Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Malicious Intent

 

Artie was warned about the monster's unusual ability, but he blanked in the face of overwhelming power. The intensity of the fear disallowed him to do anything; even the strong desire to close his eyes was denied.

His vacant mind couldn't process it, but a fierce sound neared at incredible speeds. Whatever it was, it swept across the forest expeditiously, progressing closer by the second.

An enormous BOOM sounded in the distance, violating his vulnerable eardrums.

The alarming sound rattled his very heart; it skipped a beat, then continued to accelerate out of control. The blatant noise was trailed by intense, glaring yellow light. A bright, blurry streak passed Artie at immense speeds, then instantly clashed with the fiery lizard. On collision, fire and electricity burst forth opposing one another.

The extraordinary force was capable enough to rip Artie from his position and fling him back several feet. He'd landed on his back so harshly that the wind was wrenched his lungs. Gasping, he clutched onto his abdomen, mouth wide open as he struggled to inhale oxygen.

Able to breathe again, the agony from his fall was unveiled. The wooden stint and leather wrap that supported his broken arm had vanished from sight. Artie's already broken arm slammed against the rocky floor, filling him with excruciating pain. It would have been enough to drag him unconscious if the nearby fight hadn't afflicted him with even more punishment.

Stiffening, his eyes rolled back, and his limbs involuntarily stretched out before violently vibrating. The area became enveloped in scattered electricity and fire, both burning and shocking his body.

The two creatures had only clashed once, yet the land was crumbling under them. Crimson flames lit the area, and the sky itself changed hue. The wolf monster that tracked Artie was coated in its dazzling lightning. It did not utter a sound while buffing up against the scaly opponent.

Once the effect of their initial attack settled, Artie could feel his body loosening up. Gradually separating his lips, he yelled out in anguish. A lethal amount of electricity hit him, but he managed to withstand it. The fire, however, was not merciful; Third-degree burns ruined his upper chest and right arm. Shuffling to his knees, his body aggressively trembled as he observed the injuries.

A common phrase goes, "It's not as bad as it looks." In this case, the unbearable pain he felt perfectly reflected his devastated appearance.

No time was allowed for Artie to soothe himself; The lizard God type quickly began to act up and slam its massive tail angrily against the ground. The flames it emitted flared up substantially as it prepared for another attack. Recognizing the approaching danger, Artie mustered up the will to stand. The moment he was able to collect his footing, a gust of heat and embers plunged against his frail frame.

"Run," He murmured, biting his lip so firmly blood trickled down.

Perhaps it was his terror or the damage he'd suffered, but he dragged his feet on the ground while limping away. The friction between his shoe and the rocky surface created a deep scratchy noise. The low sound reached the ears of the wolf creature, and it flinched before jolting its head around. Observing Artie's poor attempt to flee, the beast threatened him with its fierce eyes.

Artie cowered in place, hesitating to move another inch. It was just a look, but he understood what the godly creature demanded of him.

Swallowing nervously, he shuddered, understanding his fate would be vastly worse than the giant lizards.

The reptile creature recklessly darted towards the jet-black beast. Once the two came into contact, their respective elements collided again. The blazing creature bore its fangs to munch down onto its challenger. However, the beast was much quicker on its feet. Within close proximity, the God-like wolf burned. Still, it quickly maneuvered around the lizard's attack and bit down onto its neck. The CRUNCH that resulted from fangs biting down onto durable scales made Artie's skin crawl. Even more disturbing was the sound of flesh being impaled. While most of the beast fangs had been opposed by the lizard's defense, the slick exposed skin was also targeted, tearing into flesh.

"Come on…" Thought Artie, hopelessly observing the fight.

Unknowingly, he'd supported the flaming reptile. It was a detestable existence that he feared, but at the very least, he believed it wouldn't later track him down.

Locked within the jaw of the unyielding wolf, the enraged lizard raised its heavy tail and slammed it against the beast's body. Instead of releasing its grip, the godly beast repositioned its footing and bit down harder on the exposed skin. Blood expelled, then the devilish lizard emitted a low-pitched shriek. Squirming around fruitlessly, its rage grew, and with it, the inferno.

The flames' area of effect increased. From Artie's red-covered view, he noticed the wolf had been entirely swallowed by fire.

As it burned, Artie quietly rejoiced. He prayed the relentless beast would die; Burn to ash, then get swept away by the wind. If not, at the very least, he hoped it'd be too occupied to sense him escaping.

Moving one leg in front of the other, he turned and bolted off towards the ignited forest. Like a fly escaping from a sticky web, he held nothing back as he ran for his life.

Not long after his purposeful stride, something changed.

From behind him, a loud, violent roar echoed. Then, like being flashed by a close-up camera, he became blind. It was brief, but yellow light wrapped the entire area. The glow itself was harmless, but Artie knew it was only the prelude to something worse to come.

Time and motion stopped, shooed away by the sudden flash. Then, an atrocious and nightmarish explosion discharged. Everything behind him shattered. It started with the ground beneath the two creatures, then spread outward, destroying the cliff entirely.

Running away, his rear was blasted with a powerful shockwave. The burst of wind and the damaging sound of thunder forcibly pushed him and everything else yards away. Artie, dead trees, bushes, and heaps of dirt and rocks were uprooted and hectically blown back. Unable to control his course, he collided with solid objects in the air before crash landing inside the forest. Bombarded, he suffered more injuries and ultimately lost consciousness, buried beneath debris.

 

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Alive but barely breathing, Artie remained in a blackout state for several minutes… He would have cherished an extended rest, time to recoup, but circumstances prevented him from doing so.

"RAHH!" Screamed Artie, awakening from his slumber.

Two rows of large teeth had sunk into his body. The horizontal bite started from his upper chest and ended at his thigh, covering the majority of his fleshy form. He was lifted from the mass of debris that buried him, then flung a short distance.

Eyes barely open, he spotted the large wolf-like creature. It was injured but walked patiently towards him, silent and intimidating. Terrified, Artie stammered and stumbled while trying to move, but severe injuries made it difficult. His blood-soaked body trembled as he rolled onto his back and tried to lift himself.

"MMMM!" Muffled Artie, screaming through his fastened lips.

The moment he applied pressure to his broken right arm, Artie experienced staggering pain. Desperate, he kicked off the ground and scooched backward on his bum. The monster glanced at him, allowing the shameless action to continue.

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Everything the beast had done seemed intentional, where it'd been, how it moved, the vengeful look it displayed, and most importantly, the lives that it ended. The furred creature only killed who it wanted; That "who" now being Artie.

Inching back, his mind was primarily empty. Simply looking up at the terrifying beast that, for whatever reason, found him so irresistible.

"Why"

"Why me"

The same thought replayed itself in his head. He believed his treatment was unjust, that the punishment did not fit the crime he committed. Others had been there; more humans had killed its children, so he wondered.

"Why me"

Artie was allowed to attempt escape but covered very little distance. In his struggle, he could not perceive anything else aside from what was ahead and the pain circulating his body.

Unexpectedly shuffling commenced at his rear. The beast nonchalantly lifted its gaze to observe what was so bold to appear in its presence.

Mole-like monsters as large as Artie crawled from burrows in the ground. They were faceless aside from their long nose and smallmouth. Clearly agitated by the intruders stepping on their territory, they banded together and began an assault.

When Artie did turn around, it was to the charge of a dozen brown-furred creatures with long claws. Startled, he hastily dragged himself out of their line of attack. The new monsters spared him, whether they sensed Artie wasn't a threat or simply prioritized the God type. It wasn't much, but he was given a moment to breathe, and so he did before sluggishly crawling into a warm dirt den.

Squeals and slashing sound lasted for a single minute before there was a clear victor.

The beast's footsteps were heard and felt as it walked his way. Hovering its head above him, it peered down at Artie, who'd found shelter in the burrow. Growling, the wolf monster opened its jaw and angrily shoved its head into the den. It failed to reach Artie but agitatedly withdrew then tried again.

The heavily burnt and injured creature bled onto him with every attempted attack. When its head didn't fit, it inserted its giant arm but found no success.

While Artie was temporarily safe, he wasn't in the clear. Given time, he knew the monster would eventually find the means to reach him. Pinned down, he could only tuck himself away at the bottom of the hole. Bitter blood from the wolf creature dripped onto his face, landing on his eye and inside his open clattering mouth.

More shuffling above ground signaled the end of the beast's efforts. More mole monsters had arrived, ready to attack the already wounded black-furred beast.

Artie couldn't identify what was happening on the surface; his body shut down through his weakness and blood loss. Dormant for the rest of the morning, then the entirety of the day.

 

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Time: 12:00am-2:00am

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"Archer's!" A man roared.

A shadowy figure approached, stopping right before the town's spiked trench.

That night crowded clouds covered the moon's, making it incredibly dark. Upon a guard tower, archers had their bows drawn and aimed at what they assumed to be a monster.

Without being shot, the figure collapsed on the ground, lying motionless. After some time, a wave of clouds drifted from the moon's view, and blue light shined down onto Artie, revealing his brutalized human form.

"Wait! It's a person." Called out the same voice hastily.

 

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Time: 4:00am-5:00am

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Throughout the night, nightmares haunted Artie. Very vividly, he'd see the face of the God type that tried to kill him. He could recall its physical presence as if it were present, smell its burning fur, and taste the fowl blood that leaked into his mouth.

The beast appeared in a ghastly transparent form and stood over him with its lethal claws. In this dream, Artie had been bound and unable to move as the hostile creature ravaged his body.

He was aware it was a dream, yet the sensations he felt were real. The assault from the specter started from his head then arbitrarily traveled down his frame. The beast's fangs stabbed into his skull, ears, eyes, hands, the rear of his pelvis, and last, his feet.

Time proceeded painstakingly slowly in the dream world. An unknown number of minutes passed, then hell finally ended.

Once his torturer ultimately departed, Artie regained control of his body and awoke. It was only for a second, but he slightly opened his eyes to the wooden roof of a dark room. Unable to maintain consciousness, Artie fell back asleep, dreaming of nothing.

Just the detestable void.

 

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