Burning determination

I allowed myself a momentary breather, but it was a nervous one. Above me skies were murky with clouds and spotted with moving dots of bids and other insects. Below me, the mouse kept jumping out of the water in its futile attempts to get to me.

I didn't wait until a dragonfly or a bird tries to get to me. A dragonfly would be nothing to my stinger, but a bird? I might die in one hit, and I tested my luck enough as I did. My priority right now was survival, and survival at the moment meant fleeing, and fast.

Now, though, I had the best opportunity to examine my pursuer in its monstrous, glowing form. It splashed in the water, baring its sharp teeth at me, glaring with its bloodshot eyes. The chase left its marks on it. The mouse's pink nose was angry red and swollen from my sting; scratches from brambles littered its snout.

It gave me hope. The monster wasn't invulnerable. If I only persevered for long enough, maybe I will simply outlast it. It was the best option I had either way. The only viable one.

My muscles burned from the hours of flying and my wings felt made from lead, but I grit my teeth and steeled myself. I checked my character sheet—as expected, my CON grew during the chase, as well as DEX, and other stats too, but it still wasn't high enough to let me endure so much.

From here on, the only thing stopping me from dropping dead from exhaustion would be my determination, and I was very determined to not let these bastards who call themselves gods to put their dirty paws on my soul.

I picked a direction closest to the forest and flew. I didn't have to check to know that the mouse followed me through the water and through the trees—the noise it produced was more than enough of confirmation.

Suddenly, I found a second wind and pushed forward with more fervour than before. I heard the mouse slowly losing ground, and felt elated for a moment, thinking that it might be too tired already. Then I remember what that sensation meant and hurriedly checked my character sheet. It was just as I feared.

EXP: 136

I clearly remembered it being 137 before. One point of EXP disappeared. Then, right before my eyes, the number changed again.

EXP: 135

I wished sometimes in the past that the System was more like game systems I vaguely remembered from even more faraway past. Full of notifications over the smallest things. I had to learn to keep track of my stats manually instead. The only thing it ever notified me about were things related to 'Devourer' ability.

Like right now, if I didn't know I was burning EXP to keep moving, if I wasn't familiar with the feeling, I'd burn through all my EXP before I even realised.

It changed little, though, my knowing. I had 135—

134 EXP left. Only so much time to find a way to get rid of the mouse and not any more.

I buzzed through the forest, all my senses on alert more than ever. Anything, anywhere, could be my hope—my last hope. A stone with a hole I could hide in, a hole the mouse won't be able to get into, a natural barrier that will let me in, but not the mouse, Hell, maybe even civilisation. Humans definitely won't let a monster roam through their streets, while bugs like me are usually below their attention.

Maybe I will just gain enough ground that the mouse will lose my trail.

Branches, tree trunks, leaves, and shrubs moved past me with blinding speeds. I kept checking my character sheet.

EXP: 103

My EXP burned at an alarming rate. The mouse, while steadily getting farther and farther away from me, wasn't doing it fast enough.

I was lucky with the lake earlier—I would need to be lucky again now if I found something to save me. Would my luck be enough? Until now, it was so-so, since I caught that mouse in the first place.

EXP: 87

I pushed the mouse through another bramble patch, and was rewarded with a sight of fresh, still bleeding scratches on its snout. A thorn stuck in one of its ears, and I hoped something will stick in one of its paws, but no.

EXP: 45

It was my last chance. At the very least, I had to find a burrow to hole myself in. Then, I could use its width to defend myself with greater efficiency. I had to leave some EXP to spare for that last defence.

A movement behind the trees caught my attention. Anything was better than nothing. I switched my directions without thinking twice and darted towards whatever was in there. Most creatures fled the area at the mouse's approach, and whatever didn't, I wished to see.

I flew around a tree, and a small glade opened in front of me. There, a huge animal with four hooves and a hide covered in thick, brown almost enough to be black, bristle, dug under the roots of a wide tree.

It looked like a herbivore. A prey. Not what I needed right now, but I knew not to underestimate prey. They had to have a way to defend themselves to survive. I checked my EXP again.

EXP: 23

Whether or not this was it, I had no other choice. I dashed towards the animal just as it raised its flat-nosed snout with two tusks towards me—and towards the monster on my heels.