"Yaahh!" Eric yelled as he rushed out of his hiding spot with his katana brandished and raised for all to see. It was a very surprising scene for the three beast hunters. They didn't have the time to unfold their own blades nor was there comfort in trying to take the guns out of where it was tied on their backs. By the time they could think of regrouping, Eric was already behind the two men carrying the dead beast.
The leader, also without weapon had decided to go with his fist and launched a heavy blow at Eric's masked face but he swerved right out of the attack range before dashing past him and the two other men to their rear.
'Whooo. I feel lighter on my feet than I can remember.'
Slash!
Eric quickly tore through fabric and skin with the sharp edge of his blade, sending the shortest man among the three dropping the pole and rushing backwards to regroup with the rest. He appeared tough and ready to go again as if he wasn't hurt, but Eric could feel the pain and discomfort in his faulty movement.
"Who the hell are you?" The leader of the group spoke up through his mask.
"Seriously, I don't know. But who the bloody hell are you too?" Eric retorted. "Care to come off with that mask? I should at least behold who I'm about to end."
The leader laughed. A sour one. The other two were already out with their long knives and the unhurt one was even frantically trying to remove the sniper rifle from his back.
"Tsk. Let me drop a hint as a token of my good will," said Eric. " You must kill me before 30 seconds or you'll never get the chance to do that again. Y'know, it's just that I have this cool skill currently loading and it'll get ready in 30... 29...28..."
"What a deadhead. I don't know why you're doing this but I advice you to get out the way. Even with your mask on, I can tell you're still a Becomer. You don't wanna mess with the colony officials that are out on a task. Just go, lad. I'll forgive the little damage you've already done," said the hunting leader.
"Tch. Hey you," said Eric, addressing one of the subordinates who was trying to get his rifle out in threat. "Quit trying to scare me with that rifle. We all know the colony will release you once you use that gun on anything other than a beast. Just come at me with your long knives and make it quick."
"Uhm...do we perhaps know you?"
"Figure that out yourself," Eric grunted a reply as he made a quick feint run to the leader's left side. The muscled masked leader who was prepared for any more surprise attacks, moved to block Eric's path with his hunting knife held firmly in his think hand.
'Stupid of you to think I'll run straight at you. I have learnt my lesson.'
And...
'Important rule of every hunting scheme... Target the weakest among the group.'
'So, I'm going for the short hunter with the wounded back.'
"Die!"
The wounded one turned on his feet and quickly blocked Eric's attacks with a fast parry with his knife, but Eric already expected a weak block like that so he positioned his body and timed his move so he immediately swerved a little far from from his reach and right past him, pushing his weight with the help of the contact between the blades and building momentum with it.
'Skilled with the knife, huh?'
"...But your injury has made you f--king weak and clumsy!"
SLASH!
Eric had gotten behind him and dealt a fatal blow to his back a second time, forming a deep wound that stretched diagonally through the whole length of his back and in opposite direction from the first cut. Blood oozed slowly, forming a dark pool that was expanding rapidly on his military uniform.
"Aaaaaaaarrgh!" The hunter let escape a deep cry of pain this time.
Eric felt good seeing how he has masterfully crafted an X mark on the hunters back.
'I should make that my signature kill-sign. Fuck Samurai. You should call me X-Man now.'
'That's a man fewer. I hope he doesn't die by the time I'm done with the other two.'
Without giving Eric a breathing space, the other two hunters were on him the second their colleague fell.
'How much longer?'
[Cool-down Period Remaining: 10s]
'It's a good thing my senses have become mysteriously sharper than I have any right to.'
'I'll make do with that and stall this fight out till the skill is ready.'
Eric engaged the other two immediately, dancing round the open group, jumping away from them at the slightest scare and sending his own feint attacks also. His long katana made him have a longer reach than the hunters who were using hunting knives, but even then, they managed to block Eric's attacks efficiently and edge closer to him because of their experience with knife handling. Besides, Eric was nimbler on his feet than they were, so he didn't just block knife attacks with the katana. He was also bouncing and dancing his way out of danger's reach.
WHOOSH!
The leader hunter managed to get close enough and immediately swung his blade with overwhelming strength and speed, in a wide arc and straight at Eric's head. Alarmed, his survival instinct kicked in, and just millisecond from the knife making impact, Eric ducked.