Elena squared herself against the Panther in the dim, misty light of the swamp. The creature's glowing green eyes locked onto hers, a low growl rumbling from its throat as it circled her from about fifty meters out. The creature's shell-like armor plates glinted ominously with long reflections in the murky water. The Panther's movements were fluid and silent, making it difficult to predict its next move. Elena's heart raced as she tried to anticipate the creature's attack. She thought, "It's like trying to read smoke. One wrong move and I'm cat food."
The rest of the team took the time to spread out, each one finding a good location to take advantage of the terrain. Darian moved in front of Elena a good five meters, just to make sure she wasn't directly in the line of the creature's first attack. Liora started a low chanting, and Adrian fumbled through his bag. The air around them crackled with tension. Elena could feel the magical energy building, making the hair on her arms stand on end. "Come on, guys," she thought desperately. "Whatever you're planning, do it fast."
Without warning, the Panther lunged at Elena. She watched in terror as the beast's first move sent it hurtling towards her. Even though she was a good fifty meters away from it, the beast judged she was well within its reach. Internally, she cursed herself as she remembered that beasts hated her, and her specifically. But that thought was secondary to the fear. She was on this creature's turf, and the penalty for doing so was death. A death that she had signed up for.
Elena looked up as the pouncing creature extended its claws, eight dagger-length blades ready to bisect her. She barely had time to react, but in those few moments before she might die outright, her perception of time seemed to once again slow down. She summoned her blood magic into a shield of blood, hoping it would be enough. But she knew it wouldn't be. The shield materialized before her, a swirling crimson barrier. Elena's mind raced, "It's too thin, too weak. I need more time, more blood, more everything!"
Zara was running at full speed from 80 meters away, and even with Elena's enhanced perception of the battle, she looked to be running no faster than an Olympic sprinter. Zara's armor was letting off gouts of flame and plasma as she ran, and the heat shimmering off of it was fairly impressive. But she wasn't going to get there in time. A horrible thought crossed Elena's mind: "It’s going to get to me, and they'll have to put me back together. My stupid body needs to move, to do something. God, please do anything!"
Elena's heart hammered against her ribcage, each beat a deafening roar in her ears. Her breath came in short, ragged gasps as panic clawed at her throat, threatening to strangle her. The world around her seemed to blur and distort, the swamp's murky waters and gnarled trees melting into a nightmarish landscape, all except for the panther's glowing green eyes. Those remained in razor-sharp focus, holding her gaze with a primal, terrifying intensity. She felt as if she were sinking, drowning in a sea of terror, her limbs leaden and unresponsive.
In that moment of utter helplessness, a small part of her mind, still clinging to rationality, registered something unusual. Without breaking her locked gaze with the beast, Elena became aware of a faint, pulsing sensation at the edge of her consciousness. It was as if a warning light was blinking insistently in the periphery of her mind's eye. With a start, she mentally grasped at this sensation, recognizing it as a debuff icon - a cruel reminder of the game-like nature of her predicament. As her mind processed this information, the rush of fear momentarily subsided, replaced by a grim understanding of her situation, all while her eyes remained fixed on the approaching death incarnate before her.
## Debuff Information
Debuff: Primal Terror Level: 4 Effect:
* Reduces overall willpower by 30%
* Freezes the victim in place, preventing movement or reaction for the duration
* Reduces defense by 15%, as instincts scream for survival over offense
Duration: Continuous until you break eye contact with the Duskfang Note: Looks like you’re stuck there, frozen like a deer in headlights. Go ahead, take your time—it's not like the Duskfang is getting closer or anything... oh wait, it totally is.
As the panther sailed through the air towards her, time seemed to stretch into an eternity for Elena. Her eyes remained locked on the creature's glowing green gaze, unable to look away from the death hurtling towards her. A desperate battle raged within her mind, one part screaming at her to move, to dodge, to do anything. "Roll! Jump! Close your eyes!" her rational mind shrieked, but her body remained frozen, refusing to obey. It was as if her muscles had turned to lead, her eyelids petrified open, her feet rooted to the ground. The other part of her, driven by primal terror, insisted that any movement would only ensure the predator's claws found their mark.
Fear coursed through her veins like liquid nitrogen, paralyzing her more effectively than any physical restraint ever could. Elena felt like a deer in headlights, helpless and immobile, as the two sides of her psyche warred for control. All the while, the panther's eyes held her captive, growing larger by the second, promising an end to the internal struggle in the most final way possible. In this suspended moment, with death mere feet away, Elena's mind raced futilely against the paralyzing grip of fear.
And yet, as she looked upon her death coming to eat her in a single bite, Darian was working to save his teammate's life. He brought his weapon up and slammed it into the underbelly of the creature. Not to wound it, but to give it a push upwards.
It was the only thing that kept her alive.
The creature's carefully planned arc was thrown off by just a meter, but that was enough. Instead of its mouth coming in at neck height, its claws came in only barely close enough to touch the top of her head. As soon as the beast broke eye contact with her, the debuff ended. Elena immediately conjured a spear of blood, formed from her own palm, activated piercing blood, and turned as she hurled it at the panther. The spear struck true and connected with the side of the creature just between two of the interlocking plates. The Duskfang, as she now knew it was called, let out a furious roar as green blood oozed from the wound.
But a small wound like that was not something that would bring down the mighty predator. Elena watched as it viciously pulled away from the tree and turned to look at her group. Darian called out for Adrian to get the brackwater ready when he said go, and the beast stamped down and let out a furious challenge to the adventurers. Both sides knew that this was going to be a fight, and both sides knew they were ready.
Adrian held out his hand palm up, and a small ball of white light formed above it. With his other hand, he made a sweeping gesture towards the beast as dozens of little sparks of light swarmed out of the ball and slammed into the Duskfang. It bellowed again and ran for him, each powerful leg bringing it several meters closer.
He didn't have anything on Zara, though. She adopted a sprinter's stance, and the swamp itself seemed to bake around her. Mud transformed into solid dirt as the liquid evaporated from the intense heat. She launched herself at rocket speeds towards the monster. Within a second, she crossed the hundred or so meters and collided with the beast. Elena didn't know if the beast felt pain from her spear or from the mana that Adrian had launched at it. But that fist? Oh, it felt that.
The crack of Zara's armor slamming on the beast nearly broke its jaw. One second the creature was running towards Adrian, the next it was experiencing RPG-speed whiplash. Darian ran up to it, his giant ax being wielded in two hands, the sharp edge ready to decapitate the beast when it quickly spun around. The ax slammed into its back plates as it ran forward, determined to take down its original prey.
Elena used hemokinesis on it, and the blood pouring from its many wounds roiled out, sped past it, and formed in her hand in the shape of a jagged blade.
The team heard Darian's voice in their minds yell out, "Drop and Shock!" as the monster activated some ability. The creature's teeth and claws glowed a sickly green as it swiped at Elena, but she barely twirled out of the way. Liora started preparing her portion of the maneuver, waiting for Elena to get clear. She stuck her staff into the sky, and dark, ominous clouds formed. Lightning crackled all around, just waiting for an unfortunate creature to strike. Adrian immediately bolted towards solid land knowing this was going to suck and called out to everyone to be out of the water.
Liora's eyes grew wide as she witnessed Elena almost get bisected, and her heart shuddered with fear as Elena disappeared from sight. That was far closer than Liora wanted it, and she knew that Elena's heart had to be going fast enough to power a small ironclad. But she trusted her teammate knew not to die. "By the winds," Liora thought, her mind racing, "if Elena survives this, I'm going to teach her some evasion spells myself. Blood magic is impressive, but it won't do her any good if she's in pieces." But she trusted her teammate knew not to die. Another thought came to Liora's mind as the vast magical energies gathered above her. "That girl really does love to dance."
Elena, on the other hand, was thanking whatever god just listened to her as the beast passed. As it did, she stuck her blade out and carved into the monster. The tip of the green blood blade entered, and as it did, the muscles and skin and bone parted as if the creature was made of little more than paper before a sharpened knife. Blood and some gore splattered out of the creature's side. For a few fleeting moments, she saw the creature's intestines throb and move before the sword nicked the side of the stomach. Even for a creature this big, it was a vicious wound, one that on a creature from Earth would have ended whatever fight it had. The fetid smell of rotten meat flooded her senses.
Elena thought over the mental connection, "Dropping Aggro," and activated her armor's ability to become invisible before running like hell. She knew what was about to happen and had no intention of being near ground zero.
Upon hearing that notification, Liora pointed a finger at the beast and slammed her staff down into the mud. Even through the haze of battle, the punctuating sound of a thunderbolt could be heard throughout the swamp. Hellish blue and white energy from the heavens came down and struck the beast, charring the outside of it and partially cooking the creature. Even from 20 meters away, she felt the tingle of electricity in her toes.
Elena yelped out over the mental connection, "Yowza! Liora, remind me to never piss you off. I think you just gave me a new hairstyle!" She could feel her hair standing on end, tiny arcs of residual electricity dancing between the strands. Despite the shock—both literal and figurative—Elena couldn't help but add, "On the bright side, I think I'm fully charged now. Anyone need a battery?"
The lightning bolt had barely finished its devastating strike when Adrian and Zara launched their own assault. Adrian, who had been tirelessly casting shield after shield to protect the party, now turned his attention to offense. Simultaneously, Zara unleashed her formidable pulse blaster. Their attacks converged on the same spot where Elena's blood magic had opened a wound on the creature. White bullets of mana from Adrian and energy pulses from Zara hammered relentlessly at the beast, intensifying the damage.
Suddenly, the creature shimmered and vanished. It had activated its third ability, disappearing from sight. The final volley of shots from Zara and Adrian passed harmlessly through the empty space where the beast had stood just moments before. The group froze, eyes darting around, searching for any sign of their formidable foe.
In the tense silence, Elena's voice echoed through the mind link Adrian had established. "Guys, it's a Darkfang," she said, her mental tone a mix of realization and apology. "Sorry, I was trying not to die for a second back there."
Liora, processing this new information, immediately responded with urgency. "Darkfang?" Her mental voice was sharp with concern. "Be careful. They almost always have a mate nearby."
Elena was running back towards the others when she felt it. The bleeding creature was skulking towards Adrian and Zara a lot quicker than she expected. Within seconds, it was going to be on top of them, and while Zara was quick, Elena didn't know if Adrian was quick enough. "Zara, Adrian. On your six!"
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The air shimmered and warped as the Darkfang's ability wore off, its massive form materializing mere inches from where Adrian stood. Elena's instincts kicked in before her mind could process the danger. She lunged forward, her body moving with a speed born of desperation and adrenaline. Her shoulder connected with Adrian's chest, sending him sprawling backwards and out of the beast's reach.
But Elena wasn't fast enough to save herself.
The Darkfang's eyes, glowing with predatory triumph, locked onto her. Its massive head snapped forward, jaws opening to reveal rows of serrated teeth, each as long as Elena's fingers. Time seemed to slow as those terrible jaws closed around her arm, just below the shoulder.
The initial impact was almost painless, a moment of pressure before the world exploded into agony. The Darkfang's teeth sheared through her armor as if it were paper, sinking deep into her flesh. Elena's scream caught in her throat as wave after wave of searing pain radiated from the wound. It felt as if liquid fire had been injected directly into her veins, the Darkfang's venom spreading with each frantic beat of her heart.
The creature's powerful neck muscles tensed, and Elena felt herself lifted off the ground. Her feet dangled uselessly as the Darkfang shook its head, treating her entire body like a rag doll. The motion sent fresh jolts of agony through her arm and shoulder. She could hear the sickening pop of tendons stretching beyond their limits, feel the grinding of bone against bone as her shoulder threatened to dislocate.
Elena's vision swam, dark spots dancing at the edges as her body struggled to process the overwhelming pain. She could feel every individual tooth embedded in her flesh, could sense the exact moment when her muscles began to tear under the relentless pressure. Warm blood flowed freely down her arm, soaking her torn sleeve and dripping onto the muddy ground below.
The Darkfang released a huff of hot, fetid breath. The smell of rotting meat washed over Elena, so potent she could almost taste it. The creature's satisfaction was palpable; it had finally caught the prey that had eluded it. Elena felt another shake, more violent than the first, and fresh pain bloomed as more muscle tore.
Through the haze of agony, Elena became acutely aware of the Darkfang's proximity. Its scaled hide brushed against her side, radiating an unnatural heat. She could hear the low rumble emanating from its chest, feel the vibrations through her trapped arm. Another hot breath ghosted across her neck, and Elena realized with growing horror that the creature was repositioning itself. Whether to get a better grip or to go for her throat, she couldn't be sure. But the intent was clear: the Darkfang was not about to let its meal escape again.
She screamed. The high-pitched warble that came out of her was enough to let anyone within earshot know that she was not all right. This was not the scream of a child throwing a tantrum or an angry outburst. It was a primal, incoherent cry of someone who felt the approach of death's embrace. She screamed until she was breathless, and even then, she continued to scream silently.
As the Darkfang's jaws clenched tighter, the primal part of Elena's brain screamed in raw terror. Every instinct demanded she flee, to somehow wrench herself free from this living nightmare. Yet, a small, rational part of her mind whispered the cruel truth: it was already too late.
A sickening crack echoed through the air, audible even over the creature's growls and Elena's ragged breathing. She felt, more than heard, her shoulder socket shatter. The pain was beyond comprehension, a white-hot agony that threatened to consume her entirely. Adrian, having recovered from Elena's push, watched in horror, his face a mask of shock and despair.
The Darkfang, sensing its prey's weakening struggle, shifted its grip. Elena watched, paralyzed by pain and terror, as the creature planted one massive paw on her chest. Its claws, each as long as a dagger, sank effortlessly through her armor. With agonizing slowness, it raked downward.
Time seemed to stretch into eternity for Elena. She could feel every fiber of muscle, every strand of sinew in her arm straining against the inevitable. Her body, driven by an instinctive will to survive, fought against the Darkfang's strength. But flesh and bone, no matter how stubborn, were no match for the predator's raw power.
With a final, sickening tearing sound, the last threads of tissue gave way. The Darkfang's twisting motion wrenched Elena's arm free from her body. The sudden release sent waves of nausea crashing over her, the pain so intense it bordered on numbness.
In that moment of horrific clarity, Elena's survival instincts kicked in with primal force. Despite the agony coursing through her body, despite the blood gushing from the ragged stump where her arm had been, she scrambled to her feet. Her movements were jerky, uncoordinated, like a marionette with half its strings cut. But they were driven by a desperate, animal need to escape.
Elena staggered forward, her vision blurring as shock and blood loss threatened to overwhelm her. Each step sent fresh waves of pain through her body, but she pressed on, driven by the terrifying certainty that to stop was to die. She could hear the Darkfang behind her, its heavy breathing a grim reminder of the death that pursued her.
But the Darkfang wasn't finished. Even as Elena made her desperate bid for freedom, the creature reacted with predatory swiftness. In one fluid motion, it spun around, its muscular tail whipping through the air. Elena, still reeling from her injuries and focused solely on escape, had no chance to brace herself or dodge.
The tail caught her squarely in the chest, the impact reverberating through her entire body. She heard, rather than felt, her ribs snap. The force of the blow lifted her off her feet, sending her flying backward. As she sailed through the air, a new agony blossomed along her spine. Something shifted, dislocated, sending jolts of electric pain through her nervous system.
Elena's body carved a path through the swamp, skipping like a stone across the muddy surface. She rolled uncontrollably, the world spinning in a nauseating blur of sky and muck. After what felt like an eternity, she finally came to rest, sprawled on her back.
The impact drove what little air remained from her lungs. Elena gasped, struggling to breathe as she sank into the ankle-deep mud. The cool, wet earth seemed to embrace her broken form, a stark contrast to the fiery pain that consumed her.
As she lay there, teetering on the edge of consciousness, Elena's mind struggled to process the enormity of what had just happened. Her failed escape attempt, the loss of her arm, the shattered ribs, the damage to her spine – it all seemed surreal, as if happening to someone else. Yet the pain, oh the pain, was undeniably, horrifyingly real.
A Thorncrawler climbed over her, and Elena looked down at it. Her brain did whatever it could to distract her from the missing arm as it gave her a humorous thought. "All this and you're about to get devoured by this thing." She smacked it away.
She became aware of a voice telling her "ELENA! HANG IN THERE!", but whoever was yelling for Elena should be careful of the creature that was right there. A few seconds later, the haze of pain lifted from her head, and part of her realized she was probably in shock.
As Elena lay in the mud, barely clinging to consciousness, she became aware of a warm, tingling sensation spreading through her body. With great effort, she focused her gaze on her status icon. The arm on the figure was blacked out, and her torso glowed an angry red, indicating severe damage. But as she watched, something miraculous happened. The red began to fade, slowly but surely shifting to yellow.
The magic infused in her armor was working overtime, pouring healing energy into her battered form. Elena could feel bones knitting, torn flesh mending, and the searing pain gradually dulling to a more manageable ache. It wasn't a complete recovery – the armor's magic had its limits – but it was enough to pull her back from the brink of death.
With each passing moment, Elena felt strength returning to her remaining limbs. Her mind cleared, the fog of pain and shock receding. Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself up, rising to her feet with a determination that surprised even her. The loss of her arm threw off her balance, but she quickly adjusted, her body adapting to its new reality.
As she regained her bearings, Elena took stock of the battlefield. Liora stood in the center of a glowing circle, her hands weaving complex patterns in the air as she chanted. Adrian was at her side, his eyes darting between Liora and the ongoing fight. Elena recognized this formation – it was one of the tactics they had practiced for situations when an enemy had gotten the jump on them.
Further out, Zara and Darian were locked in fierce combat with the Darkfang, their movements a blur of strikes and dodges. They were fighting for their lives, holding the beast at bay but unable to gain the upper hand. Occasionally the darkfang would get a hit and a shield would explode in blue and white shards of magic.
The sight ignited something in Elena. The fear and pain that had overwhelmed her moments ago transformed, coalescing into a white-hot core of rage. She was a blood mage, damn it. She was the Butcher. And it was high time she lived up to that name.
Elena's remaining hand clenched into a fist, blood – her own and the Darkfang's – responding to her will. Her eyes narrowed, focusing on the creature that had nearly ended her. The magic of her armor had given her a second chance, and she wasn't about to waste it. With a grim smile that promised retribution, Elena prepared to rejoin the fight, ready to show the Darkfang why she was a force to be reckoned with.
She needed blood for her abilities, and luckily her own body was supplying plenty. She pointed her good arm at the creature, the blood from the blade liquefying and joining the dark red of her own. It formed a ball of violence and hate in front of her, and with her intention and will, the ball started shooting out volley after volley of sharp, bleeding projectiles. The creature was going to kill someone, and she was damned if it was going to be anyone she knew or cared about.
The first of the bullets lanced towards the target with terrifying speed, fast enough that even Zara would have been hard-pressed to keep up. By the time the first bullet had crossed the 10 meters, the fifteenth bullet was already in flight. The first blood bullet impacted, but it didn't seem to do very much. It pierced maybe a centimeter or two into the flesh but was stopped by the thickness of the neck muscles. But a millisecond later, the second bullet hit, and its trajectory had barely changed from the first one. This time it got a chance to go in three or four centimeters past where the first bullet had stopped before it too was reduced to a liquid. The third bullet traveled even further, and by the time the 50th blood bullet hit, there wasn't any neck left to slow it down or stop it. But instead of stopping, Elena just closed her fist and spoke the words that came naturally to her: "Let your own veins betray you."
The creature's roar was silenced momentarily as projectile after projectile slammed into it, tearing through flesh, severing vital arteries, and even chewing through bone. A half-meter sliver of its neck had been completely removed. The silence then turned into a gurgle as arterial blood sprayed everywhere, and soon the ground was coated in a sticky dark green mire. The rest of the wounds on the creature fared no better as torrents of pus-filled blood oozed out of the creature. The longer Elena held her hand closed, the more mana she channeled into the creature's death and the more rapidly the creature bled out. It seemed easier to her than before, but it still seemed like quite a bit of mana was needed as her mana bar started blinking empty and her own blood started picking up the slack. But it was enough.
Darian and Zara noticed the instant the panther's movements started to become sluggish. Its once powerful attacks that had severed her arm barely scratched his armor, and its coordination slipped dramatically. Elena struggled on her feet, with her own blood continuing to pour down her side. Liora, from the safety of her bubble, waved a hand in Elena's direction, and a small amount of healing added to her own. Elena silently thanked Thar'zun for his handiwork as the magic of her armor proved its worth in gold. Between it, Liora, and her own healing, the magic was intent on keeping Elena alive.
The creature almost sluggishly turned back towards Elena, and in a haze, it noticed that she was in the process of regrowing her own limb. But that moment of distraction was all Darian and Zara needed. Zara punched the creature in the leg with enough force to break its bone, and Darian brought his giant ax down on its head. The creature's head split open like an overripe melon, and green ichor splattered across his face and chest.
The Duskfang lay defeated in the muddy battlefield, its monstrous form shuddering before falling silent. Elena gasped for breath, feeling the exhaustion seep into her bones. Her eyes flickered between the fallen creature and her teammates, Darian and Zara, who stood victorious. As the adrenaline faded, she couldn't help but marvel at the power that surged within her. She said under her breath, "Wait till I tell my kids that Daddy's a superhero." And then she thought about how she'd also have to explain that Daddy was now also Mommy. When she put those thoughts to the back of her mind, the pain that she was experiencing came back to not-so-gently remind her that she was still in bad shape.
Liora and Adrian dropped their shields and ran to the group. Darian put his ax head down, and Zara zipped over to Elena, who had easily received the most gruesome wounds. She quickly checked her out and noted the still-growing appendage. To her, it looked like the bones were regrowing like plants, and the meat and sinew were growing on it like bloody bark. She leaned over, put a comforting hand on her shoulder, and looked into Elena's bloodshot eyes. "Elena, you ok?"
Elena spoke between breaths, the sound coming out clipped and ragged. "Elena? Who is" huff huff "that?" huff "My... name" Gasp "is... twinkletoes." Elena gave her a sly smile.
Zara beamed and immediately turned around, pulling Elena into her side. She offered no resistance, as exhausted as she was. "By the sour milk of the dark one's nut, this girl really is the butcher!"
Liora reached into her bag to pull out a potion for Elena and screamed. Instead of healing for her friend, she was holding an eyeball looking back at her.
Elena smiled and said, barely loud enough for Zara to hear, "Gotta love loot!"