Chimaera's Conquest: The Legend Of The Devourer
Chapter 105: Familiar (3)

Chapter 105: Familiar (3)

As soon as Adrian moved, the Tiak went crazy and whipped him with his tail. Tailwhips were a Tiak’s preferred way to engage in combat, and by using them, Huruk had started a duel with Adrian. This was what Skaha had been wanting to tell Adrian.

The Tiaks were extremely sensitive to noise; even the lightest movements could alert them, especially when they were super focused.

Generally, when Tiaks fight, they fight in silence, relying on their agility and strength. Once someone breaks the silence, the battle starts, and when the battle begins, to them, it doesn’t matter whether their opponent is a beast or not. They tend to go all out, using their tails as their primary weapon, as Huruk did with Adrian.

The Tulkas were usually trained to battle against Tiak from a young age. However, Adrian had no knowledge whatsoever about these things. To him, all of this was a new experience, and it looked like it was going to be a miserable one.

"We have to help him-" Suhi whispered, but Skaha shook his head, knowing it would do Milka more harm than good.

"This duel is not just a test of strength," Skaha explained. "It’s a pivotal moment that will determine whether Huruk acknowledges Milka as his rightful owner."

Skaha continued whispering, "If we intervene now, I’m afraid the rest of the Tiaks will lose interest in your son and question his place as a ’leader’. After all, no one, not even the beasts, would want to serve a weak individual."

Just like that, all objections Suhi had were silenced in moments. However, despite the reasons Skaha gave him, a father’s heart would always worry about his son.

***

The impact was so strong that Adrian rolled over on the ground several times before finally coming to a halt. It looked like Huruk’s tail got him in the chest.

Still, Adrian managed to block the attack using his left arm. However, stopping the blow didn’t reduce the pain he felt, as he was forced to let out a nasty groan following the cracking sound.

His left forearm had become useless, snapping immediately upon coming into contact with the tail. Thankfully, the troll’s blood would heal the wound sooner rather than later. That said, Adrian still needed to find a way to defeat the beast.

Using [Analysis] on the beast, Adrian discovered something bizarre. The aberrated beast had two layers of bones: one under its muscles and the second right under the skin, acting like an exoskeleton.

’No wonder it’s attack hurt like a bitch. It’d be impossible to break through their exoskeleton without a weapon,’ Adrian thought. ’Since I don’t have a weapon and can’t use my inventory in front of witnesses... I’ll have to improvise.’

Adrian had never considered the Tiaks frightening, but Huruk had changed his entire perception of the species.

One of the few things Adrian knew about the creatures, thanks to Skaha blabbering about them earlier, was that they tend to charge in if they feel threatened.

Their charge was said to be so strong that only a few could survive the impact, and Adrian did not want to test the theory out—not on himself, at least. But it sure was something that he could use against the creature.

Suddenly, Huruk lunged forward, its jaws snapping at Adrian. He dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the razor-sharp teeth. With a grunt, he launched himself at the beast, aiming a powerful punch at its side.

The beast was stunned by the force and forced to stumble backwards, letting out a roar of pain and anger. However, the next moment, it swung its massive head, trying to catch Adrian with its horns. Adrian, quick on his feet, ducked and rolled out of Huruk’s reach.

Huruk let out a deafening roar along with its hot and smelly breath as it charged towards Adrian. With lightning reflexes, Adrian sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the beast’s massive hooves.

As Huruk turned to attack again, Adrian rushed towards it, aiming a swift punch at its side like before.

His fist connected with a satisfying thud, but Huruk barely seemed to register the attack in its frenzied state. It swung its massive head again towards Adrian, its jaws snapping dangerously close to his face as Adrian held the creature in place with one of his legs.

Adrian could feel the heat of Huruk’s breath on his skin, and it wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

’Get your stinky-ass breath out of my face!’ Adrian thought before punching the beast’s face with all his might.

Adrian’s attack hurt the beast this time, and it vigorously shook its head while stepping backwards. However, Adrian knew it was time to push forward.

He then launched himself at Huruk, grabbing hold of its mane and pulling himself onto its back. The beast bucked and thrashed, trying to get the human off its back, but Adrian clung on with all his strength.

While the creature struggled to get him off his back, Adrian began to pummel Huruk’s thick hide with his fists, each blow landing with a satisfying thud.

The beast reared and screamed in pain, but Adrian refused to relent. He had to keep fighting and pushing until Huruk felt threatened enough to charge blindly.

But Huruk turned out to be resilient and quite stubborn, more so than Adrian had anticipated. It shook and twisted, trying to throw him off, but Adrian, as stubborn as the creature, held on.

However, Huruk refused to surrender. With a final, desperate roar, it charged straight at the enclosure’s wall, its massive head lowered like a battering ram. Adrian braced himself for the impact, knowing this was his chance to end the fight.

And then, with a deafening crash, Huruk slammed headfirst into the wall, the force of the blow shattering the barrier like glass. Adrian wanted to ensure the beast would hit the barrier and stay on its back until the last second before jumping over and landing on a patch of grass meant for the Tiaks to eat.

Adrian slowly got back to his feet, feeling a bit shaken. But looking up, he saw Huruk lying motionless on the ground. Had it not been for the creature’s heavy breathing, Adrian would have thought he killed the beast somehow.

At the same time, Suhi rushed towards his son while Skaha stood there with a smile on his face.

"He’s not too bad, after all..."