I clung desperately to the smaller shadowmancer's obsidian scales, my fingers slick with blood as the razor-sharp edges sliced into my skin. My first instinct wasn't to fight it was to survive, to escape. These creatures weren't meant to be challenged by anything human.
"I need to get away," I muttered under my breath, looking for an escape route as the monster beneath me thrashed violently through the forest.
The larger shadowmancer blocked my path from ahead, its massive body creating an unnatural darkness across the landscape Behind me the water was possibly safe, but not completely whatever i could fight right now i couldn't even fight back even a little bit in the water so i avoided it completely each sides were dense with trees, offering no clear path. The sky above me remained my only option, despite its dangers i releasing my grip, I kicked off from the smaller shadowmancer's back, spreading my wings in one fast move I beat them powerfully, gaining altitude with each stroke of my wings , my eyes were fixed on a gap in the canopy
"I Just need to get high enough," I whispered, my face still remain flat despite the racing of my heart
A deafening roar shook the air as the larger shadowmancer lunged upward, its maw opening impossibly wide. I banked sharply to avoid the snapping jaws, but the creature's breath created a vortex that pulled me backward.
"Damn it!" The word escaped me as I tumbled through the air, my wings straining against the unnatural current the smaller shadowmancer jumped, intercepting my fall , Its teeth missed me by inches, but a swiping claw caught my leg, tearing through fabric and flesh alike. Blood sprayed in an arc as I spun from the impact.
I crashed through branches, each snap and crack punctuating my descent before I slammed into the ground The impact forced the air from my lungs in a harsh gasp and blood pooled beneath my torn leg, yet my face remained a mask of cold calculation as I pushed myself up
"Running isn't an option," I said breathing heavily, drawing both blades The wooden wouldn't be that helpfull to cut through the thick scales , while Karem's starmetal blade i consider it to be somewhat useful for now
Both shadowmancers converged on me, their movements were unsettlingly synchronized. The ground was trembled with there each step they took, cutting off any escape routes.
"Fine then," I said, my voice flat despite the dire situation. "Come."
Was this confidence? Recklessness? I couldn't tell. All I knew was that I had no choice but to stand my ground
The smaller one attacked first, its tail whipping around like a massive scythe. I barely had time to raise my blade to block. The impact sent me flying backward, my arms screaming with pain from the force. I slammed into a tree trunk, feeling ribs crack on impact Blood filled my mouth a warm blood
"Aaaaah!" A guttural sound tore from my throat rage, frustration, pain. I forced myself away from the tree just as the larger shadowmancer's clawed foot crashed down where I'd been standing, splintering the trunk like kindling then i darted between the creature's legs, slashing with my starmetal blade at what appeared to be thinner scales on its underbelly. The blade connected but barely left a scratch like trying to cut stone with a knife.
"Now this... this is what you call a monster."
A twisted smile curled my lips as I wiped the blood from my face Was I getting excited by this unwinnable fight? My usual cold expression had vanished, replaced by something far unknown for me
The smaller shadowmancer circled around, They were herding me toward the water. My back foot slipped into the crystal-clear pool, sending ripples across its mirror-like surface.
The larger shadowmancer lunged again. This time, I didn't dodge. Instead, I felt something inside of me coming outside and wrapping around my blade wooden blade i had no time to think what was it then i thrust my blade upward as the creature's jaws about to descended The weapon wedged between two massive teeth, momentarily halting the bite.
For a second, I found myself staring into the abyss of the creature's throat a void darker than any night. Then the pressure increased, and my wooden blade began to splinter.
With no other option, I activated my technique, forming a ten-meter square, vanishing from between the jaws and reappearing on top of the creature's head. The sudden displacement blurred my vision and sent a wave of nausea through me, but I held my focus long enough to drive my starmetal blade downward with all my strength.
The blade penetrated perhaps half an inch before stopping, as if hitting solid bedrock.
The shadowmancer's head bucked violently, sending me airborne. The smaller one leaped up to catch me in its jaws. I twisted desperately but wasn't quick enough to avoid its teeth grazing my back,Pain exploded along my spine as scales and flesh tore open, blood spraying in an arc through the air i hit the ground hard, momentarily stunned by pain and impact. My body began its slow healing process, but it wouldn't be fast enough. The shadowmancers were already closing in, i could tell their movements were filled with predatory intent and I was there pray
I forced myself to my feet, blood soaking the back of my tunic. I gripped my blade tightly, and for the first time in a long while, a strange joy flickered in my chest was it the thought of my impending death? Or was I simply enjoying this fight against an unimaginable opponent?
The smaller shadowmancer charged first. I waited until the last possible moment before diving to the side, rolling under its massive belly. With a precise thrust, I drove my blade into a gap between its scales, sinking several inches into its flesh.
Black ichor sprayed from the wound, sizzling as it hit the ground. The shadowmancer shrieked, the sound piercing enough to make the trees tremble. I yanked my blade free and immediately vanished, barely avoiding the larger creature's tail as it smashed into where I had stood moments before reappearing behind a massive tree, I gasped for breath. The technique was draining me fast three more uses, and I'd be completely spent. My body was failing, my wounds still bleeding freely.
Below, the two shadowmancers circled, their movements more calculated. The smaller one's wound had already begun to close, the black ichor congealing over the puncture.
"They're were adapting... these creatures are adjusting to my fighting style. If I keep fighting mindlessly, I'll die for sure. And why the hell do they want to eat me so badly? I'm not exactly a delicacy!"
The larger shadowmancer suddenly moved, its massive head leveling with my position. Its eyes voids of absolute darkness, yet strangely golden seemed to look onto me through the thick foliage.
It exhaled a cloud of inky darkness. The moment the black mist touched the tree, the living wood withered and decayed. I felt the branch beneath me crumble i leaped, taking to the air but the smaller shadowmancer was waiting, with his jaws open to receive me , Without hesitation, I formed the square again, appearing at the edge of the water, the displacement made me stumble on a rock , my vision swimming from the strain.
Two more times that was all I had left
My body was reaching its limit, and my healing ability was barely keeping up with my blood loss. The shadowmancers advanced, each step shaking the ground. I gripped my starmetal blade and muttered,
"If I die here... will anyone remember me?"
Am I afraid of dying? Or am I afraid of being forgotten?
This... this might be the end !
I prepared for what could be my final stand, my emotionless face never waver despite the odds , But sheer survival instinct wouldn't be enough I needed something more something beyond my current strength
These creatures were too powerful to defeat conventionally my gaze fell on the massive skull from which the waterfall flowed, and then back to the charging shadowmancers....