There was no more room for strategy. Trapped in the back lot, with the Broodguard and its final escort lumbering toward the alley's entrance, Kai's only option was to fight. He backed away from the alley's mouth, his eyes locked on the growing shadow of the Broodguard.
The remaining Level 2 Scuttler was first to emerge. It saw him and charged, its mandibles clicking furiously. Kai met it head-on. His body moved with a newfound confidence, a deadly dance orchestrated by the echo in his mind.
He parried the creature's first lunge, the saber deflecting its claw with a sharp screech of metal on chitin. He didn't retreat. He stepped into its guard, his left hand bracing the back of his sword blade as he put his full weight into a powerful, upward thrust. The point of the saber found the soft tissue under the monster's "chin" and punched through into its head cavity.
It was a clean, brutally efficient kill. The Scuttler's legs went limp, and it dissolved before it even hit the ground.
[You have slain a Level 2 Gutter Scuttler.]
[XP Gained: 25]
[XP: 95/150 to Lvl. 4]
The victory was short-lived. The Broodguard filled the alley's exit, its massive form blocking out the light. It was even bigger up close, a walking tank of serrated claws and armored plates. It lowered its head and let out a deafening roar, a challenge and a threat. Then it charged.
It was terrifyingly fast for its size. The ground shook with each step. Kai dodged to the side as one of its massive pincers slammed down where he'd been standing, shattering the concrete and sending shards flying like shrapnel.
He countered with a slash at its leg, but the saber screeched against the thick carapace, leaving only a faint scratch. It was like hitting stone.
Armor is too thick, the echo noted calmly. Joints. Eyes. Underbelly. Find a weak point.
The Broodguard swung its other pincer in a wide, horizontal arc. Kai dropped and rolled underneath the deadly sweep, the wind of its passage rustling his hair. He came up by its side, thrusting his saber at the joint where its leg met its torso. He felt the blade sink in an inch, then stop, denied by the sheer density of muscle and sinew.
It wasn't enough. The creature roared in pain and anger, twisting its body and slamming him with its side. Kai was thrown through the air, his back hitting the brick wall of the apartment building with a sickening crunch. His vision swam with black spots, and the air was forced from his lungs.
[Health: 72/100]
He had to move. He scrambled to his feet just as the Broodguard charged again, its pincer aimed straight for his chest. He threw himself to the side, the claw gouging a deep furrow in the brick wall right where his head had been.
This wasn't a fight he could win with force. He had to use his Agility.
He stopped trying to attack and focused purely on evasion. He dodged, he weaved, he rolled. He led the Broodguard on a deadly chase around the small parking lot, letting it smash its own claws against walls and the generator unit. It was a lumbering brute, powerful but clumsy. Its attacks were devastating, but they were slow. He was tiring it out, making it angry, making it sloppy.
Then he saw it.
As the Broodguard raised a pincer to smash down at him, the armor plates on its underside separated slightly, revealing a patch of softer, paler flesh near its forward legs. It was a tiny opening, only visible for a second during its most powerful attacks. It was his only shot.
He feinted left, drawing a heavy slam from the monster's right pincer. As the beast lifted its claw to strike again, Kai didn't dodge away. He dove forward, sliding on the grimy concrete, right under the monster's belly.
For a terrifying moment, he was directly beneath tons of angry, alien muscle. The stench was overwhelming. He looked up, and there it was—the pale, vulnerable flesh.
He drove his saber upward with both hands, screaming with effort and desperation.
The blade plunged to the hilt into the Broodguard's weak point.
The monster's roar was unlike anything he had ever heard. It was a sound of pure, unadulterated agony. It thrashed wildly, its legs collapsing. Kai ripped his sword free and scrambled out from under it just as its massive body crashed to the ground, shaking the entire lot.
The Broodguard lay convulsing for a few moments, green ichor pouring from the wound, and then it dissolved into a massive, swirling vortex of blue particles.
The notifications flooded his vision.
[You have slain a Level 5 Scuttler Broodguard.]
[XP Gained: 50]
[XP: 145/150 to Lvl. 4]
[Bonus XP for defeating a higher-level opponent!]
[XP Gained: 25]
[XP: 170/200. Level Up!]
[You have reached Level 4!]
[All stats +1. Health and Stamina fully restored.]
[You have 2 unspent attribute points.]
[New Skill Created: 'Vital Strike' (Active) - Lvl. 1]
The familiar, welcome warmth of the level-up washed over him, healing the deep bruises and scrapes from the fight. His back felt strong again. But it was the new skill that made his heart leap.
He quickly checked it.
[Vital Strike (Active) - Lvl. 1]
[Focus your energy into a single point, guiding your next attack to a target's weak spot. Greatly increases critical hit chance for one attack. Cost: 10 Stamina.]
It was an active skill. Something he could choose to use. A real weapon.
Where the Broodguard's body had faded, a much larger, darker green core pulsed on the ground. Next to it lay something else. A small, chitinous plate, shaped like a buckler shield, glowing with a faint systemic light. An item drop.
He absorbed the core, gaining another 25 XP, and picked up the shield.
[Broodguard Plate (F-Rank Shield)]
[A sturdy plate taken from a Scuttler Broodguard. Can be equipped to the off-hand.]
[Defense: +5]
He mentally equipped it. A faint shimmering outline of the shield appeared, strapped to his left forearm. He felt a new sense of security, of completeness.
He allocated his new attribute points, one to Strength for more damage, and one to Agility to keep his edge. His status was now:
[Name: Kaelen Vance]
[Level: 4 (45/200 XP)]
[Title: None]
[Strength: 11]
[Agility: 12]
[Endurance: 11]
[Unspent Points: 0]
He was stronger. Much stronger. He turned and looked at the fire escape. The path was clear. He could finally get to Elara.