Shrubs churned, mud erupted, and soil dispersed as the hound ran, never faltering. Its nose, tinged with the scent of its prey: the boy. Bushes and weeds ripped apart: nothing would stand within its path. Nothing would change its fate with its nemesis.
As the scent changed; so, did the hound's movements, following the trail like a targeted missile. It reached the foot of the hill with pinpoint accuracy. Reducing its speed, the hound stealthily moved up the hill, scanning either side of the treeline in anticipation. It wondered if the boy would run or hide; however, it was pointless. The hound's sense of smell was far superior, or was it? Suddenly, the scent trail ended at the campfire, ceasing to exist.
The hound's eyes narrowed- something didn't seem right.
"Master, there it is!"
"Indeed, Medea, I'd have never forgotten that autumn-coloured hide."
"Oh, do you feel some sense of attraction to that beast Master, He-he I didn't know that's the way you swing."
"Don't be ridiculous! Enemies naturally recognise each other and strive to end the other's life."
"Or perhaps try to mask infatuation with hostility."
"Medea, sometimes I wonder if you are here to assist me or merely annoy me."
"Ha! frankly, Master, I'm here to do both- it is how I am programmed."
Elderond swore he would throttle the developer if he ever got a chance.
However, time was of the essence: he needed to play the hound into his trap so he could finish it off. The problem was the hound was no normal hound; the hound was a calculating predator. Therefore, it wouldn't merely just get baited.
Elderond moved his head away from the side of the boulder- backwards against the smooth but coarse rock surface. He contemplated going straight at the hound; however, he didn't know all its traits. It could have a hidden ability.
Medea pondered whether to tell Elderond about the Grazing Hound's ability; however, she didn't want to distract him while he was planning his next course of action.
The other option was to fight it from a distance, using his rock-hard daggers, constantly inflicting damage whilst being out of rage. On paper, this was the most logical tactic against the melee-oriented Grazing Hound; but, there was a flaw. He only had a limited amount of rock-shard daggers.
He considered all things. It seemed a hit and run strategy would work best with his limited arsenal of weapons. To be realistic, one of them would die. Fate would always end with one conclusion.
That conclusion this time would be bloodshed.
"It is time to begin, Master."
"Indeed, it is time to commence the battle between man and beast."
"But you're still a mere boy, Master."
"Oh, come on, Medea- let me bask in the moment of greatness."
"Ah, men always spouting nonsense regardless of age."
"Just go kill it, Master."
Elderond's lip curled. This interface soured his complexion.
As Elderond slowly edged from the boulder into the open, the hound had finished scanning the surroundings and had begun a physical investigation. Both of them turned left: one creeping out from safety whilst the other striding confident on the crass covered-mud floor.
They both spotted each other at the same time.
Time seemed to stop to a crawl: heartbeats thudded louder whilst breathes were held. The forest breeze blew stray leaves into the air, breaking the lapse within the laws of time. They moved.
The hound's muscles tensed, and mud burst into the air as it sprang forward at the boy. Canine's flared, aiming straight for the boy's carotid artery. Elderond saw the hound's mouth closing in on his neck: shifting his weight on the balls of his feet, he twisted his torso, narrowly avoiding the fang of death.
The two rivals circled each other, eyes direct, watching who would make the first move.
This time it was Elderond. Springing off his rear leg, he closed the gap, thrusting his spear forward, aiming at the smooth tissue between the hounds' arm and shoulder. The hound grunted, raising a confident paw, smashing the shaft of the make-shift spear astray. Elderond's centre of gravity shifted as he swerved to the side, exposing his slim back. The hounds' mouth twisted into a smirk, swiping his claw methodically between the boys' shoulder blades. Elderond sensed the arcing attack, bearing down on his back. Adrenaline pumped through his body as his legs burst forth from the ground, backflipping precisely over the hounds' outstretched arm. Within his backwards movement: Elderond took hold of one of his rock-daggers, throwing at the hound's exposed armpit.
The air whistled as the dagger flew with increased velocity, smacking into the soft tissue of the armpit. Dark-green blood flowed in small splatters as the hound howled in fury. This boy dared attack mid escape, how daring. With unbridled fury, the hound lashed out with cynical intent. This boy should no longer remain in its presence. Razor-sharp claws slashed across Elderonds' arm, drawing white hot-red marks across his pale white skin. The attack had merely grazed him. But, with such a weak body, the damage was not minimal. The slash had only just missed his brachial artery; the blood flowed out. Crimson stains appeared on the dark-brown mud.
They had both drawn blood.
"Fuck…"
"Master, quickly patch the wound- the hound has more blood than you. You will bleed out first!"
"Yes, I know, the shock was getting to me."
Gritting his teeth, he bit his lip, ridding the shock that paralysed his body. Jumping backwards, he ripped into his shirt, covered in sweat and blood. Using the ripped piece of cloth: he wrapped the wounded shoulder, slightly stemming the ongoing blood loss.
"This damned hound won't quit!"
"Maybe it's your crazed fan, Master; didn't know you were so popular. *Wink*."
"Yeah, crazy mad for my flesh."
As the banter faded, the pain returned, anchoring Elderond back to reality.
The two tenacious beings glared at each other, neither backing down. It was merely a slugfest.
"I need to end this fast- I'm losing too much blood."
The hound and Elderond both knew the longer the fight went on, the weaker they would get. Either could die from blood loss; it was only a matter of time.
Elderond took the initiative, dashing forwards with unwavering eyes. Alternating the spear within his hands, he assaulted the hound with a volley of thrusts, parries and stabs, trying to wear down its defence. The hound stood desperately defending against the volley of attacks, blood leaked from its body as some attacks began slipping past its guard.
With the tide of battle turning to Elderond, hope seemed to burn in the young boy's eyes. However, Medea's voice sounded within his head.
"Mater, be careful an animal is most dangerous when it's wounded heavily, it will fight with all it has when it's on the brink of destruction."
Almost as if proving Medea's point. The hound shuddered, shaking the forest floor. Cracks formed around the feet of the hound; it activated its final trump card. Its autumn-coloured hide shone with emerald light, creating a pressure that drew in leaves and loose debris.
Elderond was stunned.
"Nani?!"
"It's an active skill, one that is only used, on the brink of death: Autumns Fury."
"It gathers the debris and dead leaves of the forest, forming a cyclone which sweeps out into the distance, swatting anything within its path."
"I suggest you evacuate the range, Master, unless you want to experience what a death-inducing washing machine feels like."
With a frantic turn, Elderond sprinted to the lone boulder as he faced the coming of autumn. The leaves and loose tree trunks flew into the air, spreading into the surrounding area like a flood. It was a terrifying sight for a mortal.
It was beyond lucky to say Elderond managed to get himself behind the boulder; however, his body was riddled, with scars from loose rock, rubble and rusted leaves. He wasn't unharmed.
Stimulated by pain, the only comfort was Medea's voice.
"After the use of this ability, the Grazing Hound will weaken significantly in terms of its agility- strength will remain; but, it will run out of natural energy."
After one minute, the fury of a season stopped. The clearing lay riddled with holes and debris as though some giant had stomped down onto it. The only sound remaining was the low but pained growling of the hound as it edged closer.
The two beings, both battered and bruised, faced each other once again. The last confrontation began.
The hound roared, charging Elderond. Elderond roared back-he would meet the challenge. Spear in hand, he used the shaft as a vault, catapulting himself at the hound's face. Bang! The jaw of the hand fractured from the impact as it flew backwards. The provocation worked perfectly.
Enraged, the hound burst force, pouncing on Elderond. However, Elderond avoided easily and ran, chucking a stone dagger at one of the hounds' joints, damaging it. With hatred seeping out of its eyes, it followed. This despicable boy, how could he possibly damage the hunter? Unacceptable. It would rip the bones from the flesh and grind them into powder for nutrition.
Both boy and beast ran along the forest floor, kicking dirt and undergrowth into the air.
Elderond made a bee-line for the treeline- it was his only shot. Leading the enraged hound, he charged to the tripwire hidden within the weeds. At the last moment, he launched himself, clutching at the trunk of the tree. The hound wasn't so fortunate, its frontal legs tangled with the vine, flinging itself forward. It tried re-aligning itself; but, all it did was expose its vulnerable belly. Elderond was waiting for this.
Clutching his daggers, he threw them all, skewering the hound's joints, rendering it immobile. Kicking off the trunk of the tree Elderond, launched himself into the air, lengthening his arms into a throwing position. Rotating his body, he maximised the momentum carried within the spear as he spun, then at the apex, with a mighty throw, he let loose the spear.
Whoosh! The spear landed flush between the hound's chest cavity and stomach region, rendering its death inevitable. Blood poured out; but, Elderond didn't bat an eyelid. Gripping the spear, he thrust it deeper, straight into the heart of the beast, ending its existence.
"Rest now, nemesis- I shall never forget this battle."
"Oh, how sweet, saying goodbye to your loved one, aren't you just so…"
Yet, Medea couldn't finish her sentence.
Elderond collapsed, a pool of blood growing at the base of his body whilst footsteps neared.
His eyes closed as Medea shouted.
Darkness.