Lysander steadied himself as the thick miasma closed in, the decaying black smoke swirling menacingly. "Ah shit, here we go again," he muttered.
*Crackle*
Just as it was about to consume him, a blazing bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.
"What the..."
Cheemse, his loyal wolf companion who had transformed into a crackling streak of electricity, snatched Lysander out of harm's way.
"Nice one, buddy!" he said and the black energy dissipated after a few seconds, leaving the ground, trees, and anything else in its range scorched and ablaze with black flames.
Lysander's eyes widened in shock as he realized how narrowly he had avoided that toxic miasma.
"Whew, that was a close call! Thanks, Cheemse."
Gripping his sword tightly, he thought, 'One contact with that awful smoke and then...eh, his mouth twitched as he said, 'probably better not to think about it.'
As he stood there, stunned by the mere sight before him, an ominous presence materialized behind Lysander.
"Oh come on, really?!" Lysander complained.
*swish*
The towering Big Oops loomed over him, slashing downwards with its massive claws.
"Fuck, too fast!" he cursed as every hair on his body stood on end.
But before the beast could slice him in two, he transformed into a blur, disappearing from the spot.
The Big Oops glanced around, scanning the area a hundred meters ahead. "It's you again, twerp." It growled in a chilling tone.
*Crackle*
A crackle of lightning arced through the air as Cheemse rematerialized beside him in its wolf form.
You guys really thought Cheemse couldn't react in time? Please, how could a mere monster be faster than a lightning wolf specialized in speed.
Lysander patted Cheemse's head affectionately. "Excellent work as always. Go! Let's end this as soon as possible."
*Grrr*
With a nodding growl, Cheemse disappeared.
*Zap*Zap*Zap*Zap*
Reappearing in a dizzying zigzag pattern, closing the distance to the lumbering Big Oops bit by bit.
*GRRRRR!*
In two seconds flat, Cheemse reappeared right in front of the beast, transforming again into its fearsome Ice Wolf form with a mighty growl. It grabbed the Big Oops with his razor-sharp claws and fangs.
*Roar*
The behemoth roared, straining against Cheemse's grip until it managed to slice free with its claws, shattering the ice construct. "Argh, pesky mutt!"
But when the shards settled, Lysander was nowhere to be seen. "Hey, where'd the rotten snack go?" the Big Oops snorted, looking around.
Sensing the danger, the beast leapt back just as Lysander burst from the ground, his blade glowing a faint red as he aimed to pierce the spot the monster had been standing just a split-second before.
"Tsk, tsk," he grumbled, swatting at the empty air. "Why can't you just stand still for a second, you lumbering oaf?"
"Damn you, little bug!" the Big Oops roared, subconsciously grabbing its crotch area.
Suddenly Cheemse rematerialized again, clamping his jaws around the beast's arm.
"Gahh, get off me!"
It roared again, dark energy swirling around the trapped limb until it blew apart in a blast of force, shattering Cheemse's body once more.
"Ha! Not so tough now?"
Enraged, it turned its glowing runic claws towards Lysander, tendrils of darkness whipping around as it charged. "This is the end for you, insect!"
'Shit!' Lysander cursed internally, raising his blade to block the incoming attack. "Aw crap..."
But the force of the collision blasted him away like a broken kite.
*Boom!*
With a ear-piercing boom, he slammed into a small hill creating a large crater on it.
*Cough*
He coughed a thick shower of blood mixed with torn internal organs from his mouth.
*Crack*
"Argh!" he cried out in misery as the sound of cracking bones reverberated through the air.
*Thud*
*Thump*
He crumpled to the ground, his sword clattering beside him. Every fiber of his being was screaming in torment.
The Big Oops coming closer, its massive footsteps shaking the earth.
Lysander could taste the metallic tang of his own blood pooling in his mouth as he struggled to move, to draw breath, to do anything other than lie there helplessly.
Cheemse materialized once more, its otherworldly form shimmering in the moonlight.
*HOWL*
With a mighty howl that seemed to echo with a mocking taunt, the beast launched itself at The Big Oops. With their claws extended and fangs bared. The two titans clashed in a flurry of fur and teeth.
*GRRRR*
*ROAR*
Their growls, roars echoing through the night, that could even make a grown-up man piss his pants out of fear.
Lysander struggled to move, his body that completely became a broken mess. "Ugh, come on!" he grunted in frustration, pushing himself off the ground.
He could do nothing, other than watch the his loyal companion fought with every ounce of its being, reckless of the threat of death – if such a conception even applied to the mystical Cheemse.
"That's it, give it everything you've got!" he murmured under his breath as he laid there motionless.
Time seemed to flow in slow motion as Lysander's vision blurred. Each blink threatened to be his last, but a flicker of defiance ignited within him. He wouldn't give in.
A sadistic chuckle escaped his lips, the sound disrupted by his ragged breaths. "Well, well, what do we have here?" he murmured under his breath. "Wasn't it you, Lysander, who always kept saying, 'I don't care anymore, anything that happens now doesn't concern me. I just want to die, end this miserable life'?"
He gave a short laugh, the sound cut short by a sharp pain as he gritted his teeth due to the pain etching all over his body and smirking, he bit his lip, a dark line forming on his forehead due to frustration.
Laying motionless, he gazed up at the stars. "...Yeah, that's what I used to say, isn't it?" he chuckled, the sound more like a suppressed cough.
"Before, I easily used to say that I wanted to die, don't wanna live anymore and now here I am, clinging to life even though my body is a complete mess. Just hoping for some miracle to happen that can save me, like I'm the main some kind of main character of a novel with high plot armor or something."
He gave another chuckle, tinged with bitter amusement. "The Silent Stalker, huh? From whom even death fears. What a lame nickname for someone on the verge of death who can't even kill an overgrown boar, eh?"
A regretful smile curved his bloodied lips as he said. "Truth is, I wished I had perished along with my comrades back then, but I didn't. Like an idiot, I boldly said to this boar that if I was going down, I would bring it to the grave with me. Ha! Even though I had no intention of actually dying. 'I'm strong now,' I always said to myself. 'I don't fear anything, even death fears me!' Ha-ha!" His laughter was harsh, almost manic. "Now look at me, at its mercy."
*GRRR*
*ROAR*
"Stay down you bug! Be a good pet and let me end your master's suffering."
*HOWL*
"Argh!"
*GRRR*
In the background, Cheemse and The Big Oops battled on, their growls and roars reverberating through the air.
"You see that?" Lysander called out weakly. "In the end, I'm no different. I'm just like the others." He closed his eyes, his next words a mere whisper.
"I, too, am afraid of death. I was casual about saying I wanted to die because I was never in that situation before, where my life could end in an instant. But now, when I'm actually facing death, my inner self is screaming, 'don't you dare close your eyes, no matter what!'"
*Clang*
*ROAR*
*GRRR*
*Clang*
The sounds of the clash grew louder, more intense. Lysander's eyes snapped open, a newfound determination burning within him.
"Enough lying around, feeling sorry for myself!" He grunted as he tried to push himself up.
"I'm just going to die even if I lay here. If not from its hands, then from my injuries and the backlash of my spell. So instead, why don't I just fulfill what I vowed to myself?"
His body began to glow, the temperature of his surroundings rising. Slowly, with great effort, he stood, his gaze locked with The Big Oops. His face had paled which looked like drained of blood, and a star-shaped rune etched itself onto his forehead.
"I...will...go down..." he gasped out, panting heavily a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth as he uttered the words "but I'm damn well...bringing you...with me!" one drop of blood hit the ground, as he muttered "Vastae Immolatio"
And then...
*Woosh*…