Magnum and the witch stood at the foot of the barren mountain. Dark mists slowly creep but the strong winds shoves it away, keeping it from taking the mountain. Lightning flickered, thunder hammered in succession on the dark clouds looming near. Faces of demons hid in the dark mist chanting the words from the world below.

“We are getting close to the Grand Demon,” Askel said.

“Too close,” Carzi said.

“It’s weird to see you three in different bodies. I didn’t know you can do that,” Magnum said.

“Human. You know nothing,” Askel said.

“A servant? A dark spirit as a servant? Ahaha!” the witch said.

"You three stand by. Attack her if she tries to get away again,” Magnum said.

“Why are you laughing slave?” Askel said from behind her, “We’re no different from each other.”

“Correct! We always work for someone right?” she said looking at each of the three dogs.

“B-bingo!” Bunta said.

“Told you, she’s a small fry!” Askel said.

“Shut up! I don’t care! Let's focus on taking her down!”

The witch started to move her hands and the rock column around her also started moving. It separated into pieces and floated around her, hundreds of them. They moved following the motion of her hands and then she tossed it all away in all directions.

Magnum evaded the first wave. He sidestepped a few times to get closer while evading on the next one's. “This is dangerous! It's like bullets,” he whispered.

“So she can control rocks and plants,” Askel said while also evading.

“Closer!” Magnum stepped in one more time. The rocks were unending as she created more rock columns to throw at them. He stepped in closer, and it was harder and harder to evade as he got nearer but he was patient. The witch noticed that her attack wasn't affective so she changed her tactics. She made circles with her arms and the rocks turned into a whirlwind making Magnum jump back.

“Woah! One hit from those rocks on the head and I‘m dead. Give me a grenade!” The grenade instantly conjured on his hand and he threw it to the whirlwind but it got hit with a stone and exploded inside the whirlwind before it could get to her.

“This won't do!” Magnum swung his sword and blasted the stones in front of him but it was still ineffective due to the strong movement of the wind.

“Okay, I get it now!” Magnum started running outside the whirlwind. He followed the wind. He tried to match its speed and then he slowly entered.

“Good! Do it. We’ll watch over!” Askel said.

Magnum ran along with the stones inside the whirlwind. He was getting pushed by the wind but it was safer to cross it this way. He was able to get closer and closer after every cycle but the witch saw him and jumped away again. She stopped the whirlwind and then started to control the rocks like water. It flowed around her like a snake and then she shot it to Magnum. In response, he blasted it into pieces with one swing and then he jumped closer to her to hit her with his sword.

“Got you!”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

The witch was blasted to the ground but she stood up quickly and jumped backward, “Are you serious? This is all you know? Explosions?” she said. The witch wasn’t hurt because her rock armor protected her but half of her helmet crumbled into pieces.

“Yes! It's all I have. And I have lots of em! I don't care how many times I blast you!”

Magnum ran and attacked again. She skirted around him, evading the blast attacks while making rock spikes randomly come up from the ground to hit Magnum.

“These spikes are too slow!” Magnum said as he continued to blast and follow her. He started to gain distance and momentum.

“This is it!” He swung his gunblade and pressed the triggers of his weapon but he felt something stopped him. Vines straddled his legs, arms and chess. He then felt something coming up to him from behind. It was from the vines that grappled him and it was big and heavy.

“Spikes!” he knew it but he was late. Both his legs and arms were impaled but he was able to protect his chest with his right arm.

“Ohhhh! That hurt!” Askel said.

“It's over boy,” she said walking in front of him. She conjured a sharp stone sword and knelt on one knee to stab him.

“Yup, it's over!” Magnum said and then quickly tossed two pellets inside her armor and it exploded inside and blasted them away from each other.

“Ahhhhhh!” the witch screamed on the ground a few meters away from him, she screamed in pain and anger. Her face turned green like a vine. Half of her chest and right arm were blasted off. Burned blood drips down her body giving off the smell of a burning plant.

“She’s still alive? Fuck!” he said coughing with blood. Trying to get up.

“I told you they are not easy to kill! But she’s weak now! I can easily snap her head if you like!” Askel said.

“No! Stay where you are! I will kill her!”

Magnum stood up and held his gunblade. He started walking towards her. She stood up, her body wasn’t healed but her eyes were red, almost demon like. She took a knife from her belt and also walked towards Magnum.

“Yes! Let’s fight!” he could barely walk and have to shout to force himself to move but as they closed the distance between them, the witch fell to the ground.

The earth shook.

“What’s happening? Shit!” Magnum continued to drag his feet towards the witch. His head felt light and his vision blurry. The blast opened his wounds again from the spikes that hit him earlier and he was running out of blood. He knelt in front of the witch. He took the knife from her hand, held it up, and stabbed her heart.

She coughed as the knife punctured her. “You stupid boy,” she whispered looking at the sky.

“Finally, you’re dead,” he said.

A gust of wind blasted from the south which made Magnum fell to the ground, His senses were starting to fade. He saw the clouds parted and light coming through from the sky.

“What’s happening?” he said.

“No, this… This is bad!” Carzi said running beside Magnum, “We need to heal him! But…”

“It's the Grand Demon!” Askel said, “No, she can’t die! She was the one holding down the grand demon! Use all your energy to heal her Bunta!”

“W-what? I’m not good at healing!”

“Just do it!” Askel said.

A ten-story dragon with wings flew into the sky.

“I’m sorry… Sister….” the witch said.

“I’ll keep him alive!” Askel said.

###

Magnum opened his eyes and all that he could see was white.

“Am I dead?”

He looked around. There was a white light at the center of the room coming from a small square brick. The ceiling was white, the bed was white and the walls. Good thing there were some plants and wooden chairs and tables on the side that showed him that he was still alive.

“My body... My body is the same. Ohhhh? I can move?"

The door opened something that he did not notice earlier.

Cerberus and Tanna came walking.

“You’re finally awake!” She said.

“Oh it's about time…” Askel said sitting on the floor on the left side of the bed.

“What happened?” he said.

“You’ve been sleeping for three days. And a lot happened.” Tanna said looking straight at Magnum’s eyes.