Our Party Will Live On

"We're all going to make it. It's crazy to have this thought while facing a monster with absolutely nothing. I trust this will work."

CRACK!

The swamp wolf scraped the edge of the top of the castle. Down below, Frigyes and Marigold could only watch in horror.

“Crap, will my magic even make it at this distance?!” Frigyes had tears in his eyes, but wiped them away. “That’s it. Let’s just cut our losses and go.”

“And go where exactly? Back to the train station? You’re not going back alive, either by that wolf, or by me. I’m not letting you give up on our partners like that!” yelled Marigold. She too had tears in her eyes. She watched as the swamp wolf brought its head up

“AAAAAAH!”

BAM!

Lev kicked the monster right in the snout. It was unfazed, and opened its mouth, as it was time for the kill!

SNAP!

CRACK!

“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

“GWAAAAAAAAAAH”

Two screams were emitted at once. The beastly Lev, and the beastly swamp wolf. The wolf however, isn’t as beastly as it was. The sharp jagged teeth have fallen out. Blood was pouring out of its mouth.

“TAKE THIS!”

BAM!

SNAP!

CRACK!

“GWAAAAAAAAH”

More of the teeth of the swamp wolf have broken and fallen out. The wolf retreated back from the top of the castle. It lost it grip, and gave Lev what he wanted. They were falling down the castle, and down on top of the bastion surface.

“What the hell just happened?!” exclaimed Frigyes.

“Its mouth! It’s bleeding!” followed Marigold. “That’s its weak spot!”

“But, what they hell did the-“

“Enough asking! Aim for its mouth!”

Kitezh ran down the castle and back to the top of the bastion itself, where he saw the wolf. She looked at its mouth, and saw the blood. It flowed down into the shape of a cannon.

“It took Lev as the bait, but had no idea he was holding the large iron cannon. The swamp wolf can’t detect everything that’s invisible without a sniff first,” though Kitezh.

Lev was standing inside the jaws of the wolf. He pushed the blood soaked cannon further into its mouth.

“Whooooa!”

The swamp wolf flung its head up. He rocked Lev around, as he griped at its jaw.

“Lev, the cannon! Don’t let it fall!”

Lev grabbed the cannon and pushed it further.

SNAP!

“AAAAGH”

This time, the wolf snapped at Lev’s hand as he tried to push the cannon into its mouth.

Frigyes and Marigold approached closer to the commotion.

“I can’t get a good aim of its mouth from here. Plus, I don’t want to accidentally torch Lev!”

“This is our only chance!”

“I’m not a complete expert with this magic thing you know!”

“Well, you don’t have a spear either!”

Lev thought of the spear. He didn’t need it exactly, but something like it. He spotted some fishing gear near the pier. A metal bucket and fishing rod were all what Lev needed to fight.

“We’ll be able to get that bastard from here!”

Lev was exhausted. He lost his for a moment.

SNAP!

“AAAAAH!”

Lev scream as the monster bit him again. This time, it was on the torso.

“Lev!”

Kitezh yelled, as she ran up to him, running straight into the danger that was about to spew on them.

The stinky breath emitted from the swamp wolf again. It hurled the black sludge like before.

“NO YOU’RE NOT!” yelled Lev. He embraced the cannon, and fought against the force of the vomit. However, he was getting covered in all the dark poisons.

“AAAAH!” Kitezh yelled a battle cry, but shut her mouth, and began to cough. She was getting splattered by the sludge vomit as she ran into Lev’s back to help push the cannon.

The force of the vomit weakened, and eventually subsided. However, Kitezh and Lev were both badly poisoned. Completely armorless and in their underwear, they’ve taken a mortal hit.

“Agh.. awa…” Kitezh could not make out the words, as she suffers from the poison. She was so close, yet it all seems to be the end for her.

SWOOSH!

TSSSSSS!

“GWAAAAAAAAAAH!”

Kitezh brightened her eyes, like she was suddenly revived. She saw a glowing yellow object in the wolf’s mouth, as it flailed its head around in agony.

“I told you I would make that shot!” Frigyes boasted. “With my fire magic, that hot iron bucket worked as a great projectile. And don’t forget my ‘fishing skills’. By flinging the bucket from the fishing rod and burning the string at the right moment, it really makes me feel like a human trebuchet.”

The swamp wolf slammed on the ground. The cannon was still at its mouth.

Kitezh and Lev weakly got up, but knew they had to use everything stop it. Lev grabbed the cannon, and both pushed.

“AAAAAH! GHK! GHK!”

They kept pushing and pushing.

“GHK! HHHHHHHK!”

Then, there was silence. The swamp wolf laid limp. The monster has suffocated to death.

Kitezh and Lev collapse to the ground. Frigyes and Marigold rush to the top.

“Kitezh! Oh, please don’t be dead!” cried Marigold.

Kitezh could not say a word, but grunted a bit. She cleared the sludge that was covering the visor of her helmet.

“Lev is badly hurt!” yelled Frigyes.

“I don’t have any magic, so I can’t heal you two. All of our items were frozen in the river.”

Frigyes tries to lift up Lev.

“Argh, I’ve got it. You don’t need to help me.”

“Are you serious? That thing was close to ripping you in half!”

“No really, I’m just fine. See? Look at this wound.”

Frigyes inspected the hand where Lev was bitten.

BAM!

CRACK!

“AHK-AHK-GAHK!”

Frigyes was on the ground writhing in pain.

“Hehehe. I’ve always wanted to do that”

Lev suddenly gets up. He strengthens out his back, cracked his neck, and laid his eyes on Marigold.

“Lev! Why did you do that!? H-How did you get up? You were poisoned!” squealed Marigold.

Lev’s face suddenly changed to an evil grin. It was like he just turned into one of the Demon Lord’s underlings.

“Lev, seriously. This isn’t funny! What are you doing?!”

“Marigold, just step aside. I just want the girl on the ground.”

Marigold hesitated. Her own partner had suddenly gone rogue. She had no way to fight against the beastly man.

“I… won’t…”

“Okay, you’re wasting my time now.”

BAM!

Lev pounded the ground with his fist. The ground began to crack as if it were a lightning strike under her feet. The ground splinters and collapses.

“AAAAAAAAH!”

THUD!

Marigold laid motionless on the ground on top of all the rubble.

Kitezh tried to get up. She had to escape this horror now.

“Kitezh, I told you already. It was great that I took that quest in the first place. Of course, I would take it first. I was the one who created it myself after all.”

Lev cracked his knuckles.

“You seem sedated enough from that toxic sludge. You were fine with me picking you up several times. Let me do it one more time.”

Kitezh’s eyes widened in fear.

“Wh-Who are you?” weakly asked Kitezh.

“We’ll get to the details later. But for now, you can refer to me as the Shatter Phenomenon!”