Escaping had been a fool’s errand. This was something I realised when looking at the approaching sand cloud covering the rising light-disk. They had seen us and it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that we would make our way to the nearest city.
Luckily, if you could call our situation that, not the entire camp had taken up the pursuit. From afar I could make out around a dozen figures. Still, that left us with twelve armed and angry bandits that had no qualms about killing. A fight we would lose, but what other options did we have? There wasn't anywhere to hide in the open desert and we couldn't outrun the lamecs. So, we got ready for battle. My first and maybe last real battle.
Pecta estimated that we had about ten minutes before they got to us, which wasn’t a lot. My companion was equipped with a short sword and a dagger that he wielded in his off-hand. I only had the weird glowing dagger, which I wielded in my human hand. My claw was sharp enough to be used in combat, but I didn't know how much good it would do me. Pecta took the healing potion, while I placed the four mysterious blue orbs in the pocket of my pants. They were of no use in combat but looked pretty and I hoped they would give me good luck. Deep down, I knew that the world didn’t work like that but I was desperate. Had it been a bad decision to help Pecta? If I hadn’t, I probably wouldn’t be in this situation. Glancing at him I shook my head. Now wasn’t the time to think about what could have been. I had made my choice and now I needed to stand by it.
When the bandits saw that we were no longer fleeing they dismounted and approached. It didn't take long for them to reach us and I immediately gulped when I saw what awaited us. Ten bandits wearing mismatched armor and drawn weapons were slowly approaching us in a half circle. They were built powerfully and didn't seem to be amateurs in wielding their weapons. That on its own would be enough to get me worried, but what set my alarm off was the eleventh individual, who was leisurely strolling behind his comrades. It was the mage that had almost killed us back at the camp.
They stopped around twenty steps from us and the mage, who was obviously the leader, stepped forward. His cloak was pulled down so I could see his immaculate face that was twisted into a grin. “Now this is a sight you don’t often see!” he shouted in a cheerful tone. “Two would-be thieves, sneaking up on innocent people and slitting their throats.” He focused on me, his grin growing even wider. “And what do we have here, a monster working with a human? Well, I’ll be dammed.” Despite his cheerful demeanor, the situation only got creepier. I had to suppress a shiver when looking at his smile. Disturbing. Pecta had no such qualms and fearlessly stepped forward. “You couldn’t have put it better. You are dammed, dammed by the gods for your murderous and heretical ways.” The mage’s smile slowly slipped, morphing into a sneer. “Looks like we found a homeless paladin,” he spat. One of the bandits laughed but was quickly silenced by his companions. “As much as I would love to talk about ideologies, we have a job to do. So, throw your weapons down and we might spare your lives,” he continued. Before anyone could move I took a step forward. “Why are you doing this?” I asked. “You have the power to twist the world to your whim and enough money to buy an entire bandit force, but you use it to kill innocent people. Why?” I didn’t understand it.
The mage just chuckled. “Sometimes you have to shed a bit of blood for the greater good. I honestly pity you. You were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. The gods must despise you.” I tensed at the casualness of the human’s words. Even the bandits exchanged glances, not knowing what their leader was talking about. They were here because they had been paid, nothing more, nothing less. Calling them bandits was wrong. They were mercenaries. People who killed simply out of greed. These thoughts flooded my hand and I tightened my grip around the dagger. “You are the absolute worst,” I hissed. The mage smiled. “Kill them.”
He stepped back and the mercenaries started slowly encircling us. They had superior numbers, so why risk deaths when they could take their time. Our odds weren't looking good, and I was frightened. But together with that fear, there was something else. A pulse of excitement, disconnected from the rest. A part of me was eager for this fight.
Quickly assessing the situation, I realised that we couldn’t allow them to encircle us. It would make us easy pickings, so we needed to act fast. The biggest threat to us weren’t the grunts, but the mage at the back because his capabilities were unknown. His ranged attacks during the camp raid had been very powerful and I didn’t doubt that he hadn’t shown us all that he could do. Pecta and I had discussed what we would do if the mage showed up and came to the consensus that he needed to go first.
We waited until they were arranged in a half circle before Pecta gave the signal to attack. All hesitations gone, we both rushed side by side toward the three fighters in front of the mage. The others realised what we were planning and quickly closed in around us. The mage raised his hands and started muttering, signaling an impending magic attack. Before we clashed, Pecta threw the dagger from his offhand which buried itself in the neck of the right human. If I had time I would have applauded him for his perfect throw. The closest two mercenaries had already reached their two remaining comrades, making it four against two, with more enemies approaching.
Pecta and I split, forcing the mercenaries to do the same, reducing the number of enemies I needed to fight to two. The sword of my first opponent clashed with my dagger above our heads. The second mercenary took the chance to slash at my other arm, with an attack that would have severed the hand of a normal human. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't normal or human. The blade bounced harmlessly off of my scales which prompted him to let out a grunt. This distracted the other one, who briefly looked at what had surprised his comrade. His eyes widened when he saw my clawed arm from up close and the pressure of his sword weakened. Not one to let an advantage slip, I pushed his sword away and swept my claw through his neck. It went cleanly through, not a shred of resistance hindering it. Blood splattered on my clothes and a gurgle escaped the human’s lips before he collapsed. Killing him had been shockingly easy. One swing and his life had been extinguished. But even then, a part of me was glad that he was dead and I still lived. I wanted to vomit but couldn’t.
My hesitation almost cost me my life as the mage finally showed his power. My only warning was the hiss of parting air before I had to dodge the wind blade. Even then, it grazed my side, leaving behind a clean cut. I hissed at the unexpected pain, and frantically dodged the second mercenary’s swing. He had gotten over his shock and was now attacking with twice the vigor. I tried my best to dodge all his strikes but just wasn't a good enough fighter. After receiving a wound on my right arm that almost made me drop my weapon I had to back off.
This fight was going very poorly. The first part had made me confident that we had a chance to win, but now things were looking bad. As soon as they realised that we were dangerous opponents they dropped their overconfidence and became much more serious. I simply couldn't break through my remaining enemy, and two more mercenaries were quickly approaching from behind.
In one final desperate attack, I charged the bandit standing between me and the mage. Suddenly, four translucent spikes made out of air materialised in front of me. I managed to dodge the first half of the attack, but the remaining two spikes hit me below my thigh and my side, drawing blood. Before I even had the chance to scream, the sound of something shattering registered in my ears. At the same time, a white mist started billowing from the spot the wind spike had hit. Before anyone could figure out what was going on, the whole area around me was covered, reducing visibility to zero. The mysterious mist felt cool on my skin, similar to water, and slightly soothed the pain. Confused shouts could be heard from all around me. What had caused this? I fumbled at my side from where the mist had come from and felt broken shards. The orbs! I didn’t know what they were but they probably caused this mist when the wind attack broke them.
Before I could continue my musing, a clear voice cut through the confused screams. "By the graze of Venta, stop screaming like idiots! The monster used some sort of water magic to create the mist. It isn't acid that will eat your skin, so shut up until I can blow it away!” All of the mage’s attacks up to this point had utilised wind, so blowing away fog didn’t seem very far-fetched. If that happened the mercenaries would simply take us down with their superior numbers. But the mage had made one mistake. A clear flaw with the orbs was that even the user couldn't orient themselves, at least not without some sort of guidance. Guidance like, let's say, the voice of their target. The shouting had given away the mage’s position and I was going to capitalise on that. I could practically feel his flesh parting in front of my claw and his beautiful screams- what the hell was that thought?! It had come out of nowhere and if I had had the time I would have seriously considered my mental state. But there wasn’t any time.
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Despite the usefulness of the sudden fog, it didn’t solve all my problems. Mainly the single opponent that was still separating me from their leader. Not for long
The mist made seeing difficult, but not impossible. You could see the vague outlines of people close to you. So, when I saw such a shadow in front of me I didn't hesitate and stabbed it in the gut. The motion came to me so naturally, as if I had done it a million times before. A tug on my mind signaled an imminent vision but I powered through. Letting go of the dagger to avoid my victim's flailing, I continued forward. Only my natural weapons would be needed for the mage. In my haste, I even failed to realise that the dagger was glowing again and that the crumbled body on the sound was completely silent.
The beast raised its head and howled a victory cry. Only four more chains were binding it. Soon it would be free to ravage this world. No, it wouldn’t ravage it. It would escape. This world was a prison and it wasn’t the only one here. Three other presences permeated it, one of which was in control. The beast pulled and another chain broke. Not for long.
The mage recoiled as my body emerged from the mist like a vengeful god. Or maybe a really angry monster. He had been confident just a mere moment ago, surrounded by his goons, but now with only a couple of steps separating us, actual fear was starting to show. He had never entertained the thought of dying but now the possibility was there. The anger and bloodlust that had been building during the battle was starting to overflow, not leaving much room for anything else. I let out a battle cry and charged. The mage started frantically backpedaling and lifted his hands for another incantation. Before he could say anything, I reached him and slashed with my claw at his head. He raised his arms and somehow managed to block my attack. Well, block is a strong word. It sliced through his flesh but stopped upon hitting the bone. I had witnessed my claw cut straight through a man’s neck, so this came as a surprise. From the corner of my eye, I noticed a ring on the mage's hand glowing in a sickly green light. But things got worse, as he somehow hadn't lost concentration from the sheer pain he was probably in and was still focused on the spell. “Fist of Wind!”
My breath was pushed out of my lungs as something hit my body and pushed me off my feet. I flew through the air and landed on my back with a thud. Gasping for breath I tried to orient myself. The spell had pushed me ten steps back and made me feel like I had hit a wall at full speed. The sand had cushioned my landing, but my front felt like one giant bruise. I looked around and what I saw made me despair. The mist had cleared and revealed the result of our fight. Five mercenaries were lying lifelessly on the sand, their blood soaking it red. It was a miracle that we had almost defeated half of them. But it wasn't enough. Pecta was being pushed back by three humans and it was clear by the many cuts and a noticeable limp that he wouldn't last very long. The only reason he was managing to defend himself was that they were toying with him and only looking to inflict non-lethal wounds. The remaining two mercenaries were leisurely approaching me. One of them was noticeably uncomfortable. “Never knew a mage was so terrifying,” he muttered.
A brief look of annoyance flashed across the mage’s face, but it was quickly replaced with a chuckle. “You backwater dregs know nothing of true power. Even I am just a speck of dust compared to some of the monsters I’ve met.” The mage looked at my beaten form and focused on the claw. “You really are a strange monster. I would love to know how you got here but I fear that the risk of keeping you alive far outweighs the benefits.” The other mercenary stared at the deep wound I had inflicted on the mage and nodded. To my astonishment, it was already healing and the mage was talking like it wasn’t even there. The ring on his hand was still glowing. In any other situation I would have asked if the ring was magic but now truly wasn’t the time. I was about to die. But instead of just killing me, the mage moved to one of the corpses lying around and pulled something from its stomach. “The surprises don’t stop,” he muttered while frowning at my dagger. Turning to me, he glared and pointed at it. “Where did you get this?” I was in no state to answer properly, but somehow managed to utter something akin to ‘I found it’. One of the mercenaries moved closer. “What is it, boss?”
The mage turned it over and pointed at a symbol engraved at the base of the handle. It showed a snake with a halo encircling an armed human. I had noticed the symbol at the destroyed camp but hadn’t thought much of it. “This is a symbol of the Chosen Children of the Harbinger. A despicable cult. Furthermore, this dagger is an artifact. It uses the life force of its victims to silence them.” Without warning, the mage nicked the arm of one of his subordinates. The mercenary tried to say something but nothing left his mouth. Only silence. “A small presentation. Now…” He turned towards me and raised his hand. “Any last words?” Before I could answer he cast a spell. “Wind Blade”
A gut-wrenching scream escaped me as the magic attack tore into my stomach. When it dissipated, it left behind a deep gash that was welling blood. The mage frowned. “You're a tough one. Wind Blade.” Pain lit up my vision but I couldn’t get away. The agony was all-encompassing but mixed in with it was something else. Anger.
Why am I so weak? These humans were about to kill me and I could do nothing about it. A scream rang out from behind me. Even Pecta would die. That thought angered me even more. I hadn't known him for long and he certainly had flaws, but he had been the first kind creature I had met in this world. Talking to him had been fun and it made me see that the world wasn’t all bad. It angered me that he was about to die and there was nothing I could do about it.
The beast howled and another chain broke. Two remaining.
Suddenly, my body felt like it would burst from the sheer amount of power that swelled through me. I wasn't about to be killed by some random mercenaries in the middle of nowhere. Not when there was so much I had yet to do. So much I wanted to see and experience.
Another chain broke. One remaining.
You idiot! Do you want the parasite to destroy us both?! I ignored my inner voice. I didn’t know how, but I would survive this situation. No matter the cost.
The final chain broke.
The mage raised his hand for another Wind Blade but stopped when I suddenly lifted myself up. “Still got some fight in you?” the prey dismissively asked. He motioned for the two mercenaries to approach. “Finish it off. Even dregs like you should be able to do that.” They nodded and swiftly drew their weapons. One of them lifted his sword and swung for my neck. The swing never hit.
Instead, his sword disappeared. The hand holding the sword also disappeared. The human stared in shock before clutching his stump as he staggered backward, his screams filling the area.
Screams that pleased the beast. Sadly the prey was weak, not worthy of a hunt. Puny humans had somehow gotten weaker over time. It would be best to end this quickly before moving on to bigger prey. I snapped my fingers and erased one of the humans’ heads from reality. The motion felt weird but what could one expect from a humanoid body? Soon the beast would regain its pristine form. Although, it would take some time. So, why not experiment a bit? I gazed at the second mercenary who was fearfully backpedaling and pointed at him, specifically his stomach. With a thought, I created a small opening that connected it to the abyss. Immediately, an abyssal leach crawled through and started feeding on his life essence. They were some of the weakest inhabitants of the abyss, but more than enough for one human. I turned towards the last three bandits and tilted my head in thought. What to try next? The thud of the lifeless second human whose body looked more like a weathered husk than a corpse resounded from behind me. I had already wasted enough time with them, so I would give them a quick death.
The brutal deaths of their comrade had broken them from their trance and they decided that their lives were worth more than any money in the world. A realisation that came too late. A swift swipe of my hand and their heads fell off their body. With a thought, I closed the hair-thin crack in reality that had decapitated them and turned towards the mage. I decided to ignore Pecta for now. He had helped this vessel survive and would thus live longer.
The mage had fallen on his back and was quickly crawling away from me. He had one hand raised and was frantically muttering another spell. Suddenly, a strong wind started picking up the sand around us and obscuring my vision. The wind became stronger and stronger until the individual sand corns felt like stones. The beast had been prepared for some strong magic, but this… why was it so weak? Had humans deteriorated so much? It didn’t matter. Prey would always be prey.
I waved my hand and erased most of the wind essence around me, leaving just enough to breathe. The sand immediately plummeted to the ground and showed that the caster had decided to leave early. He was already on one of the lamecs and riding away into the distance, having probably used a spell or enchantment to get that far. With another sigh, I raised my hand to give the coward a deserving death when my body started convulsing. Damit, why was this vessel so weak? It couldn't even handle a couple of reality manipulations. Before my eyes rolled into the back of my head I decided to at least kill the cowardly mage and erased his heart. Then everything went black.