My confidence returned as I had an actual plan to take on Koushinon, however I still needed to know one more thing before I could defeat him. This was going to be a risk and I was pretty sure I was going to die again but I had no other choice.

I pressed open the double doors of the cathedral and stepped into the dark light of the courtyard. The wind was shifting the tattered banners and caused the fires of nearby torches to shift wildly. Waiting for me was Koushinon, his bell ringing back and forth. A low solemn song that the God reveled in as his shadowed face swayed back and forth. His health bar faded into existence above his head as he lifted the bell and rung it with a loud din. The sound of the bell shook the ground in a burst of energy followed by Koushinon’s unbelievable speed. This time I was ready for his attack.

Rather than blindly dodging to the side and letting his swing of the bell shock me, I quickly stepped forward and under the shadow of the swinging bell. It landed in a burst of noise, shattered stone and an explosion of dust. The attack had missed me, and despite the ringing in my ear and the shivering that ran up my spine from the impact of the bell, I was a mere foot away from Koushinon’s face.

The God’s face was hidden in darkness, a darkness that was unnatural like a black silken drape. I couldn’t see any of his features. No eyes, no mouth. Nothing but emptiness under his hood and then I saw what I was looking for. A subtle golden glow was hidden in his hood. I wasn’t sure if I was looking at a solitary eye, or what I was hoping was his weak spot. Every boss had a weak spot.

I drew my dual blades and in a quick motion stabbed straight at the ember glow. Koushinon let out a blood freezing shriek as he dropped the chain of the bell. His entire body convulsed like a dying spider as the God scuttled back and away from me. Golden blood dripped down my blades. Koushinon’s health bar dropped almost an entire third of its length. I was right. I had found my advantage. I had one more hunch though that I really hoped I was correct on because if I wasn’t he could still finish me off in two strikes.

I took several feet back, letting the cover of the walkways overshadow me. Then I waited. I didn’t want there to be any more surprises. My hunch only accounted for one more action in this fight, if there was something else, something I didn’t see the first time we fought then I’d rather fight cautiously.

Just as I predicted Koushinon moved forward and grabbed the end of the bell’s chain. He tugged with all his might; the bell still stuck in the ground. I had a few moments before he freed his weapon. I thought about using this moment to get another attack in but just because I was a head-strong champion I would play this a whole lot smarter. I fell back farther into the shadows, letting a nearby pillar stand between me and Koushinon.

The Corrupted God finally freed the bell, pulled the chain tight and swung it around like a top. Exactly the thing I was hoping for. It was the same attack pattern as before. He was going to swing it around in a wide circle and smash the surrounding pillars as he went for me.

As I predicted, Koushinon moved forward in a pirouette letting the weight of the bell carry his momentum. The bell smashed directly into the pillar that I was hiding behind, smashing it into pieces, causing the roof above me to tremble, torches falling to the ground. I ran from under the walkway as the stone ceiling, and the pillar that supported it, collapsed where I had been standing. Koushinon’s balance was pulled forward causing him to stumble to the side, his weapon becoming lodged in the rubble.

I ran forward, ducked under a swipe from one of his arms, and slashed out with my dual blades right across his hood. My attacked was followed by another howl of pain and the shredded remains of the God’s hood. I finally got to see its face. It caused me to fall back a step. He was hideous, grotesque and rotting away. His flesh had been peeled back on his lips and eyelids. He had no nose, and his skull distended backwards as if it had been stretched by a chain. The God’s teeth were long like blades, several of them broken. His eyes were hollow, and I could see into the back of his skull. Hidden within his head was the glowing amber light.

There was no goodness in this creature. Only anger, hatred, and what I thought was pain. Did I see pain in Koushinon? Was he suffering? Was this powerful deity pleading with me to end his life? All of those thoughts quickly diminished when he grabbed at my arms, his bone like claws penetrating my armor and sinking into my flesh. Pain shot up my body causing me to drop my duals blades. Their iron edge clattering against the stone floor. A new notification drew itself before me.

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[HP]: 17/22

Crap! I let my guard down and I was going to pay for it.

Koushinon threw me towards the outer gate. I landed on the ground hard, my head hitting the ground. I saw stars in my vision and an awful headache shoot up my spine and bury itself in the base of my head.

[HP]: 14/22

I frantically got to my feet as the sound of Koushinon’s scuttling arms came barreling towards me. I instinctively held my hands out then realized I no longer had my dual blades. I reached for my warhammer but it was going to be too late for me to use. I knew what was coming next. His attack pattern falling right into what I thought it would be. He charged, swung his bell high above his head and tried to slam it down on top of me. I dodged to the right but was sluggish in my movement. My heavy armor slowing me down. I was lucky enough that the swing from his attack didn’t hit me dead on, but it grazed my back and made me fall forward, propelled my it’s impact.

[HP]: 8/22

My dodge rolled me forward from the hit of the bell, letting me roll and balance myself on my knees. But now my back hurt, and I think I may have broken a rib. I felt blood seeping down the corner of my mouth and trickle through my armor dripping from the gashes in my forearms.

Koushinon was now locked in his first attacks pattern. The bell stuck in the stonework of the courtyard. This was one of my few openings. If I didn’t act quickly then he would free his weapon and spin it around. I was standing close to the outer gate, my back against a corner. If he managed to get to his second attack I had nowhere else to go. I brought forward my warhammer and prepared my desperate attempt to finish this fight. One last plan. One last attack.

I drained my [SP] feeling myself becoming tired in the process and felt an energy overcome my warhammer. I stumbled forward, held my warhammer above my head and used its special ability [Crush] and brought the weapon squarely down on top of Koushinon’s rotten skull. There was an explosion of force and broken bone as Koushinon’s body collapsed to the ground. All of his skeletal limbs falling to the ground like broken branches from a felled tree. A burst of golden light escaped from underneath my warhammer as I received a notification that filled my chest with pride.

[GOD FELLED]

The energy that now seeped out from the dead God’s body began to swirl in the air like a river of light before coalescing into a single strand of power that embedded itself into my chest.

[650 Ichor Received]

In the swirling of the light Koushinon’s body slowly began to disappear. His soul gone to rest. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of thanks in the air as I watched his tortured, corrupted body fade into nothing. When it was all over there was a single glowing light on the ground where his body used to be. I reached down and took the item.

[The Bell Ringers Chain]

I stored the item in my inventory then fell to my knees as pain cascaded around my body. Everything hurt. Blood was still dripping between my fingers, and every step I tried caused my back to flare in agony. I needed to heal myself. I retrieved the [Golden Carnation] from my side and crush it in my hand. I was filled with an instant feeling of reprieve. All my aches and pains gone in a second. My cuts in my arms healed over, my back straightened and the pain that dug in the back of my skull faded away. I felt completely new again.

[HP]: 22/22

[SP]: 13/13

[MP]: 5/5

I felt an overwhelming sense of pride having conquered my first God. I even received a new item that I was excited to see what it did but first I wanted to power myself up. I made my way back up to the top levels of the cathedral and back to the [Hearthlight]. I first rested in the warm of the fire and watched as the [Golden Carnation] refilled the pouch on my hip. That was awesome.

Next, I clicked on the [Level Up]. It asked me to spend Ichor to level up my individual stats. It would cost me 200 Ichor to level my first stat. I knew exactly what I wanted to power up. I dropped a point into my [Strength] and felt my muscles tense up as I did so. My hands felt sturdier and my body more confident. The next point, which cost 300 Ichor, I put into [Endurance]. I felt a similar sensation to when I leveled my strength stat but this one felt more like a reinvigorating energy. It made me want to run. Which is something I never did back home. I looked at my stats and couldn’t help but smile. It wasn’t much but it was progress.

Name: Zerik “The Champion”

LVL: 3

Ichor: 150

Stats

HP: 22

SP: 16

MP: 5

Strength: 17

Dexterity: 12

Intelligence: 8

Vigor: 14

Endurance: 12

Arcana: 5