The world just seems to revolve around me, doesn't it? Somehow, I got myself enough attention minding my own business to not only attract a knight, but also the elf. I really didn't expect her to arrive until the danger arose. Does she live here or something? But then what business would she have in the slums of that city in the evening? Anyways, I'm probably going to die from this "talk" with the elf.
Elf: sinner, you certainly are strange are you?
I stayed silent, I was frozen in fear at this point, I felt the cold blade of the elf against my neck. Am I going insane?
Elf: Hm? No response? Are you scared?
I definitely was, I tried my best to swallow it but that just made me collapse on my knees from the pressure. The elf emitted this aura of pure fear and panic.
Knight: She's scared shitless! We should finish her off now!
Elf: Don't be hasty my friend, the information she gave you came in handy, she is peculiar. I at least want to know her better before I kill her. You can say she is an interesting specimen.
Knight: Damn… You sound like a serial killer.
This elf was definitely insane or something. No normal person talks like that.
Elf: Anyways, back to business… I'm surprised you didn't take the bait the first time.
Cori: What bait?
Elf: Look on the floor around you miss, these street rats make great bait for people like you.
Cori: What the hell? Do you think I like eating human flesh? I have no other choice right now!
Elf: You can take a bite out of it now, you deserve a prize for finding us the documents after all.
Cori: Hold on, how did you find them that fast?
Elf: Trade secret.
She picks up one of the chunks of meat and presses it against my lips, I try swatting it away.
Elf: Open wide, sinner. You're hungry aren't you?
Cori: Why do you call me a sinner? I'm not religious and I don't think I did anything wrong.
The elf looks at me with confusion as if questioning my intelligence. She suddenly bursts into laughter, this elf is definitely a maniac, why of all people did I need to find this specific person.
Cori: What the hell are you laughing at?
Elf: Hahahaha!! An interesting one! Hehe…
She puts her hand on the knight's shoulder who was standing behind her silently, she points at me as if trying to get the knight to laugh at whatever humor she was into.
Knight: Dumbass…
Cori: Who are you calling dumb?!
Elf: He isn't lying, were you born yesterday?
Cori: Technically I was born today, but-
Elf: You have a great sense of humor, sinner. But it's about time we take our leave. Your little panicked spout back at the tavern certainly was prudent, your specie's instinct never fails to get you off the hook.
Cori: By the way, how is cutting these guys up into small bits bait for me? Were you trying to disgust me or something?
Elf: Dumb as ever, sinner. These rats deserve what they got, and you've decided to decline what you deserve.
Knight: Should I do the honors?
Cori: What are you two talking about? I don't get it.
The knight swings the hilt of the sword at my head at a speed too fast to comprehend. Before I knew it, everything was black. Did I really die again? From a sword hilt? I should wake up any time if that is the case… I suddenly start dreaming. This doesn't really happen usually does it? It was the first time I have dreamed during these cycles, even in the tavern, the sleep was instant. Besides the white space and the library, I haven't been able to dream up normal things. I dreamed that I was tied to a chair and the elf was feeding me endless pieces of meat, I never seemed to satisfy my hunger though, it was getting painful how hungry I was. I suddenly woke up on a pile of garbage in a cold sweat, am I back at the beginning of the loop? Something was different though the pain in my body didn't stop. My stomach felt like hellfire, was the dream about starvation really that bad? I check my surroundings, a thick mist covers the surrounding alleyway, blocking out the sun. I clearly didn't loop back to the beginning of the day, this was definitely the "danger" that happens in the village, but how did I survive? I get up, I see multiple dead bodies in the streets, they were hairless and their skin was blue. Their eyes bulged out of their heads making a permanate surprised expression but their faces told that something terrifying had happened. They seemed to have all of their muscles removed, being skinny and shriveled other than their face which would have two swollen cheeks, they had some dark blue rashes that stained their body, truly a gruesome fate, I am surprised my skin wasn't blue honestly. Surrounding the bodies were various ruined buildings replacing the stone and wooden buildings that had populated the town before. How long have I been knocked out for? What even happened when I was knocked out?
Cori: I fell asleep for how long? How the hell does this happen?
I feel like I should be lucky to be alive, something suddenly grabs my leg.
Blue Corpse: H-HELP!
I spring backwards with amazing agility, the blue corpse releases the grasp on my ankle as soon as I jumped back, whoever the blue corpse was is clearly still alive, or that was what I thought until the rest of the bodies started chattering. All at once, there was a chorus of chattering bodies that seemed to come to life.
Field of corpses: HAHAHAHA! HELP! HELP ME!
The field of bodies start to shake around laughing and crying. What was I supposed to do? Put them out of their misery? I remember that I own a knife, I drew it from my robe, the knife was in extremely poor condition, it looked like it would fall apart any second and it was definitely not healthy to use it to cut food. The corpse that first grabbed my leg was crawling toward me at a slow speed, its arms were shaking as it clawed the ground.
Cori: I know the perfect solution to help you!
I deliver a one liner before plunging a knife into the skull of the blue thing, it instantly dies.
Cori: Man, I feel so cool… If only it was a stronger enemy, I look like I was killing homeless people, not really flashy of me. The bodies suddenly calm down after I stabbed the one at my feet.
I decided to leave the area, more ruined and abandoned buildings were in sight, what caused this much destruction? Clearly, the fog was not the thing that caused this destruction, Something like an asteroid or magic spell could have caused this. I don't think I can leave the area around here so I could keep exploring the place for now. The only risk I would have of dying is if the elf came back to hunt me down.
Cori: Are there any survivors? Hello?
There likely wasn't anyone left, they likely left for the camp or died to whatever thing caused them to turn into blue zombies. I was clearly late to whatever happened here, I had to wonder, what were the possibilities of what happened? Does the fog turn everyone other than me into zombies? Did an alien meteor crash land here and spread a deadly fog and I was lucky? Clearly this matter needed more investigation, I felt like I was making progress in the day.
Cori: Damn, why does this loop have to be so eventful? Where did the elf even go?
I decided to search around more, all I could find in the rubble of some of the buildings were destroyed goods that were scattered across the floor, some of them even had food like dried fruits or carrots, eating them made me cough it up immediately, I knew I was a carnivore or whatever but it can't be this hard to consume vegetables. I decided to explore the town, the isolation and loneliness of the area was getting to me, there was absolutely no one around except the blue corpses that were rotting at this point. They still seemed to be conscious, proven by their eyes sometimes following me as I walked past. I didn't know how long it has been but it hasn't been too long has it? The harmless zombies also decompose quickly, interesting information but no useful information. I eventually find myself back at the town square with the statue, the place seemed to be completely trashed, it looked as if a tornado ran through the place twice, the statue was broken in 2, the buildings were missing the top halves, and some of the seemed to have suspiciously clean cuts as if someone took a sword and sliced the buildings. Something at my feet started to move, it was another zombie, it didn't speak but it seemed to be in a panicked state as if trying to warn me about something, the question was answered as I turned around to see a hulking monster. The thing looked as if a baby had grown its arms in length, it seemed to be a mix of a lion, a human baby, octopus, and many other animals. Most notably, it had tubes protruding from its back, tentacles and fog seemed to come out each of the tubes, the creature's fog tubes were varying in size, some were inches wide while others were 1 foot in diameter. Its hind legs were that of a lion on steroids, while the front ones were human hands, connecting the hands to the body were muscular arms with too much body hair on it, the arms were a gray color, kind of like my skin, except a darker gray. The head had 3 eyes, 2 eyes in the normal place, and 1 eye on the forehead. The head was attached to the body by a long, thin neck which was like a snake's body. The face was human but it had a mane which seemed to be made out of many small tentacles. The yellow eyes had no pupil and stared like spotlights into mine, it had a body which was the color of human skin, long spines sprouted from its back, and wings which were too small to use. The head stretched out like a snake and coiled lightly around me. I couldn't move my arms at that moment, the creature spoke.
Disgusting thing: Fellow sinner? You wander into my nest, what business do you have here?
I had no idea how to respond, I was frozen in fear, this thing could kill me at any moment just by squeezing tighter. If I answered incorrectly, I would likely die, so I gave a neutral response.
Cori: Oh, I didn't know it was your place, I was just minding my own business. Did you cause the fog?
Disgusting thing: Indeed I did cause the fog, I didn't expect to find one similar to the likes of me caught here, I unfortunately cannot lift it for the moment, for I have a task at hand in exterminating this town.
Cori: Oh really, if I help you, would it make it go by faster?
Disgusting thing: I was about to request your help in the matter, you could be my scout for detecting any survivors, I have laid a thick veil around this village so none of them can ever leave. I need to find and kill an elf in particular. I promise you that we shall share the meal out of the body of that elf, despite you being weak, you do seem to be the clever type of sinner, you could still make yourself useful to me.
Was I really going to ally with this creature? It's not like I had any other choice, this thing would tear me to shreds if I didn't accept. Besides, I already met the elf so I don't need to worry about missing my objective, and for the villagers, they all looked at me weird so they were definitely planning on murdering me sometime soon. I don't even know any of them anyways.
Cori: Sure, I'll try my best to help, and I think I know just the location to search.
I knew the location of the camp with the remaining survivors. There were likely holes in the veil surrounding the village which allowed some to escape part of the fog. I explain the details of the encampment to the creature.
Disgusting thing: Hmm, crafty humans… We must have a way to lure them out of their hiding place, I too am unable to break through that accursed barrier, we could also play siege and wait for them to come out on their own, they are bound to run out of resources eventually.
Cori: I say we go on the offensive, I'm starving right now, plus, they don't know we know, or whatever they say…
Disgusting thing: My intuition was right working with you, we shall feast on the survivors.
The monster hoists me up onto his back with its neck, it runs off to the edge of the town where the camp was, I notice part of the barrier was sticking through the thick layer of fog separating the town from the rest of the forest, we hid behind some rubble to scout out the location.
Disgusting thing: Sinner, it seems those crafty ones have found a hole in my barrier, a mistake. I must study what I have done wrong so I may not disappoint my master.
Cori: Your master? Who do you work for?
Disgusting thing: That I may not disclose, we shall finish the task at hand before we question each other, curious one.
The creature lifts some of the fog around the camp so we could both see what was going on in it better. Multiple knights were resting in various locations, and a multitude of tents were scattered around the area. The bonfire which was in the center of the camp emitted a faint glowing light around it. I surrounded the camp with a thick outline. It was likely the source of the barrier, the fog seemed to get pushed back by the barrier as it touched it, similar to how I got hurt trying to get past the barrier.
Cori: I have a plan to get them outside, I will walk up to the camp while you shroud me in that fog of yours, they will think I am a human due to my body shape and try to come out and rescue me.
Disgusting thing: Great plan, and great mind of yours! We shall execute the plan.
We suddenly hear something behind us.
Voice: I shall execute both of you first!
We turned around to see the knight from before, it was the same one that hit me in the head, this could possibly be the perfect moment for revenge.
Disgusting thing: Big talk for a mere human, who do you think you are?
Knight: My name is Samson, soldier of the hero Altair!
Cori: Who is Altair by the way?
Samson: Dead men don't need to know my boss's name, I shall strike both you unholy creations down for the destruction of this town!
This Samson dude was extremely annoying, he had the chance to sneak attack us but decided to make a grand entrance. Does this man have bricks for a brain?
Cori: Big talk for a man who is outnumbered! It is 2 against 1!
Disgusting thing: I would say 1 and 1/10 against 1.
Cori: Shut the hell up.
Samson: You think I came alone? SNEAK ATTACK!
Multiply knights equipped with lances spring from the rubble and dash in toward us, the creature released steam but to no avail, multiple lances pierced its back and legs, it howled in pain. They seemed to know which one of us should have incapacitated first since I only had a small rusty knife.
Samson: Haha! Take that! This battle shall end quickly, now, I shall make sure you don't escape, sinner.
He pointed one of his 2 swords at me, I knew I couldn't outrun this man so I ready my knife, I would fight to my last breath, I knew I would already die here.
Samson: Nervous? You seem to be shaking already.
Cori: I am no coward! Chargeee!
I run toward Samson swinging my knife wildly, he simply catches it and kicks me back, the wind was knocked out of my chest as his foot struck my stomach, I felt like I would have vomited if there was food in stomach, I felt my lungs compress as the air exits my body, I fall back onto some rubble.
Samson: Nice knife you got here, pretty cute I might add! Did you fetch this out of a dumpster or something?
He easily crushes the blade in the palm of his hand, the armor on the gauntlet he was wearing wasn't even scratched by the impact of the knife.
Samson: I kind of feel bad watching you, it's such a pity you're so weak!
Cori: I can still fight! I have my hands and teeth!
Samson: Oh really? Come at me, bold one!
I rushed toward him and punched him in the chest, my hand likely broke under the impact of the blow but my punch simply bounced off his chest, he didn't even flinch or move. Not a second later, I heard a rush through the air, a thin cut appeared on my stomach with blood trickling slowly out. I didn't even have time to react to the strike, I was clearly outmatched.
Samson: I tell you what? I feel bad for you and your miserable existence. I will give you a swift end.
He pinned me to the floor with his legs and arm, he raised his blade up to my neck, the weight of his armor and legs were crushing my limbs, I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe… The sword drew closer and closer to my neck, as he was about to see my head off with the sword, a loud thud was heard, one of the lance knights flew at us and knocked Samson off me, we both tumbled into a pile of rubble.
Samson: What is the meaning of this?
I glance over to see the creature with the dead bodies of the knights, they didn't do enough damage to kill the thing. It started menacingly at Samson.
Samson: Dammit… REINFORCEMENTS!
He suddenly reaches into a hidden satchel he had and pull out a some type of tube shaped thing, he pressed some type of trigger and a red ball of light blasted from the tip, I tried my best to stop him but I couldn't move any of my limbs, the moment Samson tried to get up, the creature formed a tail with a mace at the end and instantly crushed Samson's head. He was dead on the spot. I suddenly hear shouts emanating from camp, the last thing I saw was the creature bounding swiftly away as the world around me fades to dark.
Everything fades to black…
I woke up once again, something seemed different, I wasn't on a pile of trash, and the sun wasn't shining in my eyes. Did I survive that encounter? There was an unfamiliar weight on my arms, it was probably the damage from Samson. My vision suddenly came into focus and I saw thick lines running down my sight. Do I have brain damage? I reached my arm out and managed to touch one of the lines, it was solid, and rounded. I looked around a bit more and realized I was in a cage, I did survive after all but at what cost? I had new clothes at least, better than the single wizard robe from before, it was a brown dirty cloth which seemed to be made from a sack. There were shackles attached to both of my arms connecting to one of the bars, I couldn't even stand up in the cage, it was extremely tight, forcing me to stay in a crouching or sitting position. There was absolutely no chance of escaping this place, what should I do now?
Cori: Hello? Anyone there?
A young villager suddenly appeared from one of the tents, it was a young boy, no older than 9 years old. He walked up to my cage.
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Young boy: Hello! You woke up!
He stared at me as if I were a zoo animal.
Cori: Hey, you know where I am?
Young boy: We are at the safe spot, some scary monster is hunting us down!
Cori: Can you free me? I swear I didn't do anything bad.
The boy suddenly reaches between the bars and punches me in the face. The impact from a 9 year old should not be this hard, or so I thought.
Young boy: Bad girl! My parents told me not to free you! They said your species are treacherous!
Cori: Ow! Who taught you how to beat women!
Young boy: My parents told me to do this if you ever do anything bad! They said it's for discipline!
Cori: Oh really? Where are your parents now?
Young boy: Oh! My mom left with my dad to hunt the beast! They are epic knights!
Cori: Wow, you think they are going to survive?
Young boy: Yes! They are strong people and they promised me that they would both come back safely.
Cori: You know, a promise sometimes cannot be kept, they are likely to die, I saw at least 6 knights die to that thing! They were all super powerful ones, there was even one called Samson that died!
Young boy: What? Samson died? To that thing?
Cori: Why yes! He was struck down in one blow! He can also strike both of your parents down, with one swipe of his tail, you wouldn't want that would you?
Young boy: No! No no no!!!
Cori: I can help them out if you free me, I know a secret way to defeat that monster.
Young boy: I will not free you! You are a dangerous being!
Tears started forming in his eyes as he stomped the ground in frustration.
Cori: Are you really going to leave your parents to die? I know a way to save them and that is a promise! C'mon, just how dangerous can I be? Just because my species is apparently bad, doesn't mean I'm as evil as the rest of them.
Young boy: Alright… Do you promise?
Cori: Yes, I promise. By the way, is there anyone else around?
Young boy: No, only my friends and other children are around, all the adults were going in for a final charge or something. We were apparently running low on supplies. All my friends are currently sleeping at this time.
How long have I been knocked out for? Or was it just that they had low supplies?
Cori: I tell you what, you can free me by retrieving a certain key, it helps unlock the cage.
Young boy: Oh, I saw a key in one of the bigger tents, I will go get it for you!
The boy retrieves the key from the tent and hands it over to me.
Cori: Good boy! I can now go and help your parents!
Young boy: You promise not to hurt me if I do this for you?
Cori: I promise, just look at me, I am as skinny as a pole, you can just punch me if you want.
I unlock the cage and step out. Comparing my height to the 9 year old's height, I was just a couple of centimeters taller than him. I came to notice just how short I was…
Young Boy: You can go and save my parents now, yes?
Cori: Yes, I will. Let's shake hands to make a promise.
The boy shakes my hand, as I was leaving, I shoved him into the cage I was in, I shut the door instantly.
Young boy: AHH! No! I hate you!
Cori: I technically didn't hurt you did I? I'm keeping all my promises!
Young boy: You trickster!
I decide to lay the keys just out of reach from the cage and go on my merry way.
Young boy: Get back here! Please!
Cori: I don't think so! You can't say I broke any promises!
I stroll outside the barrier of the camp back to the ruined village. The moment I passed through the veil of the barrier, I felt a burning sensation, but no damage was on my body except for the damage I sustained from the previous days.
Cori: I should find that damn creature and scold him… He basically left me for dead after that encounter and I got captured. Luckily children are easy to manipulate.
Recounting my experiences, what even is my species? People just keep calling me sinner or some other names like disgusting being, heathen, and even "dumb homeless woman". I never considered racism was a thing here, especially widespread religion. What god did they even worship? Why do they hate me so much? The more I questioned myself, the more questions would appear, my thirst for this knowledge was unrelenting. Maybe I can consider myself as some sort of zombie or ghoul since I didn't get zombified by the weird fog, and my skin is a pale gray. My dead body might have also been dumped in the trash and the witch revived my dead body while conducting experiments on that trash pile, which would explain the summoning. Yet, there was nothing to explain me traveling back in time each day or the time loops that have been occurring. I'm not in the mood to dwell on my thoughts. Despite there apparently being action in the ruined town, I didn't see anyone else through the thin fog. I had a peaceful walk, almost too peaceful considering they sent the whole camp out to hunt this thing. Or at least my walk was peaceful enough until I hear a crack at my legs, pain suddenly welled up inside my shin, warm blood started flowing from the area, I had stepped into some type of bear trap, it was perfectly camouflage in the rubble and was even harder to spot since fog was settling on the floor around this area. Why did they set traps around, some of their own men could walk into this.
Cori: Dammit… I don't think it's a good idea to take this off… I would bleed out if I did, this is some deep wound. There is no one around to help.
A voice suddenly calls out to me, it was the elf, she appears from behind a pile of rubble and walks up to me.
Elf: Seems like I've caught my prey, I really did expect a bigger catch though considering the things that have been going on.
Cori: What do you want? Are you going to kill me?
Elf: No, that would be a huge waste wouldn't it? But I do have a plan, you lure out that accursed accomplice of yours, I have to use smaller bait to catch the big fish after all, he seems to think of you as a valuable person, I know that from experience.
Nope, that thing sees me as an expendable, I will cut out his organs for this... How could you leave a woman like me behind?
Cori: Why would I agree with that, I would never in life consider associating with that creature unless it's for my life.
Elf: Then how about you side with me for your life, killing that nasty thing would guarantee the fog will be cleared if that convinces you.
Cori: I will have you know I am extremely reluctant, how do I know you won't just kill me afterwards?
Elf: I won't break any promise I give out to you, sinner. Just like how you didn't break that promise with the kid.
Cori: How did you know about that?
Elf: Oh, I have very sharp senses, I was also watching you the whole time, I even set up a little surprise for you here.
Cori: Why don't you use your sharp sense to track that thing down?
Elf: The crafty monster has gone into hiding after Samson and his crew attacked, he heavily underestimated the power of that beast despite my warnings. My sharp sense cannot detect that thing, the fog doesn't make it better, I'm not omnipotent after all.
The elf said this in a depressed manner, as if having a personal connection to the Samson knight.
Cori: Fine, it's not like I have a choice… Get this thing off my leg and I'll lure that creature out, I won't do no more, no less.
Elf: I would also like to remind you of that promise you made to that kid.
Cori: I'm really not the person to keep promises…
Elf: Considering who you are, there isn't anything else I could add.
She releases the trap from my leg and with a swift motion, binds my leg with a bandage. She did it so fast, it was nearly painless.
Elf: You are lucky I am a prodigy in medicine and herbs, but really all elves are. Mixing ingredients and then curing people… Seeing their reactions through philanthropy really keeps one entertained for hundreds of years.
Cori: How old are you?
Elf: I'm on the younger side, 19 years old? I haven't been around for long.
Cori: I really expected something older, like 1000 years?
Elf: Oh, those ones? They all died out, I am possibly the last elf that is out there.
I already knew this from my encounter with Regal / Alastor in the city, but I didn't know that he wasn't exaggerating at all.
I manage to get up with help from the elf, she leads me toward the town square where I first encountered the creature.
Elf: Just step right into the center of this place, your strong scent will draw him out in no time.
Cori: What do you mean by scent? Do I smell like garbage?
Elf: The garbage scent is still pretty strong, even though we gave you new clothes, the other
scent is something I will explain if you survive this.
The Elf taps my shoulder signaling me to move forward, maybe I should go through with killing this thing? I could also betray the Elf by spilling the plan, she seems to put a lot of trust in me.
It was time to face the creature, I didn't really have any other choice, if I was correct, this place was swarming with knights ready to kill me if I acted out of place. Clearly, siding with the monster was out of the question, my job was just to lure it out and keep it distracted as the elf said. I go to the statue in the ruined square and sit on the pedestal. I brush off some of the dust that was covering it as I sit. The elf knew I was conspiring with the monster, which I tried to deny but to no avail, apparently, I was not worth killing currently.
Cori: Yo! I'm back! Where are you at?
I shouted as loud as I could, there was no response for a while, until something bounded up from behind me. Despite the creature's size, it was fast and silent.
Disgusting creature: You are back, fellow sinner. I have been awaiting your return from the camp.
Cori: Hey! You left me out there to die, what was that for?
We start to argue about him leaving me behind, this disgusting thing clearly doesn't care about me…
Disgusting creature: I now have you back, I traded the survivor's time for your life, happy?
Cori: Of course not! You are trading me like I am some type of object.
Disgusting creature: Those humans back there treated you like an object, clearly, neither side of this stalemate favors you.
I wouldn't really consider this a stalemate due to the amount of wounds on the monster, it seemed decently weakened for now. I was being used like a tool for each side, I was bait for the elf's side, and I am a tracking device and knowledge well for the creature. I really wanted to take my own side but I had neither the power, nor the courage to do so. If I moved out of place and defected from either side, I would be dead. The best way going forward is to pretend I am siding with someone and then betray them. This would shift the balance and I would get to escape, I couldn't betray or pick any side currently since being in the dead center of 2 things that could kill me instantly didn't help. I do not know the condition of the knights but I know they are capable fighters in an ambush. The knights were going on offense for now and had the advantage of me. I could side with the knights since they had a clear advantage of being hidden for now, but how many were there? Did the creature even know they were there? If I sided with the monster, the knights would probably cancel their ambush plan and come right out, and from what I saw, they could take me down pretty easily. I could keep distracting the creature or I could tell it about the incoming ambush, I have to keep a balance in being friendly but not friendly enough to the creature.
Disgusting creature: My friend, I am surprised they let you off so easily, only a few minor injuries on your body… I was thinking they would torture you and chop you up to send a message to me.
Cori: Wow, what makes you think that?
Disgusting creature: My boss and I agree that humans are nothing but a barbaric plague to this world, a scourge. Wouldn't you agree?
Cori: Yeah… Totally.
Disgusting creature: Now, my friend. I know they had some valuable information inside that camp, would you mind telling me the details?
Cori: Uhh… I didn't really see much.
Disgusting creature: I can see by your demeanor that you are withholding valuable information from me, I know it is knowledge about humans, I can smell your lies… Are you conspiring with those filths?
Cori: No, definitely not!
I definitely slipped up. Maybe I should have kept a cool head? I was nervous the whole time I was talking to him, his third eye bullshit is probably the thing that senses lies, or his sense of smell.. Something like that? I told yet another lie which puts me in suspicion of conspiring with the elf and humans, this was the perfect time for the ambush to happen… What should I say?
Disgusting creature: Hmmm… What exactly did they tell you to do then? That puny knife of yours won't be enough to betray me.
Cori: I am not planning on betraying you.
He suddenly wraps his neck around my arms and waist, the head positioned right in front of mine, he stared into my soul, a stare that reminded me of Alastor/Regel.
Disgusting creature: I can tell you are lying… Spill the information fourth and I will spare your life.
Cori: Fine! The hu-
Before I could finish, he loosened his grip around me and dropped me to the floor. The elf appeared on his back, her large knife embedded in the creature's back. It was the same knife used to stab me in the neck the first time I met her, it was a large, curved knife with wrapping around the hilt, it seemed a bit too large to be considered a knife but too short to be considered a sword. It was a mix between a short sword and knife. The ambush was a success? Before I got up, I realized an arrow had pierced my torso, did it hit any vital organs? It was somewhere in my stomach but it missed my heart at least. I should have told the creature from the beginning, the humans see me as an object, no more. I should have known they were going to betray me.
[Elf]
I sent the creature forth to lure out the monster that had been terrorizing the village. I gave the command to shoot the sinner if she acted out of place, but we would have a much better advantage against the thing if I managed to get behind it and backstab it. I had to move slowly just in case, despite my speed, the creature manages to fend against me pretty impressively, it even notices my silent footsteps while I dash but it doesn't seem to recognize slow moving objects. The fog it spews from its tubes act as sufficient cover to my actions, I have 34 men positioned at the ready for the ambush, 2 crossbowmen were ordered to shoot the sinner if she made any wrong moves. As I inch closer and closer to the creature from behind, I could hear their conversation. They seemed to be arguing about the sinner's survival but the monster didn't seem to care. I could care less about the argument as long as it kept them distracted.
Sinner: You left me to die, you idiot!
Monster: You are lucky they let you off with only a few minor injuries, may I repeat.
She didn't seem to be acting out of character, clearly, she was using the argument to distract the creature from us but she was clearly nervous, it was only a matter of time before she breaks down, I was still a decent chunk of distance away from the creature, one wrong move, and I might get a valuable asset, and a bunch of my men killed, I was under so much pressure but I still had to take it slow, I held the burden of many lives on my back as I inch closer and closer, even the life of that sinner. But why do I care so much about her? Doesn't she deserve to die? I really should have killed her but I feel like killing her would be a waste of time, she seemed really helpless and weak. Something within me wanted to give her a chance at life, even if she is using her weakness to trick me. Both of us were under intense pressure, it all broke down when the creature suddenly started asking more deep questions.
Monster: Now, my friend. I know they had some valuable information inside that camp, would you mind telling me the details?
I could immediately tell from her decline and nervous state that she was lying when she said she didn't know anything useful, I was running out of time, I wasn't close enough. The creature started gaining suspicion and soon the ambush would be exposed, but the monster was more aggressive than I thought toward the sinner, he curled around her body which gave me the perfect chance to strike. I silently leap forward and land on the creature's back, stabbing deep into its back. But I was too late to save the sinner, I heard her about to warn the creature about the ambush but I was too slow with my strike, my men couldn't tell how close I was so they shot her and rushed in unorganized. I was in the position of an ambush while they were in position for an assault, I am such a failure… If I was faster, it would have gone much more smoothly. My men surround the creature with shields raised instead of charging the spearmen in, the damage wasn't maximized to incapacitate this thing. At least I got the first strike off.
Sinner: You…
The sinner lumps on the floor lifeless. This didn't matter though, we had to continue attacking the monster, it was all or nothing on this assault. The monster sprayed its fog in my face, jetting me off its back, I managed to land on both my feet, my knife still in my hand. It was soaked in blood from the creature, but not enough blood. I pull out my other knife, this one was shaped like an animal antler, but sharp, it could control the threads I had on my body to creature traps, to prevent it from escaping, I shoot out my threads, surrounding the area in a large web, I connect some threads to the various ruins and buildings that were around, creating a sort of arena in a matter of seconds.
Elf: Fall, creature, our fight ends now!
I try to say a cool one liner.
Monster: You and your puny men… You underestimate my power and resort to dishonorable tactics to take me down. I thought I already taught you a lesson by crushing the skull of that friend of yours.
Elf: Men! Do not make Samson's sacrifice go in vain! We must take this thing down while it is injured! Charge!
We charge inwards, I clash at blinding speeds with the monster, blocking, slashing, and dodging its swipes at me, I run circles around it, leaving after images trying to confuse it, also trying to get a slash in on it's main body but it's strangely durable arms and its tail cut my path off. Despite my speed, the creature tracked me almost perfectly. I decided to change tactics and attack from above, jumping around on buildings, diving in for attacks but the creature managed to block with its tail each time, despite its arms being busy in the battle below, its tail was strangely maneuverable. I dive in multiple times to try to strike from above but it manages to repel me with its tail. My 2 knives were durable enough to withstand attacks from the monster but my endurance was taking a hit, I would be hit eventually would I? There was a lot of damage on the creature's body but just not enough. My men weren't doing any better, their swords and spears were being blocked by the creature's arms, it easily parried and a soldier that was foolish to rush in and punched them backwards, it was hard to tell whether the blows killed them. It was like fighting against a fortress, the monster had little to no openings to attack from, it could also dodge the arrows from the snipers we had positioned, we clearly needed a different strategy than rushing in on the creature. We still had the advantage of having it surrounded after all, we could play more defensively.
Elf: Men! This clearly isn't working! We must keep our defense up! Archers, keep firing!
I managed to get some of the knights to notice my command in the middle of the chaos, they started to form a large ring around the monster.
Monster: Surrounding me won't delay your inevitable death, Elf.
Did I overlook something? What was he saying? We were ready at him to pounce on our defenses any second. I was wrong, instead, it picked up one of the dead bodies of the knights and threw it at blinding speed at the knights, despite some of them having shields, they turn into a fine red mist as soon as the body hit them, their shields crumbled like paper from the throw. That one throw took down 3 knights.
Monster: You pathetic things truly underestimate the power gap, I also have plenty of rocks here, having your defense up like this will only make you die slower.
He suddenly throws the rock at me, I manage to cut it mid air with my knife, instead of splitting in 2, the rock blows into dust against my blade, it also knocks me back. I landed on my back from the pressure, I was sure I had no injury but the immense force behind the throws could probably kill me if they hit. Clearly we had to go on offense again, playing it aggressively would preoccupy its arms, but then, the same force would be punching and clawing at the knights. We only had around 35 knights left, some were severely wounded and others were not in the best shape, but we had more melee fighters than ranged units, it was clear what we should do, something had to be able to cut through the arms, the forearm part seems to be the part it blocks with, evident by the scratches on the surface. But if it could be damaged, it could be cut somehow, we just need enough force. An idea sprung into my head.
Elf: Men! Try to get behind the creature and deal with the tail! I will handle it from the front!
The knights rush toward the back side of the ring while I rush forward toward the creature, I would need some time, I had to create a web out of my strings to try to trap the arms, I had no idea how durable the biceps of the creature were but if I could trap the forearms, it would be a much easier task to cut it's arms.
[Cori]
How the hell am I still alive? I was laying on the ground bleeding out and no one decided to come? The crossbow arrows were almost as big as my arms. I tried to crawl to a safe spot while the elf and the creature were having their little battle. By now, I should have bled out from the injuries but the arrows seem to be keeping at least some of the blood inside my body. I wasn't a medic but I knew I shouldn't remove these arrows for now. From the ruins, I spectate the fight between the elf and the creature, she seemed to be building something behind her each time she was knocked back, I could barely make it out but it seemed to be a web made of thin string, I didn't know what it was going to be used for but the creature didn't seem to know it existed despite it's knowledge, was it getting overconfident? The assault against the creature so far seemed to be a complete failure, I had to find some way out of here but the fog was blocking the way, maybe killing the creature would lift the fog. Even if the humans have betrayed me, I have no other choice since the creature won't have the medical professionals to patch up my arrow wounds. I cut off the ends of the arrows and limped toward the battlefield. The current situation seemed to be shifting in favor of the humans, despite the number of bodies on the floor, they seem to be genuinely wearing down the creature since it had much less blood and it had more tentacles the last time I saw it. There were slash marks starting to appear on the arms of the creature as the elf clashed with it, both her blades flashed as fast as light striking against each arm to parry the punches, I see her dash forward, raising her blade to strike the creature, the blade of bone seemed to have streaking lines on it as the descended toward the creature, it was going to block the attack until a net of strings attached to it's hand, its ends modified with throwing knives, pinning it to the floor. The elf seemed to use the knights as a distraction in the back in order to knit a net out of her strings whenever she got knocked back. The creature seemed to be immobilized for a second, but a second was all the elf needed to cut its arm clean off. Maybe I don't need to intervene, I wouldn't have been useful anyway.
[Elf]
I did it, I managed to cut the arm off, I was genuinely surprised the creature didn't notice the web of strings I was creating white we fought, I knew bringing my antler knife would be useful. The creature suddenly roars, the shockwave was so large that it cleared the fog out of the area and broke the arena I had created. My limbs suddenly tense up, was I paralyzed? I was right in front of the roar as it happened.
Monster: THIS DOES NOT END NOW, ELF!
I seemed to make the monster more angry than injured, at least the fog had cleared out, I could see better now. The monster sent a punch my way with one of its human hands, the horrifying realization dawned on me, I couldn't dodge. I got directly hit by the punch sending me into a pile of stone, the blow made my head spin, I felt like I would have vomited if I had anything to eat. I see the monster toss the rest of the knights aside like ragdolls with its tail, it seemed to have a more serious expression now instead of a demeaning or confident one.
Monster: You thought you won by cutting apart my lower half did you? You ignorant fool! You will die just like your little friend did.
It raises its tail up to crush my head, the mace-like end shined in the sunlight, the creature seemed to have a pained expression all of the sudden, it was the sinner from earlier, she had a knife that was jammed in the creature's hind leg.
Sinner: Take that! That's what you get for getting me in this situation!
An act of bravery, rare for a sinner of her type, but much appreciated, not even a second later, the leg she stabbed kicked her back against the wall, so much for being brave. But that small distraction was all I needed to lunge forward and stab the creature in the heart. Its underbelly was surprisingly easy to pierce. This would be the final blow needed.
[Cori]
I could barely keep my conscience after that kick that broke at least half of my ribs. I really hope that the elf could patch this up since she knows first aid or something. I have seen roadkill in better condition than my body but I managed to stand up, I stumbled toward the creature and saw it dead on the ground, did that puny knife stab really kill it? I was planning on resetting the day by angering the creature and getting it to kill me but I guess it worked out? Was the knife some type of overpowered weapon that could kill the creature in one hit? I was disappointed by the sight of the elf repeatedly stabbing the dead body of the creature in the chest, she had one hand holding up the body as the other cut up the creature's body. The front of the creature seemed to be a bloody ragdoll slumped over the elf.
Cori: Elf, can you stop for a second?
She looks over and rolls out from behind the corpse, she comes over to be and hugs me… Weird.
Elf: You're the best! You looked so heroic with that knife in the hind leg!
She begins bursting out into laughter, clearly sarcastic. Now I would rather die than live with the embarrassment of that one liner I delivered when I stabbed the hind leg. Maybe I could have found a different way to defeat it if I died and reset the day?
Elf: Damn, you look like you've been digested multiple times, I'll try my best to patch you up later
Cori: What were the 2 crossbow arrows into my chest all about?
Elf: It's a shame, it was an accident.
Cori: You better punish those nerds… I am surprised I am still alive.
Elf: These aren't really my knights, I am temporarily commanding them, I leave discipline up to Altair.
Cori: Who is Altair?
Elf: You don't know? I'm honestly surprised. I don't think you want to know either, it's the least of your problems right now.
Voice: I know who that impudent brat is…
A voice suddenly sounds out, it seems to have come from the body of the creature we just defeated, its head suddenly starts to move, it detaches from its body by the neck and slithers around like a snake, does it have a second form or something? It suddenly strikes at me at a lightning speed, the elf tries her best to push me out the way but it hits anyway, instead of killing me, it seems to attach to my body, fusing slightly into my torso, the neck part suddenly wraps around my neck and squeezes. Was I going to die anyway? He pushes his way down my throat, I couldn't breath...
Creature: Hahaha! Fools, this is the perfect vessel, another sinner! I shall use this body to wreak havoc on the city next! After all, you should have gone for the head!
Everything fades to black
