Seven stars shone the brightest in the night sky. Yet at the deep end of a hollow space where no light could reach, seven flames erupted into existence, burning in seven colors. Each one was different than the rest while the heat was questionable in some sense. They burned on separate pedestals forming a formation of a seven-sided star on the floor, and down in the middle, a sculpture of a sitting man similar to Rodin’s The Thinker. Then flames burst from the sculpture's stony eyes as if life was blown into it.
“Someone finally did it,” the sculpture said, or was it the flames in the eyes. Loud cracks echoed in this chamber as the sculpture attempted to move as dust and debris fell off from the joints of the sculpture. Yet it did not care over the mild destruction of its own body. From sitting it stood. Glancing upward at the tiny hole in the ceiling, a hole that reached right towards the surface.
“My life’s work will not be wasted,” it said. Slightly smiling as the end of its lips started to crack. “I can feel him, I can vaguely sense the aura of the one who is crazy enough to attempt a foolish endeavor.”
The statue raised its palm as a faint ball of violet light emerged into existence. It swirled, condensing itself using the trace amount of the element in this chamber. Soon it turned dense like a ball of smog. Then it flew away, slipping through the hole in the ceiling, heading towards the surface. Once it bathed under the light of the artificial sun, it instantly found its target. It changed the course of its flight path and dove straight at the muddy ground where two closed eyes were hard to notice. The ball of violet smog was gone, and then the hidden creature opened its eyes. A violet light glowed within the eyes of the creature as it unearthed itself.
* * *
Zach’s sword was enveloped in a pale red hue as the edge dripped in blood. The man in his boxer slew one ant after another, carving a path as he gave chase to the creature that had taken Teena right in front of his eyes. His Living with the Pain stack rose in numbers as his gradually heightened speed close the distance between him and the kidnapper.
But he was far too slow. The distance between them was beginning to stagnate as if the creature had a speed boost of its own. Zach driven by desperation did what he hated the most. He pierced his own hand, and the stack rose by another. His speed was enhanced and the boost he needed propelled him forward as he could finally see Teena’s face within the distance.
The moon was gracious tonight, her light strong and bright as if the night was like under the shade of a cloudy sky. He saw Teena. Her eyes quivered in fear as she could do nothing but struggled within the tight coil that wrapped around her. She tried her hardest to break away, squirming with the little space she had, but it was useless. Her glowing green eyes stared at the only hope of her getting out of this alive, the young lord of Gardwin, Zachary Gardwin. Deep in the depth of her heart, she wanted to scream for help, but her lips were tightly sealed, and not because of the coil around her. Once again, she had been a burden to the man that had given her the strength to fight in this world. The guilt plagued her heart as she could not say what she wanted. But then she heard him.
“Don’t worry, Teena!” he shouted. “I’m coming!”
Those words touched her. Her eyes glistened by the second as she was on the verge of tearing up. But she stopped herself. Shaking her head. She would not let those tears fall not when there was a chance he could be of help to Zach even with the littlest effort. Again, she wriggled her body as the lass tried something that came to mind.
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‘This isn’t enough,’ Zach thought. Again, his speed was still slower. He brainstormed for a solution as his choices were running out except for relying on the pain stack. But cutting one of his fingers for a stack would be a foolish act. Then he remembered that fact. Despite earning the Mana Sword skill, the cantrip he used to earn it was still usable through another aspect. Zach began another test, visualizing his mana flowing from his heart down to his lower limbs, and it worked. The pain that was like a toxic friend before he fainted knocked on his doorstep, giving him another stack. But that wasn’t enough, he pushed his visualization, reaching the part where the mana needed to branch off. Then the pain erupted to another notch, and another stack was obtained. Immediately he halted the mana progress, and he was safe from blacking out as he achieved his objective.
His eyes blazed with the fire of pain and murderous intent. He closed the distance in under a few seconds, and he leaped towards the creature. The blade in his hand glowed in a pale reddish hue, and it roared as Zach slashed it across the legs of the creature. He fell on the ground, rolling before coming to a stop. Zach got up, groaning. His eyes searched for Teena and the creature as he swore he got a hit at it.
“Teena!” he shouted. But rather than a reply, the ants that ruled the night came pouncing at him from the darkness. He cursed as he killed it. Yet more kept on coming and then he heard her.
“My lord!” It was near and Zach bolted toward the voice.
By the time he could see her. She was on the move as the creature yet again was persistent in fleeing away. But this time, it was slower. Zach intercepted them, blocking them from the front, and he saw what it was. It was a giant toad with its pink tongue outside, coiling around Teena’s body. Zach slashed down, trying to end it in one go. But he missed. The toad sped to the side, running up the tree. It stuck at an angle where it was humanly impossible. Unlike a regular toad, its legs were those long spiny cockroach legs. It was designed to be quick on any surface, and yet it was a mismatch with that pudgy toad body.
“Get over here,” Zach said. Rushing at the toad, running up the tree with a slash of his sword. But again, that slimy motherfucker was quick. The toad landed back on the ground and fled the moment it touched the forest floor. From the look of it, this toad had no intention of fighting against Zach besides kidnapping Teena which was wrapped around its tongue.
Then it began. Another cat-and-mouse chase between Zach and the toad. But this time, he had the upper hand. That desperate attack he made had injured the toad’s leg, and its speed had dropped considerably but its agility to dodge was cumbersome. Whatever attack Zach made, the toad would dodge it at the last second as if it could see the path of his sword.
Then he switched it up. The moment the sword was dodged, his feet went for a kick. He struck it right at its slimy body, but it was too weak. The toad bounced back and used the force from that kick to flee itself further. Zach cursed under his breath and gave chase.
Throughout his frustrating one-sided fight, Zach tried a couple of tactics. One of them was cutting the tongue off, releasing Teena from its grip. But the toad was more careful about its tongue than its body as it didn’t even flinch after Zach sucker-punched it right in the eye, popping its eyeball. The toad was resolute in fleeing away.
But the chase suddenly ended. The toad did not move a muscle as it sat there on the ground where the sky was clear to be seen. Zach paid no heed to its idleness and went for the kill. Yet the moment his blade spliced the toad right through its skull bright light came from the ground. Forming intricate symbols and strange archaic letters. By the time it completed into a circle, Zach and Teena vanished from the spot. Leaving the scene like it was before as an unnoticeable small hole was the center of it all.