It all happened too fast.
The monsters disregarded all sense of stillness the second Kade's eyes met theirs. Suddenly, they were watching him; in the next moment, their two bone scythes were blurring into his neck. Kade didn't have time to dodge; that is normal.
Before he was cut to shreds, his will burst forward into energy, and [Unyielding Asura] pulsed forward, [Embodied Wrath]'s jagged wings exploding into motion, and Dashed--
Kade was hurled backwards, unprepared for his exit, the swift scythe of the leading monster flashing by as he shot away. Pain suddenly erupted in his right arm, and the sensation in his fingers suddenly vanished.
'Wha-!'
Kade smashed against the scavenger corpses. He felt the blunt force crash into his body, bounding off the corpse and rolling back over himself, the jagged rocks digging into his skin. With his momentum killed, Kade was on his back, chest heaving, his aspect powering through and negating the immense pain at his right wrist.
He glanced at the limb. Eyes wide at the carnage.
"You've got to be shitting me..."
His hand was cleanly severed at the wrist, a fountain of blood pouring out of the wound and mixing into the rainwater—his bone fresh to be carried by the breeze. The monsters had managed to nick him before he truly escaped...
And now—it was darkness again, the faint light of the lightning dead once again.
Kade stared into the pitch black, shock and fear biting into his confidence, survival desperately driving his body to act. He leaped back onto the ground, his gaze darting around to find his attackers.
His recently received tiara shimmering into reality, all sense of pride gone in an attempt to pierce the veil of darkness.
But he didn't need to see his enemies; he heard them, quickly--approaching fast!
Kade urged, quickly hurling himself into a diving roll, the world flipping upside down, the whisper of the scythe cutting through the air above him effortlessly. He recovered, scrambling upright to face his opponent.
The tiara finally formed into existence, glimmering snugly across his forehead, and his eyes finally understood the darkness. The hulking monster, looking down upon him like an ant, his scythe fresh with Kade's own blood.
It squared over the sleeper, drawing closer with its bony blades outstretched. Kade faced the beast, with both arms up in a guarded stance, his defense lacking one of the pivotal hands. Scowling, Kade suddenly remembered.
There were two monsters--where was the other?
[Vigilance] spiked his system, and Kade dived down, the other behemoth's scythe separating locks from his hair. In the quick moment, his wings glowed bright again, the memory recharged to dash once more.
"YOU CAN'T CATCH ME!" Kade screamed, dashing once again mere moments before the repository scythe fell down. He exploded into momentum, shooting under the beast's many spear-like legs, like a mouse under a tarantula.
He ended up on the other side, continuing his dash into a sprint. Leaving a trail of blood behind. The irritated monster was screaming loudly as it gave chase.
Kade ran for his life, the two monsters hot on his tail, while Kade had to dodge and leap over the fallen scavengers; they simply powered through them like an ATV through a shack. The clattering of their legs against the rocks droning ever closer.
He stood no chance alone; there was a big leap between a beast and a monster, and with the wind whistling in his ear, Kade finally understood. He had not faced anything above a beast before, and now it made sense why monsters were deemed much more of a threat.
They were smart, not like a demon. But incomparably smarter than their bestial brethren, like comparing a hornet against a wolf. The monsters didn't lunge at him like predictable mad beasts; instead, they did what any predator would do.
They hunted him.
Kade wasn't confident he could beat even one; the creatures were faster than the scavengers and far more deadly. Any attempt to parry or block an attack would lead him to be severed just like his hand.
He needed help, and luckily, he wasn't alone.
The other five were still on the cliff, probably climbing faster now that they heard his scream. Or maybe the storm had drowned out his plea. With imminent death, Kade yelled his best.
"HELP ME! SOMEONE, THERE ARE TWO MONSTERS HERE!" His call scratched at his throat and echoed past the cliffside... Desperation and hope left out to dry, and he didn't have to wait long.
With a poof of mist, Ike suddenly emerged beside the running Kade, broadsword drawn, alarmed and vigilant, his eyes darting around him for enemies, but unlike Kade, he couldn't see through the darkness.
The sleeper quickly summoned a lantern and saw Kade covered in small wounds. The brawler smiled at his ally. He was not alone, they had not abandoned him.
"Ike, good to see you!" he wheezed—and gave him a quick wave.
With the wrong arm.
Ike's eyes locked onto the stump. His face twisted in shock as he stared at the mangled, bleeding wrist, frozen for a heartbeat.
The two monsters screeched behind them, scythes gleaming for fresh blood. Kade immediately ditched his savior and bolted sideways. One of the centurions split apart from the group and chased after Kade.
The brawler hadn't left him to die, of course; he had come to know Ike well after their journey, and if there was a thing he was good at, it was not getting hit.
Ike suddenly saw his attacker, the scythe cutting past to separate the sleeper in two, yet the blade met air—mist, and Ike was gone, poofing beside Kade, the two immediately stepping backwards to avoid a horizontal slash.
The duo, left with no escape, danced between the myriad slashes rained down upon them by the monster, Kade, with the help of [Vigilance] and extra energy, barely dodging the bone blades, and Ike, anchored to Ike, pivoting and teleporting around his partner to avoid being cut down.
The storm of slices was too much to respond to; Kade couldn't find an opportunity to retaliate, especially since he only had one fist, along with the fact that the monster's carapace was covered in medievalist spikes. He could very well impale himself like a kebab on one of them.
Switching to [Fight] instead of [Flight] for [Embodied Wrath] would aid with both problems, but without the wings, Kade had no means to escape if anything went wrong. He couldn't exactly walk off a mistake, especially if that blunder left him in five separate pieces.
The tempo increased as the centurion violently sped to cut the two apart. The other monster was hurling itself towards the three, determined to cease their resistance. Kade struggled and faltered, unable to keep up with the dance.
The scythe swept closer like an executioner's blade. Ike reacted swiftly, pulling Kade back just in time before he was beheaded, the scythe's point still separating the skin of his neck. A bright red cut emerged as a warning.
He gritted his teeth, mentally thanking his ally, attempting to retreat with him away from the monster, but he couldn't find an escape. Soon, he would be crushed and then turned to mincemeat between the two monsters.
'SUNNY, NEPHIS--BYAKKO, ANYBODY!' Kade hoped, yet no one was there, until--
Sandra shot from the cliffside, a tornado coiling around her slender body. She floated in the storm, overpowering the natural gale, her bright orange hair fluttering in the wind, as she called her echo.
A pale, long carapace accompanied by hundreds of dagger-like legs shimmered into reality, the centipede's mandibles opening up to spit out a cascade of acid down at the approaching centurion.
Sandra guided the liquid, her will gracing upon the strong winds like a divine command. The acid rained upon the monster. It halted its charge, screeching in pain as the acid dug into its armor. Yet it didn't fall, instead diverting its attention to charging at the falling sleeper and her echo.
The two didn't last long against the fury; her centipede attempted to coil and dig into its weakened armor, only to be cut apart like a ribbon. The fresh blood painted the centurion's spiky carapace, shimmering into essence as the echo was destroyed.
The girl scowled, fear striking her body as she watched her precious subordinate killed in a matter of seconds. Just barely avoiding the overwhelming tide of scythe slashes, the gale helped her maneuver away from imminent death.
The gathered sleepers couldn't contend with the monsters. Ike finally managed to slash forward with a blade of his own through the tirade of attacks, only for his attempt to spark against the armor to be fruitless.
The creature's eyes locked on Ike, shifting away from the threatless brawler.
In the moment of distraction, Kade took his opportunity, [Rings of Ravaged] forming a blood-red gauntlet on his remaining fist, and he soared forward, [Vigilance] aiding him to strike in a brutal uppercut against the monster.
A desperate attempt to stun the centurion, even for a moment.
"DON'T LOOK AWAY!" Kade roared ecstatically, his blood-red gauntlets smashing into the crab's plated face, tilting its conjoined neck up from the impact.
Then came the pain.
The centurion's mandibles snapped forward, catching his arm mid-strike.
Kade's punch was eaten.
His fist vanished into the beast's maw—shredded by rows of jagged teeth, pulled deeper into its gullet. His fingers were quickly torn from his palm as the monster consumed it.
'No—No, NO!'
"ARRRRGH, GODDAMN IT, STOP EATING ME!" he screamed, flailing. In a panic, he struck the monster's head with his stump, a series of useless, wet thuds.
The centurion didn't even flinch.
It raised a single scythe high.
To finish him off.
Ike desperately tried to sever the centurion's limb, his sword flashing by to save his ally from death, yet the scavenger merely shot forth its other limb. Ike grimaced, fury and guilt twisting his face—then vanished into mist.
Reappearing above the centurion. Ike's cape whipped in the storm. And his broadsword was hurled down to finish the creature. The shining steel came down, like a smite from the heavens--
And shattered onto the beast's carapace. Ike stared in shock as the memory faded to dust. The mute's mouth opened silently in horror--
Below him, the centurion kept chewing. Crunching through Kade's arm, unimpressed.
Then it raised its scythe again, this time with purpose.
To finish the job.
Kade looked in the eyes of his soon-to-be murderer. And devilishly grinned, trying to fight back against the fear that consumed him, and whispered violently.
"I'm not going down that easily—not to some fucking lobster."
His broken wings glowed bright and pulsed. Kade dashed backwards, the momentum ripping the remainder of his hand away from the wrist as he catapulted into the stone and tumbled backward. His back barely resisted the impact, and he screamed out in pain before his aspect muted it.
Kade was left facingthe dark pitch clouds, the rain washing away the blood pouring out of both arms, his face pale and cold. Death latched onto him as his mind started to wander into euphoria as he bled out.
Kade's breath stuttered. The storm above him blurred, smeared by blood and rain.
He couldn't move. Couldn't think. Couldn't feel.
Then, a voice came through the haze.
"Get up." Not soft. Not kind.
"You're really going to lie there? After one punch?" The tone was laced with scorn.
"You're useless. A pathetic little shit that folds the second it gets hard, a tragedy your mother died birthing you."
Kade's heart stuttered. His lips twitched.
"You're nothing, a nobody. Stay on the ground, and you will die lying".
Kade gritted his teeth. The memory washed over him—years ago, when he had no such strength.
His father's shadow towering over him in a grimy alley, fists stained, voice always louder than the pain.
Always taunting, unable to accept Kade for simply existing.
His father's voice screamed one last time--
"GET UP!"
And he did.
Kade rocketed upward, energy rippling through his muscles, fury flooding his will. He couldn't stand that voice—the voice of his father was more maddening than [Battle Lust] and more vitriolic than he had ever experienced.
There was a reason why he stabbed him in the throat instead of heart--
Dying here would mean leaving his peers behind, proving his father right about his claims. And accepting Casters' words as gospel.
Kade's jaw locked, pure anger driving his body. [Embodied Wrath] breaking apart to form two stony arms once again. The world lost his attention as he stared dead on at the centurion who had stolen his fists.
Ike was nowhere to be seen, probably retreated to help Sandra. Sunny, Nephis, and Cassie were surely here, yet Kade failed to see them. All he saw was the enemy—the one who stole his fists and now dared to look down on what was left of him.
The Asura strode with withheld fury, his granite fists clenching tightly against his palms, while blood trailed behind from his arm. Kade summoned relief, and [Warriors Artery] formed at his wrists, the wires sealing up the wound and pumping lifeblood back into his body.
The centurion gazed at his prey and crawled forward menacingly to meet him. Its pitch-black pupils lacking any mercy, its mandibles painted from its meal.
Lightning struck again, and with an immediate thunderclap, the world brightened once again. And before they clashed, Kade searched deep inside his soul. Feeling the alternate presence watching closely.
'Byakko, I know you're there. Get out and help your master,' Kade commanded sternly.
He felt the pressure in his soul growl in annoyance before it erupted outward. Byakko leapt free, landing beside his master. Its fur was still matted with residual blood and scarring from his encounter with the scavenger horde.
The irritated tiger snarled at the storm that dared to drench its perfect coat…before staring at the monster that forced it to be summoned. Pure vitriol in his slit irises. The mythical beast reacting to its master's rage.
[Divine Outburst] summoning a crackling spark of electricity that danced across its form like armor.
The two sides closed in before hurtling violently at each other.
[Author's Note]
Hope you enjoyed the first skirmish :3, I'll focus on Sunny and nephis mainly for the next chapter. Either way, it was great fun to write it.
----Nowwwwwwwwwwwwww
Is it good enough for one of my dear readers who has not left a review :>
an author cannot beg enough. :.( for he needs one more to reach the fabled 10.
Thank you for your support. It means ZA world,