Dein saw an arrow fly at him with uncanny speed.
His eyes widened, but luckily he saw it first as in the next moment, he jumped to his right hoping to avoid it only to scream in pain the next second as he felt his shoulder exploded in pain.
"Aarhh!"
Dein's small gremlin body was sent flying to the ground because of the arrow. He grimace, the gaping hole on his shoulder flooding with black blood.
Shit, shit! Dammit!
He's being attacked? Where? How? Why? Unanswered questions flooded Dein's mind as he struggled to get up from the ground. His hand flying to his now limp shoulder to keep it from bleeding.
'Shit, it hurts! Why does pain hurt so bad!'
breathe! Breathe stupid!
Dein have to breathe. The blinding pain had already sent his mind panicking but Dein knew he had to calm down. He had to let his lungs breathe and calm down.
If he don't, he'll die.
Finally he manage to stand up, swaying slightly as the pain seemingly made his bones weaker. Then he let out a heavy breath.
'It's fine, it's just my shoulder.'
That's right, all parts of his body except his left arm is still usable. Dein could still run, no, he had to run.
He turned around but at that moment he instantly felt the back of his head and two points on his back burn in pain. Having already experience it, he turned to his right and started to run. Moments after that, three arrows hit the ground where he could've gotten hit.
It seems Dein's intuition was right, maybe it's his attackers aspect or probably one of his attributes, but Dein is sure that the burning pain he's feeling on some parts of his body is where the arrow would hit.
It was great boon, but still, the burning sensation was unmistakably painful. Like he was being burned alive.
Dein flexed his lower muscles as he begun to run, when he did, the pain on his shoulder just kept on getting stronger and stronger, he could feel his body weakening because of the blood loss and burning pain erupted everywhere on his back. Everytime it did, however, he would grimace before he changing direction.
Dein's run is by no means fast, it was slow really but he also he couldn't stop.
After all, despite being a legacy, Dein doesn't know how to fight. He was neither talented nor skillful, hell it even takes so long just for him to learn something useful. And his physique, whether the original or this one, is both wea, frail and useless. And he's only fourteen god dammit!
'Tsk! Stop you stupid! This no time to make excuses!'
He had to escape and tend his wound or else he'll bleed to death.
The fog streak around Dein as he moved past them, no matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to lose the archer shooting behind him. Wherever he goes, the archer is always just behind him, shooting arrows and although missing, the burning agony Dein had to endure was nothing but torture.
Suddenly, he felt the fog moved again and a burning sensation erupted on his neck. Dein almost choke from the pain but he ignored it.
'Shit, I'm going to get behead!'
Where is it? Where is he going get beheaded from? Is it behind him? Side? Front? But Dein did not find the answer, instead, a burning pain erupted from the back of his leg and before he could react an arrow suddenly pierce it, throwing him off balance.
Dein would've curse whatever it is shooting at him from behind if not for the burning pain in his neck that suddenly dissapeared. Dein fell kneeling to the ground, as bits of blood formed on his neck. However, to his surprise, his neck was still intact.
It seems the archer had hit his leg to help him avoid being behead.
Gasping, Dein noticed the being now standing beside him. He looked up, to see a man holding a black wooden sword still not moving from his earlier position when he tried to cut his neck.
Why did the archer save him? No, it has to be something else. The archer probably have different objective. Whatever it is, both of them are trying to kill him right now so Dein couldn't care less.
Then, Dein heard the man beside him spoke.
"Clara! Can't you at least be generous and give me the kill? Just for once?"
Give him the kill?
Behind Dein, he heard a slight giggle coming from the archer Clara.
This bastards! They're just toying with me? And they're even competing huh?!
'How dare they! I'm a damn legacy you know!'
He felt his body became shrouded in burning pain once more and Dein grinded his teeth.
His neck is burning, the back of his head is burning, his whole back itself is covered in burning pain and not to mention his shoulder, leg, and the cut on his neck.
He's going to die…
Dein just knows it. And yet… yet he refused to. He had a family waiting at him back on the waking world, a bright future ahead of him, he's a scion of the clan of hearth he can't die here. And disgracefully at that.
Grinding his teeth and ignoring the pain, Dein felt adrenaline course through his body and before he knew it, he was lunging at the man in front of him.
His sharp claws met the man's face as he jump on top of him, throwing the man to the ground.
"You bastard! I'll kill you! I'll tear you to shreds you motherfucker!"
The bastard slammed to the ground, he tried moving his sword but Dein had it pinned beneath him alongside the man's body. He felt his sharp fingertips burrow onto the man's face but Dein did not stop, he kept on tearing the man's stupid face, pushing his claws deeper before pulling it out the next time.
"You… rat! Get off me!" The man screamed.
At some point, the man started punching him, each blow is as painful as the burning sensation that comes before them but Dein held on.
He really wants to tear this guy up, butcher him like he deserves. Dein doesn't even know why he does, but he really, reallyy just wants to.
Pain started burning on Dein's body once more and he noticed arrows flying at him on the corner of his eye but he couldn't care less.
All he wants is to tear this guy up. The man screamed in pain as Dein pressed his thumb on one the man's eyes, he pressed and push, using his claw to dig deeper until he heard a popped.
One of the man's eyes goes blind, his face bleeding all over. Seeing all this, Dein couldn't help but feel relieved. In the next moment however, he fell to the ground, and he finally noticed the five arrows lodging themselves on his side, with the last one on his neck.
On the ground, Dein's body convulse slightly as his own blood covered him.
Then he heard a shout. It was from the archer.
"Lei!!!"
The archer hurriedly ran towards the man and knelt beside him. Her face anxious and worried.
"Lei, are you okay? Just wait, Gi would come soon"
The woman produced a white cloth from behind her to cover the man's face. Such a shame, your friend is ugly now bastard! He doesn't know if the man actually deserves it or not but… well, he probably does, who cares?
On the ground, Dein cough black blood as his body continued to convulse and shake because of the unending adrenaline rush he's feeling.
It was painful, so painful…
Dein could still hear the two people babbling about on the background, he even felt a shadow fall on him when the man rose up.
'Bastard…'
"I'm fine…" the swordsman said, his face covered in blood but one could easily see how irritated he is. He lifted his sword from the ground "…This rat!"
Of course he's fine, his wounds is by no means lethal after all. Unlike Dein whose life is already flashing before his eyes.
'its so painful… why the hell is dying so painful?'
The man, Lei, lifted his sword to deliver the final blow and end Dein but Clara stopped him, making the already angry swordsman became even more.
Lei shouted. "What the heck are you doing Clara!? If this is still about the competition then I'm telling you, I'm out! I'm going to kill this stupid gremlin and if you stopped me once more, I swear to the sacred flame I'm going to kill you next!"
"No, that's not…" Clara said, her voice slightly shaken as she paused. A second later, she added. Making Dein's long ears tingle. "That's not what I mean, you can kill the bastard all you want but only after…"
"You get my permission… right?" The female voice that suddenly cut off Clara mid sentence came from ahead of Dein. He would've loved to see the woman's face but unfortunately, he could no longer move.
Dein could feel that he's just seconds away from dying, but strangely, when he felt the gaze of the strange woman fell on him, his body and mind became numb, and death doesn't feel so close anymore.
It's just…
'…Why the hell does death takes so long?'
If he had to guess, it's probably because of this current body of him. Monsters are quite sturdy after all.
Meanwhile, now only slightly audible to Dein. The conversation above him continued.
The swordsman Lei raised his voice again. His tone threatening.
"Huh?! Why the hell would I have to ask your permission for, Gi?!"
'This bastard really is so loud…' Dein thought as the woman who just appeared, Gi, replied, her voice smooth and confident.
"Why don't you ask yourself that? You should know why"
"You bitch! Can't you see what this forest rat did to my face?"
"I can. However, isn't it your own arrogance that lead to that?"
Lei opened his mouth again to retort but Gi just waved him off before turning to the man's companion, Clara. Gi talked, making Lei click his tongue before giving Dein's battered body a distainful look.
"Is it true?" Gi said to which Clara nodded, she opened her mouth to speak but unfortunately, Dein was no longer able to hear. And in the next moment, he became unable to see too and everything went dark.
Before the darkness envelop him however, he felt his skin crawl the same way it did earlier, and a gnawing unease assaulted his mind.
Then, everything became covered in darkness.