Liam's hand trembled for a few moments as he stared down at the bear, but he quickly steadied it and mentally prepared for the battle to come. This thing had hunted him throughout the tunnels and if it hadn't been so dumb it would've caught him and mauled him to death by now. After that, he'd probably have been raised as an undead and set upon the world of the living when Ander Phyris finished its ritual and freed itself from the dungeon. Now, after leveling up and upgrading his axe, he finally stood a chance against it.

Done checking for any tricks or traps he may have laid for it, the bear began to move. It's massive frame quickly accelerated as it charged down the corridor, black liquid dripping from its open maw. It roared as it approached, ready to deliver a devastating bite. It also seemed to have learned from last time, and held its head in a way that would let it react quickly to his movements, no matter what direction he went in. The only way for him to escape now would be to climb the wall or get back into his hideout, but the undead beast would see that and wouldn't leave him alone until it got to him, or he went out.

As the mass of undead flesh barreled towards him, Liam stood his ground. There was no backing out, no escape, so he cast aside all hesitation. He gripped his axe hard with both hands and raised it over his head, mentally willing his free Attribute Points into Vitality, in the hopes that the extra HP and shield strength would help him survive what he was about to do. He felt the full charge held within his axe and his confidence surged, ready to clash head on with the bear. Black fog rolled from his body and condensed over his weapon, tinting red as it surrounded the blade. He roared, at the height of his power, and swung downwards in a devastating arc.

He barely maintained control over the axe as it cut through the air, the effective Strength behind it far higher than what his Dexterity should allow which almost made it seem as if the weapon itself was fighting him for dominance, but through sheer force of Will, and an effort that tore through his muscles, he kept it in line.

There was no recognition of the threat he posed in the bear's eyes. In its mind, he had been constantly running scared from it, scampering away and using any means available to him to avoid it. It had been hunting him for hours, and the only time he had hit it had barely hurt the thing. Its barely functioning, reanimated brain simply couldn't comprehend what him facing it head on represented, that he had grown far beyond what he had been mere hours ago. He had been forged in blood and bone, but it had yet to be seen whether that was enough.

The axe connected with a deafening explosion of sound. Fire billowed out from the blade to engulf the bear as it cleaved straight through the top half of its skull before becoming lodged in its head. Liam's barrier shattered instantly upon the clash as the force behind the bear's charge was transferred through his weapon and onto him. He went flying down the passageway until he slammed into the stone wall at the far end and crumpled to the ground. Bones all throughout his body shattered, leaving him a mess of pain and jutting out bone shards. However, none of that was as terrifying as what he realized when he tried to stand up. He couldn't move.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

He lay there, most of him paralyzed and the few parts that weren't writhing in agony. His conscience dipped into insanity as the pain and terror merged into a swirling whirlpool of negative emotion. The sliver of him that remained lucid tried to pull him together, but that too fell to despair when he saw the bear stand up.

He had been so confident, arrogant even. Drunk on a few victories, he had let his pride take over him. Sure there was logic behind the decision, but he had twisted it to make it the most viable option in his mind, and now he would die for his hubris. He was about to die. His thoughts gathered on that one thing in particular, his coming death, and began to show him all the ways the bear could go about ending his existence. There wasn't even anything he could do, unable to move as he was. He retreated into the darkness, trying to hide away from what was to come. He cowered in the recesses of his mind until something cut through it all to reach him.

There was no light in the inky black abyss of his thoughts, and neither was there in the thing that reached out to him. The darkness of anticipated death parted to the embodiment of the real thing. Somehow, the Spirit of Death had reached him even here and looked down upon him, somehow displaying disgust on its featureless face.

"Are you truly the warrior that bested me? That has used me to purge hordes of undead filth from this realm?"

It derided.

"You're pathetic, fleeing here in the face of an abomination. Where did that determination and drive to live go?"

"That was different."

Liam managed to get out.

"There was always something I could do: fight, run or hide. Like this, I can do nothing. Nothing except wait for the end."

He continued.

"But isn't there something you can do? Your body is broken, but so what? You are a Shaman, one that walks the path of slaughter and domination, one that has bound a Spirit as potent as myself. A Shaman has so much more than the physical to rely on."

It berated him, its harsh whispers echoing through his mind.

"I don't even have access to that!"

Liam shouted in response.

"My Lifeforce is out! My reservoir has run dry! I am out of tricks."

"But you still have me. You have barely used any of the time my Power allows, and there is no time that I am stronger than when you stand at the threshold between the living and the dead. For the transition, death itself, is my domain."

Suddenly, he understood something and strength returned to his thoughts. He became able to beat back the darkness on his own and leave the confines of his mind. Back in the outside world, the bear stumbled towards him, but he paid it no mind. Instead, he directed his attention to the black mist that still covered his prone form. Exerting his Willpower, he seized control of it and forced it back inside of him. He filled his body with it and concentrated it around his numerous injuries.

At its core, the Power amplified everything that he did to cause Damage, and converted the Physical into something Magical. He now leaned hard onto the latter concept and pushed his body away from being solely made of matter. His spine was the first to regain function, being the place where the fog was most concentrated due to how many vertebrae had broken, the gaps being filled in by the Spirit. His legs were next, and he lifted himself back onto his feet. His eyes, shifting away from their natural blue, glowed green with power as he moved to meet the bear between their positions.

It tried to lunge for him, but without the assistance of a brain it was too slow, and he brought his fist down upon it. He knocked it to the ground and grabbed hold of his weapon, yanking it out in a shower of gore. Diseased flesh splattered all over him, but he couldn't bring himself to care. The thing before him had almost brought about his death but now, with a swing of his axe, he brought its.