The demon’s lunge forward was lightning-fast. Robert barely reacted by conjuring the spear, when the strong impact threw him backward. It was so sudden and powerful that he instantly lost control over his steel construct. Clumsily rolling over his head, he shot his foot against the jumping creature, kicking it away. Unfortunately, the following rotation in an unstable position ended with him being planted with his face against the floor. Raising it, Rob had to push himself to the side, avoiding another insanely quick charge.
Trying not to look at the deep marks, made with claws, Robert used his ability to summon a pillar from his chest, hastily getting back on his feet. A moment later he again tried to impale the demon only to see how the tip of his weapon had turned into a flower, literally crashing against its red skin. Widening his eyes from an unpleasant surprise, Rob pushed away the demon only to strike it again into his opened mouth. However, the burned monkey simply bit the metal off, immediately dispersing the steel after it lost contact with the energy source.
Instinctively stepping back from what appeared to be an invulnerable enemy, Rob touched the pulling machine with his back. His eyes focused on the nimble enemy; this time he was ready for the straightforward lunge. Side-stepping from the flying body, he intercepted it with a swing of a sword. The short contact and momentarily confrontation of forces led to a small body crashing into the floor. Feeling the pain in his muscles, Robert still followed with several slashes against the lying body.
What the fuck are you made from?
He couldn’t say that it didn’t make any damage as clear bloody marks were visible and there were no signs of regeneration, which Rob feared the most. Still, it wasn’t enough to kill it, despite using all his strength in each strike. The next few hits of a short sword had barely left a few scratches on the enemy, simultaneously making it angrier. Pushing itself upwards into the air, the demon simply gripped the sword with its palms, instantly cutting it into pieces. Once again, the steel was dispersed, making the creature lose its balance because of the sudden absence of the support. It was still agile enough to rotate itself in the air before nimbly landing on all fours – just to meet with the fallen gym equipment that was pushed by Robert.
The demon reacted without even a tiny pause. Lunging forward to Rob, it almost avoided the machine. Almost, as its aim on Robert’s leg and not to the side appeared to be a mistake. Conjuring a formless steel construct from his foot, he created an improvised barrier to slow the red-skinned creature. The latter still tried to tear apart the sudden obstacle, but the delay was enough for the machine to end its fall. The moment later Rob had dispersed his conjuration.
The impact crashed over the small body, pressing it down to the floor. It was already attempting to push the weighty equipment to the side and trying to free itself when Robert welcomed it with a huge hammer. The weapon itself was more like an oversized maul directly from an anime, too big for practical usage in a fight. However, exactly such heaviness was the main point. Squeezing all his strength from the muscles, Rob swang downwards, additionally using his own weight. The demon’s skull popped like a balloon, splashing the purple blood, the brain, and bones around. That didn’t stop him from doing another hit, just in case. Glancing over the dead body, Robert again noted how little damage was done with the first attacks.
The skin can’t be easily pierced or slashed, but the bones are not that tough in comparison. So, brute force it is. Got it.
Stepping out from the filthy pool, Rob wanted to make his way through the main door of the gym, when he heard another growl. Hastily raising his head, he was met with the image of three more demons, standing near the door. They all looked nearly identical, differing slightly only in the tone of the skin and a few old scars over their body.
As expected with my luck. Still crap!
His step back turned into a signal to start. Rushing to him with an evil grin, the demons avoided any obstacles as if they were nothing, swiftly moving forward. One of them even jumped on the wall, shattering the mirror in the process. Running on its fours along a vertical surface, it was the first to lunge on Rob. The latter was already in motion. Grabbing the nearest kettlebell with both hands, he made a short swing with it to the side before releasing the projectile. The heavy gym equipment had met the burned monkey right in the air, sending it backward with a clear dent on its face.
Robert couldn’t notice the extent of the damage as he had to redirect his attention to other enemies. Especially, when one of them was already aimed at his exposed shoulder. The instantaneous creation of a steel pad barely stopped claws from piercing hastily made protection. However, the pain only boosted the adrenaline rush inside Rob’s body. Roaring from anger as a wild animal, he headbutted the demon, who was hanging on his arm. The hit had halted its attempt to strike again, giving a precious time to react to the last creature.
Simultaneously twisting his torso, while side-stepping, Robert had put the second demon under the attack of the third. That latter didn’t even try to stop, easily making a few deep slashes across its ally’s back. Landing on the floor it tried to turn around, but Rob was faster this time. A strong kick between the rear legs could be devastating if the demon had any visual signs of having genitals. Still, the blow sent it upwards, forcefully rotating in the process. Robert, himself, was already in motion, charging at the wall.
The impact shattered the mirror and broke something inside the creature, leading to an odd convulsion. The grip had weakened, giving Rob the ability to push the demon's body aside. Dropping it to the floor, he conjured a heavy boot on his foot before stomping down twice. The clear sounds of something cracking, while the monkey coughed the blood from its toothy mouth was enough for him to mark the enemy as disabled, leaving the last one active. The latter was already attacking. Fortunately, having a broken mirror in front of him, Rob only needed to duck down hastily to evade.
A moment later the nimble body flew over Robert directly into the wall. Piercing its surface and pausing for a second, it turned around to repeat its lunge. Rob was faster, repeating a previous trick, but changing the projectile itself. Quickly gripping the demon by the tail, he pulled it with all his strength. Rotating his body, he turned the motion into a swing only to send the creature flying. Its body passed through the air with a squealing sound before crashing into the squatting rack. Unfortunately for the demon, someone strong was doing an exercise before the alarm was set off, leaving a fully loaded barbell on the equipment. The impact had pushed it from the stoppers, dropping the weighty side with thick plates right on the creature.
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That is definitely more than you can handle.
Glancing one more time on the poor demon, Robert checked his shoulder and arm. Luckily, his timed reaction had saved him from deep wounds. Ending the suffering of a trampled enemy, he tried to leave the gym, but once again met with a new group of burned monkey-like creatures. There were four more of them, eyeing him with a greedy look. They completely ignored the bodies of their kind, fully focused on Rob.
This time the fight took slightly longer. Robert tried to be as careful as possible not to get injured. Despite finding the tactic to deal with those nimble bastards, the accumulated damage could lead to his demise. He didn’t know how many of them were on the ship. Therefore, he used the surroundings to help him during the epic gym battle. Rob threw kettlebells and dumbbells. He even used plates as improvised shuriken for strength. Not that they could fly far, but the sheer force and weight were enough to break a limb of the demon. Dropping quite a few pieces of training equipment on top of the disabled creatures, he crashed their bodies.
Still, he couldn’t avoid getting wounded. Deep cuts from the claws had left their traces across his chest. Rob had to use his bathrobe to catch the enemy before smashing it into the nearest machine. The demon quickly tore his single piece of clothes, but Robert used that time efficiently, conjuring the huge jackhammer and being already in a swing. The impact shattered the lower jaw of the monkey before breaking the spine in its neck area. The following blow had finished the deed.
Not trying to leave immediately, Robert found the remnants of his bathrobe. Luckily, the pocket with a chocolate bar appeared to be intact. So, sitting on the nearest bench, Rob slowly unwrapped the sweet before taking a first bite. Glancing around, he saw the scenery of devastation with multiple mutilated bodies of the creatures directly from hell. Their purple blood seemed to leave its trace literally everywhere, painting some walls, but mostly creating a few pools of liquid. However, Rob was calm, patiently waiting for more enemies to come, while having a rest. He wasn’t tired, but the possibility of meeting the fast and agile monkeys inside the corridor wasn’t appealing.
After spending at least full five minutes on the same place and finally signing with relief, he stood up… only to meet another demon near the main door. This one looked completely different. And much bigger. The creature wasn’t as tall as Robert only because it was humping. Its skin had the same burned-red look without a single strand of hair, but its foundation was a werewolf, almost directly from movies. Bipedal, with massive bulging muscles, its narrow muzzle was grinning with anticipation.
Is this a fucking room with constantly spawning monsters that additionally increases its difficulty? What the fuck? I am serious – what the fuck?!
Despite the inward cursing on the situation, Robert readied himself for the battle. Conjuring huge steel brass knuckles, he raised his clenched fists. The mirror in the surroundings had shown him the scene from multiple angles, reflecting an image of a nude bulky figure against the hellish creature. The former, being smeared with blood, both red and purple, looked like a stretched bowstring the moment before a powerful shot. The latter, on the other hand, was in constant motion. Sniffing, shifting from one clawed paw to the other, it seemed to be in search of the best moment to launch an attack, too clever for a direct assault.
Wait, is this chocolate on my lips?
Dumb thought after noticing his own face in the mirror distracted Rob for a mere moment. That was enough for the demon to push its body forward. Not being fast as the smaller redskin monkeys, the werewolf was much stronger, simply moving aside any obstacles in its way. That saved Robert, giving him enough time to duck under the wide swing of clawed palm. His evasion instantly opened the gap in the enemy’s defense. Making two straights in the demon’s chest, he added a powerful uppercut into the jaw. The monster’s tooth clenched, but that was it. It barely blinked after getting hit, going for another swiping hit.
Leaning back, Rob saw how the claws cut through the air in mere centimeters from his face, before pushing his fist forward with all available strength. Twisting his body with a rotational movement, he added he had put his own weight in the strike. This time the steel brass knuckle managed to hit hard. Throwing the monstrous wolf’s head backwards, allowed Robert to follow with a kick. Creating the greave on his leg, he launched into the knee of the creature. Its paws were already bent backwards, making it good for running, but not for easy balancing.
The powerful hit had dropped the demon to the floor, placing its face in a quite convenient position. Conjuring a kneed pad and grabbing both wolf’s ears with his palms, Robert had shot his knee. The creature’s growl was cut off together with its tongue when its teeth were forcefully closed. Repeating the process once again, Robert stepped to the side when the demon attempted to bite him. Summoning a thick needle had pushed it deep inside through the ear’s hole while holding the neck of the hairless werewolf.
The enemy made a few wild swings, cutting through the floor before trying to tear the grip. However, it was too late. Despite the anti-piercing properties of its red skin, the inner parts of its skull were not so tough. The hellish body made a few convulsions before going limp. Still, Robert crushed its head with a maul, just in case.
That was surprisingly easy. They are strong and fast, but too straightforward with a primitive tactic. Almost like lizards on the island. Still, if they attack me in a group… are you fucking kidding me?
The familiar growl of two more werewolves that entered the gym sent shivers across his back. Especially when the pair started to slowly approach while trying to surround him. Remembering the demon’s reaction to the movement, Rob was motionless. His mind, on the other hand, was racing hard in an attempt to find a solution. Unfortunately, the two demons were a much bigger threat than a single one. They wouldn’t stay idle while he was fighting with one, and even the one took all his focus to react in time to the fast attacks.
The multiple scenarios and options ran through his head, while Robert’s gaze was wandering around. He doubted his ability to escape. His steel wasn’t that useful even against monkeys, and it would be even less against the bigger creatures with longer claws. He never saw even a trace of fear in the demon’s eyes or self-preservation instinct, thus limiting any advantage of long-conjured weapons. The enemies would simply meet it head-on, lunging at him. Rob could deal with one in such circumstances, but not with two.
Am I dead? No! As long as I breathe, I fight! Bring it on, assholes!
However, before he managed to do anything, Robert heard the sound of multiple steps. A moment later through an ill-fated entrance, the small group emerged. Human’s group. Moreover, aiming with weapons, they immediately started to shoot, sending odd green projectiles into the demon’s bodies. Traveling enough to be noticed, they were still too fast to react to the threat. Reaching the werewolves, they instantly burst into a small sphere at contact, disintegrating a huge chunk of flash from red skinned bodies in the process. It took merely a few seconds for demons to turn into holey corpses, sending Rob into a stupor. Looking with wide-opened eyes at the sudden change of the situation, he muttered.
“Oh, guys, thanks for…”
“There is one more, shoot!”
The anxious voice didn’t even finish as a new portion of futuristic bullets was already flying to Rob, destroying anything they touched. Luckily for him, he dropped down immediately on the first sign of a pointed barrel. Rolling to the side, and hiding behind a training machine, all he could think was accustomed to saying that followed him during all his interdimensional travels.
Well, crap!