The man barreled forward, his men following like a pack of wolves. Panic surged through me as I stumbled back, only to feel the cold, unforgiving wall at my back. Trapped. No escape. If I didn’t fight now, this lunatic would keep his promise and hang us like trophies, just like the elves before us. The image of their limp forms haunted me, a grotesque scene that would never leave me…
Seker stepped forward to cast, but the man’s massive hand swung out, catching him with a brutal backhand that sent him crashing to the ground. Leo lunged, but the man’s bulk smashed into him, throwing him aside like a ragdoll. Then his hand lashed out, snatching Aiden by the throat. Aiden clawed at his grip, his feet kicking helplessly in the air as the giant squeezed, his face calm but his eyes full of malice.
Adrenaline surged, and without thinking, I thrust my hand forward. The mana gathered instinctively, heat pooling in my palm before erupting into a fireball. It streaked through the air, slamming into the man’s chest. The force knocked him and a few of his men back, scattering them across the room.
“Agh.” Aiden muttered as he hit the ground. “Crap.”
For a moment, there was silence. Then the man’s booming laugh filled the space. Slowly, he got to his feet, dusting himself off as though I’d only mildly inconvenienced him. His grin stretched wider, and he pointed a finger at me, wagging it mockingly.
“You’re first, kid,” he growled, his voice dripping with sinister glee. “I promise you that.”
“Leave us alone!” I shouted, my voice trembling despite the bravado.
His grin didn’t falter. “And if I don’t, friend? What then?”
Before I could answer, Leo was already moving, dagger in hand, his expression twisted with determination. He darted toward the man, aiming for his chest. But the giant sidestepped with startling speed, and one of his men clocked Leo hard across the face. Leo staggered back, blood streaming from his nose, clutching his face in pain.
The elf conjurer tried to summon her golems again, the faint glow of magic beginning to build, but the light fizzled out just as quickly. She dropped to one knee, her breath ragged.
“I can’t,” she whispered, shaking her head. “I’m out of mana.”
I stepped forward. “Please, let us go. We don’t have to do this.”
The man’s gaze bore into me, cold and mean. “You’re right,” he said, spreading his arms in mock generosity. “You don’t have to do this. I’m already letting you walk away. All you have to do is leave.”
“And let you keep torturing these people?” Leo growled, cradling his injured arm. “You’re a monster!”
The man chuckled, low and dark. “Torture? You think they’re innocent? The same people who slaughtered and enslaved humans for generations? I’m continuing a tradition, sure. But it’s their kind started.”
The elf conjurer’s voice cracked as she screamed, “We didn’t do that! Not us!”
The man’s expression hardened. “Your kind did,” he hissed, his tone dripping with hate. “Don’t speak unless spoken to, you worthless whore.”
Aiden raised his hands, his voice calm but edged with urgency. “Maybe there’s another way. We could work something out—”
“Work something out?” Leo snapped, spinning on him. “With this psychopath? Are you kidding me? What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Shut up, Leo!”
“No, you shut up!” Leo’s voice cracked with rage as he pointed toward the man. “This is wrong, and you know it. Grow a spine! Have some guts!”
The man took another step forward, his sheer presence suffocating as he loomed over us. “Last chance,” he rumbled, his voice dangerously calm. “I don’t give second chances often. Walk away. Now.”
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Leo glared at him, blood dripping from his split lip. He shook his head, defiance radiating from every inch of his battered body. “Go to hell.”
The man sighed, as if genuinely disappointed. “Fine,” he muttered, rolling his shoulders. “You’ve officially ruined second chances for me. Boys, let’s end this.”
================
NEW QUEST
================
Quest Title: Second chances
--------------------------
Deadline: Today
Objective:
* Escape the cave.
--------------------------
Rewards:
- Experience: 25 XP
- 4x Common item material
==========================
[Accept] [Decline]
The translucent box flickered in front of me. My hand trembled as I accepted the quest. Did I even have a choice? This was going to hurt—a lot.
The behemoth’s thundering footsteps shook the ground as he charged. His enormous hand swept to the right, sending the elf flying into the wall with a sickening crack. Then, with equal brutality, he swung left, Aiden crashing into the opposite side. His speed didn’t falter as he bore down on me.
Before I could react, his massive frame collided with mine, driving me hard into the wall. Pain shot through my back like a lightning bolt. Desperately, I drove my elbow into his side, but it was like hitting a brick wall. Unfazed, he stood tall, gripping my throat in one hand.
His other fist crashed into my chest with the force of a sledgehammer, driving the air from my lungs. The impact shattered the wall behind me, and we tumbled through to another tunnel. Dust and debris filled the air as I crumpled to the ground, coughing and gasping for breath.
“I told you, kid,” he growled, his voice a deep rumble, “you’d be first.”
He yanked me up by my collar like I weighed nothing and slammed me into the ceiling, the impact leaving me dazed. Before I could recover, he hurled me to the ground with bone-rattling force.
My cape became his next weapon as he grabbed it and flung me down the tunnel. I skidded across the rough stone, landing on a stray lantern. The flames leapt to life, licking at my clothes. Panic flared as I rolled frantically, extinguishing the fire before it could spread.
But there was no time to breathe. He came barreling toward me, his knee driving into my chin like a battering ram. My head snapped back, smacking against the wall. Stars exploded in my vision as the world spun wildly.
“Get up, you little shit,” he snarled, looming over me.
“N-no…” I croaked, my voice barely audible.
He seized my collar again, his fist hammering into my face. Pain erupted with every strike until I could barely see through the blood and swelling. With a wicked grin, he grabbed my head and slammed it into the ground.
Then, he planted one massive boot on my chest, his full weight pressing down. I wheezed, the air forced from my lungs, my ribs creaking under the strain.
In a last-ditch effort, I raised my hand and tried to cast a fireball, but his other foot came down, pinning my arm. The spell misfired, blasting into the ground beneath us.
The tunnel floor gave way.
We plunged into darkness, the world tumbling in chaotic disarray. My fingers instinctively clung to his leg as we fell, and I managed a wild punch to his face before we hit the ground. I landed on top of him, the impact rattling my bones.
“Ugh…” he groaned, dazed for a moment.
But I didn’t wait. I kicked his head like I was punting a ball, the force snapping his head to the side. Then, summoning every ounce of mana I had, I fired a fireball into his face.
He roared in agony, clawing at his burnt skin. I didn’t stop. Another fireball. And another. Again and again, until my hands burned with the effort, and my vision blurred from exhaustion.
“How the hell are you casting so fast?!” he bellowed, throwing up a glowing barrier.
The next fireball ricocheted harmlessly off his spell, and I stumbled back, gasping for air. The tunnel was pitch-black, save for the flicker of flames reflecting off his barrier. The air reeked of scorched flesh, and tiny creatures scurried along the edges of the tunnel, their eyes gleaming like pinpricks in the dark.
“I’ll kill you!” he roared, his voice echoing ominously as he advanced.
Desperation clawed at me. I hurled fireball after fireball, each one deflecting harmlessly off his barrier as I retreated step by step.
“Stay back!” I shouted, my voice raw.
But he kept coming, relentless and unbroken. My back hit the wall, and his enormous hands seized my wrists. He hoisted me into the air, his smirk returning despite the burns and bruises covering his body.
“You’ll make a fine trophy,” he sneered, his breath hot and reeking of blood. “Trust me… you will.”