Thorgar POV
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I am still 2 days from Kedan. I must cut through the mountains if am to shorten that time.
I think back to the young elf I "saved". Was what I said truly the best advice at the time? Was there no other alternative? Was she---
No.
I will not wallow over if I made the wrong or right decision. She needed strength and I showed her a path. That is all.
'Is this the only path?'
HM. It is the only path they will understand.
With my internal musing done. I expertly traversed mountain faces and sheer cliffs, basking in the beauty of it all. The difficult handholds, the bird's nests in little caves on the side of the mountain, the fresh but thinning air. All remind me of home.
Home.
I have no home to return to. I should have known that my mind would take me there. I yearn for my people and my family.
I stand at the summit and get lost in thought.
*woosh*
The winds are always pleasant when you reach the peak. It isn't the fact that the winds are soothing, though they are. It's the fact that you are able to feel the world, and almost hear what it has to say to you.
I force my mind away from thoughts of the past. Away from the thoughts of my kingdom. Away from my sins.
*woooosh*
*woooooooosh*
*WOOOOOSH*
As I am enjoying the breeze, I hear a large object flying towards me. With a push of my feet, I step to the side and see a boulder fly past.
I gaze upon my would be attacker and see a monstrous ogre charging at me.
"RAAAAAAAAAH"
His footsteps, driven by rage, resound loudly over the mountain range. I wait for the right moment.
8 meters. I regard it coldly.
5 meters. I can see its dangerous teeth.
3 meters. I can smell its dangerous teeth.
2 meters. It swings its enormous club downwards.
I shift my feet and dodge to the side. With a palm strike, I break the ogre's finger bone forcing it to drop the club.
"HAAAAK!! Wuuuuuu." the ogre pitifully cradles its finger, never having experienced the pain of the broken bones it grants its victims.
I grab the club before it can drop and deliver a crushing blow to its leg.
*CRUUUUNCH*
"AHHHHHH!! PLEASE MERCY!" the ogre collapses to its knees and begs in pain.
"No". I, unfortunately, do not take attacks lightly.
*BOOOOM*
I deliver a brutal blow to its face and send the ogre hurtling down the mountain.
*THUD*
*CRACK*
*CRUNCH*
*SLam*
*Snap*
*...*
*.*
Once again there was silence.
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What have I become? He was probably just hungry. I had rations that could last a week. I could have talked to him. I could have...
No.
Power is the only law. I learned that the hard way.
I gather myself and make my way down the mountain.
2 hours later
I see a settlement at the bottom of the mountain. It looks quaint. I unhurriedly walk toward it, but the closer I get the worse it looks. I see now that normal civilians are fighting off unceasing waves of demons.
Demons? Here?
With a push of my legs, I leap towards the battle.
Discarded limbs and organs decorate the earth and the screams of the living are abruptly snuffed out. I look around for survivors on this part of the settlement
A robed man rushes out of a house to safety, wherever that may be, and fails to see a wolf-like demon stalking him from above a house.
I reposition to a better vantage point.
The man holds a sword tight and scans his surroundings as he runs.
Unfortunately, no one ever looks up.
The demon picks its moment and lunges at the man as he turns a corner.
I leap into the air and hurl my Greataxe at the demon beast.
Unable to halt his momentum, the man is helpless as the demon is about to reap its prize. He closes his eyes, opens his arms and waits.
*RIIIIP* *BOOM*
He waits some more.
I see a look of insanity as he slowly opens his eyes, confused as to why he is still alive. He looks down and sees the demon cut in twain and a massive Greataxe lodged into the ground.
"Ha...haha...hahaha. The lords have blessed me this day. Is this to be my weapon?? It is beautiful!" says the man with a feral grin. Something unsettles me about his reaction.
He fails to notice a large being soaring through the air towards his location. He is unable to hear it until it arrives just above him.
I focus on the runic tattoos on my left arm.
The vulture-like demon suddenly makes its presence known and dives down at the man.
"RIEEEEEEK"
He once again opens his arms and I throw my chain hook through the vulture demon. I violently pull it towards and into the ground.
*CRAAACK*
I made sure to slam the bird demon at a fatal angle.
The man finally spots me and instead of thanking me, screams bloody murder.
"MY LOOORDS, HE IS HEEEEERRRREEE!"
The fool motions for my axe but I grip outwards and relieve him of his fingers as my Greataxe flies through the air and into my hand.
I hear the horde converging towards me.
"AHHHH MY FINGERRRS! FUUU--gaaak" he tries to scream some more but I grip his throat and take a look at him.
A cat beastman.
"Why?" I ask, anger threatening to spill out of my body.
"You ask why?? For years we have been brutalised and killed. For what? Because we look different. My mother. My father. My wife. MY CHILD!!! All gone." tears of blood now flow freely. He quickly carves something on his forehead with his broken finger bones and blood.
"If no one is gonna do anything. THEN I'LL DO IT FOR THEM!! Bluuurgh" he grins and coughs up blood
Only now do I realise that he carved a demonic symbol on his head.
"I only wish I could see them suffer." he whispers.
With all the speed I can muster, I direct a blow that would cut him in half.
My eyes widen as a large demonic fist rips out from the beastman's mouth and strikes me on the chest instead.
*BAM*
I let go of the body and forced to take a step back. I am too late in stopping the summoning ritual.
"GRRRRRRRRRR"
The hand unclenches and, using a sharp nail, drags its finger from the halfling's head to crotch. Another hand comes forth and rips the beastman open. A shower of blood and gore aggressively swirl around the now revealed major demon.
Major demons truly are abominable. This one has a head that is only occupied by a mouth with razor sharp teeth. Its skin looks ready to fall off the bone, and its arms are laced with spines. It stands at approximately 5 meters tall.
"GAKHAL Y'S XZO. UDNAKA A'HJI OUQIR VUE CT'VHA!!"
It declares something and looks to the remains of the beastman and drool spills from its mouth. It grabs a half and motions to eat but I do not let it. With a handaxe taken from my bag, I throw it and hit the beast's face forcing it to stagger.
I gather strength in my legs and leap forward.
The demon anticipates an overhead chop and crosses its arms in a defensive position. Good.
I use my legs and smash down heavily to arrest my momentum and bring myself low to the ground. Due to the Demon's large size, I have effectively bypassed its defences.
It reacts by trying to bring its arms down and impale me with the spines.
I sidestep and aggressively chop upwards, seperating its arm from its torso.
*KRSHIIIK*
"GRAAAAAAA"
The demon screams. However, it doesn't stop moving and lands a devastating kick to my midsection.
"Oof" Breath leaves me as I am sent through a house and onto the town square.
I roll with the momentum and quickly stand. The square is filled with mutilated bodies, but I ignore this and quickly scan the open space.
I am surrounded.
Demon beasts line the roads and roofs. They look to me as if I was a juicy dessert.
I wonder why they haven't attacked and see the demon whose arm I just cut off walk calmly towards me.
It stands in front of me and speaks.
"HCEVT JYW 'N GILNUUT IM QOOR ON'S JKE EN IKVENER ISHL SOKZAT?"
I understand nothing. So I say "Silence".
It is silent for a second and then howls
"KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH"
Then the demons attack.
It is a whirlwind of death.
I chop, slice, and cleave with reckless abandon. For every hit a demon lands on me, I make sure to send 10 back to the Void.
My Greataxe is coated with the blood of demonkind yet their numbers do not seem to dwindle. I do not care. The demons persist and so I slaughter them. Each swing of my axe only refining my techniques in killing the vermin.
I am brought out of my frenzy as I am slammed to the ground. I raise my arms in defence as the beasts continue their assault on me. I look to my foot and see a thorny whip tentacle doing its best to dig into my skin.
Another major demon in this invasion.
Having had enough of being surrounded, I gather strength into my fist. I strike downwards to decimate the earth and the surrounding demons as a wave of blazing energy engulfs them.
I kneel to chop off the offending appendage and look to the source, only to see a spiked fist heading towards me.
With a start, I put my axe into a defensive position and brace.
*CRAAACK*
Spines from its hand snap in half, and yet I am still sent a few meters away. My legs dig deep trenches as I dispel the residual force.
I raise my weapon once more, however, as the demonic creature presses its advantage and delivers blindingly fast blows at inhuman angles.
*Bang* *Bam* *Bang* *Bang*
The blows are rapid but manageable. I slip a wide punch and cleave through its leg. I do not make the same mistake as I parry his follow up blow and use its strength against it.
Having lost 2 limbs, the demon is unbalanced and cannot recover in time. I bound off the ground and bring my axe down on its skull.
*SQUELCH*
The demon's head explodes into meaty chunks and the demon beasts around me briefly stop their attacks.
As I let out a breath to collect myself, a crack of a whip breaks my reprieve. The strength of it forcing me forward.
*WAPOOOOSH*
"Grrr" I growl in surprise whilst a spiked whip tentacle once again binds me by my feet.
Then the world spins.
I am smashed through wood and stone, through flesh and bone. The demon beasts scream out around me as they die in droves. I am too busy, however, protecting myself from vicious impacts against all manner of structures to care.
After literally being turned into a whirlwind, I am released and smash through a stone structure.
"GHHK. Damn" I try to find my footing as the world is still spinning somewhat. I recognise this place to be a smithy.
*WHAPOOOSH*
This time I am ready.
I defend using the handle of my axe and, once the whip has wrapped around it, drag the demon into the smithy.
This demon looks like a female with extremely loose skin and insect feelers for eyes. Unsightly.
The smithy is too small for the effective use of my axe, but it also lost the use of its whip.
I discard my axe and deliver debilitating blows with my fist that can shatter steel.
The demon reels back in pain but I do not falter. I grab it by its arm and throw it onto the ground. I grab its whip tentacle and mount the damnable thing.
I force it's head down and wrap the tentacle around its neck. With a twist and pull, I snap the fragile area with its own whip.
I stand and head out as the job is not yet finished.
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2 hours later
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A demon beast lunges towards me and I grab it by the throat. With a squeeze, its neck snaps and it slowly disappears.
I gaze upon the destruction. A result of humankind's cruelty that forced the demi-humans to the edge.
'But that beastman chose to summon demons'
...
'Isn't that worse than the current state of this continent?'
Who is the judge of that?
'They're demons. They could plunge this world into the Void itself.'
That man lost his family
'So every other family should perish as well?Like yours?'
...
"Enough"
I scour the now empty settlement and search for supplies that may be useful. I find a potion of healing as well as 3 sticks of dynamite.
I pick up the handaxe I had thrown earlier and continue to Kedan.
I look back and realise I hadn't saved a single soul.
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"We are, all of us, broken."
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END