"Do you just not fear death?" Todd asked after Noah shot the killing blow of wind into the latest Slasher's neck. The sun had risen over the trees once more, marking the start of the new day, but none of them were tired. "I can understand challenging weaker monsters without a shield, but even if you know what that thing is going to do, one slip up and you're gone."
Noah stepped over the Slasher's body and wiped his shoes off on the dirt, trying to get the blood off them and failing. He grimaced, then rubbed his chin.
"No, I don't reckon I do."
"You've got a death wish, then?"
Noah pursed his lips and leaned against a tree. Its scorched bark cracked against his back. "There are times when fear is good. We have it for a reason. It keeps us safe, but it holds us back. If we listened to our fear, we'd never take risks. So, no. I don't fear death – I respect it."
"What do you mean by that?" Isabel joined Todd, peeling her eyes away from the dead Slasher to watch Noah. "Isn't that the same thing?"
"No." Noah shook his head. "Death is an inevitability of life. I understand this, but I don't live life waiting for my death. It happens when it happens. I don't want it to happen earlier than needed, but I won't let it impact how I live. Thus, I will do my best to ensure I don't die, but I won't fear it."
Neither of them responded. Noah could see their minds working through their eyes, processing his words and trying to match them to the man that Vermil had been. Noah suppressed a chuckle.
It feels a little disingenuous for me to go around talking about death, all things considered.
Isabel opened her mouth to ask a question, but they all froze as something just out of their line of sight crackled. Noah frowned and pushed away from the tree, turning toward the noise. The early morning light broke as it hit the tree branches, illuminating two large, bulbous eyes watching them from the shadows. A cold hand constricted around Noah's heart.
What the hell is that doing here? We aren't that deep into the forest!
"Isabel, Todd, you need to leave," Noah said softly, keeping his tone as even as possible. "Right now."
"What are you talking about?" Todd took a step toward Noah.
"Now! Go back the way we came and get into a tree. Don't make noise. Don't fight. Don't come back, no matter what you hear."
Isabel followed Noah's gaze and her face paled. She grabbed Todd's hand and pulled him in the opposite direction.
"What about you?" Isabel whispered.
"I'll deal with this and come meet you when I'm done. I'll find you."
Isabel swallowed heavily and continued to back up. Her heel landed on a large twig and it snapped, the crisp sound echoing through the forest like a gunshot. The Chucker screamed. Noah could barely see it at their distance, but he knew all too well how good the bug-eyed monkey's aim was.
He lunged in front of Isabel. A loud crunch split the air as a rock slammed into his chest, shattering his sternum. Noah felt pieces of bone explode like shrapnel and tear through his body.
"Professor!"
"I told you to run!" Noah roared. Pain tore through his body and the darkness bloomed at the edges of his vision, threatening to usher him into the abyss.
It would have been sweet relief.
It would have meant that his students would be the next to die, and they wouldn't be coming back.
Noah gritted his teeth and shoved the abyss to the side. He grabbed his gourd and travel bag, and threw both to the side, boosting the toss with all the Wind magic he could muster and sending them hurtling through the trees. Bones ground and popped in his chest at the sharp movement. He hadn't thought it was even possible for the pain to get worse, but he was proven wrong.
His vision blurred and Noah caught himself on a tree, clutching onto it for dear life. The sound of Isabel and Todd's panicked retreat faded in his ears, but he wasn't sure if it was because he was losing consciousness or that they were getting farther away.
The Chucker loped closer. Its eyes latched onto Noah. Cracked lips peeled back in a victorious, hungry grin. The Chucker readied a second stone.
If I die now, I won't have magic to kill this bastard. Isabel and Todd won't be able to survive it.
Noah matched the hideous monkey's snarl and reached desperately for his Runes.
The Chucker launched the stone. It blurred through the air, moving so fast that he couldn't even trace it. The monster was close enough to him that, even if he could have seen the attack, there was no way for him to dodge it in time given his injuries.
Noah's magic responded to his call, but it wasn't Wind that came forth. The cracked trees around them groaned as all the scorched, blackened wood was forcibly ripped away. Clouds of swirling ash snapped into solid black spikes in an instant before Noah, erupting before him like a bolt of jagged lightning.
The spell tore through the ground and the stone vanished within it. A flicker of what might have been surprise passed through the Chucker's enormous eyes before the spikes of ash tore through it.
Ash slammed into the trees behind the monster, tearing through several of them before the magic finally lost its steam and came to a stop. Noah's chest popped as he drew in a ragged breath, staring at the thick, spiked structure of ash that had ravaged the ground before him.
Then he pitched forward, the last vestiges of strength in his body spent. One of the jagged spikes went clean through his head, killing him instantly.
Noah's soul ripped free of his body just as the ash structure fell apart, dumping his corpse unceremoniously to the ground. Even dead, Noah could have sworn that adrenaline was still pumping through his veins.
Before he could have too much time to think, Noah felt the siren call of the gourd envelop him. A noose tightened around his neck and a powerful yank sent him hurtling through the trees.
Noah slammed into his body unceremoniously. He groaned, instinctively wincing as he drew breath. Through the violent headache, it took him a moment to remember that his chest wasn't in half a dozen pieces anymore.
He drew in a ragged gasp of air and forced his eyes open. The blackened dirt stuck to his skin like glue, but he could barely gather the energy to care. Noah gritted his teeth and forced himself to sit upright.
Luckily, his bag and book had fallen close to his gourd. He grabbed it, fishing the spare set of clothes out and throwing them on. Despite his best efforts, it took several minutes of fighting his own body to get outfitted.
Noah pressed his lips together tightly and dragged his rebellious feet back toward the scene of his death.
His throw had been better than he'd expected. It took several more minutes for Noah to trace his steps back, but he eventually spotted the dead Chucker sprawled beside several shattered trees, its body ripped to shreds.
He stepped over the monster, unable to even bring his gaze up, and stumbled over to his body.
To where his body should have been.
Noah blinked. He forced himself to lift his head, then slowly turned in a circle. All that met his eyes were trees. There was no sign of his corpse.