Hollow Henry

It didn't take long for the commotion to get under way. Within the first few minutes of his spell, Lee had already kicked the head of a furry something as it tried to get into their cave. All that could be heard were the sounds of Lee's cursing, and the deep snuffle and scratches of the creature trying to get in. He joined her at the mouth of the cave to get a better look, and was horrified to see what looked like the love child of a wombat and a chainsaw. Its legs were long like a dog's, and the claws were menacing enough to help the thing climb. Its body however, was stocky and riddled in spikes. He wondered how the creature would go about eating them with such a flat face and a small mouth, but he wasn’t curious enough to want to find out.

It lunged upwards again in an attempt to push past them, only to receive another heavy metal boot to the face. It growled in frustration, and climbed to the side to gain some distance.

“What in the world is that thing?” He asked in a panic.

“You tell me,” she barked back. “You’re the one that invited it for dinner.”

“I thought you knew what was out here,” he complained, shakily getting his sword ready.

“It's monsters,” she defended. “Same as anywhere else. But if I see a duck, I'll make sure to let you know what it is.” She finished her statement by swinging her rusted dagger in the creature's direction. It wasn’t lunging again just yet, but it was obviously thinking about it.

“You don't need to be rude about it,” he mumbled. He briefly considered trying to hit the thing with his screeching force spell, but decided against it. There was a decent chance the spell could knock the beast off the tree, along with them too.

“How can I help?” He asked, insisting on solving the problem he caused. “We can hide in my Temple.”

“Not a chance,” she snapped. “Just stay out of my way.”

Again, the beast lunged. She planted her heel into its flat forehead, only this time as the monster pulled away, so did her boot. The rivets holding the pieces together had broken loose in the impact, allowing her boot to fall into 3 pieces and head towards the forest floor.

“God fucking shit dammit,” she spat, scurrying away from the ledge to keep from following her broken gear. “Okay, it's your turn now,” she declared quickly, shoving him to take her spot.

He gulped, and peaked around the corner to get a better look at it. Just as he made eye contact, the beast lunged again. He panicked, and lashed out with all he had. The creature was easily twice his size and 3 times his weight, there was no way he would have the strength to fight it fairly. He lashed out with his sword, hoping against all hope to impale the thing. His efforts were met with a pained yelp from the once again retreating creature, and a heavy thud from a knocked down Henry.

One of its jagged spikes dislodged in the impact, cutting deeply into the tree's spongy surface. He'd attempted to hack at the bark with his sword when they first climbed it, but had a lot of trouble even getting it to leave a scratch. The bone spikes sticking from the monster's skin had to have been damn hard to cut through it so easily.

The beast's claws wrapped around the lip of the entrance before he had a chance to get to his feet. For Lee's part, she was busy trying to remove what was left of her broken boot so she wouldn't trip. They were out of time, and he was their only defence.

Thinking that there's no time like the present to try a new trick, he activated Hyper Focus. He would keep an eye out for his notifications and cut it off at 30% of his DiHexan.

The world around him slowed in an instant. At the same time, his view of the surroundings became more clear than ever. Even the smells and sensations of the bark beneath him seemed to scream their presence. It would have been overwhelming in any other circumstance, but with the skill active he still felt in control. The monster in front of him was in the process of launching itself through the threshold, but looked to him like it was moving in slow motion. If this was what a high perception felt like, he wasn't sure how practical it would be. Henry had never been accused of being a patient man. If he lived his whole life in slow motion, he'd lose his mind fast. It occurred to him that he had enough time to consider that fact, as well as remember where his now discarded sword had landed beside him. He moved to grab it in the hopes of ending the fight before his magic ran out, but quickly learned the downside to his new skill.

He was moving in slow motion too. It was faster than the beast, but that was probably just the difference in their size. The creature was in the air now, having only a metre or 2 of distance to cross before its hooked claws could wrap around him. He got a good look at it while he pushed as hard as he could to get his weapon. His fingers were kissing the hilt, in just moments it would be in his grasp. The issue rested in the fact that he still needed to lift the sword up, and he wasn't sure if he had enough time. If this didn't work out, it would be a remarkably unpleasant way to die.

As he started to painstakingly lift the blade, a realisation hit him. He was fighting a god damned drop bear. The creature looked exactly like a drop bear, only bigger and with bone spikes. This was the first drop bear he'd had the displeasure of meeting in person. If it was anything like the stories of the ones back home, he definitely didn't want this thing to stick around. Finally, the tip of his blade was up, with the beaten up hilt shoved firmly into the tree's bark. It couldn't have been ready at a better time. The monster's arm licked the blade, before it bounced and found a home in its armpit. He had enough time to see the monster's eyes widen at the realisation of its new passenger, right before it collided with him.

It was heavy, and with his perception heightened he felt the pressure come gradually. The spikes around its collar bones slowly separated the links in his chain shirt, and he cringed at their gentle penetration into his skin. It was agonising, but he couldn't get his body to react as fast as his mind would. The weight of the beast against his chest was starting to get unbearable. He still had an out, but it would be leaving Lee to fight the drop bear alone.

It pinned him to the floor, driving the spikes the rest of the way in. He coughed, and dismissed Hyper Focus. There wasn't much he could do, he thought he might as well die a little faster.

“You idiot!” Lee shouted, plunging her dagger into the monster's neck.

The creature was still moving, but it was laboured. He tried his best to wriggle free to no avail. The two spikes that dug into his shoulders were deep enough to help secure him in place. The drop bear started to drag itself towards Lee, bringing Henry along with it. He was pressed hard into the bark, and it suddenly felt a lot less soft while he was dragged along it.

He heard a wet slap, and noticed Lee's blade being drawn away in the corner of his eye. He couldn't take it anymore. He convinced himself that she had the rest handled, and checked his DiHexan.

DiHexan: 81 / 141

He had enough to get into his Temple. With an effort of will, he flexed his skill, and the world twisted around him.