I could feel my torn wound as I carried the child in my hands while tumbling on the ground. Luckily, the Gorgona wasn't able to notice us as I landed under a puddle of mud from the traces of its tail. I held the child, the poor thing was shivering in fear.
"Don't be afraid." I whispered. "Calm down, I will help you." I pushed the child away from the puddle after seeing Gorgona slither into the thick bushes. That damn monster was looking for us, her prey.
I stood up and held the child's hand, it was still shaking. I ran opposite from the Gorgona's track and carried the child in my arms, but the longer I ran, the more I felt my knees weakening. Maybe it's my wound, I must've been losing a lot of blood already. I couldn't tell. I was desperate to ran into the open, hoping to find some help from those people who kept on calling out the name, "Young Master Darwin."
I ran a few feet more, but my knees had finally given up. I stumbled in the puddle of mud, just a few inches away from the bushes I plan to hide ourselves. I released the child from my arms and pushed him into the bushes where he should be safe.
"Hide there!" I ordered. "Control your breathing, Gorgonas could—" I felt a slender thing squeezing against my stomach.
It was the Gorgona! Unfortunately, I was far too late. I shouted at the child pleading for him to run away. The rain had already stopped pouring. From the distance I could still hear the sky rumbling, raging at the gloominess of the world.
The monster threw me to the ground. I felt my wound torn once again from the force of impact. It got me winded, but I have no time to lie on the ground! Our lives were at stake! Using what little strength, I had left in me, I stood up and ran as fast as I could. Thankfully, the Gorgona followed me and not the child.
The Gorgonas and I have a lot of history together. In my world, they were a group of man-eating chimera monsters blessed with a woman's upper body and cursed with a serpent's tail. They usually had a comely face, a perfect weapon to lure their prey. Some of them, even had magical abilities that could even rival a top-ranked magus.
My family and I had bloody war with the Gorgonas over a millennium ago. We hunted them down and used their bones and skins for trinkets and other magical artifacts. My mother loved making snake oil so much that she almost took out an entire colony of Gorgonas in the Western region to make her favorite salve. They had no love for us, much as we have for them.
If only I had Durandal or a little ounce of magic left, I swore I could've taken it down with a single strike. Unfortunately, I am reduced to this. I felt like a rabbit running away from its predator. Without my weapon or my magic, this one definitely would be my hardest challenge yet.
Damn it!
I slid through another slope not knowing where it might go. I am desperately running for my life at this point. I tumbled down the last few feet of mud before dropping on a pond. It was freezing! My drenched clothing, the cold strong breeze, and my bleeding wound was about to sentence me to the afterlife before that monster could devour me.
I waded on the shallower side of the pond, thinking of the cruel fate that awaited me. If the monster eats me, she will gain all of the strength and wisdom I have throughout my lifetime. That could be very bad for the people living here. With the kind of knowledge I have, what sort of havoc will she unleash in this place? I couldn't fathom that idea! I won't accept it!
"Hahaha."
Wait, why am I laughing?! I am at the verge of death and despair, yet this is what I do?! Maybe this is what Leon felt before he died. That bastard laughed so loud I could hear him as the horde of demons swarmed his castle, which he perfectly defended at the cost of his own life. That man was a legend. I never expected to feel the same thing. Is there truly ecstasy in a life and death situation? I might know the answer of that in a few moments.
I could hear the monster slither her body from above. Her hisses and grunts were so audible, I could feel she was struggling too. A big mass fell from the slope. The water overflowed from the Gorgona's splash. I was washed in to the shallow part of the pond. At the very least, I didn't have to effort myself in going out of the water, the monster did it for me.
I stumbled to get my feet back on the ground. Damn it! This might be it for me. It took a while for the Gorgona to move from the pond. It seemed to be weakened as well.
"WIIITTTCCCHHHHH!!!" It hissed. "COME HERE, MY DINNER!"
What a laughable taunt, but why am I expecting more from such a creature? I slid in between some trees and ran as far as I could once again, pushing the limits of my already frail and wounded body. The monster immediately went to my direction. The smell of my blood was apparent at that point, the Gorgona wouldn't have any problems tracking me from the woods.
"Come on legs! RUN!" I pleaded them to go beyond their limits.
My knees were getting weaker with every step. I am very sure that the Gorgona could take me any moment now—
"EEEEENNNNDDDD OOOOFFF TTTTHHHEEE ROOOAAAD!" The Gorgona appeared in front of me, blocking my path.
This is it for me.
"Come at me, serpent!" I bravely shouted.
I no longer have anything to fight it against. I picked up a stick on the ground and raised it like a sword. That was all I have. Oh well, how worse could it get? Shit! Right! This world would be at stake if I die.
I foolishly ran towards the Gorgona, raising the stick desperately and hoping to poke its mithril-like scales. No plans, no strategies, just plain desperation with a hint of stupidity. I wonder what damage this attack could do to it. Maybe poking it to death perhaps? With its sturdy skin, I doubt I could scratch it. A tickle, perhaps? Oh well! Into my death I go!
The Gorgona caught me in mid-air, laughing at my ineptitude.
"WWWHHAAAATT IZZZ THIZZZ?!" It seemed confused with my random attack. "EAZZZYYY PREEEY!"
The monster drove me into the ground trying to break me. It smashed me a couple of times on the ground before throwing me into the shallowed pond. I crashed into the pond, rolling like a ragged doll while bathing in mud. My wound was officially torn. My goodness! It was about to rain again. The thunder roared from the sky once again. This is the end.
Which end you might ask?
I tightened my vest as hard as I could. I cannot let my entrails popped out as I die! That's not lady-like. Geez, why am I thinking about this?! I am about to die! I have better things to think about.
The lady-serpent came rushing towards me but stumbled halfway. It was weakened too. I wonder how?
"THIIIZZZ PLLLAAACCEEE IZZZZ FILLTTHH!" The Gorgona complained.
"No magic to get you by?!" I mockingly asked.
The monster stared at me before slithering towards me in an instant. It grabbed me by the body and lifted me over its head.
"NOOOOTTT ANNNYYYMOOOREEE…" It opened its jaw revealing its huge mouth, ready to devour me whole.
Damn it! Such a weird way to go. I wonder which one's worse? The burning one or—nah, this one is worse. I wonder how the heroes of this world would stop this monster. Wait, are there heroes in this world just like ours? Damned if they don't.
"STOOOPPPPP!!!"
I looked around and saw the child at the edge of slope. Then the sky broke and a bolt of lightning struck the Gorgona and I. I felt a burst of energy coursing throughout my body. The Gorgona released me from her grip and was blown away by the sheer force of the lightning.
As I laid on the ground, I felt a little better. That jolt of lightning gave me a little charge of magic. I immediately stood up and saw my wound patched up by itself. I looked at my hands and saw the little sparks of lightning dancing on my fingers.
I may be able to do an attack spell or two. However, it may not be enough to bring down a Gorgona of that size, but I have to make it work. I could see the monster move once again and it seemed to have been energize as well.
"You look livelier!" I taunted the monster.
It hissed at me, showing its long, ugly fangs and immediately rushed towards me. It was faster than before, but it be in for a big surprise. I met it halfway and leaped right in front of its face, then welcomed it with a punch.
The Gorgona was thrown towards the trees. It wasn't my hardest punch yet, but I somehow manage to throw her that far.
"Rubrum Pluvia!" I pointed my finger at the monster and activated the first spell.
I doused the monster in a jet of fire, but it only agitated it further. It immediately stood up and whipped me with its long tail. The tail smacked my body and sent me flying back. I landed on my feet, but it took me a while to stop going further backward.
"Quite the kick." I mumbled.
The Gorgona attacked me once again, but this time it spewed venom at me. I managed to evade the first spit, then the succeeding ones. It was spitting everywhere, desperately trying to hit me. Luckily for me, I was quick enough to dodge them all. This was just getting too dangerous. I need to end this quick.
I clasped my hands together and uttered the spell. "MALLEUS FULMEN!"
I released a bolt of crimson lightning from my hands, striking the monster and throwing it up into the slope. I was breathing laboriously as I finished casting the spell. That lightning-based magic drained a lot of energy in me. It's so surprising how my sister, Fulgar could easily conjure as many lightning as she wanted.
I was feeling light-headed already, but I could still sense its presence. That damned Gorgona might be related to Stheno or Eurayle. Its scale was tougher than I thought it was. I have to end it with my last spell, or this could be very troublesome.
I followed the huge trail it left as it went flying back to the slope. It would've been better to walk slowly in order to conserve my energy while climbing the slippery slope, but time was my enemy. I have to kill it before it could recover.
I used a portion of my ample energy to fly and travel faster to the top. I saw crater at the top of the hill, but the Gorgona wasn't around. I wonder where it went? There were only portions of burnt scales inside the crater. I landed at the crater and checked the ground.
I looked around and saw no traces or prints of the monster running away. I might've pulverized it already, which was definitely a good thing. I touched my hand on the ground as rain poured once again. The ground was burning hot.
I was confident that I pulverized the monster, but just to be safe, I must destroy the pool of blood on the ground, in case the Gorgona might regenerate from it. I pointed at the blood and focused the last ounce of energy I have, when out of nowhere, something pulled my leg down from the ground.
I was buried knee deep, and once I got stuck, the damned monster came out from the ground. The Gorgona became shrunk, but it became feistier. Before I could lift hands, the monster immediately wrapped its tail around me, squeezing me breathless.
Its hard squeeze made my bones cracked from its force. I was going out of breath from its tightening squeeze. It came closer to me and looked me in the eyes. As a rule of thumb, when fighting against a Gorgona, you need to look away from it or it will either hypnotize you or turn you to stone. That was the most basic rule of all. However, I forgot that rule and stared right into its eyes.
Damn me! I should've kept my eyes closed. Its reptilian eyes suddenly shine and petrified me. The burnt monster got me under its spell and now, this could be the end of me. Still using its eyes, it absorbed what little energy I have left.
I felt my magic and lifeforce being consumed by the Gorgona and there was nothing I could do about it. It was quite a shame how one of the greatest heroes of Luxemia got beaten by a mere Gorgona. It was embarrassing, but there was nothing I could do. My powers were gone.
I need to move my hands. I need to move and think of a way to counter the potent spell. However, it was already overwhelming me. My eyesight began to fade, and I was at the verge of surrendering to my fate when I heard a scream
"YOU CAN DO IT, MS. ANGEL!" It was the child.
I don't understand what he was saying. Unfortunately, I wasn't born in this world. But I could see his reaction from where I was. He was constantly shouting gibberish at me. I can't tell what it was, but his face looked desperate.
"HAHAHA! TIME TO END YOU." It let go its grip. This damned monster became more fluent in my language after taking so much energy. "How about returning the favor?" It smiled at me before hitting me with its strong tail.
I was thrown away, maybe a few hundred steps. If it wasn't been for the muddy ground, I could've been thrown another hundred steps more. The monster stood up and slithered in front of me, its burnt appearance slowly healed, and its scales shined in its crimson color.
This is bad, really bad!
If only I had a weapon to kill it with. But I left my spear in the other world. If only…
And then, I remembered! There was a weapon that followed me into this world. I close my eyes and took a deep breath
"Tryste…please lend me your blade." I pleaded as the Gorgona was about to bite my head off.
"PERCIVAL, COMEFORTH!" I shouted out in desperation.
Suddenly, a beam of light shielded my face from the Gorgona's mouth. The monster immediately leapt back, confused at what the bright beam. I looked at my right and saw Percival just an arm's length away from me.
Before the Gorgona could react, I reached out for the blade and held it in my hand.
"BURN, PERCIVAL!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.
The blade glowed as bright and lifted itself from the ground. The blade released its flames and began to burn everything on site, including me. Yes, including me. This holy weapon really has a strong aversion against witches. It was made to burn witches with its slash. I would've used another weapon if there was any alternative, but there was none.
I stood up and foolishly used its holy energy to be converted as my own energy. A dumb move, but I was too desperate to even think with other options. I pointed the blade at the Gorgona, and it immediately released flaming chains. It held the monster down until it burned to ash.
Finally, I won. I dropped the sword as the Gorgona was turned into a pile of ash. However, the flames kept on burning. It was now devouring me, swallowing me whole with its cleansing flames.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" I shouted as I continued to be engulfed in flames.