The wolf's body was knocked across the cave. His three legs shook as he tried to stand up. His body was beaten, burnt, and bruised. But still he stood back up.

His strength wasn't what was letting him stand. The pure hatred in his eyes seemed to be all he needed. Almost like he was only surviving to spite his opponent's attempts to end his life.

Nugget was also having some trouble. Her missing leg slowed down her movements enough that the invisible robot was able to keep her flames well enough away.

Whenever she tried to melt the robot with her flames again, blasts of air from all different directions would push her back. Again and again, she was knocked against the stone walls. Until she rolled back and landed next to the wolf.

"Pathetic. Even at your full strength the two of you could never hope to stand against me." The scientist's voice mocked them from the speakers.

WHAM!

The robots invisible limbs crashed down into the ground. Nugget and the wolf barely managed to hop out of the way in time. Chunks of the ground flew up around the new crater formed by the attack.

The wolf snarled angrily, and then looked down at Nugget as her body bumped intp his. His eye was full of rage as his gaze traced her body and ended at her neck. His jaw opened slightly, but then snapped shut as he shook his eye from the chicken and turned it to the empty space in the cave.

The wolf shoved her off of him with his shoulders just before they landed back on the ground. Nugget's leg shook as she landed again, and she collapsed down on her butt. The small chicken looked especially tiny in the large chamber. Especially with the giant wolf nearby.

"You must know how irritating your struggling is! Why cling to such pathetic lives?" The scientist complained. "Just lie down and rest forever, after all that's going to be the fate for everyone else soon enough."

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

The wolf's muscles tensed up as he got ready to pounce. But he was interrupted as he coughed and hacked as something seemed to be caught in his throat. Blood spewed from his mouth with each violent breath, until a huge pool poured out as he vomited blood.

His legs shook and them collapsed. He landed on his stomach and let out a pained whine.

Nugget looked over at the wolf. The attacks seemed to have paused for the moment. But did that really matter? They were both in such rough condition, could they really do much like this?

In fact, it seemed that their condition is what was giving the scientist such confidence. They couldn't see from down there, but up above rings of world's continued to appear. Then another ring would intersect it and the world's would start to break apart between them. His focus was beyond their current fight, and so unlike before, he seemed a lot more passive and reactive.

Nugget tried to stand, but her leg seemed to be past its limit. She strained, but no matter what she tried, she could not pull herself up. She just could not stand.

The wolf linked up the pool of blood and clamped his jaw shut. He closed his eye and started to force himself to stand. His body shook, but he managed to get up. For a moment he did nothing but stand there with his eyes closed.

His breathing was heavy, and strained. The smell of burnt hair and molten steel still surrounded him. Like it had become a part of his very being.

When he opened his eyelids, his one remaining eye looked distant and unfocused. While his empty eye socket dripped water down.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

A steady stream of drops fell from his hollow socket. He started to pant, and his breath rolled out of his mouth like streams of smoke from a cigarette. Goosebumps danced around his skin as he stepped forward with his back foot.

WHAM!

The wolf lunged forward, and was knocked off to the side by the robotic arm. It was like he was nothing but an insect compared to the scientist's ultimate invention.

"The very universe itself bends to my will, and still you struggle against me?" The scientist scoffed. "I gave you a new, better life, and what do you do? You bite the very hand that fed you! You're pathetic. Choosing to stand against me even after everything you'd seen. Death is top good for traitors like you."

The wolf was lying down on the ground where he had been flung. His breath was still coming out like smoke as his eye socket dripped. He tried to stand, but his front leg flew out from under him. Like he had tried to step onto a freshly polished floor.

His head slammed against the ground, and in the pain and exhaustion, he closed his eyes again. It was cold, and he was tired. He had fought for so long, and had pushed far past his body's limits.

The wolf tried to open his eye, but his eyelid seemed too heavy. He only managed to get half of it up before it fell shut again.

His smoky breath came out in shorter and shorter bursts as his body strained to suck I'm air.

His body started to shake less and less until it finally grew completely still.

He got colder and colder.

And then, he was gone.