'Fuck! I ran in the heat of the moment, I only have one life left!' Braxis thought nervously. Sweat cascaded down his brow as he accelerated, injecting his steps with potent mana. Darkness enveloped the cave, forcing Braxis to grope blindly for a secure hiding spot. He needed to lie low and let Dante draw the boss's attention.
From the distance, Dante's furious roar echoed through the cave, the anger in his voice reverberating like a wild beast's growl. "BRAXIS! GET BACK HERE, YOU COWARD!"
Harrison shook his head in disbelief at the cacophony, a facepalm betraying his frustration. He edged closer to the cave entrance, bracing for the impending chaos.
Braxis sneered, his voice filled with malice. "I hope the boss takes care of him. That's one less problem for me in this godforsaken world." No sooner had the words left his lips than the sound of hurried footsteps morphed into a frenzied gallop.
A gust of wind whooshed past Braxis as Dante's voice cracked with panic. "Oh shit!" Desperation surged through him as he scrambled toward the cave exit, only to crumple when his legs betrayed him. He resorted to crawling, his heart thundering in his chest.
"Fuck! FUCK! FUCK YOU, BRAXIS! WHY DID YOU RUN RIGHT WHERE ABARAK IS?!" Dante's scream was a blend of terror and rage, a futile plea as the monstrous spider-like creature closed in, its many eyes gleaming with malevolence.
Creeping from his hiding place, Braxis glimpsed Abarak advancing on the helpless Dante, who lay prone on the ground. With bated breath, Braxis inched closer, careful not to betray his presence with the slightest sound.
He clutched the rocks he had gathered, charging them with mana before hurling them against the cavern wall. The collision triggered a cascade of rubble, instantly diverting Abarak's attention. Seizing the opportunity, Dante scrambled out of the cave, his heart pounding, and his breath ragged.
"Dante! You're alive!" Harrison's face mirrored his astonishment.
"We need to go, now!" Dante's voice was firm and urgent, allowing no room for argument.
"But… Braxis is still in there," Harrison faltered, unwilling to abandon Braxis.
"Screw Braxis! He wasn't there when I was inside, so he's probably already been eaten. But I did see Abarak!" Dante's eyes were wide with terror.
"Let's get help; maybe he can survive if he's hidden," Harrison insisted, clinging to hope.
"You do whatever you want. I'm tired of trying to convince you. I'm out of here. If you want to go get help and reveal your morbid potion scheme that involves corpses as materials, be my guest. I want no part in this anymore." Dante's words hung heavy in the air as he stormed off, leaving Harrison to wrestle with his conscience.
Unable to abandon Braxis, Harrison cursed under his breath. "He's never abandoned me when I needed him. Damn you, Braxis! You said you could handle it!" With a sigh of resignation, he entered the cave.
Abarak, realizing the rockslide had not yielded any prey, had returned to Dante's previous location in a fit of rage. Upon discovering Dante's escape, the creature's anger intensified, and it began violently demolishing the cave.
"Fuck! Abarak is going to collapse this entire cave! I need to get out of here fast! This miniboss was never this realistic in the game!" Braxis silently panicked, forming a mana shield around his feet to muffle his footsteps. He raced toward the cave's entrance, trying to outpace the impending collapse.
Unfortunately, Braxis had underestimated Abarak's heightened senses. The creature's eyes, akin to infrared detectors, easily tracked its prey through the dark.
"GROWWWWWWW!" Abarak's screech filled the air as it launched itself towards Braxis with staggering speed.
With Abarak closing in, Braxis's confidence gave way to terror. "If it's gaining on me, it must have seen me!"
A sudden realization struck him.
Abarak was now just one leap away from him. "Well, it's now or never," he muttered, preparing to cast another spell.
"Vibrant Lux!" Braxis yelled out as a blinding light emitted from particles of mana he had summoned. The spell enveloped Abarak in the searing light, causing it to shriek in pain and collapse to the ground.
"GRAAHHH!" Its deafening roar in its moment of pain was enough to burst eardrums had Braxis been close enough.
Harrison, who had been observing from a distance, stared at the cave, now bathed in a brilliant glow. "What are you doing in there?!" he yelled, his voice a blend of fear and awe.
"I figured a blinding spell would have a decent effect on a creature with such keen vision," Braxis yelled, narrowly evading the writhing Abarak as he sprinted out of the cave. The beast rolled on the ground, clawing at its eyes in torment.
"I can't believe you're alive! Let's get the hell out of here!" Harrison snapped, his fear apparent as he yanked on Braxis's shirt.
"Get off me!" Braxis shoved Harrison away, his eyes wild with determination. "I'm killing this fucking boss or dying. Those are my only two options."
He turned to the still-thrashing Abarak and grimaced. "This won't last much longer…" An idea suddenly struck him. "Harrison, do you have any potions that will be capable of boosting my destructive power?"
Harrison hesitated, his expression clouded. "I have one, but the drawback is severe. You won't be able to use magic for a while. It's my last resort." He explained as he revealed the potion.
Braxis immediately snatched the potion and downed it without hesitation. "Drawback be damned. I need to live!"
Moments later, Braxis felt the potion's effects take hold. His veins bulged and darkened to a sinister crimson black, while his eyes threatened to burst from their sockets. Concentrating his mana, he stretched out his hand.
Abarak began to recover, shaking off the blinding spell's influence. "Stay down, you fucker! Just one more second, come on!" Braxis gritted his teeth, frustration mounting.
Sweat streamed down Harrison's face as he anxiously watched the standoff, unsure whether they'd survive.
Just as Abarak reared its legs to pounce, Braxis completed his mana gathering. "Mana Burst!" he roared, launching a concentrated sphere of energy from his palm. The force of the blast knocked him to the ground, eliciting a pained groan.
"Fuck!" he screamed. Moments later, the sound of a shattering explosion reached his ears.
Moments later, a deafening explosion shook the ground beneath his feet, and the sound of rocks crumbling filled his ears. Dust and debris flew through the air, obscuring his vision and choking his lungs. Braxis coughed, trying to clear his throat, but the acrid taste of dirt and grit lingered in his mouth.
"Looks like it hit the roof!" Braxis said as he coughed.
As the dust settled, Braxis looked on and saw the massive boulder that had once been the cave's roof now collapsed onto Abarak, burying him beneath the rubble. Braxis couldn't help but form a grin as he heard Abarak's anguished howl, "GROAHHHHH!"
"Are you okay, Braxis?" Harrison's voice cut through the silence, and Braxis turned to see him extending his hand. Braxis accepted the offer, grateful for the help.
As he rose to his feet, the two approached the immobilized Abarak, still trapped beneath the rubble. The smell of dust and rock filled his nostrils, and he laughed at the sight of Abarak's mangled body.
Braxis and Harrison watched, transfixed, as the grotesque creature struggled to free itself from the debris, its spindly legs twitching in desperation.
"You... You really did it. I know you sounded confident, but... I'm shocked, to say the least!" Harrison whispered, awe coloring his voice.
Harrison's Impression: +100
Harrison Impression Progress: 100/300
"Damn right, fuck you, bitch!" Braxis spat triumphantly, launching a glob of saliva onto Abarak's face before delivering a savage kick.
"Give me your sword, Harrison. I'm going to end this thing." Braxis glanced at his companion, their shared grin speaking volumes.
"Wait, maybe I should do it. You're probably exhausted after all that," Harrison suggested, only to change his mind as Braxis glared at him.
Harrison handed over the sword, and Braxis approached the fallen beast, plunging the blade into Abarak repeatedly.
"BRAAAAAAKKK!" Abarak shrieked in agony, its innards spilling out with each vicious strike.
It didn't take long for the monster to breathe its last.
"Congratulations... You have successfully defeated an (F RANK) Boss... Reward: 5 revival points..." Braxis's eyes widened, a grin spreading across his face. Not only had he managed to slay the beast that had killed him before, but he'd earned the chance at more lives.
"Additional Reward: Minor memories unlocked..."