A Startled Critter

Niall closed his System prompt.

'I've got four intelligence but three mana. Something doesn't add up...'

He took a look at the Skillforge.

[Skillforge]

[Soul Power] - (38/250) (250 Required To Upgrade)

________________

[Searching for available combinations...]

[Strong Jaws] (The crushing power of your jaws is greatly increased.) (15 [STRENGTH] required) (80 Soul Power)

[Hit & Run] (A rush of adrenaline flows through you after ambushing an enemy.) (10 [AGILITY] required) (100 Soul Power)

'Well, not as if I can buy anything.'

He closed the Skillforge and started looking around for anything he could hunt that wouldn't be a threat.

Then, a voice started to speak in his mind once again. He was startled, obviously, jumping in alert.

"You have acquired a more powerful soul. My interest grows in you as my power increases."

Niall, irritated by his sudden appearance, replied:

"Do something about that. It's going to give me a heart attack! Can you-"

Niall was interrupted. It raised its tone.

"Hear me. A beast has built its nest in my home, near the entrance to my dungeon. You have grown powerful in a very short term, and I deem you able to bring me its soul. Exterminate the pest, and the rewards will be satisfactory."

Before Niall could reply, the voice dissipated and the connection between them had been lost.

'Why do I feel like I'm going to walk into something I definitely can't fight?'

He trotted in the direction opposite the stairway, assuming that was the way to the entrance.

On his way, he noticed the miasma of red wine in the air, masking the putrid smell of the decomposing body of his first encounter. If he could avoid it, he would. However, he doesn't want to tread on paths he has not been on.

Before long, his collar was starting to warm up. It must be a sign that he is getting closer to the entrance. He caught something's scent.

'There shouldn't be any humans around here. Whatever I'm tracing, I hope it's worth it.'

He heard the sound of grinding and cracking a dozen paces from where he was standing. Whatever was in there must be eating something.

'It's not too late to turn back, right?'

His mind was boggled by whatever could be hiding behind the wall to his right. 

As Niall approached the doorway leading to it, he heard a loud huff coming from a room a few paces away.

A growl echoed from the room. Niall stood still, waiting for it to come out.

'Did it pick up my scent?'

He asked himself so many questions. 

'I'll just make some space to react...'

Right as he took a step back, he heard it dash straight for the doorway. There could be no doubt, it's attacking!

The beast sprinted through the doorway.

'A BEAR?!'

Niall immediately yelped and ran backwards, trying to create space as he was figuring out what to do.

'Of course, it's chasing after me. Why can't anything be easy?!'

He took a few sharp turns, noticing that it was not as fast as him at taking corners.

'If I can surprise it at the corner, I might stand a chance!'. He took a left and hid behind the wall, breaking the line of sight. Niall heard it approaching and as soon as he was sure it would take the corner, he jumped, immediately colliding with it in mid-air.

The bear did not expect to get pounced on by such a small animal. Being unable to make a full turn, it slipped, hitting the wall perpendicular to the hallway it was coming from along with Niall, whose crash was cushioned by the bear.

Both were confused for a split second after the impact, but Niall took advantage after regaining composure and bit into the bear's abdomen, his serrated teeth being a double-edged sword, as it was harder for him to get them out of the bear.

The bear's screams echoed loudly as it rolled on its back, trying to get Niall off of him.

'Ack...!'

It was clawing at Niall's back, desperately pushing him away, bending him back and forth with brute force. It almost felt like his teeth were going to snap off! He budged his fangs around the ribcage and they went even deeper in! His teeth are quite large for a wolf...

[Health] 29/36

[Stamina] 27/31

Niall couldn't take it anymore and backed off, jumping off of the bear's belly and back on his feet, but he couldn't let the bear get away.

The animal got back up and made a final, desperate attempt at intimidating Niall by standing on two legs. The puncture wounds were clearly visible, the bear was bleeding profusely. With a bit of luck, he might have penetrated the heart.

Niall, with his superior agility, jumped between its legs, manoeuvring behind it. In response, it tried to get back on all fours but it was futile, as Niall jumped on its back, digging into the neck. There was no way for it to get him off now. This agitated the bear greatly.

As if in a blind rage, the bear stood back up on its two legs, falling on its back over and over, smashing the wolf against floor and walls, hoping a sharp rock might get the Niall to promptly let go. But all this did was hammer the teeth deeper.

'Gah!'

[Health] 16/36

[Stamina] 19/31

This continued for a few minutes until the bear became more and more tired, its movement becoming more sluggish with each passing second. Eventually, it no longer had the strength to stand.

The wolf, victorious, let go of its nape.

'I can't... Believe... I did it...'

The bear, knowing full well that death is going to follow, left out a few shallow breaths followed by a huff of despair.

'I'll try to make this quick...'

Shluk!

Chomp!