Victory

Flower petals rose in scattered bursts as it drew closer. I was pretty solid, but not much compared to it.

Don’t lose your nerve now. Stay focused, just follow the plan!

As the beast charged toward me, its claws bore against the flower-covered patch with every step. I raised an arm, and a series of magic circles appeared between us. Each one summoned a pillar of earth that rose in quick succession, but it didn’t faze it.

The Duskmaw broke through them like styrofoam. I noticed the glowing red gleam that surrounded its body. Suddenly, the beast's fur stood on end, its grey fur filtered into a dark blue and from its mouth. A monstrous roar broke out towards me that shattered the last few pillars of earth between us.

What the… how?! I staggered back, slightly unnerved.

The waves of pressure that travelled through the air were unbelievable. I didn’t know it could use such a powerful attack at that range. But now that I saw it, I was confident I made the right move. If I were any closer, it would have pulverised me instantly.

The beast raced forward, the distance between us dwarfed, when suddenly it struck out a paw at my head. Wind exploded out from my hands, and I narrowly avoided the attack.

That was close… I checked my health bar just to confirm. I had a feeling it had some kind of magic attack, but I didn’t think it would use it so soon. I wonder why it’s so eager to end this? Not that it changes things, I still have to beat it.

Originally, I wanted to simply steal a few flowers and run out of there, but given my low agility, that wasn’t an option. Plus, after starting that fight, I knew there was no way it would let me leave. Only one of us was walking out of there alive.

Bursts of air left my stone palms, but against its sturdy body, it barely flinched. I tried my sandbox move next, but got the same result. The dirt under it loosened into mud, and with a rugged leap, the Duskmaw escaped.

The faint red glow returned to its body and siphoned towards its mouth, where it took the form of an orb inside its open maw. Its bloodthirsty eyes locked on me, and with a tremendous cry, the orb shot out into a beam of heat that cinged the air and flowers where I stood.

It has another attack?!!

I defended with my arms, but took the brunt of that attack. I couldn’t feel pain, but even I was aware that that attack was no joke. The air in front of me warped under the intense heat.

My health took a massive dip, but it remained in the green. It blackened the ivory colour of my arms and shoulder, but I was still mostly in one piece. I raised an arm and chenelled the wind into the image of a blade. Wind slowly gathered, but before it completely took form, I sensed its presence over me.

Crap, not time! I backed away, and my lack of speed was evident.

I took another hit against the body and crashed into the ground. My body was buried in dirt and uprooted grass, the very ground cracked and shifted under me. Its claws gripped over me like a predator on its prey.

I caught it glaring down at me, satisfied.

Did you think I took that hit for no reason?

Magic circles appeared around us, all across the ground. They circled it in a ring of glowing brown light and released their magic.

Pillars launched from the ground and crashed into the beast, one after another. It chipped away at its health, but after the fourth or fifth, it let out another one of those screams and the magic circles were blown away.

It shattered the skill– how is that even possible?

Magic circles appeared in the air behind me in glowing green. Balls of air focused at each of their points and, in one large flurry, released into bullets of wind at the beast. It took the hit head-on, a few patches of its fur broke loose, but it still had half its health.

My magic isn’t doing enough damage; I might need to hit it with my strength as planned. I observed. A moment later, its claws ripped into the dirt, and the blue shade of its fur stood up on end as it broke towards me in a swift chase.

Pillars rose between us, but the Duskmaw broke through them just as easily as before. I whisked a gust of air at its eyes, and the beast slowed its pace just before it could crash into me. Two larger pillars broke out from the ground at its sides, and the Duskmaw was brought to a stop.

My mana reached its limits, and I felt my concentration dull and my grip on the pillars fade. I rushed forward and, with all my might, charged at the beast in a blur of rage.

{Bulldoze Activated}

With the full weight of my body, I collided into the Duskmaw's face and felt my body snap and shatter against its gaping mouth. Powerful fangs crushed down on me, but I didn’t stop. Even as my health dropped lower and lower, warning screens flooded my vision, and I continued.

I reached out to punch, but no hand reacted to my intention. I tried another, nothing there either. My vision was cut out next, then my mobility. Almost as though the ground beneath my feet was swept up from under me. I was in the beast's mouth; I could tell that much from its heavy grunting and malicious grip.

I was near death, a place I treaded all too often to forget. My vision gone, my body cracked and nearly completely broken, I had all the reasons to give up and accept death. But I didn’t care about that, none of it. Only one word centred the mess of commands and thoughts in my head: ‘win’.

I don’t care if I die here. I’m not doing this for me– I have something else to fight for. So can’t you… JUST DIE ALREADY!!

I channelled the last scrap of mana I had left in me and brought the shape of a stone to form. It floated against my chest for a moment, and with my utmost concentration, it burst forward into the pits of darkness, where a bloody splatter followed.

{<Piercing Stone> activated}

{<Minor Wind Manipulation> activated}

I felt the grip crushing down on me ease up and release entirely. Just before reaching zero, my health bar froze, and my attention was drawn to the cheerful ping of the system's notification.

{850 Exp gained}

{Level Up}

{Level Up}