Chapter 27: Calming Session

[Name: Piece of a Rusted Chain

Effects:

- None

Description:

Just a piece of a rusted chain. You can do something with it, or throw it in the trash.]

After running away from the scamming Merchant, I decided to inspect this chain. I hopped that my skill will show me a unexpected result, but I saw nothing more, than a piece of chain.

(Like I thought, it was wishful thinking.)

With nothing else to do with this chain, I put it in my inventory. I thought about throwing it away, leaving it to rust even further, but I didn't want to waste 100 SP I spend on it.

I took one last look at this item, before it disappeared from my eyes. After dealing with the trash, I inspected the other item from the deal.

My [Shadow Blade Armor] had its uses. Thanks to it, I even survived situations I usualy wouldn't, but like all things, it lacked in other aspects. Durability of the material it's made of, couldn't protect my arms to the degree I wanted. For this reason, I bought those [Hard Leather Gauntlets].

I put them on and immediately felt their hardness against my forearms. They provided me with the feeling of protection, that I seeked.

"They will do for now. When I get a chance to either repair, or to change them, I won't hesitate to do so."

My new piece of equipment lowered my anger, until I recalled Merchant's irritating voice. It made my fist clench, and I knew a perfect way to get rid of those emotions.

I moved deeper into the forest, looking for a spot that will match my requirements.

Soon, I found a ideal place to begin my calming session. It was a little clearing, with a stream not far away from it.

There, I made my revolver appear. I raised it above my head and emptied my chamber into the air, letting all six bullets fly. I did it to attract any potential zombies in my vicinity.

Fighting became someting that cleared my mind. The exictment and adrenaline flowing through my body, resulted in my mind being empty. Any feelings, or disturbing thoughts that could affect my ability to fight, just dissapeared.

This state was amazing, I couldn't even compare it to anything else I exerienced. It akwaked fighting instict in my body, the blood of my enemies became a sort of prize for my supperiority over my opponents. I got it by winning, by surviving.

When I see their bodies fall, I feel like I'm at the top of the world. Each of my moves can cost my life, each missed swing can result in my defeat. It's just something else entirely.

This recollection was a warm up before actual fight, which soon will happen. I waited for my shots to give me the desired effect.

I looked around, making sure that zombies won't approach me from behind, which they didn't. A group of them chose a path in front of me.

It consisted of normal zombies and hounds. Ones I killed countless times in the past, they were nothing special.

Still calm, I started counting my opponents, when I noticed a peculiar detail on one of the hounds. He had a cut on his side.

(Is it?) I focused my gaze on him and recognized a scared dog, that ran away from me in the past.

He must have felt my eyes on him, as he focused his own animalistic eyes on me. We stared at one another, like two rivals.

(It's a shame that at this point you're nothing more, than a puppy.)

I didn't keep my focus no him for much longer, as some of his friends decided to charge at me.

First hound that jumped at me, received a kick to his ribs, sending him flying to the side.

Before any other of them could attack me, I turned my wrist, making the cylinder of my gun open. I put my other hand above it and made six new bullets fall into its chambers.

After this, I turned my wrist again, making the cylinder return to its original position.

With it my gun was officialy reloaded, and I did it just in time to shot the next hound in its open jaws. Blood and saliva that gathered in his jaws hit the ground under him, marking the start of the blood bath I planed on creating.

When his body fall, I turned my barrel on the zombies in the back. I let five on my bullets lunge in their legs, slowing down their already slow speed, to the one of a snail.

I didn't want them to interrupt my counter attack against the hounds.

Speaking of them, the first one got back on his legs. His instincts overshadowed his limited judgement, resulting in him using the same attack.

In response, I gave him an uppercut, a blow that hurt him more, than I anticipated. When he jumped at me, his tounge was sticking out from his jaws and when my punch hit him, they closed on themselves.

He not only bit his tongue off, but he also now had a broken lower jaw. To finish him off, I made earth eat him alive.

I used earth magic to form a hole under him, which soon began closing its walls on itself. The last evidence of his existence, was a quite whimper.

It also was the last hound from their little group, my 'rival' never joined his friends.

I looked at him, with mockery. "Ironic, isn't it?"

His empty gaze suddenly became something more, he expressed fear and anger. This surprised me, as zombies I meet previously never showed a ounce of emotions. Some showed intelect in their actions, but emotions were always a foreign topic.

He intrigued me and I wanted to study him more, but I heard a sound behind me. I turned around, spotting a new more numerous group of zombies aproaching.

They quickly became a bigger threat to me, so I faced them head on. I raised my hand and began using my most destructive attack.

I gathered lightinng in my hand, soon sending it to the zombie at the front. It flew with unmaginable speed and soon hit him, but it dind't stop there, it continued spreading to next zombies. They conneced like a bright yellow chain.

(Now I know why it's called [Chain Lightning])

High voltage hit all of their bodies, making them lose their lives, one after another. They fall to the ground in order, in which lightning hit them.

It lingered on their collapsed bodies for a few moment, eventually getting absorbed by the earth under their lifeless selves.

My spell killed a good chunk of this group, but not all. And I didn't want to send another [Chain Lightning] their way, so I took my sword out.

I come close to them and cut the first one of those survivors. My blade gone through his side and obliterated his internal organs.

He had no chance of surviving this blow, so I took the blade out of him and moved to my next target. He wanted to catch me in his grip, and to do so, he reached his arms forward.

I decided to prevent this for occuring, by chopping them clean off. Now, without them, he was pretty much harmless.

My next blow killed him and ended the lives of this group. With them dead, I returned to the previous group. They looked the same, I on the other hand had blood on my face and droplest of it were also dripping from the tip of my sword.

My predatory gaze fall on their bodies, I felt like my killing instinct emitted itself from my back. It wanted me to kill them, to slather them in the most gruesome way possible.

I raised my leg up and stomp the ground, sending a shockwave in their direction. It made them stumble, but its main power focused on something else.

Trees around them started falling down, crushing everything on their path and claiming lives of this slow group.

I looked at the victims limbs mixed with tree branches. Some of them still struggled to get free, but none of them could wiggle themselves out from under the trees weight.

"Free wooden coffins for all. No burial needed."

When those words left my mouth, I turned to the last enemy on the battlefield. "Puppy, you want one too?"

Look in his eyes showed deeper emotions. He clearly understood my words and wanted to kill me for disrespecting him. But like a scared puppy he is, he ran with a tail between his legs.

I considered chasing him down, ending our rivalry once and for all, but I thought that his emotions will be worse, than any fate I could bring to him. (Who knows? Maybe death would be his salvation.)

I began checking my surrounding, seeing all the damage I created and felt that beast inside me, calm down. It absorbed my enemies and now was ready to sleep, with its stomach full.

After this fight, I didn't feel any more anger. I fulfilled my goal and now was ready to go home, wherever it was.