21 – RUSCKAN VILLAGE – EXECUTION BY HANDGUN

Knifes flew by, faster than ever, without end. They lodged into the soft flesh inside the mouth of the beast, only to disappear and be thrown again. David grunted with each throw, as he had to keep one hand on the other blade still lodged inside the neck of the beast not to fall down.

He also grunted with each throw because he knew that he could do better. All around, fires were raging and entire building collapsing. Screams of terror reached his ears, voices of older men and women and children all meshed together in a symphony of death and sorrow.

“Fly, fly!” He yelled again and again, remembering when he managed to make knives appear already flying towards the target earlier. He seemed unable to replicate those conditions now.

More and more holes appeared, but they were not enough still. The beast was still alive. It was too big, too resistant.

An idea. He outstretched an empty hand. The knives were not enough, and so he’d try something else. Above his open palm, a block of basalt appeared out of the inventory. Immediately, he felt the weight of it, not in his arm but in his very being. He was giving it all to keep it there with both his earth magic and his telekinesis.

He felt his tendons snap and his muscles tear, his body trying to take the weight off his soul. He was not done. He gritted his teeth, and redoubled his efforts. The sounds seemed to disappear from all around, leaving only his breath and his raging emotions, his heart and his blood, his magic and his soul. The world became dark, effort taking away vision and everything, but still as dark as it was it had color. David smiled. It was all worth it.

Water appeared, and crept inside the rock as he shaped it as much as he could with his magic. The tiny cracks were enough for him, because the water droplets under his control entered and then expanded when the fires he summoned made them boil. The rock cracked, and split into pieces, revealing one long spear carved out of the core of the block of rock.

He let the rest of the material fall down, and felt the weight on his soul decrease. Sweat was wetting his hair and brows, and the sudden jerks and movements of the beast, which seemed somewhat aware of what David was planning, threatened to make him fall down. Vision returned.

The spear oriented itself towards the holes in the mouth, left behind by the countless thrown knives. It accelerated, and David lost the grip on his knife but still maintained the control of the spear. As he fell, he watched the shrinking head of the beast grow far from him. He yelled to maintain his focus, and the spear sped up even more until it hit.

The beast growled and hissed, and then began to crumple on itself and fall down, toppling over in a last spasm. It landed right on top of David, who was now unconscious after hitting his head against the ground. It killed him instantly.

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29° Reincarnation.

>Rebirth bonus: Mauser c96; 10 magazines.

>Choose target location. Current mission; Silverscale forest.

He looked at his inventory and saw the little, compared to the ten-meter-tall stack of basalt blocks, gun. He smirked.

“One hundred bullets total, let’s make them count. Time to hunt. Current mission, please.”

>Confirmed.

>Mission is respawn type. Complete objective to unlock new area.

Process complete. Namaste, and good luck!

Immediate, sharp, infinite pain. Then, he saw liquid and entrails splash down from above, and he tried to swim but the liquid was like molasses.

He gasped but only more fluid came, and entered his lungs. He was under the beast, he understood. This would take a few respawns.

30° Reincarnation.

31° Reincarnation.

32° Reincarnation.

33° Reincarnation.

34° Reincarnation.

35° Reincarnation.

6 respawns with no bonuses, and each and every time there was pain waiting for him after the white room. But he bore the weight as best he could, because he still had a job to do. He still had a person to hunt.

“Aaaaargh!” He yelled, when he saw light again after what felt like forever. “Where the fuck are you, little bastard! I’m coming.”

His eyes were wide, his words filled with madness and rage. The red of his sclera was so dark and deep it seemed to have a life of its own. His pupils dilated. His heart racing. Nobody saw him, because if they did, he was sure they would think him a demon.

He ran, towards the guild. Where he knew he would find the dwarf. And there he was, Griglir, sipping on a beer that was the tenth or more, judging by the empty mugs. Sad, hollow, bitter.

As soon as he turned around, the long-braided beard following like water behind, his eyes widened. His face was one of utter shock and terror.

Then a frown.

“Why do you keep coming after me, what do you care about those people? Why do you choose to suffer each time you come back, when you could just sit back and live your life as an immortal king, or a god? Above everyone else.” He said, but his voice was shaking.

“Because this is my mission. My reason to live, to complete the missions. They are what saved me, and they are my only guide through a life that, for once, has color.”

The dwarf held his breath. His heart was thumping, his breaths came in shallows. His eyes darted around the room in search for escape from a man that seemed to occupy the whole room like a looming shadow.

“What are you talking about?” He spat, tone and composure betraying his inner turmoil. “What missions, what color?” He was trembling.

“You won't understand. But it's fine.” David said, finality in his voice. He pulled out the Mauser.

“That's it? Just because someone tells you what to do? You just do it without question?” The dwarf was speaking fast, fearful that he could not make it in time to say what he wanted to say.

“Of course not. But, as long as what is being asked of me is to just do what's right, I will do it.” David said, then pulled the trigger.

He kept pulling and pulling the trigger, even after the gun fell silent and his ears were ringing. The muffled clicks reverberated through the empty air, and the little bearded figure just lingered on the floor, ten holes in its body.

Dead.