It was strange feeling. Both fear and excitement were mixed together. I wanted to suddenly fight this creature but my body was frozen in fear.
As the tip of his blade dug deeper into my neck, blood trickeled down my neck. Suddenly he speaks,
"W-w-who a-a-are you!!! Tell me!!!"
His voice projecting a feelings of surprise and anger.
"I-i am just a regular human, who h-happened to stumbled here. I mean no harm, so please let me go"
"LIAR!!!" he screeched and continued.
"I know you are the one who broke [The never ending maze], don't lie to me. I know bastards like you."
This time his didn't stutter and spoke a bit clearly.
"I don't know what you are talking about."
I tried to play innocent.
"Y-you looking down on me!.."
he threw me on the ground and continued
"I will show you the consequence of looking down on me."
It was at that moment I saw it, a dark figure resembling that of half decayed zombie emitted strange dark black smoke. His body was covered with dark, torn and ragged cloth.
In his both hands, he held a very sharp sickle which had some strange kind of runic writing on them. Even though his face was not visible, I could tell his deformed face had eyes of a predator who was looking at its prey.
Suddenly, the bright sun light began to fade as shadows and darkness took over. He again jumped to attack me. I barely dodged but had my ankle sprained.
"Y-you d-dod-dodge that huh? You are not ordinary"
again this time his voice felt as if there were two sounds resonating, as if there were two being speaking at the same time.
"But, this time..." His deformed face made a creepy smile and he continued "you will die."
He said in a clear voice but it felt as if there was some other voice laughing.
Suddenly, the smoke he emitted began to suck into him as he held his sickles in a strange position, he disappeared along with his presence.
Due to my training with Elysa, I could sense living organisms near me to some extent but this time, he disappeared as if he never even existed.
Slash..
Something suddenly cut me right at my shoulder. Before I could even feel, my whole body was already full of cuts.
Where was he?
How did he disappear?
Just what the hell was happening?
So many questions rose inside my head. But I didn't have the luxury of questioning myself. My first priority should be to somehow escape from this place.
As the assault of seemingly never ending slashes continued, I began to think of any possible idea that I could think of in order to escape from this thing.
Suddenly I remembered something that I had forgotten recently. I didn't know where that bastard could attack from. So it had to be an instantaneous action. The slashes continued to rain down as I calmly observed the interval between them.
After every 6 slashes, this guy takes atleast 1 second to catch his breath. So, I counted.
1 slash.
2 slashes.
3 slashes.
4 slashes.
5 slashe
and finally
6th slash.
As the onslaught of slashes paused for a second, I arose from my ducked down position as mud and few rocks also got thrown up due to my sudden rise and screamed
"USELESS FLASHBANG!"
Suddenly the dark and shadowy field illuminated as the rubble thar arose with me froze in the air. I could hear a strange screech as I saw black smoke emitting a few feets away from me. My plan had worked.
***
It was right after my encounter with that low level ghoul that Elysa started teaching me about some basics of some common hostile creatures of Frozen hell.
"You see, ghouls are creature that are mix of undead and living. Meaning they come in between both. Not many people know it but ghouls are actually like snakes.
They cannot see much as through thier eyes as they have somehow become very sensitive to light. Their decayed skin have higher sensitivity so they detect vibrations and movements just like snakes.
That's why Deeno's power to overstimulate thier sense of vibration and this results in, them being unable to attack properly. Allowing him to easily wipe them off."
She explained as she suddenly threw out half dozing Luke, outside the window.
***
This creature screeched in agony as the light blinded him. Finally, a good use to flashbang. Atleast, I was now sure that this creature was a ghoul or some kind of Ghoul derived entity. As he screamed, I quickly ran to the other side of the field.
I just want to escape from this place.
Once I escape I'll be able to find Luke and Elysa again.
Just as I was about halfway there, my body began to lose energy tremendously. I fell to the ground. Did I sustain too much damage? Why did I suddenly lose my energy. As I questioned myself, I see a strange mark on my chest, which was in shape of two sickles overlapping one another.
"It is mark of the vampire"
a clear and calm voice was heard from behind.
As I turn around to see who it was, I see handsome man with white hairs looking down at me in a curious manner. He had a black overcoat and beneath it he wore a majestic red shirt with black pants. His purple eyes were reflecting my helpless figure.
"You sure have given me quite a trouble."
It was a calm and elegant voice. But the strangest thing I noticed was this guy's teeth. It looked liked he had two cannine teeth. He looked just like a beautiful vampire written in those female fantasy novels.
He continued
"Even though I am quite angry at you but I would surely refrain myself from killing you instantly because you did help me get rid of that nasty and wretched ghoul-human hybrid. Thanks to you, I can now be fully in control."
As he finished, black smoke enveloped him and in his hand, he held two strange looking sickles.
Even though they looked same as the ones that ghouls held, even I could feel it, they were in a different league.
He again spoke
"even though you helped me..."
He glared at me. I felt it. I felt shivers run down my spine. I felt in back then too. In that maze. It was him. It was most definitely him.
"I cannot allow someone who dare to lay hands on me live, you see.."
he said in a cold voice as he held on sickle and in less than a second cut me right at stomach.
"You"
he paused for a moment.
"You really are strange."
He looked surprised as he held onto his sickle and looked at me.
"How come you are alive when I cut you? Just who are you?"
He looked surprised to see my stomach still intact.
I was just lucky. As this guy was yapping about his thanks or whatever I quickly sealed my own body to avoid any severe damage again.
But now I have lost my mobility and also accumulated life threatening damage. I know the moment I undo seal, the accumulated damage would kill me instantly.
I could see this vampire looking bastard getting ready for his next attack.
What should I do?
How can I defend myself?
Just why the hell is this shit happening to me?
What should I do?
Same questions run in my mind as see him approaching.
"Let's see you defend against my next slash. This time it will be your head." He spoke again and this time, he wore a very creepy smile on his face.
Just as I closed my eyes and accepted my fate. A giant boom sound resembling a plane crashing was heard.
I was surprised to be still alive. Before I opened my eyes, I heard the voice I had been missing this whole time.
"Zai. Sorry for being late."
Elysa said in a comforting yet apologetic manner.
"You better be."
As I opened my eyes, I could see Deeno and Luke both holding that vampire-bastard's sickles that were trying to attack me.
"Who's this pale looking bitch? "
Luke asked in a serious tone.
"How would I know assbrain."
"He's the bastard who kidnapped me. Don't let your gaurd down. This guy's strong."
Both Luke and Deeno smirked as they saw my worried face. Luke approached me and quickly healed my wounds first. As I was about to open my mouth to say something he hugged me and said
"Thanks for surviving."
I could feel his emotions swelling up inside of him. I comforted him and said
"Don't worry I am safe now. But I think we have a bigger problem on our hands."
Deeno was now holding down the vampire bastard alone, he was suddenly pushed back by an intense release of force. I saw that vampire bastard maintaining a distance from us.
"I see, so you have called your Little friends. Hmmm.. there are some interesting things happening around here."
He said as he looked at our group with a curious expression.
"You guys are sure interesting, but..."
He paused as his body suddenly began to morph into something.
"I would want to kill you for even thinking that you guys could help that runt escape from me. I will surely give you, the worst death possible."
He said when suddenly, the already dark and shadowy night began to darken even further. Even though I could barely see in this storm of Darkeness I kept my eyes locked into him. When suddenly everything just vanished.
The dark smoke, the shadows everything. It was bright sunlight again. But I could not shake off this unfamiliar feeling. As I looked ahead of me. I could see Elysa making a complex expression, same for Luke and even the great almighty Deeno. I rubbed my eyes and looked ahead.
There stood a dark figure emitting purple Haze. His mouth couldn't be clearly seen even though it wasn't covered by anything. It was like I could see it but my brain couldn't comprehend it. He had strong wings resembling that of a bat and held two sickles. He spoke
[I hope you are ready for what is about to unfold here.]
His voice echoed as suddenly my ear drums ruptured. I vommited blood. Just hearing his voice damaged my internal organs. Suddenly he flew as countless sharp sickles manifested behind his figure. Elysa, Deeno and Luke did not look away from that bastard and were still trying to protect me.
When a dark purplish light was shot at me, missing just by an inch. It happened in an instant. I thought it missed before I saw the Luke's hand bleeding. He deflected that sickle even before my senses could pick it.
As I saw him afloat in air, the countless sickle manifested at his command and in a amused voice he said-
[Let's start the feast]
***