The pain was unbearable, searing through my body like molten iron. It was more pain than I had ever felt in my entire two lives combined, as if every nerve in my body was being set alight. My arm, or what was left of it, throbbed with every heartbeat, each pulse sending another wave of agony crashing through me. But I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t let myself fall here.

'Keep moving, Nate. You’ve got to keep moving' I repeated to myself like a mantra, even as my vision blurred and my legs threatened to give out from under me. The man’s laughter echoed in my ears

Stumbling through the rocky terrain, I finally saw something that might work to my advantage. A dangerous cliff loomed ahead, its edges crumbling and unstable, as if one strong gust of wind could send it crashing down into the abyss below. The ground beneath my feet was already treacherous, rocks slipping and sliding under my weight. If I could just get him over there...

'It’s risky, but it might be my only shot.'

I could hear the man behind me, his footsteps slow and deliberate, as if he was toying with me. He knew I was wounded, that I was weak, and he was enjoying every moment of this chase.

I pushed myself harder, ignoring the screaming pain in my arm, the dizziness that threatened to pull me into unconsciousness. The cliff was close now—just a few more steps. I glanced back, seeing the man approaching, flames still flickering around his hands. His eyes were wild, filled with the madness

'Almost there... just a little closer...'

As I reached the edge of the cliff, I turned to face him, my breath ragged and uneven. The man’s grin widened, his confidence apparent in every step he took. He thought he had me cornered, that this was the end.

"((Þū eart dēad.))" His voice was cold, final.

I didn’t understand the exact words, but the meaning was clear enough.

he had won.

He lunged at me, his burning hand slashing through the air. I threw myself to the side, barely avoiding the attack as the flames scorched the ground where I’d just been standing. The heat was intense, suffocating, but I kept moving, scrambling over the loose rocks as I tried to keep my balance on the unstable cliffside.

Another wave of fire came at me, and this time I had nowhere to go. I dove to the ground, feeling the heat singe the back of my neck as the flames passed overhead. The impact jarred my wounded arm, sending another jolt of agony through my body, but I gritted my teeth and pushed through it.

I forced myself to my feet, just in time to see the man charging at me again, This time, I didn’t run. I stood my ground, waiting until the last possible second before diving to the side.

The man’s momentum carried him forward, right to the edge of the cliff. The ground beneath him cracked and crumbled, and for a moment, he seemed to hang in the air, his eyes wide with shock as he realized what was happening.

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I scrambled back, watching as the cliff began to give way under the man’s weight. The rocks groaned and shifted, large chunks breaking off and tumbling into the void below. The man tried to regain his balance, but it was too late. The ground beneath him collapsed, sending him plunging into the darkness.

But it wasn’t over yet. The entire cliffside was destabilized now, the cracks spreading like spiderwebs across the ground. I barely had time to register what was happening before the earth beneath my feet started to give way as well.

I turned and ran, my legs screaming in protest as I sprinted away from the collapsing cliff. The ground shook, rocks tumbling and crashing down around me as the entire hillside began to crumble. I didn’t dare look back—there was no time. All I could do was run, praying that I could reach stable ground before it was too late.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. The ground stabilized, the dust settled, and I found myself standing at the edge of what was now a sheer drop, the cliffside completely gone.

I was alive. Barely. But I had survived.

I fell to my knees, gasping for breath, the adrenaline slowly draining from my system as the reality of what had just happened began to sink in. My arm was a mess, my body battered and bruised, but I was still here.

'I did it. I actually did it.'

The man was gone, buried beneath tons of rock and earth.

'he cannot survive this for sure'

The fallen rocks barely had time to settle before they started shaking, a deep rumble beneath them growing louder. And then, with a roar, an explosion of fire burst forth, incinerating everything around it.

"((Swiðe god! Þū eart wyrðe wiga.))"

The voice was twisted, manic, and as the flames cleared, the thing that emerged was no longer a man. It was a human-shaped figure made entirely of fire, flickering and crackling with a heat that seemed to melt the very air around it. In its hand was a strange, elongated sword, glowing white-hot, as if freshly pulled from a forge.

'Well, shit. So much for that plan' I thought, taking in the sight of the barbaric now fully embracing his inner bonfire.

He laughed, a sound that grated on my nerves, and then lunged at me with a speed that was impossible to avoid. All I could do was throw my body to the side, hoping to minimize the damage. It didn’t help much. The blade seared through my ankle and remaining arm , leaving it a melted mess, and as for my ankle—well, let’s just say it’s now a distant memory.

Limping with whatever power I had left, I dragged myself toward the nearest rock.

The thing got closer, the fire radiating from it making the air shimmer. "((Mid þysum wunde, þū sweltst hrædlīce—dēað unweorðe swylcere gefeohtes.))"

'Sure?, Totally agree with you' I didn’t catch a word of what he was saying, but I kept limping, aiming for a small hole in the ground—an entrance to a cave, maybe? Anything was better than standing out in the open, waiting to be roasted alive.

Just as I reached the edge, the thing appeared right in front of me, the flames now so intense they looked like they could ignite the very stone. "((Þēah ūs mægen swā micel dæl gedæle, þū wēart god wīgend.))"

And then, with a swift, almost casual motion, he swung his sword. I didn’t even see it coming until both my legs were gone, leaving me crumpled on the ground like a discarded puppet.

He walked over, now back in his human form, though the fire still danced in his eyes. His hand moved toward my chest, and I realized with a sickening dread that he was reaching for my noble sign. He plucked it from me with a mocking smile. "((Mid þis, þū sind þrēo...sēofoð līcað.))"

As he raised his blade toward my neck, he paused, tilting his head slightly. "((Hwæt, hæfst þū sīene wyrde?))"

Funny thing was, this time, I understood him. Maybe it was the whole "staring death in the face" thing, but the words actually made sense. My mouth moved slowly, the word forming in my mind almost instinctively. I didn’t have much left in me, but I had just enough for one last act of defiance.

"Aura," I whispered.

he looked confused for a split second, but that was all I needed. With what little strength I had left, I forced all my remaining energy into a suicidal aura blast. The shockwave threw my body back, and I felt a momentary sense of satisfaction—until I realized it hadn’t even scratched him.

'Figures.'

The blast sent me flying into the cave, my body careening through the air before slamming down hard. The sharp pain that followed was different from anything I’d felt before. When I looked down, I saw why. A stone pillar had impaled me, rising through my chest and leaving me hanging there like some morbid decoration.

I looked up, seeing the hole I’d fallen through, and there he was—the monster, staring down at me, that insane grin still plastered on his face.

"((Is þæt nā lēas? Þū wēart swīgende mē oftorfian, ac hēr sēocendlic hlēat þē þolian.))"

He moved his hand, conjuring a small flame—not much, really, but enough to send a cascade of rocks tumbling down into the cave. The rocks crashed around me, the last thing I saw before everything went dark.

'So this is how it ends? ..What a shitshow.'