The Little Beast and Savage Talon (3)
"Grrrr!"
I bared my fangs, every muscle wound tight with tension. I'd never understood why cats hissed so viciously in unfamiliar places—but now I got it. Nine times out of ten, they were terrified out of their minds.
I'm so screwed!
What the hell was I supposed to do? I'd never even heard of a creature like this. Could I actually beat him?
"Kyaaaaaaah!"
Flame Savage Talon warns you to flee!
Right then, Big Bro Talon's howling roar tore through the air. My face twisted on its own.
What the hell are you saying, you pathetic big brother?!
"Kruk!"
The goblin of unknown origin lost interest in me almost immediately and stalked toward Big Bro Talon. Every time he waved his staff and chanted some suspicious spell, Big Bro Talon screamed in agony.
"Kiiiiiiaaak!"
A bizarre light flared across Big Bro Talon's body, coiling around him like chains. I had a pretty good idea what the goblin was after. He was trying to extract the Elixir of the Sky from Big Bro Talon—no doubt about it.
You crazy bastard of a goblin!
Rage flooded me to the tips of my ears, but there was nothing I could do. Zombie-like goblins were swarming around him, and on top of that, this shady goblin could use magic. The moment Big Bro Talon got captured, the fight was effectively over.
And knowing that, Big Bro Talon was…
Flame Savage Talon warns you to flee!
…burning the last of his fading flames for my sake. Watching him thrash and resist with everything he had, a fury I couldn't name boiled up inside me.
I knew. The goblin was after the Elixir of the Sky. He wasn't even looking at me. If I wanted to run, now was the perfect chance.
But I didn't want to.
Damn it!
I've never been a righteous person. I never committed crimes, sure—but I wasn't the type to take a loss, either. The fact that I could reincarnate as a tiger and go hunting without a shred of guilt proved I was a thoroughly selfish human being.
Right. Exactly.
I was so selfish that I absolutely hated it when someone touched something precious to me.
"Kyaaaaah!"
Even then, Big Bro Talon was thrashing like a madman, drawing every scrap of aggro he could.
Flame Savage Talon desperately warns you to flee!
I get it already, so shut up!
"Grrrrngh!"
I forced the rage down and studied the unidentified goblin. He still wasn't giving me a second glance—all his attention locked on Big Bro Talon.
Good. An enemy's carelessness always creates openings. First, assess his combat strength.
An old goblin. Missing an eye, even. Judging by the way he held that staff, his physical power wasn't anything special. And he was treating me like some worthless little pest.
…Yeah. A worthless little pest.
Then a single thought flashed through my mind.
What if…?
No matter how big the level gap was, he was still a goblin. A goblin that bled when you tore its flesh. If things went the way I hoped, I might just be able to land a fatal blow.
You old goblin. You're going to pay dearly for ignoring me!
I didn't charge him right away. Instead, I prowled the area, preparing something. To the old goblin's eyes, I must have looked like a panicked animal wandering around with no idea what to do. Even when the clatter of metal reached his ears, he barely paid it any mind.
Means he's confident, I guess.
He'd probably watched me hunt the other goblins. The fact that he still acted like this meant that level of skill posed zero threat to him.
Or maybe he just sees me as some worthless wild animal.
No—he definitely did. In his eyes, I was nothing more than a four-legged monster. Even that first chain attack hadn't been aimed at me; it had been for Big Bro Talon.
He wasn't wary of me at all. And that was the only key I had to beating this old goblin.
"Grrrngh!"
I slapped the ground with my paws as if the sight of Savage Talon roaring in pain had set me off. The old goblin glanced my way for a moment, then flicked his fingers and gave an order.
"A-annoying. K-kill it."
"Kruk!"
At his command, several goblins charged me. I didn't engage them properly—just spun and circled, buying time. My stamina was completely shot. This wasn't the moment for a war of attrition; I needed one clean shot.
What I needed was confirmation.
"Kruk! Kruk!"
Whoosh, whoosh! Goblin blades sliced through empty air. I hissed and darted around like a creature in total panic. Then, the instant the old goblin's line of sight was blocked, I swept my forepaw hard.
Thwack!
One of the goblin warriors chasing me crumpled without a sound. I repeated the process a few more times, then nodded to myself.
Preparations complete.
Now all that's left is…
Timing!
I stole a quick glance at the old goblin. The moment his staff flared and spat fire—I exploded forward.
Fwoosh!
"Kruk!"
Charging headlong meant blades swung wildly and sank into my hide. I took the damage and just kept running. I had to exploit the opening while the old goblin was casting. This was a gamble with my life on the line!
Splurt! Blood sprayed as I tore through the goblins' encirclement in a single burst.
"…?"
That was when the old goblin, mid-incantation, finally turned his attention to me. The instant he slowly rotated his head—I swung my forepaw with precision.
At my feet lay the "solution" I'd prepared moments earlier.
Clang!
A sharp metallic ring, and the blade I'd set on the ground shot toward the old goblin like a thrown dagger. That was what I'd been testing with the goblin warriors—whether I could bat their weapons with my forepaw and fling them in a chosen direction. I'd confirmed it. It wasn't nearly as hard as I'd expected.
And this was the result.
"Kruk?!"
The old goblin couldn't even form proper words, reeling in shock. His face went white as he stumbled backward.
But it was already too late.
Thwuck!
"Kroaaak!!"
The blade I'd aimed at his heart missed as he recoiled, punching through his shoulder instead. Even so, it was enough. I could see the iron chains binding Savage Talon shudder and sway violently.
I launched myself forward to seal the victory.
Enhanced Leg Strength
This was the one thing I had over him. The old goblin saw me as a monster. He had no idea I was an animal that could think—much less that the mind doing the thinking belonged to a modern human who'd lived through an advanced civilization.
My enemies didn't know I had intelligence. That was the greatest weapon I possessed right now.
"Kroaaargh!!"
The old goblin staggered, blood pouring from his shoulder. Even then, he still couldn't process what had just happened.
"……!!"
He never imagined a mere monster like me would fire a sword like a hidden weapon. And he certainly never imagined I'd still have one last card left to play.
Clang!
A single instant of carelessness. I forced my way into that thread-thin gap.
I'll kill him!
This one strike had to end it. If I failed to kill him now, I was the one who would die!
Fwoosh!
Enhanced Leg Strength closed the distance in a blink as I raised my forepaw.
"Kroaaa!"
Only then did the goblin snap back to his senses, lifting his staff with his uninjured hand. The staff began to glow with an ominous light. Too late to use Gigantification for a full smash.
In that case—!
Krrrrrang!
I condensed the power of Gigantification into a single point. I wouldn't need monstrous grip strength to take down this old goblin. He couldn't even swat away a flying blade.
So—
Blade Claws respond to Gigantification!
I drew out the single sharpest claw I had. At the same time, the old goblin thrust his brilliantly glowing staff forward.
"Graaaah!"
"Kruk!"
Shhhk!
The sound of flesh being pierced rang out across the wide grassland.
Drip. Drip.
"Grrrngh."
The little beast was wrapped in thick iron chains. From its outstretched right leg, a single claw—grown to grotesque proportions—jutted long and sharp. That blade tip, abandoned like a longsword, had stopped dead right in front of the old goblin's brow.
"Kek—kheeehk!"
Thrillzhak toppled backward, his soul half-fled from his face.
I-I almost died!
Luck. That was the only explanation. The reason he hadn't been skewered by the young beast's claw wasn't because the binding chains had held it, or because the goblins had shielded him. The chains had been too slow, and the goblins had been pierced clean through.
It was simply that the beast's claw hadn't finished growing yet. That delay in reaching him was all that had saved Thrillzhak—buying just enough time for a belated spell to activate and spare his life.
He'd been completely blindsided. A great being like him, played perfectly by the schemes of a mere young monster—a worthless little creature.
Th-this…!
He couldn't contain the rage burning through him.
"H-how dare…!"
A worthless pest whose magic he could barely even sense, pulling a stunt this cunning!
"Kruk!"
"Graaaah!"
Seething, Thrillzhak met the beast's gaze—and froze mid-step.
What… what is this?
The monster was staring at him as if it meant to tear him apart. The moment those eyes locked onto his, Thrillzhak understood.
It wasn't a coincidence…!
Flinging a weapon like a hidden blade. Concentrating magic into a single claw. None of it had been chance. He'd assumed it was all instinct—the random luck of a hunting animal. But even bound in chains, the creature was already gathering magic into its other claws. The ambush had failed, so it had simply changed tactics on the spot.
What?! What kind of absurd…!
A chill ran through him. Thrillzhak retreated to the safest distance he could manage and trembled from head to toe.
The young beast's eyes. What lived in that gaze wasn't mere monstrous savagery. Thrillzhak recognized what was nestled inside.
A mutant!
This monster was a thinking creature—just like him. Thrillzhak's eyes sank low and cold.
It has to die.
Meeting this wicked beast here was a stroke of fortune. If it had possessed enough magic? Thrillzhak would certainly have been killed by this young creature.
Impossible! That I, Thrillzhak, could fall to a monster like this…!
He couldn't believe it. If this thing grew to adulthood, it would become a catastrophe beyond anyone's control. Fear and an unstoppable fury surged up together.
"Th-the great one… is me."
Thrillzhak's staff blazed with light, tracing a bizarre geometric pattern. The strongest sorcery he knew. Drawing this spell meant he was swearing to end that young beast's life right here, no matter what.
"D-die!"
A freezing gale whipped around Thrillzhak as the air itself turned to ice. From a magic circle glowing a vivid blue, a massive ice spear materialized—and shot toward the little beast in an instant.
"Kiiiiiiaaak!"
The moment the ice spear launched, a tremendous beat of wings swallowed the grassland whole.
Everything happened in a single instant.
The pointed ice spear firing. Someone stepping into its path. The sound of feathers fluttering—and beyond that proud, steadfast back—
Shhhk!
The young beast watched the merciless spearpoint carve its way through, and let out a cry of pure anguish.
"GRAAAAAAAAH!!"
Crrrk!
The sharp tip of the spear burst out through the chained hawk's back. But that spear never reached the little beast it had been meant to kill.