something, anything that could aid me here.

Crap! I used all my Combustion Bombs earlier and I don’t have any other quick use items on me. I can probably maintain my current speed if I spam Beast of the Nightmare, but I’ll quickly run out of mana doing that. Skanda’s only useful in fights and the General is too strong for Bloodthirst to work on it. Shit, shit, shit! My only hope is that Skill, isn’t it?

“I fucking hate this! Malignant Aura!”

The second I activated the Skill, a slimy, clingy, almost sickly Aura began to creep out of my swords and wrap around my body. The Skill's description said that it was an accumulation of the grudges of those who’d been killed by the swords, though I didn’t put much stock in that. I refuse to believe in ghosts, if only for my own sanity.

The effects were pretty straightforward. It basically combined all the other affects of the Nightmare’s Twin Swords into one Skill, all the while having a mana cost only slightly higher than Dual Sword Aura. It also added a passive effect that would curse those who were nearby, but it wouldn’t distinguish between friend-or-foe.

The downsides, and the main reasons I hadn’t used the Skill until now, was that it would forcibly disable every other Skill I had. Survival Instinct, Dual Sword Aura, Skanda, Bloodthirst, even Analyze and my Equipment Skills were unusable while it was in effect.

“ORAaaaAaAaaAAaaaA!!!”

My entire mind was swallowed by rage and hatred, driving my thoughts towards violence. This was the first time I’d tried to use the Skill in a combat situation and the adrenaline in my veins caused a disastrous side-effect. I could feel something gnawing at my sanity, breaking me piece by piece. If I didn’t hurry, my mind would be lost within minutes.

It hurts! I…I can’t hold it back. This is going to break me, isn’t it?

I had completely lost myself within a few moments and gone berserk. And in my berserk state, there was only one thing that registered. That there was an enemy behind me.

Kill it. Kill it. Kill it. Kill it. Kill it, kill it, kill it. Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill. Killkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkillkill. KILLLLLLLLLLL!

Looking back later, I could say with certainty that using this Skill was extremely dangerous, but I’d had little choice at the time. I had cornered myself by challenging a powerful monster when I was in suboptimal condition. Strangely, my memories of this time would remain, even through the haze of rage.

With the effects of the Skill now fully taking me, I turned around and charged straight at the General. It appeared to be surprised by that, but quickly recovered and swung its Greatsword at me. This was where things went weird.

Normally, I would try to either duck under the blade or divert its path with my own. But under the effects of Malignant Aura, I didn’t have the wherewithal to try something that technical. Instead, I crossed both swords and caught its blade.

Needless to say, this wasn’t a feat I was ordinarily capable of. While I thought I could do this when it came to a human opponent, monsters possessed muscular strength that eclipsed a humans. It was only due to fact that Malignant Aura gave a stronger boost than Beast of the Nightmare did and that my limiters were released because I’d gone berserk.

*Clang!*

With my strength having been considerably boosted, shoving the Orc's weapon away was simple, further astonishing it. And as if that wasn’t enough, I slashed at its exposed torso several times.

“SQUEEEEE!!!”

Now, one might be forgiven for thinking that this fight was going well, but that was a misconception. You see, since I couldn’t use Dual Sword Aura, my slashes left little more than shallow cuts on the General’s sturdy body. Meaning that I didn’t have a way to kill it.

“OOOOOIIIIIIINK!!!”

“RAAAAAAAAGH!!!”

As if it had realized, the General released a spirited shout and pushed back at me. Taking two steps back, I kept knocking away its sword every time it tried to slash me. Each time it showed an opening, I would slash or stab at it, but each wound was shallow. If the fight kept up, these wounds would eventually bleed the Orc General dry, but something so convenient would never happen.

“Oink! Oink, oink!”

“Oiiink! Oinkoinkoinkoink!”

Maybe they were attracted by the sound of combat or the calls of the General, but several Orcs came running up to us to aid the General. I was quickly overwhelmed and their combined efforts pushed me back.

“Fuck OFFFFFFFFFFFFF!”

The Aura that clung to my body became highly agitated and began to concentrate onto my swords. I haphazardly slashed at the Orcs swarming me, cutting several of the closest to pieces.

“O-Oink! Oink, oink!”

The General began to bark orders at the other Orcs, causing them to fan out around me.

Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. You will all DIE!

The Aura began to convert into a mist, which clung tightly to both my body and swords. Pain rocked me, as if my flesh was burning. At this point, the only thought in my head was how to kill these Orcs even one second quicker.

I didn’t recognize it at first, due to my current state of near insanity, but glyphs began to form from the mist around me, eventually turning into a formation. And from this formation came death.

The next Orc to get close to me was almost immediately slashed by my sword, but instead of blood squiring from the wound, the surrounding flesh began to decay, slowly rotting away. Each subsequent cut inflicted the same kind of damage, causing the Orcs to experience decomposition while still alive.

My mind had almost fully faded by this point, regressing to animal instinct. Seeing an opportunity to attack the General, I pounced at it.

“OOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNK!!!”

*Clang…clang.clang.clang.*

We clashed repeatedly, my blades slowly shaving the Orc's flesh away. Blood flowed from its body as its flesh rotted. At this rate, it was a matter of time before the General would die. But something happened that changed fate for both of us.

*Crack…crack..crack…tish…Thunk…thud!*

In a complete twist of fate, the Orc's Greatsword shattered into dozens of pieces. The suddenness of it, caused both of us to pause, but the General recovered faster. It threw the remains of its sword and punched me right in the chest, flinging me away.

The impact was even greater than the time I was struck by the Kumoko Matriarch, sending me through several trees before I finally slammed into one and slid to the ground. My swords finally slipped from my grasp, dispelling the effects of Malignant Aura and returning my sanity to me.

I’d flown such a distance and at such speed, that it was amazing I hadn’t already died. My armor was cracked and nearly shattered in some spots. Pain racked my entire body and I felt my consciousness slipping. But just before I fell unconscious, I heard a familiar voice.

::Individual has acquired Normal Skill: Grudge Magic Rank F.::