Chapter 8

He pressed himself against the cold stone, hoping against hope that the creature hadn't noticed him

The seconds ticked by slowly, with him being too scared to move. His body shook, fear gripped his heart with a viscous like hand that refused to let go.

His heart hammered against his ribcage begging for sweat release, sweat trickled down his body onto the floor with audible drips that resembled water droplets. He was practically vibrating from shaking so mich. It was like he lost all control over his body.

'wha-what's happening to me'

Even his thoughts felt a mess.

'just calm down..deep breaths, deep breaths, dee- Goddammit it's not working. What the hell's going on?'

The precipitation had formed into a puddle onto the ground, he had worked up a sweat far exceeding any amount he made in the 5 years he spent working at the construction site in almost 40 degrees weather.

'this can't be normal, is it because of the difference in levels? no wonder the beasts always avoidied them, this feels like torture. I need to get out of here Now!'

His eyes spun around like marbles, sparing no effort in finding an escape. Finding nothing he gritted his teeth and commanded his body to move. A command which quickly turned into shameless pleading when it had no effect.

Seeing as his body was now undergoing some kind of teenage rebellion he decided to escape by other, more supernatural means.

The only thing he readily had at his disposal was his power, so he thought long and hard so much so, he started feeling lightheaded. Maintaining consciousness now being something of a struggle.

He could hear clicks and clicks coming from behind the pillar, it's mandible rapidly clicking away, ready to devour.

It had seen him, and he doubted it's be so forgiving as to let a stuffed meal that delivered itself to its doorstep just walk away.

He took a second look of the mall again, eyes scanning vigorously for anything that could provide assistance, which again ended in failure. The only difference being the puddle of sweat beneath him growing wider.

'Wait a minute, couldn't I just…'

Like a lightbulb had appeared over his head, he called on his power and imagined a new transformation. One he had never thought to try in the past few days.

With his mind being so preoccupied with survival he hadn't really explored his ability as he should've, he had only ever tried making weapons; Tools he could rely on to keep him safe.

He tired closing his eyes to get a better image but he couldn't manage even that.

Deciding to just wing it, he kept repeating the image in his head. Once he got a proper hold, he activated his skill…only to get nothing, It took casting, about 5 more times before he got a response from the Nexus.

His mana dropped to 10/30. The change was abrupt and he quickly lost balance as the weight shifted around his body, causing him to tip forward. His body zoomed, and he continued to picking up speed.

'ha..ha ha ha,hahahahehe. I can't believe it was that easy'

Only two seconds after his body moved did he regain control, a smile containing relief made its way onto his face as he maneuvered around with his new appendages. After-all, it was his first time ever roller skating.

Taking note of the puddle forming underneath him He had transformed both his feet into his roller blades, using the sweat as an accelerator, he allowed gravity to handle the rest and Voila! He was home free.

Although, It wasn't all that simple. The transformation didn't particularly account for his shoes, something that could've cause him to trip and be in a worse spot than earlier, if not for him regaining control in time.

A few more seconds of unskillful skating and he had cleared most of the distance towards the grocery store. Only accompanied by the sounds of wheels on marble alongside a loud buzz reminiscent of a helicopters blades.

For a moment Andre considered keeping looking forward, not even acknowledging its presence and just focusing on skating but he just couldn't help it. Turning his head briefly to the side he took a quick look behind him only to see the hulking mantis high above, it was getting closer, much faster than he felt comfortable; moving with a level of grace that didn't befit it's large stature.

Pushing himself further, he rounded a corner with a sharp drift that sent him flying into the glass door of a jewelry store.

Thankfully the doors weren't too fragile and he was able to push himself off without losing too much speed. He was back on track with only one corner left till he was back.

He was going deeper into the mall, farther from the only entrance the mall had. The plan being to enter the store, kite it around, usiand the large shelfs to create space and zoom back out into the store towards the entrance.

'For a creature on its level to be in an area that only had level 9 and below beasts to its name it must've either been looking for something or more likely it made a home here. Either way my best bet is leaving the mall first'

Finalizing the plan, he sped up and caught sight of the store

'almost there'

He turned around again only for his body to freeze once more.

"Shit!"

He cursed as he tumbled onto the ground and crashing backfirst into a store whichs window shattered on impact.

He was now on the floor, unable to move, sharp bits of glass dug into his bare back. His eyes grew bloodshot as he could do nothing but watch the creature land.

Its large eyes peered into his soul and the fear returned in full effect.

'Its the eyes isn't it. but it's too late now, nothing I can do, dammit'

Veins bulged up on his forehead and neck as he struggled against it. The creature was definitely using some kind of ability on him.

He fought and fought against it, hate couldn't even fully describe what he felt everytime he experienced this feeling of powerlessness, something he had only felt once before in his life.

He fought against it until he felt something give. A finger twitched. Making sure he wasn't simply imagining it, he made it twitch again.

The creature had no response, it just stood there and watched. It was eerie, and upon closer look he noticed a protrusion from its lower half. It was small, something he wouldn't have noticed if not for literally being unable to blink.

Using his skill on his arm, he transformed it into a sledgehammer. Upon seeing this, it's mandibles clicked and clacked, smacking into each other at a speed that could grind bones to dust. The chattering went on for a few seconds but quickly ended. And it stood once again, unreacting, watching him, menacingly.