Cheese made it only a few more paces before the blast hit him. It bellowed out from the far side of the river, expanding outward in a wave of necrotic force that decimated the walls of the Mill.
Cheese was sent hurtled through the air, the force of the blast slamming into him like an unrelenting battering ram. The impact sent him careening through the first hovel in front of him, splintering wood and shattering stone in a cacophony of destruction. He tumbled through walls, each collision sending shockwaves of pain through his body, though the adrenaline coursing through his veins dulled its sharp edges. Eith every impact Cheese felt somthing exit his core and protect him.
Then he flew through another, and another as he flipped and turned about. Each impact slowed him until his chaotic flight was ended abruptly. Cheese crashed face-first into the dirt, something massive and oppressively heavy pinning him to the ground.
Gritting his teeth, he planted his hands in the earth and pushed, every muscle straining as he forced the weight off his back. A jagged section of a bedframe slid off of him with a sickening crunch, collapsing into a heap beside him and raising a choking cloud of dust.
"CHEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAT!" came a roar from behind him. The voice vibrated his very skin as it resonated with the air.
Cheese staggered to his feet, his legs trembling but unbroken. That in and of itself was astounding yet he could feel his energy had been depleted, his core was as empty as a void and Cheese felt a hunger there just out of his grasp. Cheese looked back and saw the giant figure was raising his hands to the sky in protest as he yelled at the gods themselves for interfering.
Cheese began to run, and after a moment the vibrations of the giant's colossal steps began reverberating through the ground as he gave chase. Each step was like an ominous drumbeat heralding doom. Cheese bounded forward, trying to orient himself.
As he bounded through the debris and destroyed houses from the earlier blast, he heard the giant yell out again “Where are you human, where are you cheat, abomination of all that is right. I will find you and I will grind you into a paste!”
Every word chilled his bones as Cheese darted in between hovels. After a moment he heard the giant scream in rage, and then the beast began kicking the small homes as he searched for the young warrior.
It took less than ten seconds for the giant to destroy the twenty or so hovels in his area, and then Cheese felt the mammoths vision fall on him as he darted towards the center of the village.
“There you are” came the voice. Three rumbling steps followed as the giant came closer. The monstrous footsteps grew closer. And at the last moment a notification pinged loudly, and Cheese` vision was obscured.
Divine Form Activated:
Burn Faith and inhabit a Divine Form.
Cheese stumbled as he minimized it, and after a moment he felt a flush of warmth on his skin. Then before he could think about this new skill, a massive foot whooshed beneath him, the sheer force of its passing sending him soaring upward in a high arc.
He flew above the rooftops, limbs flailing as the burning town spread out below him like a twisted tapestry of chaos. For a brief, surreal moment, he was weightless, and a wild, reckless grin spread across his face. The earlier blast had hurt and left him feeling drained, but there was no pain in this one. Cheese used the moment to expand his will, and right himself in the air so that he could face the beast.
He was able to, but it took him to long and a moment later Cheese hit dirt throwing himself into a tumble. The world became a chaotic blur until he finally skidded to a halt in Timberbrook's market.
"Well, fuck," Cheese muttered, spitting out a mouthful of dirt. His body screamed in protest as he wobbled upright, he yet again expected to find bones broken, or muscles torn but Cheese was miraculously intact. Cheese checked his status and saw that he was burning faith coins at an alarming rate.
Cheeses thoughts were cut off the ground shook anew. The giant resumed its pursuit, its footsteps like the tolling of a massive, earth-shaking bell. Cheese turned toward the sound, the firelight from Timberbrook’s burning buildings casting wild, flickering shadows that danced over the destruction. He broke into a run, the acrid stench of smoke and charred wood filling his lungs as he headed toward the beacon of fire and ruin.
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The beast reached back with a foot and again kicked the young man square in the chest. This time however Cheese was prepared. He jumped into the strike and attached a single tendril of energy to the sky. Cheese used this energy to stop his spinning and tumbling far more quickly that he had before and was able to stare directly at his foe as he flew away from him.
In mid-air, Cheese summoned his axe, gripping its smooth haft tightly. With a feral yell, he drew it overhead and hurled it with all his might. The effort sent him spinning uncontrollably and left him drained. In the confusion Cheese had neglected his core. It had already been emptied at the start of this, and he had pushed it even farther to correct his flight. As his vision blurred cheese concentrated on the glow around him and drew on that to fuel himself. Cheese` vision cleared and right before he struck the dirt he saw his strike land.
The axe struck true. The giant’s guttural scream split the night. It was a roar of agony so primal it made Cheese’s skin crawl. The Axe man landed hard, rolling in a tangled heap, and then the ground was no longer there. In a disoriented spiral Cheese continued to roll and fall as he was cast into the amphitheater. The mans, form tumbled through the stone seats, gouts of magic being stolen from him with every minor impact. He did not stop until he struck the stone of the stage with a loud THUD. Disoriented, he forced himself upright, the crackling flames of the town casting eerie shadows across the ancient structure around him.
The magic was gone from his body, used up in that final gust of power and the fall into the Ampitheater. Cheese felt the drain deep in his soul, and he drug himself up to a sitting position with his back against the stage.
By the Gods it hurt. Every rib felt like it was broken, and he had a vicious twist to one of his fingers. But he was alive. Cheese looked up to the top of the seats, towards the hill, and the giant.
Timberbrook’s amphitheater was a sanctuary of stone amidst the blaze that he had come through, built into the hillside and fortified against time. The air above him shimmered with heat and smoke as flames licked at its edges. yet he was safe from the flames here for they could not penetrate the stone. Above the infernal din, the giant’s pained howls echoed out.
Cheese couldn’t help but laugh, a hoarse, defiant sound that felt more like a battle cry than amusement. He wasn’t just surviving—he was still in the fight.
With a struggle Cheese managed to summon a single tendril of power, his axe returned to his hand, the runes along its haft glowing faintly as if in response to his resolve yet Cheese felt a backlash. The young man coughed up blood, and his vision became a haze. After a moment Cheese was able to breath, and he slowly stood.
“This is it,” he muttered to himself. “Hope you’re in place.”
The plan had been a desperate gamble, Cheese knew that. And he hadn’t expected to be flung halfway across town to get here, but it had worked out. Now he only had to hope his brothers could finish the beast.
Minutes ticked by, each one stretching interminably. Cheese's nerves frayed as the pounding footsteps turned to a distant rumble. He opened his status menu, searching for clues, and spotted the lumbering form of the incursion leader. The number was steadily falling. Cheese looked up with anticipation.
When the giant finally appeared, Cheese’s breath caught. From his vantage on the stage, the beast’s colossal form towered above, its silhouette against the flames like a nightmare made flesh. Its face bore a gruesome gash, and one eye was missing, black ichor streaking its cheek.
“You have cheated, little man,” the giant growled, its voice a venomous snarl. “You are a heretic. I see it now. Before, I thought you were one of the weaklings of this place, but you... You have killed her. You are strong. Yet your power has wanted. Your faith falters, your magic gone. Now it is over.”
Cheese said nothing, he simply stood and tried to halt the shaking in his legs.
After a moment the giant sneered, and its massive frame began descending the stone ramps with deliberate, earth-shaking steps. The circular seating which was large and luxurious for a man was like steps to the beast. Cheese braced himself becoming unsure, but just as the giant reached the right spot, his brothers struck.
From the amphitheater seats, two saplings erupted like living missiles, their growth fueled by a spell Char had been holding. This surprised Cheese, but he was not unhappy at the development. The trees speared the giant’s knees with a sickening snap, sending the monstrous creature toppling backward with a thunderous crash. Its head struck the stone stage, leaving a crater in its wake.
Up above hidden from view Char collapsed, coughing blood from the strain of his spellcasting, but the opening was enough. Cheese sprinted forward, aiming for the giant’s legs, but Waff who had been above as well was faster.
The burly man vaulted onto the giant’s head, grabbing a fistful of its hair. “Throw!” he bellowed to his brother.
Cheese understood instinctively, lobbing his axe high into the air. Waff caught it mid-swing and plunged it into the giant’s remaining eye with brutal precision.
The monster howled, its hand reflexively driving the weapon deeper as Waff leapt clear, landing on the dirt atop the hill.
The giant was on its back, and blind. Yet none of the brothers had the strength to finish him. Cheese stood, and on wavering feet he began to limp slowly away from the battle.
Behind him the giant bellowed and thrashed. Yet he was unable to find the brothers in his rage.