Solomon's Crucible 12. An Exciting Workout (Patreon)

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Solomon pivoted backwards, releasing the pressure he'd been applying to the injured boar. As the boar ran past him he bumped it with his shield, both to nudge the boar away from him and to give himself a boost as he jumped backwards. He desperately wanted to evade the boar coming at him from behind.

He almost made it.

The charging boar had just about missed him completely when it tossed its head and caught his calf with its tusk. The sharp pain from the point of contact provided a sort of accent to the painful shock of having his leg scooped out from under him.

Part of Solomon's mind noted that he was developing far too rich of a library of painful experiences lately. The rest of him focused on trying to salvage his landing.

Despite his best efforts, he came down in a tumble. His investment in dexterity and a little bit of luck at least let him keep his limbs from tangling up. He was still dizzy from being spun around, but the spur of an imminent maiming had him up popping up to his feet before he even tried to take stock of the situation.

Once up, Solomon took a quick glance around to find that both boars were slowing down and getting ready for their next attack. The one with a spear through it was moving awkwardly, at least, but it wasn't giving up.

Standing his ground against two boars at once was a recipe for disaster. He turned and ran. His pulse was thundering in his ears in counterpoint to his feet hammering away at the ground.

Solomon neared the edge of the clearing. He scanned the trees ahead of him, thankful for every step he took without a boar tackling him from behind. There was a low-hanging branch just a little off to the side. He angled himself to head straight for it.

As he drew near the branch, he put everything he could into a mighty leap. He surprised himself with the height he reached off the ground. He realized a split second later that instead of grasping the branch with his right hand, he was about to slam his wrist right into it. Fortunately, he surprised himself again with his reaction time, pulling his arm down and snatching hold of his target.

His feet kept moving, just about yanking his arm out of its socket as they swung upward. Part of Solomon was shocked that he was supporting so much weight with one arm, but most of him was focused on holding on. His legs swung back, and as he swung them forward he managed to redirect the motion so that he was able to wrap his legs around the branch. Then it was a matter of scrambling and cursing for a moment before he finally got himself perched securely on top of the branch.

He was going to look back to find the boars but found he didn't have to, as the uninjured one charged underneath him just as he got settled. The one that still had his spear lodged through its body came walking up a moment later. He took a certain vindictive pleasure in seeing that the boar was having trouble moving around, as the butt of the spear tended to slide down and catch on the ground as it walked.

That was about the only thing Solomon had to feel happy about. He was panting like a dog, squeezing the branch with both legs and his good arm to make sure he didn't fall and put himself at the boars' mercy with nothing but his pocketknife to fend them off.

He was also, now that he had a moment to think things over while he wasn't in immediate danger, pissed off. He'd been mentally prepared for a fight when he entered the dungeon. He would have liked to be facing something smaller, but he would have been fine fighting a boar one on one. The system's attempt to gore him in the back had thrown him off. The whole thing struck him as deeply unfair.

"Is this how it's gonna be?"

Even the cool sensation of his HP being used to heal his calf didn't do much to soothe his feelings. Absently, he reached down and rubbed his lower leg. He could feel the beginning of a tear in his pants, but they'd held up well enough to their first test. He didn't want to think about what would have happened if the boar's first attack had left him unable to walk.

The fact that the first boar had taken his weapon from him added insult to injury. Fortunately, he still had his MP and his perch on the branch gave him enough space to put another weapon together from his extra materials. It would be a little unnerving to work while a pair of dungeon monsters were staring right at him waiting for him to fall, but at least they couldn't climb trees. All he had to do was get his crafting materials out of his inventory.

[Sorry! Inventory can not be accessed during a combat encounter!]

"You really know how to kick a guy when he's down."

The system didn't deign to respond.

Solomon gathered himself and took a look around. If not for the monsters trying to kill him, it would be a pleasant view. The dungeon's first floor was exactly the kind of secluded wilderness getaway that he sought out on his hikes. Whatever the system was doing to simulate the sun was shining down with a pleasant warmth, illuminating a lightly forested region of perhaps ten acres. It was hard to be sure of the distance, but if he looked carefully he could make out a shimmering wall that he figured should be the edge of the floor.

He calmed down as he had a chance to catch his breath. So he didn't have access to his inventory. So his weapon was stuck through a monster. He still had enough MP left to improve the gear he was wearing. His spear was constantly draining that stupid boar's HP and should eventually start doing real damage. He had plenty of time left before the twenty-four hour grace period was over.

He hadn't started out his attack on the dungeon on the right foot, but he was far from done.

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