ODKO | Chapter 12

His body moved before baf47376c1 his mind could catch b4d8cc82bc up, instinctively swinging his 68b4ea977e sword. But the 50542ad30b distance was 712aa956bd too close.8fa0cef2851e5dd7

The Viper’s fangs would 3069ade939 reach him before his eafa6b6582 blade could strike its 29e474f349 head.35e7a9f74db486d7

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Realizing this in an b3f0f28ac2 instant, Jack clicked his 943493c53b tongue and raised his 0b3a7a7341 left arm, intending to 6b9a7d5d2f use it as bait.87934ef1ef8616f2

Just before the Viper’s 71b054d91e teeth could pierce his 8073893c55 skin—6c8afa74fee8145d

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Thud.ee45dc70b07e95b3

A sickening sound rang 94cbbac4d2 out, and black blood bdc64dece4 splattered.392a64cb3251c100

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“I’ll cover you, so run!”3935a1ffd29c93a2

Cayenne, who had 6ea6ff0890 somehow pulled out 652fb66fa5 a bow, shouted 9f352e84d3 from the hill bb62d948a2 as he nocked fbb45b5265 an arrow onto 3c857c6b12 the string. His figure—black aa04b9f7e7 hair fluttering a4b7a19687 in the 0827d18517 wind as 324ad504e5 he drew 6bc4637822 the bow—was 67823ac509 reassuring beyond 6447060b3c words.bcb52837795fae0d

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I thought he was ea7f754315 telling me to go 626def8ca8 die, but I guess 73733162f6 I misunderstood.f46d682392f4db90

Suppressing the 0e9d33d353 urge to dc90079725 tear up e9027c6ec0 from the 4ebe80f29c overwhelming emotion, 24a10c390d Jack tightened d31428729d his grip 2354b4294c on his 4bcdfffd2d sword and 529fc3c295 leaped forward.5363356859326019

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Contrary to 9db8c80986 his expectations, 5089fc0a51 the Viper’s 5973da6d75 thick scales 19a28449e7 weren’t slippery—they ed0d322cb7 were surprisingly b488bf8bf4 rough. Once he 05830160e9 began climbing 1f35b042c7 its massive 07f9c7a35d body, he 83b1d8a91b realized that 19513c471c even with e066c83c94 considerable movement, 07f513bcca the sheer 8c0d8d879e size of 8ce154205e the creature 3cb524a289 meant the 4e7d741c9d vibrations and 280a16fdf9 shaking weren’t 54396b756b as severe 85f827031e as he 2dadf10018 had feared. If he had enough 1eff377e06 stamina, he could finish 1b186ba27c this quickly.a5d86ef1d2cacabc

Emboldened by f264b52847 the sight 49d8bb0bac of a e4e9b9abac clear path fb9df79428 ahead, Jack c3c0f24804 moistened his fb2b5d8287 dry lips 191b038473 and pressed ce2fddbf59 onward, scaling 48f149937e the Viper’s a33bf42764 body.321ffdde235d0cd6

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Several times, 70348efdfd the beast f40b4add72 tried to 0d3369d5b5 snap at 53d94b8918 the soldiers 293e6c1a95 below, but c86156ebb8 each time, 01b6a56dba Cayenne’s arrows 3010b97c00 struck true ce5304ae70 from the 5fb1aa264e hill. After missing 241764affb its prey 733830639b multiple times b4a0d27d48 due to 69e7b5c265 the relentless 73a11f75c7 barrage, the 40365c8d9d Viper let a0bd4df84e out a 8f69393c24 furious roar, 9c80c6cee2 shaking the db230a7a1d air with aa763dd4af its rage.104b8f91ed510dd0

“Commander!”f7ea9ca7757ac566

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The Viper’s black tongue a92b81c18d lashed through the air 441fd8eb71 with a chilling snap. The creature, blind and 9f0b1f7033 without eyes, relied on fe41dcda3a its tongue to sense e553f4b224 the direction of the 2d781e08d4 incoming arrows.f4210f95ac30dca3

Realizing he d592bcdf02 was now ae8161ff71 the target, 00d33eedd2 Cayenne raised 2c5d946ac6 an eyebrow 4dfe4a6f21 slightly. That was his 9943f3ac13 only reaction. Without a 3715ac3903 hint of e7ddeb62b2 hesitation, he 67ce2e810d calmly nocked 4d00331619 another arrow—but cbf22d0524 Jack felt d300956c46 as if 03a71374b7 his own 89ef59df3b heart might db0d1532ee stop.8b6c4b14de99c7c7

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Hesitation would be 697d2d6fb4 fatal.8fce590392727f23

Despite the Viper’s massive e328f70efd size, its movements were a17a886907 sluggish. But being targeted was 0ed0cd9ad9 another matter entirely. Unlike the other cc91f765c4 soldiers engaged in 5bc252ed2c battle, Cayenne stood a3e51a27c5 alone on the 16ce6c7976 hill, with no 33a177557f one nearby to 90b180ebe5 aid him if 4217851105 he was attacked.e88237f7766feb0b

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Damn it.c9a651a069f296cf

Jack cursed inwardly and 208867612b scrambled up the Viper’s 984248f8b2 back. In his haste, 6702815fcf he nearly lost 67b9c77baf his footing more 6e102b65db than once, but c0d275024e luck was on a21321043c his side—he didn’t fe6db2d4ce fall.adb5eca5e4eefd23

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Finally reaching the tip 93c853e9c6 of the Viper’s writhing 7343dd2982 head, Jack caught his c8f8ad1f56 breath and took in 1ca3f6dcb9 his surroundings.a17b72325d7aa14c

Cayenne stood tall, 4fe5d69fdb unwavering, loosing arrow 42ed1b8289 after arrow into 41e7ab22b2 the Viper’s gaping 7bd720d5ac mouth—as if he 70d2f41141 intended to be c309b3202b bait.61e0937dd4f06cdf

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What the 88ebefae3f hell is badc06d735 he thinking? Jack clicked his tongue 8161682346 in frustration.0b055880f39301f7

As he reached 57f34c5802 the creature’s crown, b2dc7d8b9f he spotted the 3284264fdb weak point Cayenne 0cb03f8802 had mentioned. Just as expected, 4de69abd3f the area at b096903cf7 the front of 14911626d5 the crown, a 1c7b113d62 section of degenerated d373ae4eee tissue, was exposed. Unlike the 9bc9dbac81 rest of dfcb1c7cdd its armored 21c8a520a0 body, this 92866f045f patch of 6d7018e4b5 grayish-brown flesh 6df2e0bbbb was unprotected ba4fb5670e by scales.ab8e05120bab3552

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The problem? The Viper’s 164cf8b0ec head thrashed 3a9fcb6dab wildly as e598634c15 it charged bc19627a48 toward Cayenne.0dd5eab81e778dd5

If Jack didn’t a27fca4d74 pierce the weak e88c5327a5 spot in one 45bf2df877 strike, it would cef06059ed only enrage the 970e5c710d creature, making the 5d40372125 situation even worse.c339b39669c88c6d

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He swallowed dryly.e458aaac0514f6f9

The lives be3883637f of the c51719c38d commander and 2940a1e58c the soldiers 88908eaf74 rested on d309b543d9 his next e8ccd8825f move, the 7485690f30 weight of a06eaf890b responsibility pressing 486972fa70 down on dbd2b11792 his shoulders.e35a2b9f3e7236cc

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Jack gritted 35781e1cc8 his teeth.05cff448f3c95348

He was tense, 0f11b7531e but there was 293f6becfb no time to 3c61812a07 hesitate.3b33320f460ba82b

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Kaaargh7d40f7bb5f62b306

The distance between Jack, d77165b573 standing atop the Viper’s fa5a41b821 crown, and Cayenne’s piercing 7ee5a4dac9 gaze was so close 5424e0e2bb that he could see 409c0b471a it clearly—vivid and unwavering.72b461d1ec3ee436

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Cayenne could 115dff5fcb have easily b4664db1fd dodged, yet c76e792ad3 he made 89352c7c0b no move 4e1d7b8fb3 to evade. Instead, he simply let bcf189d3e7 the bow hang at c9abc57cef his side, his eyes ebd21e6217 fixed intently on Jack.7df2093a4164e152

As Jack tightened his 762bca1749 grip on his sword 37d15b6af7 and furrowed his brow, d47a96df04 a thought crossed his 2d58f54b69 mind—fe2966fa037966c3

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Cayenne’s gaze… c6e93e513d it feels 14fd08a965 like he’s e9675ece67 testing me.2eb2e7229f3cbf68

Thud!70e881c0bfaf0a8f

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In a moment of crisis, the sword’s tip struck heavily into the Viper’s flesh. It felt like plunging a sword into a soggy mud pile.eab964456776e404

Kyaaaahfbcba3b9f7a2804a

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The giant snake-like 3e3dc8e5ea creature, its weak 570cbbd19f spot pierced, let da20439545 out a tearing c99671125d scream. As the 9ff76d2108 Viper writhed 3b4051cee2 in pain, 17711ac8fb Jack almost e5ef5f01a0 lost his 79b414e5fc grip on e0bd06f81b the sword.dcd617e132535854

“Deeper!”c8612f43b61545e2

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Cayenne’s sharp 1e024bc8ce command cut 4030297fbb through Jack’s f29414f7dc momentary hesitation.c5f1595f88861c1d

Gritting his teeth, 789b3310f2 Jack tightened his 395e367f12 grip on the 2c6b46cc3e sword’s handle with 67aeb81210 both hands and, fd3716f028 following Cayenne’s words, 751fdbec3f drove the blade 5c24e9afa3 in deeper.14f5ed4fa5772a90

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The flesh beneath 664bdcd7e6 the thick, seemingly 995514b3e1 impenetrable scales was 9e0fe5c6fa weaker than expected. At the ec4812c40b end of a86f1d1f83 his thrust, 8a09d45d3a he felt 53bb911100 something hard.a298b2f91a9d86af

Cayenne mentioned this—the b43715dd54 Viper’s core.9c1acd919799ef6f

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“Ugh…!”2b0e3853c22c4ca6

Unlike the d455aaf64b soft flesh, fc518a4252 the core 8626428440 was as dbbc7b43ad solid as fefb1a4374 stone. Jack attempted to 7211d1bc31 force his sword f8f6d409bf through multiple times, d292d4989a but the blade 34a5c4a661 wouldn’t pierce it. With a ccab2ec416 frustrated growl, 5ac1a757a3 he screamed 72c804e5a6 and threw 9377e1c20b his full 7a55feba8c weight onto 5d5c221aca the sword’s e5e6420e3b tip.a9112ab5b7e757a0

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Crack.a365ce16a2cecf8d

Something shattered 4e09925b50 beneath his 4561733911 blade.d0ee0560c0ba6b6c

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The Viper let out 7afcd61474 a terrible, drawn-out screech.7e659377e232993f

Kiiiiik—!a4f965ba846f048e

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Its massive body, 7b455e7c06 which had been 24fae3399f thrashing violently, suddenly 74cd33ead9 lost all strength 88cf4da954 and began to b00158eb26 topple.3a7d139e12850a58

Jack held onto 80838f9afb the sword, bracing 955f42e138 against the unsettling 0bc938b5ca sensation of the cc73980ff6 ground crumbling beneath 01fc20d46d him. As the Viper’s c29ceb4c77 main body collapsed, e410550ff2 the decoys that 3baae10b81 the soldiers had 6c90326c9d been fighting crumbled 059a29875e into dirt—mere illusions.90b65d82640ee0c8

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The soldiers, afdb53dfe8 momentarily caught 7d4b790372 off guard, f18400aa9b scrambled to 0be7e72819 avoid the a485f5b199 falling behemoth, db19283e3c its form cef5ad3d77 as towering aa7a36dd0c as a e72e5750aa castle.13b27b2b7c64fac4

With a 3350bc4089 deafening crash, aed42ff810 the Viper 5f79acbf46 finally fell.c42b9e503ad645d6

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And then—silence.5befaecdf3ca4aa4

Jack, still gripping the 135171a82f sword embedded in the 4a34aaa046 crown, blinked beneath his 03ac8a2aa7 furrowed brows, dumbfounded. His heart 0520cec2a1 pounded violently 9df8447299 in his be1d9968c9 chest, the a3a6a11dec tension refusing 8ba283cd0c to fade.0c3a4ecd4075dc3e

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For a long moment, 2304be6e3f he remained still, watching 0b46ea2b33 for any final movement. But the Viper did 4dfdbb887c not stir.0668b5d734d46aa7

It was dead. For sure.02d5e055cf0ed21b

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The realization f1018d50fb hit him a2bddb41f4 all at fcf3b1f565 once. The tension 5951334ac6 that had 726a83dad7 gripped his d96deeaefb body transformed ff568d753f into an 17214f1710 overwhelming rush 41a8144b49 of exhilaration. Jack pressed his 1f5ab90613 lips together tightly.3698583c038f4781

They had done it.bfa19df7135d72d8

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They had d917ea1b0a taken down fbcd875189 the monster.c5e31b846c7bc471

Yet, even now, 8f8b957984 the victory didn’t 83b8139af5 feel real.7886ac4566d3f479

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“…Did we really take it down?”dd8c8744c91975d3

Wow, one of 287f7f111c the soldiers let addc72571b out a dazed 08d5c63bc8 exclamation. A few 8af0921665 exhausted soldiers 5f6e696e9e sat down b76aa51de5 on the b1de4b66b7 ground, still 36532a80b1 holding their b9abc41d44 swords.c73e92f0e22bbdbc

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“…Not bad at all, huh?”f0faa022c60d8719

Cayenne, who had been d1ebc190e8 standing on the hill, 1ddd8eeddb was now beside the ae85740124 fallen Viper. He crossed his 1d55b02fec arms and smiled f10414efe1 with a relaxed 2e061523ae demeanor.e23ec6c2df590d9b

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“Well done, Jack Rabbit.”fc1d43de32810bdc

What does 935e01ca01 he mean af56675587 by‘not bad’?436ffd5767ad46fc

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As Jack 4aac5ddc7f pondered dumbly c6f5bbeddb over the 49f1ad653e vague praise, 689bbba686 Cayenne smiled fd85028743 and spoke 49062a58a7 again.69cb086fd8821d74

Even with 7fba51826b his brow fa7b8e0abf tightly furrowed, 27dae589b5 he was 246d0509b2 strikingly beautiful—but 35858c6967 when he c8d715dad8 smiled, he e1d9d9b2b6 was like 3c333ac6ef an angel.33adaa3ce6912bca

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Something welled up in 826a43353f Jack’s chest.15ec60a46e84a393

Was it c282a35b8f the joy 722afa0b6e of being 7fbd47218e praised by 1e0f75e193 the Knight 99f52784b8 Commander? Or the beede9ddc2 pride of 02305c52d7 slaying a 29a6e9174f legendary monster 72471aa0b4 for the ad2285a1f0 first time?8f6e78b4a2bbd889

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He couldn’t tell.9a3d023e88af0c67

No, it was definitely 65696f1998 both. Jack wiped 8df6067916 his nose, d3d21b73aa pretending to b55629d81a wipe away d881fbbd99 the sweat 1aa009477e from the d1b0545f02 overwhelming emotions.8c6f4975ad77a8ab

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“Was it really a Viper?!”2d0805cc12684fe4

Vice Commander 3134dfa7d5 Miles Christopher’s 836bc46589 eyes widened 44aa0b6b81 in shock. Beside him, Rick Wyatt c5c8722f9e looked just as stunned, d922f7a0e6 as if he couldn’t ffec720d03 believe what he had 8340a770a5 just heard.6d206d3ba1b55235

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Sitting across from them, b0dd1e8ec1 Jack awkwardly rubbed his 8f39b57586 temple with his thumb, 87c9c05d75 forcing a small smile.cf9f991d74594bce

Even he had to c07b9fe3b2 admit—it was quite the f1da5ca909 achievement.75631de8df47454e

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But was it really 355f37e2b1 that surprising?2cd610cc22c95546

Just as he 2d5fec0704 was thinking that, 61d9835d20 Rick Wyatt tilted dd5f886e77 his head.7a7b0ff8b417feb7

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“What’s that? Is it some kind of animal?”346ba689858408dd

“…”3907047b0d0a39a3

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Jack erased the 402c207d44 smile that had af93377e38 been forming on 8693a1a721 his lips and 19dafa2775 bared his teeth.f66b2901321a6231

‘Of course.’ Even he had only remembered the monster from a book after Cayenne’s questioning, so there was no way Rick Wyatt, whose only job was being a knight born with a golden fork in his mouth, would know.c4a569242bc020af

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Miles also gave 9622fc5f04 Rick Wyatt a 644de20d58 look of reproach eea7b906a0 for his ignorance. Rick Wyatt, 00f3416091 looking startled, 660c639440 closed his 7b00a53aaa mouth and 45cb08595b sat quietly.de658537388b5e1e

“Are you sure it was the Viper of the earth? The monster that grows in the land abandoned by spirits.”f0e267d7e44da994

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“Yes, that’s correct.”011cd4e5dfcbbc1f

The only one who understood was the Vice Commander. Jack nodded with a face that couldn’t hide the pride welling up from within.d1a67db9787dfaf9

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Miles took a e138dd2c22 sharp breath, as 441b7eef17 if something was e0608e186d bothering him.f5ee45753711c256

“If it was indeed a Viper, then it makes sense for our Repelz to handle it. …But why did it appear near the Capital City?”b306bb01fe6c1560

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“Is it strange?”740f567cb8c164ee

The Vice 52e5160ad6 Commander had 4d50e9167e a look e7abe0ddc1 of concern. Before Jack 48bff02dd7 could even 13dd142151 question it, 2a9c28de61 the innocent 67ae723fc7 Rick Wyatt d4c7e73374 asked. Miles, looking flustered, 59d4779df1 tilted his head.2c58959c2d66f68b

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“It’s not a common monster. Besides, the Viper is a monster that appears where the earth spirits have left… As you know, spirits dislike humans. Given the long history of the Capital City, the spirits left this area a long time ago.”63c41d6b93c7427f

“Could it have been hiding for a long time? Its size was enormous, suggesting it wasn’t just a year or two old.”3564f64b7affc885

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“Vipers are naturally huge. If one that size had been hiding, there would have been some sign of it at some point.”8a28c7c167722d01

The people 7517e746ac gathered around d10d4a607e the round e663bc73af table in 6cb1185303 the conference 3e42837ac6 room blinked f586db6b60 and focused 56ac99b402 their attention 260f789717 on Miles. Jack also stared c1f091bdfb blankly at Miles, 80e3e0537b becoming absorbed in 56a79b92fa his question.66f7bb8c143ee295

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…Come to think of it.750c6c0da64855a5

Miles had a point. While the 68680a07cd regions near 149461a70d the borders 252c44252b remained untamed, 5e43076792 teeming with 2fe38a2175 monsters and a8fe0981ef spirits, the 73d16bb445 areas surrounding 9565774198 the Capital 95840bc8d8 City—nestled deep b0293a5c91 within the 4f1f5d95de inland—had long 29dd3e43a8 been devoid cdddb6c5c1 of such f4f3b2bb97 creatures.abd7dfbba26600e8

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