Ethan had been too exhausted to dream though his sleep was far from restful. His body, bruised, cut, and sliced up, would have normally been enough of a reason for someone to cry and pray for salvation. However, it seemed when Ethan did something, for better or worse, he went all out, and as such was also suffering from a severe case of Nel' Ina poisoning. Most people would have long ago collapsed after ingesting a fraction of what he had consumed thus far, and here he was, laying on his side with tears streaming from his half closed eyes to then fall to the ground below, placing yet another small amount of crystallized Nel' Ina onto his tongue.
His jaw and teeth hurt too much to bite down so he was forced to suffer as it slowly dissolved. At least he had access to fresh water, though getting to it was becoming harder and harder with the passing of each hour. Deciding he could wait a little longer before moving toward the pool he glanced up absently and let out a sigh of appreciation as he could still see the sparkling canvas above.
"At least the monsters still aren't attacking."
He thought to himself as his eyes slowly closed despite his best efforts to keep them open. Though he would wake up several more times throughout the night most of those times disappeared into his memories without a second glance. It wasn't until all the stars had disappeared from the sky and a soft glow had begun replacing the darkness high above the land did Ethan suddenly jolt awake.
He had a horrible taste in his mouth, having fallen asleep without ever getting a drink to help dissolve the Nel' Ina crystal on his tongue. His surprised reaction caused him to start coughing as bitter saliva hit the back of his throat and the fumes from crystal breaking down flooded his lungs. However, he had something far more troublesome to deal with, and as he clung to his chest he managed to scramble to his feet while twisting back toward the mountain at his back. The agony of not only standing but doing so as quickly as he did almost caused him to faint, his muscles wavering as his vision blurred. Using a boulder at his side to help support his body, something his hand and arm were very upset about, he steadied himself before looking out into the dimming darkness.
It was back, it was hungry, and it very clearly intended to have Ethan help in staving off said hunger. It was moving quick, a dull rumble signaling that it was most likely running right at him. He could also hear secondary noises, that of other monsters scrambling, or being thrown, out of the way, though they were gradually drowned out the closer the predator got. Ethan wasn't sure why it had chosen to simply stampede him like this, but perhaps it was for the better this way. At least he wouldn't have to worry about a sneak attack any longer, and if he got luck perhaps he could even settle it quickly.
His coughing fit was just about over and he was able to fasten what remained of his shields to his arms. The rumbling was nearly deafening now and the ground around him, as well as his own body, were now shaking and rattling about. He lowered himself slightly, trying to fix his body into the best defensive posture and braced all of his muscles, letting his Nel' Ina flow throughout his body and shields. Just as he was about to being bellowing in response to the rumbling that was causing his ears to feel like they were about to start bleeding the vibrations stopped and everything was quiet.
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Confusion only flickered in Ethan's conscious, and slipped across his dirty and battered face, for a split second before he understood the situation. The monster had jumped into the air, its initial trajectory blocked by the massive mound of dead monster bodies encircling Ethan's teenage form. However, the speed at which it was running now had an extra measurement to add to its destructive force; gravity. Less than two seconds had passed since the sound ended, Ethan noted the massive body now hurling towards him from above, and the earth rupturing impact that came when the two collided.
The explosive force echoed down over the valley behind them, across Coppershear, and for dozens of miles away. Every inch of the cliffs that were visible from Coppershear shuddered, pebbles, rocks, boulders, and even a landslide fell as the monster drove itself and Ethan deep into the rock below. The pool that had been next to where the two collided, and the countless bodies surrounding it, were now just a memory, the entire area now a crater that was at least 50 times bigger. Reports later found that pieces of rock and monsters from that day landed more than a day's horse ride away.
Ethan had forgotten everything; who he was, what he was doing just seconds ago, even how to breath. He hadn't been able to lift his shield high enough to properly block the attack, it had all happened to quickly. Half of the impact was taken directly against his shoulder and upper body, and then there was nothing. He couldn't hear anything, couldn't see anything, and couldn't even feel anything. He pretty much couldn't even have a coherent word form in his mind, let alone a thought.
The sudden need for air, a searing pain engulfing his entire body, and the sudden shock that he was still alive after such an attack all brought him back to the present and he let out a horrific scream of agony that only a terrified and broken person could make. Places all over his body were suddenly cut open as the creature began to... feed. Pinned against the epicenter of the crater, Ethan's vision finally sharpened enough to see a part of what had attacked him. It was truly massive, it had to be as he could only see part of its body as the rest was shielded from his view. He didn't so much look around as he simply let his head weakly swing from one side to the other and it was then he realized how much trouble he was in.
His left leg was shredded and dangling by just a few bits of skin and muscle a few inches below the knee, his right arm was still attached, however, it was currently being sucked on by a tooth filled maw of what looked like a giant armored leech. In addition to the big one working on his arm about a dozen smaller ones had attached themselves to his body in various places. Another larger one slipped from the cluster of slithering tubes in front of him, the sounds from their bone like armor grinding against one another causing him to wince, before he watched in helpless horror as it dropped down and then came up under his dangling foot and sucked it in like a noodle.