"Aaaaaaaa!"
For what felt like the hundredth time, I was thrown from the void, hurtling at a speed that definitely should've splattered me into pulp.
But of course, here I was, body intact, dignity far from it, crash-landing in this cursed corridor again.
I pushed myself up, groaning, dusting off the dirt yet again.
"Damn geezer…" I grumbled under my breath.
"Kicked me down here to be the next divine pincushion? When I get back, I swear I'll—"
But it hit me, just as it had the first few times: the hero, Ashkart, stood motionless at the corridor's end, like a statue crafted by a sadist with too much time on their hands.
His blonde hair still somehow glowed despite the lack of light, his eyes fixed eternally on the ground.
And that sword—the same one that had separated my head from my body… what, ten times now? Fifteen? I'd lost count.
"Quest Updated," I muttered sarcastically. "Yeah, yeah, defeat the legendary hero, free him from his suffering, blah blah blah…"
But the reality? He was about to be the source of my eternal suffering.
I took a slow breath, scanning the hall once more. It was a colossal place, stone pillars stretching up beyond sight, the air itself still and somehow alive. This place was void of the miasma that choked every other part of this world. But it was filled with something else, something ancient, sharp, and ready to cleave me in two with the flick of a wrist.
I was tempted to turn back, but every time I did, the invisible barrier blocked my way. I'd tried smashing it, blasting it, slicing it, even begging it. Nothing. It wanted me to face him, again and again, until something finally broke.
Well, it wasn't going to be me.
I refused.
"Alright, Ashkart," I said, raising a hand that, let's be honest, was probably about to be detached from my arm anyway.
"One more time. One more—"
I dashed. I was at my top speed, spells cast, layers of protection wrapped around me like some arcane onion. [Conceal]. [Silent Step]. [Divine Shield]. [Shadow's Embrace]. Each one piled onto the last, the spell energy buzzing through me like a caffeine overdose. I was ready, faster than light—
And then… darkness. Cold, spinning darkness.
"Eh…?"
That was about all I could manage before the cold, hard ground greeted my face. My face, currently detached from my body. The now-familiar sight of my headless corpse sprawled nearby.
"Aaaaaaa!"
I yelled—or tried to yell, rather—as I was yanked back to the start once again, the ethereal checkpoint laughing at me from the sidelines. My body reformed, and I stood there, panting. A bead of sweat trailed down my neck. The phantom pain from previous cycles doesn't exactly come off.
"This is insane!"
I screamed, more afraid at this point.
"Listen here you piece of shit, this is personal now. I'm getting past you."
I tried it all—brute force, agility, cunning, every skill and spell I had in my arsenal, every secret technique I'd ever learned. I'd lost count of how many attempts I made, each more desperate and ridiculous than the last.
I tried zigzagging like a maniac, sprinting low to the ground, jumping, even rolling like superman.
Nothing worked. Every single time, my head hit the ground before I even knew what was happening.
I staggered back, gasping, my face sweaty, as I arrived at the checkpoint yet again.
"Maybe this is all in my head. Just some messed-up miasma illusion to keep me from losing my mind…"
I laughed bitterly. But that wasn't true; I could feel the throbbing pain in my neck and hear the faint, eerie echo of Ashkart's blade singing as it sliced through me like butter.
"Alright," I steeled to myself, reaching for whatever nonsense of courage or pure stupidity was left inside me.
"One more try. For real this time."
I layered spell after spell, magic radiating me to the point where I was practically glowing. [Indomitable Will], [Rheitteddor Alchemist's Mark], [Philosopher's Fortitude]—even the ones I didn't fully understand, I threw at myself, hoping one might work.
With each step, the corridor stretched further and further, the sight of Ashkart looming larger, and the chill in my gut deepening. I pushed through the fear, the desperation gnawing at my sanity, and I sprinted.
I could feel the wind scream past me, the stone floor blurring beneath my feet, the rush of spells carrying me faster and faster until—
Swish.
My body crumpled to the ground, my vision fading. The last thing I saw was the dispassionate face of Ashkart, still as the grave.
And then… I was back.
Again.
"Aaaaaaaaaaa!"
I screamed out of sheer frustration, yanking at my hair as the checkpoint laughed in its invisible, mocking way. I stomped around shit. I cursed the sage and everything for this fucking mess. I was done. Absolutely done.
"This is impossible!" I yelled, kicking some stone on the corner
I could be as fast as light, sneakier than a shadow, tougher than a divine freaking wall, and he'd still—"
I froze mid-rant. A new thought wormed its way into my brain, ridiculous as it was. Maybe this wasn't about beating Ashkart… maybe I had to do something different.
But what can I do? Talk to with him? Offer him my soul? Appeal to his sense of humanity that probably disintegrated centuries ago?
I slumped to the floor because I was so tired.
But just as I closed my eyes, something strange happened. I saw it, Standing proud, golden hair glinting, a small smile on his face. Those that Josephine had seen on the fairy tale books.
Maybe… maybe he was waiting for something. Not a fight, but a reason.
I took a shaky breath, standing again. There was no guarantee this would work, but it was worth a shot. I approached slowly, with purpose this time, letting the spells and the anger fall away, leaving just me.
"Ashkart…" I whispered, as I got close enough to almost touch the hilt of his sword. "You were a hero once, weren't you? Fighting to save humanity… keeping the miasma sealed for us, no matter the cost."
His blank eyes flickered, just barely, but it was enough.
"I'm here to help," I said, louder, as I dared to touch the hilt of his sword, feeling the icy chill seep into my skin. "Let me fight with you. Let me take this burden from you."
The flicker grew, the barest hint of recognition gleaming in his eyes.
He cutted off my head without hesitation.