The Pain That Comes With Risk

"Come on, sometimes you guys just make it too easy." I said while chasing a squirrel.

Currently, I was placing barriers in front of the squirrel's path so that it would head the way I wanted it to. During my time in the forest, I upgraded my skill with the barrier Gift. The size I can create now is around that of a basketball, and I can now control the barrier from a distance of about 25 feet. Sometimes they outrun me and I end up missing a barrier placement, but this one was heading directly for my trap.

In front of us, not even 20 feet away, there was a pitfall trap with sharp spikes at the bottom that I'd made from tree branches.

*Snap*

"Yes!" I screamed out.

The trap worked, the moment the squirrel stepped on the leaves that were covering the trap it fell in and was impaled. As I walked over to the trap I stopped and paused for a moment, to the right of me I heard something large moving through the bushes. When I looked over, all I saw was a lizard that looked like a Komodo Dragon, but twice the size, staring at me.

After a while, it stepped out of its hiding spot and showed its full body. It had massive scales covering its entire body, head to toe, and a tail that was longer than an adult's wingspan. Its teeth were razor sharp, and although I was standing on two feet, it was still taller than me on all fours.

I jumped back and instantly threw up a barrier as I ran in the opposite direction of it. This was the worst move I could have possibly made, but at that moment I was so scared that all I thought about was fleeing. If I would've stood my ground the lizard would have probably just stolen my squirrel, but now it was chasing me.

'Damn! I've tried to stay away from these guys' territory, SO THEN WHY IS ONE CHASING ME?!? No, it doesn't matter anymore, I just have to come up with a solution. I can't outrun it and I don't know for certain if I can beat that thing in a fight, so then what?'

As I ran away from it, I used my barrier as an obstacle for it to deal with. Even just it hitting the barrier with its head caused me pain so bad I felt like passing out.

After a while, I decided to use the barrier as steps to climb a tree as fast as possible. Once I stepped on the barrier with my right foot, I would jump, making the previous barrier disappear. In the next moment, I would pop one up right underneath my left foot. This would cause the illusion of me running up invisible stairs.

I thought climbing a tree would stop the lizard, but instead, it just used its sharp claws to run up the tree. The sweat on my forehead started going upward from the fear I was feeling.

'Is this thing for real?! Does it want me to die that badly? I guess I have no choice now... I have to risk it all and fight!!'

"Grrrr, so be it!! If it's a fight you want, I'll give you everything I've got!!" I screamed at it while jumping off the tree.

When I landed on the ground the lizard wasted no time and jumped after me. Using my quick instincts I created a sideways barrier below it. When the lizard hit the barrier it slid off and was flipping through the air uncontrollably.

Continuing my opportunity, I grabbed a sharp wooden spike from my waistline, which I used for gutting animals, and thrusted it towards the beast. I thought that I would inflict heavy damage, but I should have known better. If a regular giant lizard has tough skin, then this thing probably has iron skin.

'Shit! That was the only 'weapon' I had on me. Great, now the only way to win is to gouge out its eyes.'

After I ran into the lizard with my wooden spike it hit the ground hard and bounced up. There was a moment of stillness as both the lizard and I caught our breaths, but it didn't last long.

The lizard charged at me with a speed I didn't think possible for something so girthy. I recoiled back and threw a barrier up in front of it. When it slammed into the barrier my whole body shook at the pain I was feeling, but I continued forward. Since it was stunned I took my chance and rushed it.

Now it was me charging the foe. Once I was close enough, I jumped on its back and hung on for dear life. It shook its body, like a wet dog, trying to get me off. I didn't let off though, I made a barrier appear to the side of its head while it was shaking, and when it's head hit the barrier it hissed in pain.

Taking this chance of confusion, using 2 fingers I dug them as deep as I could into the lizard's eye socket. It hissed in pain, but in the end, I succeed in pulling its eye out, making it even angrier. It shook so hard that just my one arm couldn't hold on any longer and I was thrown off.

When I landed on the ground I was in a dazed state which allowed the lizard to get close. When I finally came back to reality, the lizard's mouth was wide open in front of my face. In but an instant I subconsciously made a barrier appear in its mouth.

When it clamped down on the barrier the pain I felt was so bad that I lost all control over my body. Blood started spilling out of my eyes, nose, and mouth. Everything hurt.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!!" I screamed as loud as possible in pain.

The lizard kept up and tried biting down over and over again. Each time, I placed a barrier in its mouth before it could close its jaw around my body, and every time I screamed out in pain.

As I was rolling on the ground in pain I saw a piece of the broken wooden stake next to me. I grabbed it, and as the lizard tried biting down on my head I shoved the stake into its only other good eye. After being stabbed the lizard went into a fury as it used its claws to scratch at me. My strength had faded after stabbing the beast so all I could do was hope I could keep up with just my barrier.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, it landed scratch after scratch all over my body, and although most of them weren't deep it eventually got a good one in. Straight down my chest were 5 claw marks so deep, that if you looked closely you'd be able to see my ribs.

After I took that attack, I lost all my strength, even to the point where I could barely see straight.

'So this is where I die, I thought I would be able to make it past 25 this time around.'

As my vision faded I could see a figure standing above me with its mouth about to close shut on my head.

'What's there to lose? Why don't I try something new, who knows maybe it'll work?'

Stretching my hand out I thought about my barrier molding around the lizard's head in a fluid motion, and then condensing around it. When I thought about crushing its head, I closed my hand into a fist.

"Crush." I said quietly while balling my hand into a fist.

After that, I could feel a warm liquid falling onto my face along with something heavy falling on top of my body.

"Did… it work?" I said quietly before passing out.