Now, while I’d put on airs in front of Kyel, the situation frankly wasn’t looking so great. First off, I didn’t know whether or not Oifel would be able to get back safely. I’d seen his dragon take a few shots, and while it could still fly, it was possible that the stamina drop from the blood loss would prevent it from making it over the mountains.
Then there was the possibility of orcish reinforcements. Before the fall, I saw pink smoke rising from the edge of the village. That was probably an emergency signal. It would be difficult to run away if those beak-dogs rushed in. No matter how much my body was enhanced, I couldn’t run faster than a dog or horse. And the forest we were in wasn’t that large. It didn’t have too many hiding places.
Meaning that we would need to gain as much distance from the village as possible.
“Hold on, we’re in for a bumpy ride.”
I was about to break into a run when I heard the thicket parting behind me.
Woof! Woof!
What entered my view was man’s best friend—a creature that for some reason existed in every world I’d been to. But while I was feeling pleased that my favorite animal was in this world too, its bared fangs quickly made me change gears. I stuck out my right hand, filling it with mana, then manifested a spear and pierced the dog. It resembled a Shiba Inu, a rather cute one at that. It let out a final yelp and perished.
Before I had time to take a breath, two more dogs appeared. I rolled to avoid them, being mindful of Kyel on my shoulder, and sliced at the first one as soon as I was up on my feet. I heard Kyel groan, but now was hardly the time to be concerned about that. I turned and slashed the other.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
Even more barks rose from behind me, now with the oinking sounds of the orcs mixed in. This was exceedingly bad. If I spent too much time on the dogs, the orcs would catch up. I ran off at full speed. Now was no time to show consideration for the package on my shoulder. I felt Kyel’s arm around my neck tense up. Unfortunately, before we’d gone ten paces, a new dog caught up to us.
I used its barking and footsteps to judge the distance, closing in and slashing over my shoulder. The legless dog fell to the ground with a yelp, and just as I circled around to land the final blow, five more of them burst through the thicket.
These newcomers circled me at a distance, barking their heads off. They didn’t go for me unless I tried to run, whereupon they would attack from behind. When I tried to strike them, they would evade me, keeping their distance and making a racket. Judging by their coordinated movements, they were clearly trained hunting dogs. Their purpose was to stall prey until the hunters arrived.
Not only was I moving slowly thanks to having Kyel on my shoulder, but I only had one free hand. I hurled a spear in irritation, but it was easily sidestepped. Seeing that I was now unarmed, the dogs rushed me all at once. I swiftly produced another spear and managed to slice one down. In that same swing, I tossed it through another.
Undeterred by the death of their comrades, the remaining three circled me, barking madly. They were good working dogs. I wished I could bring them back with me, but that wasn’t going to happen.
Still, my chances were better now that there were fewer of them. I manifested a spear and cut at the nearest one. It was dodged, and I immediately turned and tossed it at another. Dodged all the same. But that broke the encirclement. I dashed with all my might into the gap.
The third one lashed out at my exposed back, as I’d expected. Luckily, Kyel blocked the attack, allowing me to impale it with a new spear without having to look back. Only two left. I could deal with two on the run.
Yet the moment that optimistic thought crossed my mind, that old chill pierced through me. I threw my body to the ground and a fuselage of gunshots burst from behind me, several dozen bullets whizzing overhead. I heard the trunks of trees splitting open and the sound of pitiful yelps. The dogs had been caught in the crossfire.
I ran. I didn’t have a moment to lose. If that was all the guns they had, I would be safe for a while. I could hear the orcs squealing angrily in my direction. As I ran, I focused my ears behind me. My enhanced hearing picked out the orc with the loudest voice among them, and I concentrated.
Oink! Oooiink! Oi—
Focusing on that commanding voice, I threw my spear. At the same time, I leapt into the shadow of a tree I’d been eyeing. One breath later, I heard the disjointed ba-ba-ba-ba-bang of gunshots. The trunk of the tree split and leaves, twigs, and bullets flew all around.
I didn’t know whether or not my spear had found its mark, but their lack of coordination meant that at least I’d caused a bit of confusion. I sprang up again. When I focused my ears, I didn’t hear that well-projected tone. I manifested a shield of light instead of a spear, turning it behind me in preparation for more bullets.
Bang! Bang! Sporadic shots from behind were met with pings as they glanced off my shield. I got the feeling the bullets were hitting harder than the short guns the Black Dog’s army used, but even so, the shield would hold so long as I didn’t take too many at once.
Then, out of nowhere, the forest opened up before me.