CHAPTER 9

I can’t move! My whole body is frozen! What is happening? Floating words?

DETAIL CHECK
A boss is being prepared.
Please wait for the boss to be ready.

Okay. I am looking at the dozens of bodies. What am I looking for?

One of the cultist begins to move. This person is struggling to sit up. I’m surpised that they can even move. I thought that I beat them all up.

“O Lord. We served thee well. Deliver us our reward that thou promisedst. Bask us in thine unholy flame.”

One of the cultist is burning. Then another. Another. Several more. All of them are burning besides the speaker. Their flame gather to the speaking cultist. The gathered flame hides the body. It grows taller and wider. A blade sprouts out of the flame. Then its handle. A hand is holding it. The hand is full of scales that shimmer under the sunlight. Each finger is a claw. Then a leg. No. A hoof. On the upper side of the fire, a pair of horns show itself. A face peeks out of the flame. Not human. Bovine. It steps out of the fire. A Demon.

DETAIL CHECK
Pan the Panderer.

Now that the unskippable cutscene is over, I can finally move!

Okay. This is clearly a boss that I must kill. Just like a game. It is not exactly original if you ask me. It’s like whoever designed this encounter is out of ideas. Maybe they were crunching at that time and put this boss last minute.

Fine then. Since this works just like a game, I have to let the boss move first. Then, I can begin counterattacking it.

“Greetings Adventurer,” says Pan.

“You can talk? In a boss fight?”

“Who is to say that speech be not a battle.”

That’s unexpected.

“I have a proposal for thee.”

“Offer? To me?”

“Thou art forsaken in this world. Let me send thee back.”

“And how do you plan to do that?”

“Let me be free, and I will give thee a gift.”

Sounds suspicious.

A fire burns on Pan’s empty hand. A circle forms inside the flame. The flame dissipates to reveal a necklace.

“Whosoever weareth this necklace may return to their first home, if they kill one hundred men.”

“No thanks.”

“Dost thou not want to go home?”

“This is a boss fight. That necklace must be cursed as flour. The talking is part of the battle, remember?”

“I aplaud thee for thine keen observation. Let us commence!”

The necklace turns into a lasso. Pan swings the lasso around. I don’t know what it does, but I better keep track of it.

As my eyes are fixed on the lasso, Pan’s sword stabs my chest. It had purposely tricked me with the lasso just to throw his sword at me! I was looking at the wrong thing!

I pull the sword out of my body. Suddenly, the lasso tightens around my body! I looked at the wrong thing again! Pan is in front of me. It takes the sword out of my hand.

I shapeshift my metal arms to be spiky. Thankfully, that’s enough to break the lasso! I take the chance to roll to my right. The sword stabs the ground where I was before. If I didn’t roll, I would’ve been dead by now!

Pan swings his sword while a fire is burning on his empty hand. It’s making another lasso! I block the sword with my metallic arm. My free arm isn’t close enough to punch it! Fine then! I use my free arm to create smoky steam. I use this chance to roll.

Pan swings its sword wildly. Then, Pan throws another lasso on the opposite direction of his swings. Good thing I rolled earlier!

I use this chance to punch into the steam. It hits something. It sounds like flesh. Good!

Wait! I never tried turning a steam into solid when someone is in there! Might as well try now!

It doesn’t work! It can only work If there’s no one in there!

Pan swings the sword again. This time, the sword got stuck in my left shoulder! It’s trying to cut my entire left arm off!

I push the sword up. Pan uses this chance to use the lasso like a whip! Pan whips my face with it! This causes me to lose my grip, and the sword cuts deeper into my left shoulder! Even with the steam covering his vision, he can now pinpoint my location!

Fine! You want my left arm! Take it! Take it however you want!

Pan slices my left arm off. I use this chance to grab its face. I morph my right gauntlet into spikes that stab into its eyes. You’re blind now!

Pan swings the sword wildly. It would’ve hit my left arm it it wasn’t cut off. Its empty hand touches my head. The hand burns my head! I crush the hand with my spiky gauntlet! The fiery hand is now broken!

I use this chance to punch Pan’s head. Another punch! Another! Punch! Another! Another!

Pan doesn’t move. It is still standing. My energy is depleted. You’re dead yet?

My lifeless arm disappears. So does Pan. A new arm grows on the missing limb. My head cools off. The heat is gone. I can move my left hand. I can touch my smooth skin. My head feels dizzy. I need to take a breather.

DETAIL CHECK
Audio log unlocked:
Pan the Panderer