Chapter 09: Leaping for Life

THUD! THUD!

QUIIIEK!

"UGH!...MOVE!"

SPLASH!

[You have Killed: Brown Baboon]

[56XP]

[Level UP]

QUIIIEK! QUIIIEK!

"Damn!... how many are there!" Panting heavily, Azrakar was running for his life, dashing through the treacherous terrain of the valley. Behind him, was a relentless pursuit of the creatures known as Brown Baboons.

[Approximately 40 Brown Baboons. Master Azrakar] Nexus' voice echoed in his head.

'I can see that! Instead of giving me a headcount, why don't you help me find a way out of here?' Azrakar retorted mentally, his frustration mounting as he continued to evade the relentless horde.

A quick glance back revealed the Baboons were hot on his heels, pursuing relentlessly as if they were possessed by something. Two of them were running along the valley wall and managed to bypass him, jumping in front of Azrakar trying to block his path.

"UGH! Not again!" grinding his teeth, Azrakar raised the Bone shield in front of him.

"AHHH!" with a surge of adrenaline and a primal roar, Azrakar charged straight at the two Brown Baboons blocking his path. With the bone shield raised defensively, he braced himself for the impact as the creatures lunged forward, claws bared.

The clash was fierce and chaotic. But Azrakar held his ground, shoving them back with him. The Two Baboons, fueled by an otherworldly fervor, attempted to slice his skin with their long claws, yet with their position and with how big the Bison's skull they couldn't quite reach him.

Realizing this one of the Baboons stepped on his friend ascending upward, and with the way that they were locked against the bone shield, the air from Azrakar's forward momentum pushed the Baboon slightly forward where he got a clear vision of his upper arm.

"UGHHH!...Damn YOU!" 

[-30HP]

Searing pain erupted as the Baboon's claw sunk into his flesh. Azrakar gritted his teeth against the agony. Blood welled from the wound, but he refused to slow down. With a ferocious growl, he pushed through the pain, his adrenaline-fueled rage granting him renewed strength.

He saw the path ahead narrow into a sharp right turn. Spotting a chance to ditch the two baboons, Azrakar shifted his position from the center of the valley towards the left side, accelerating as much as possible. As he reached the turn, the first thing he met on his left was the unforgiving valley wall.

"Take this, BASTARDS!" With a primal roar, Azrakar slammed into the valley wall with such force that the two Brown Baboons, caught in his shield, were crushed under the impact. They shrieked and wailed as their bodies crumpled against the rough stone. In a desperate last act, they tried to swipe at Azrakar with their claws, but all they managed were a few scratches on his green hide.

Seeing that the two baboons were still alive, Azrakar tightened his grip on his shield and resumed his dash while keeping the baboons locked against the wall. The creatures struggled and writhed against his formidable strength, but Azrakar's determination was unwavering

Like an artist painting his first stroke, Azrakar decorated the wall with the blood of the two baboons as their bodies were ground against the rough surface. Their cries echoed through the valley for a few seconds until all fell to silence.

[You have Killed: Brown Baboon]

[You have Killed: Brown Baboon]

[82XP]

With the path significantly narrowed – barely four meters wide – Azrakar seized upon a desperate plan. Gripping his bone club tightly, he began to pound it against the valley walls with all his strength hoping to cause some rocks to tumble downward.

BAAM! 

"Come on!" he grunted between each swing.

BAAM!

Each impact sent shockwaves through the stone, a tremor echoing through the valley. Dust rained down, momentarily obscuring the Baboons' relentless pursuit. Azrakar didn't wait to see the effect. He swung his club again, a metronome of bone against rock. Each blow reverberated, growing more frantic with each passing second. The air grew thick with dust, a suffocating curtain obscuring his vision.

 CRACK! RUMBLE!

A deafening CRACK echoed through the valley and the ground trembled beneath Azrakar's feet as the first rocks dislodged from their perches, tumbling downward in a chaotic cascade.

"GOOD!" 

Azrakar didn't stop to admire his handiwork; he immediately resumed his sprint, hoping the fallen rock would block the path and halt the bloodthirsty baboons.

As he continued to run, Azrakar would occasionally glance back to see if his desperate plan had worked.

But during one such glance, Azrakar failed to notice the abrupt end of the valley path. His heart hammered in his chest as he took another step forward, only to find nothing but empty air beneath his feet.

"W-WHA—" 

In a split-second realization of his perilous situation, Azrakar's eyes widened in terror as he teetered on the edge of the precipice. His momentum propelled him forward, and he felt himself hurtling through the air, his stomach lurching with the sudden drop.

Time slowed down from his perspective and somehow he was able to swap his bone club for a bone spear from his inventory, all within a single, fleeting second.

With a swift and practiced motion, Azrakar drove the bone spear into the rocky wall of the valley, its tip biting deep into the stone with a satisfying crunch. The sudden jolt of resistance halted his free fall, sending shockwaves of pain through his arm as he dangled precariously over the abyss.

For a heart-stopping moment, Azrakar clung to the bone spear with all his strength, his muscles straining against the force of gravity. His heart thundered in his chest as he fought to regain his footing.

"Not going to die!" 

Fueled by a fierce determination burning in his eyes, Azrakar summoned another bone spear after dismissing the bone shield. Gripping the spear tightly, he began to climb, each movement driven by the primal instinct to survive.

"Just one moooore…."

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Azrakar reached the summit, his body trembling with exhaustion. With one final surge of effort, he pulled himself over the edge, collapsing onto solid ground with a weary sigh of relief.

For a moment, he lay there, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. But even as fatigue threatened to consume him, Azrakar knew he couldn't rest.

QUIIIEK! QUIIIEK!

"AAAHHH!...Give me a moment to breathe! you hairy little demons!"

Pushing himself up, Azrakar spotted three Brown Baboons charging towards him. Reacting swiftly, he summoned his shield back and scrambled behind it for cover.

The Baboons upon noticing their prey in a vulnerable state, let out an exciting screech, their eyes gleaming with predatory hunger, they couldn't wait to take a bite from him and taste his meat. So they leaped high in the air descending toward him.

Azrakar braced himself behind his shield as the three Brown Baboons descended upon him with predatory intent. He waited for the moment the three Baboons slammed against the shield.

"Take this." Using their momentum against them, Azrakar threw himself backward, pushing the shield forward with his legs.

 QUIIIEK???

Confused, the three Baboons failed to react in time. They only realized their mistake when they felt themselves hurtling through the air.

 QUIIIEK!!!!!

Azrakar watched with a satisfied grin on his lips as the three brown baboons plummeted into the river below with startled cries, their bodies disappearing beneath the churning waters.

"Ha! That's what you get!" Azrakar taunted, his voice ringing out over the roar of the river. He watched as the Baboons struggled against the current, their attempts to swim futile against the relentless force of nature.

"Hmm??...what's that?" Narrowing his eyes, Azrakar saw a shadow growing rapidly under the surface where the three Brown Baboons had fallen.

It didn't take long for Azrakar to have his answer. A monstrous fish-like creature with a mouth resembling a crocodile erupted from the water, swallowing the three Baboons whole in one swift motion.

Azrakar's eyes widened in shock and horror as he watched the scene unfold before him. The creature's jaws snapped shut with a sickening crunch, its razor-sharp teeth tearing through flesh and bone with ease. The river churned and frothed as the creature went back under the water as quickly as it came.

For a moment, Azrakar was frozen in place, his mind struggling to comprehend the sheer ferocity of the beast he just witnessed. He only snapped out of it when he heard the roar of the baboon horde echoing from within the rocky valley.

"Damn it...Not good," he cursed, his eyes darting around frantically, searching for an escape route. On the opposite side was a tree line. If he could somehow reach it, he would get a better chance of surviving. But the question remained: how?

There was nothing Azrakar could use to cross. No path or bridge of any kind, nothing. As he scanned his surroundings for any possible means of crossing, he saw down to his left, a few logs had fallen on top of each other, somehow creating a bridge linking the two sides.

"That's a long way down," he muttered.

Azrakar knew that he had no choice but to take the risk. Despite the daunting height and the uncertain stability of the logs, he steeled himself for the challenge ahead.

Summoning his courage, Azrakar took a few steps back, dismissing the bone shield. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and visualized his trajectory, calculating the distance and the angle of his jump.

 QUIIIEK! QUIIIEK!

With a determined exhale, he ripped his eyes open and bolted forward.

Thud! Thud!

With each pounding step, Azrakar propelled himself forward, his muscles burning with exertion.

"Now or never!" 

As he neared the edge of the precipice, Azrakar's heart pounded in his chest, his senses heightened with the impending leap. With a final burst of speed, he launched himself into the air.

Time seemed to slow down as Azrakar soared through the air, the wind whipping past him as he arced toward the distant logs below. His mind focused solely on the landing, calculating every twist and turn with precision.

[-20HP]

Then, with a solid impact, Azrakar's chest slammed into the logs, nearly dislodging him and sending him plummeting into the river below. Fortunately, he managed to grab tightly onto the log, pushing himself upright. His breath came in ragged gasps as he fought to regain his balance, the pain from his impact radiating through his body.

 QUIIIEK! QUIIIEK!

"Humm?" Hearing the roars and shrieks of the Brown Baboons filled the air. Azrakar risked a glance upwards, his breath catching in his throat at the sight that greeted him.

"These crazy hairy demons made the jump!"

Driven by a mad frenzy, the baboons had leaped after him, their forms silhouetted against the darkening sky. However, their jump fell short, and they tumbled through the air, landing with sickening thuds in the river below.

A dark humor flickered across Azrakar's face for a fleeting moment. "That's what you get, you stupid..."

His triumphant smirk vanished as quickly as it appeared. A massive shadow loomed beneath the precariously balanced logs where he stood.

"Heh heh... survivor for a month, huh? I don't think I can survive a day."