Desperate, I lunged and grabbed his ankle, yanking him back. He kicked out violently, his boot connecting with my jaw. A burst of pain shot through my skull, and I tasted copper as blood filled my mouth. [Damage dealt: 6% of Rod's health.]
Stay focused. Shaking off the dizziness, I saw him scrambling toward the stone. I threw myself onto him, and we tumbled across the uneven ground, grappling fiercely.
"Give it up!" I shouted, wrestling his arm behind his back. I have to end this before it's too late.
"Never!" He elbowed me sharply in the ribs, the blow knocking the wind out of me. [Damage dealt: 4% of health.]
I gasped, grip loosening.
He broke free and reached for the stone, his fingers just inches away. Summoning every ounce of will, I slammed my mace onto the ground between his hand and the stone. The impact sent a shockwave that knocked the stone further out of reach, perilously close to the edge of the fissure.
Maris's eyes widened with fury, veins pulsing at his temples. "You meddling fool!"
He tackled me, and we crashed into a nearby wall. The force dislodged stones from above, and we both had to roll away to avoid being crushed. Dust and debris filled the air, the choking haze blurring the lines between reality and nightmare.
Coughing, I struggled to breathe. The faint glow of the stone pierced through the dust like a sinister beacon. Maris saw it too. We raced toward it, but he was faster, driven by obsession. Just as his fingers closed around it, I unleashed a smite, directing a beam of light at his hand.
The light seared his skin, the smell of burnt flesh turning my stomach. [Damage dealt: 10% of Maris's health.]
He screamed, dropping the stone once more.
"You're only hurting yourself!" I yelled, voice hoarse.
He cradled his burnt hand, eyes wild and desperate. "If I can't have it, then neither will you!"
Maris slammed his uninjured fist into the ground, and a fissure erupted between us, spewing toxic gas that seared my lungs. I staggered back, coughing violently as the acrid fumes clawed at my throat.
He seized the opportunity to grab the stone with his other hand. The chamber responded violently; walls cracked, and the ceiling began to crumble. Chunks of rock plummeted like meteors, smashing into the ground around us.
"You're going to bring this whole place down!" I warned, panic tightening its grip.
"Then so be it!" he declared, eyes ablaze. "Die!
He charged at me, stone in one hand, dagger in the other. Time seemed to slow as he closed the distance. I braced myself, raising my mace defensively. He feinted with the dagger, then swung the stone toward my head. I ducked, but the stone grazed my temple, a flash of white-hot pain blinding me. [Damage dealt: 8% of health.]
Focus, Rod! I swung my mace upward, catching him under the chin. His teeth clacked together with a sickening crunch.
[Damage dealt: 15% of Maris's health.]
He reeled back, spitting blood.
Seizing the moment, I knocked the dagger from his grasp. It skittered across the floor, disappearing into the shadows.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
Maris spat blood, his face contorted with rage and something that looked like... fear? "You can't stop destiny!"
"Maybe not," I replied, breathing hard. "But I can stop you."
He roared and thrust the stone toward me, unleashing a torrent of dark energy. I countered with a barrier of light, the two forces clashing violently in mid-air. The collision generated a shockwave that rattled my bones and sent fissures spidering across the walls.
I can't hold this much longer. Sweat poured down my face, muscles trembling under the strain.
The stalemate broke, and we were both thrown backward. I landed hard, pain lancing through my body.
[Damage dealt: 10% of health.]
Gasping, I pushed myself up, every movement a battle.
"This ends now!" I declared, the words a vow etched in stone.
Gathering my remaining strength, I channeled all my energy into one final smite. My mace glowed brilliantly, the light intensifying until it eclipsed the chamber's darkness.
Maris's eyes widened, fear finally breaking through his mania. He raised the stone in a futile attempt to shield himself.
I charged forward and brought the mace down with every ounce of force I could muster, aiming directly at the stone. The impact was cataclysmic. A deafening crack echoed as the stone shattered into a million fragments. [Damage dealt: 25% of Maris's health.]
A shockwave erupted, a maelstrom of light and shadow that swept us both off our feet. Maris crashed into the altar, the remnants of the stone slipping through his fingers like sand. He looked at me, a mix of rage, disbelief, and—was that relief?
"You... you don't know what you've done," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the cacophony around us.
As if in echo to his words, Crystal spoke, her voice faint and strained. Rod, it hurts... something's wrong... Before I could respond, the red crystal shattered, tiny pieces flying in all directions like scarlet tears.
"No! Elizabeth!" I cried out, a hollow ache forming where our connection had been. Not you too.
The ground beneath us began to split open. Dark energy seeped from the fissures, coalescing into ominous shapes that writhed and twisted. The air grew cold, the chill of a thousand graveyards.
Maris tried to stand but collapsed, his strength fading fast. [Maris's health critically low.]
He gazed up at me one last time, his eyes clear for the first time in ages. "Rod..." he murmured, a hint of the friend I once knew flickering in his gaze. "Thank you."
Before I could reach him, his body dissolved into particles of light and shadow, swept away by the swirling energies consuming the chamber. I stared at the spot where he'd been, a knot of grief and regret tightening in my chest.
I failed her.
Breathing heavily, I watched as the shattered pieces of the stone sank into the cracks of the altar. An eerie silence fell, broken only by the distant rumble of shifting earth and the pounding of my own heart.
I thought it was over, but a deep, resonant sound filled the air—a low growl that built into a roar. The altar erupted, and from its depths, a colossal figure emerged.
“Who dares spill blood in my domain?” the god thundered, each word shaking the chamber like a storm.
Terror gripped me, icy tendrils wrapping around my spine. This can’t be happening. I staggered back, the heat from her presence scorching my skin. “Maris, you fool,” I whispered, realizing the true consequence of our battle.
She stepped forward, her towering form hewn from jagged stone, every crack glowing faintly with molten light. Veins of gold and obsidian ran through her, and serpents of stone writhed across her body—not just from her head but from her shoulders, arms, and back, their emerald eyes burning with malice. Her gaze locked onto me, twin suns boring into my soul, and I felt the weight of the world press down upon me.
“Mortal,” she rumbled, her voice like grinding boulders, “you have broken the seal.”
"I didn't—" My voice faltered, swallowed by the immense pressure. "It was an accident!"
"Silence!" The god's voice was a tempest, whipping around me. "The time of reckoning has come."
Before I could react, its massive hand shot toward me. I tried to dodge, but the god moved with impossible speed. Fiery fingers closed around me, engulfing me in searing agony. {Damage dealt: 40% of health.}
Pain unlike anything I'd ever known tore through me. It felt as if my very essence was being consumed. I screamed, the sound ripped from my lungs, raw and primal.
Through the haze of pain, a panicked voice reached me—a familiar tone laced with desperation. "Rod!" But Crystal was gone. Who's calling me?
Summoning the last of my strength, I struggled against the god's grip, but it was like fighting against a mountain. Darkness encroached on my vision, edges blurring.
The god drew me closer, its eyes twin suns of wrath. "You will serve as the herald of my return."
"No... I won't..." I gasped, defiance flickering weakly.
The last thing I saw was the god's burning gaze, consuming everything in its path, before darkness swallowed me whole.
{End of Run #7}