I've been hit in the stomach before, and I'll tell you, this headbutt hurt more than a direct hit. Thanks to both my attack and hers, the force literally sent me flying backward toward the gate.
But with the inhuman abilities of my new body, I managed to somersault in the air (just like in the movies) to offset some of the force and realign my body into a crouching position.
As soon as I touched the ground, the chicken jumped again, claws poised to slash, but it didn't lunge at me. Instead, a flash of light appeared in its claws, and those claws came at me.
This time, I managed to dodge it well and responded with my own long-range strike. Stretching out one arm and aiming with my fingers, I said aloud,
"[Shadow Needle]"
One of my top five shadow magic spells. They were shadow needle, shadow ball, shadow healing, shadow twine, and shadow slash. Luckily, this shadow magic I chose wasn't just for controlling the battlefield, or (thank goodness for that, my God) just messing with the shadows at other people's feet.
These shadows I could control had their own substance, which I imagine was made from the magic itself, but I have no idea. I instinctively knew how to use these spells; it wasn't like clicking an icon in games, but it wasn't something super complicated that took minutes to cast either.
Just like in games, spells only do what they say they do, and don't let you manipulate them as you please. For me, it's even better this way, considering how quick I was to choose my job and abilities...
Anyway, this magic choice was very good for me, as it allows me to attack, heal (up to a certain level), and hinder my opponent.
Pretty versatile, huh?
And this way, I also have a second heart function in addition to drinking blood.
Speaking of which, I also know how to use [blood magic] instinctively, but it's not something I want to do right now. Let's just say this is a spell that would be as bad for my opponents as it is for me.
Although the needles were a "basic" attack, they were fast and caused damage, albeit minor, according to my instincts. But thanks to the speed of the attack, the chicken couldn't dodge and took the five black needles straight to the neck, one of the worst places to take any kind of attack.
*Kluhgh cooo*
Yep, it looks like it hurt.
Taking advantage of the opening, I lunged forward again and punched it so hard it sent it straight into the wall. Neither the wall nor the chicken's neck broke, as would usually happen in anime, but the wall cracked, leaving a very visible dent where the chicken hit.
I was surprised the chicken didn't die from it; it was just knocked out or severely dazed, but it was breathing normally.
Why didn't I use [Obsidian Claw] again or another attack spell?
Because I realized that if I used them, a good portion of the blood would be wasted, and getting the most blood is one of the reasons I came here in the first place.
With her in this state, I decided it would be safe to bite her now. I approached her, not worrying too much about an attack from behind, from outside, since Mari was still on guard.
I grabbed her by the scruff of the neck like I had with the puppy before and was about to bite her too, but then.
*Chhiiip chhiiip!!!*
*Chiiippuu chhrrriiiipp!!*
*Chhrrriiiipp chhrrriiiipp!!*
Three louder-than-normal chirps rang out, forcing me to look at what the three chicks were doing, and I could have sworn I saw tears in their eyes.
I'm a bit arrogant, yes, I've admitted that. But I'm not stupid enough to not recognize that animals are also intelligent. Especially with my sister.
I also believe that all animals are intelligent creatures with feelings of their own, but they don't express them the same way humans do. Or they express them differently, in both cases in a way that's difficult for humans to fully understand.
That said, there's no denying that chickens are much more... limited animals in general.
If you've ever seen a chicken in person, you'll understand (who have you? Well, I guess I've been talking to myself a lot lately). Even so, I'm sure I saw these chicks showing concern, fear, and sadness for the chicken I just knocked out. Honestly, it made me feel like the villain of the story, which to them I must be.
'Well, sorry, but I need to eat something here!'
It wasn't a joke, that goal that Falinga had given me seriously lowered my HP.
[Name: Fernando Bezerra
Level: 1
Race: Dhampir (half-vampire)
Job: Fighter lvl 1
Pt: 0
At: 1
HP: 3/15
Mp: 17/20
Condition: A little hungry.]
Trying to dismiss the chicks' stares as nothing more than background decoration, I quickly bit the chicken's neck, mentally activating the [bloodsucker] ability.
*Craaaa-*
*Chrriippp!!*
*Criiiippppp!!!*
With my mouth flooded with blood, it became easier to ignore the chicks' sounds. The taste was thousands of times better than the goblins' blood; it had a consistency similar to warm milk, slightly thicker, with a mild strawberry-mango steanko flavor.
Basically, something I wouldn't mind drinking often.
After about 3 sips, the chicken was no longer able to resist and my HP was full again. But without worrying about my HP anymore, the sound of the chicks' chirps became much more evident.
*Chrriippp!!*
*Criiiippppp!!!*
*Chhhhiiiii!!!*
'Uuurrrggg this is bad for the heart'
I could even reason that this is how the world works, an animal eating gold and you're the opposite, that the world isn't the same as it used to be, etc. But that doesn't take away any of the guilt I felt when I saw the chicks' little eyes.
Suddenly, from the broken kitchen door, an orange light appeared, and within 3 seconds it was almost in my face. Once again, I had to jump back in a non-serious way to dodge it.
The orange light was obviously a small ball of fire. Not much bigger than what you'd get if you lit four large matches together. Since I have a weakness to fire, I thought it best to avoid an attack from that element, even if it seemed weak.
*Chrip chrriipp!!*
*Chrriiipp chrriiipp!!!!*
The chicks seemed to celebrate excitedly that the attack had distanced me from the chicken, but whether it was because of that or because of the help that had arrived, I couldn't say.
Soon, three more chickens emerged from the kitchen door, each over 90 cm tall, and right behind them came a rooster, which, based on a comparative estimate with hens, should have been a little over 1 meter and 12 cm tall, not counting the comb.
I had just said that, while acknowledging that animals generally have their own ways of expressing emotions and feelings, I believed that chickens would be more limited in this regard. And when it comes to hens, roosters, chickens, etc., I still firmly believe this.
IF they are normal animals, which these chickens obviously stopped being a long time ago.
This was already quite obvious from the hen's behavior during our brief fight, and from how the chicks reacted when she lost. More specifically, how they reacted when I went to her.
Whereas they would normally have fled in fright in an attempt to save themselves, they stayed and continued to watch, much like a human child would, shocked by the scene.
The fact that they're no longer normal animals is even more obvious by what this group of chickens that came out of the kitchen did. After just a look at the situation, the cornered chicks and the fallen hen in front of me, they made what can only be considered a tactical decision.
Splitting into two groups, one hen stayed behind just in front of the chicks while the other two and the rooster came toward me, and they were not happy at all.