- - - Prologue - - -

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Right vision: blurry, blood dripping from a gash on the forehead.

What a wonderful afternoon.

Right lens: cracked, useless.

Left forearm charred.

Luckily, only up to the dermis, where the hair took root. Still hurts like hell though. I kept the pain in, I didn't scream for fear of attracting the nuno. Nasty little things, they were. I took a breath, through clenched teeth, and exhaled it with a hiss. Arm was still hurting. An immense, scathing pain seared from the wrist to the elbow.

In my right hand: was a large knife, with a serrated edge. It was soaked in blood. I must have killed three of them, before they used magic on me.

I patted my pockets, an attempt to calm my nerves, and took out an orange pill from the belt-pocket, the size of a rice grain. I swallowed it. Its effects would take about a whole minute to kick in.

Sound of several little feet, patting the ground. Nasties must have smelled the burnt flesh.

And the blood.

I can't even take a little breather.

They came, pouring from beside the tree that I was leaning on: six, small, gray-skinned small people, with ragged, pointy ears, as if they'd been chewed, and long, white beards. They had long, spindly arms, and short stubby legs. All of them were wearing ragged clothing and conical hats, woven from rattan, and in their large hairy hands: crude, metal daggers. On their faces were angry scowls, and toothy grins. They surrounded me, and prepared their weapons.

I stood up, by making my back crawl up the tree for support. Left arm: useless. Right arm: hand clenching the knife, tightly. I took another breath through clenched teeth. At least the whole mound didn't chase me.

They all lunged towards me, at the same time. Daggers prepped for a stab or a slice.

I parried the dagger, which was closest to stabbing me, flinging it away, and leaving the nuno, dagger-less, so I charged at him, throwing him to the ground. I was struck by two slices, I grimaced. I stomped the downed nuno's face, and took a leap over him, escaping from the nuno, and started running along the forest path. I snuck a glance backwards.

The nuno that were planning to stab me, had their daggers stuck on the trunk, seeing that pulling it out was futile, they started running towards me. The nuno that sliced air, were glaring at me, as I widened the distance between us, they soon started running towards me as well, while hurling magic at me.

I ran as fast as I could, swerving around trees, leaning my upper body, abruptly, to dodge the nuno's magicks, and jumping over rotting logs. I was now in a rocky grove, where a balete with overgrown roots was standing, along with smaller saplings. I was close to the forest outskirts, at last. I took a peek behind me, the nuno were now a considerable distance away, - thank God, for the longer legs - but still chasing me. I rounded the balete tree, and I looked up to its canopy.

I placed the knife in my mouth, and fumbled over my belt-pockets. I took out a red pill, and with a squeeze, crushed it, I spread the red dust all over the balete's base. I took back the knife from my mouth, and I climbed the tree, by stabbing the trunk with the knife, and lifting myself upwards, with the help of my feet.

I looked down, and saw the nuno were close. A few meters more and they'll feel the effects of the red pill - a personal concoction of several magical plants and some old meds that I made.

Nervously, I patted my pockets.

The nuno were at the base of the balete, they were trying hard to track my smell. It was fortunate that they were short creatures, if they were any taller, they might have seen me by now. They seem to have inhaled the red dust, and after a few moments, four of them convulsed, violently, blood foaming at the mouth, and fell to the ground, dead. The remaining nuno panicked, and backed away from the balete.

I jumped down, knife in my right hand. "Hello," I said. I circled around them, ready to pounce. Even though, there were only two of them, the nuno are still classified as C-rank yavan, and it would be fucking hard, just to kill one of them.

The nuno with the longer beard glared at me, and then looked at the other nuno, who gave him a brief nod. The long-bearded nuno, readied his dagger on the other nuno's neck, and slit his throat. Blood poured out from the wound, like a waterfall, as the dead nuno fell over. The nuno then gathered mana from the blood into a swirling sphere, in his palm.

I flicked my working wrist, and a knife flew across, piercing the long-bearded nuno in the heart, killing it, but I was too late: the mana had grown larger, and was floating now. The bodies of the nuno, and the rocks that were not held, tightly, by moss and roots, were being drawn to the blue sphere.

The bodies merged, and dead flesh melded with rock. The whole thing looked humanoid, enough, slightly taller than me. The limbs were made of stone fused with some flesh, and on its chest was a small cavity, covered by the bones and skin of the nuno, inside it: was the mana-sphere, its light seeping through the gaps of the bones. Its head was a mash of different faces, each eye glowing, ominously red.

I stood still, frozen.

Its twelve eyes looked at me, and its six mouths roared. With lumbering steps it came closer.

fuck.

I snapped out of my fear, but it was too late. A large rock arm swung its way towards my left side. I used my neutralized, left arm, as an impromptu shield - a stupid decision on my part. It struck me, and I could hear bone cracking. The pain seared, I felt my arm burning again. I was thrown away, a good twenty meters, I'd hazard. My body slammed on a tree, the jagged bark pricking my back, deep, and I fell to the ground. How I wish, I could be trained as a magus.

With my head on the forest floor, I felt the vibrations of the beast, as it moved. It should be an A-ranked yavan now, what with all that immense power. Struggling, I propped myself up. Right eye's jacked up, and lefty's dead. I shouldn't have thrown that knife away. I should've ran when the opportunity presented itself. Stupid mistake.

Is this how I die?

fuck no.

The beast roared, and charged towards me.

Using what was left of my leg-strength, I dashed to the side. THUD. I looked back, and the tree had fallen, along with the beast. It was struggling to lift itself up. As they say, I guess. My back still hurts, though. I might have fractured a disc, and my left arm hurt so much that it felt numb.

I reached into my belt-pockets, and re-accounted its contents, by feeling for its shape. Twelve red pills: useful, if I wanted to kill us both and I don't even think it'll work. Three blue pills: lacking in any feasible igniting agent. Two grey pills: only good for a distraction, at this point. Six green pills: the forest doesn't have any recorded A-rank yavan, and even if it did, chances are it's going to kill me, afterwards. Thirteen yellow pills: too strong to be a safe discharge. One purple pill: hallelujah! I took the purple pill out, and popped it in my mouth. Another personal blend of mine, but this little yum-yum grants a temporary stamina boost, a good thing because I'm shaking like a leaf.

The beast was now up, and I needed a plan. I was never good at rushed planning. It roared at me, and began its charge. I backed away, quickly, as I hatched something up. I pulled a blue pill, and two greys out, and then I threw them at the beast.

The two grey pills became the catalyst for the blue pill's ignition, and upon impact with the beast, it detonated, but the explosion was small, it only shaved off a fifth of the beast's right shoulder. Three or four more similar explosions, then perhaps, its right arm might come off.

Sadly, I did not have the luxury of having it wait for another attack of mine to commence, nor did I have the concentration to not stand here, and think of a plan while on the move.

Too engrossed in my self-perceived excellence, I did not notice that the beast was now a few meters away from me, its left arm pulled backwards, at its limit, as if going for a knock-out punch. My eyes grew wide, and I took a leap backwards, but the rocky fist still collided with my chest. I grimaced as I felt my upper ribs break, sending a jolt of pain all over my body. I landed on my feet, several meters away.

I coughed out blood.

The beast glared at me, and for the first time, it released an aura, which nearly overwhelmed me. It seemed to say that this was going to be the last clash, and I agreed with it.

Either I die, or us both. And I hate the thought of dying alone.

As the beast drew closer, I took out everything I had in my belt-pockets, except for the green pills. I first crushed the red pills, and threw the dust in the air, letting it rain around me. I held my breath, and waited for the impact with the beast. I stretched my left hand out, my right hand behind it. In my left hand: the remaining blues, buried underneath all the yellow pills.

First contact of collision: the beast's chest, with the fingers of my left hand. Force of impact pulverized my fingers, along with the pills, mixing the blue and yellow dust, causing an intense reaction. (i.e. a huge explosion, incinerating what was left of my left arm, and scorching the other, heavily) I was blown, so far away, that I landed on the grassy soil, outside the forest.

My chest was now exposed, slightly singed by the flames. I was lying down, and saw the darkened sky, but the lower side was licked by fire. The grove was burning.

And the sizzle of the flame was lulling me to sleep.

I couldn't feel my arms, but I could wiggle my toes.

The ground beneath me was wet and muddy - a mixture of blood and soil.

The taste of iron on my tongue felt familiar, somehow.

Everything was getting blurrier.

I could hear faint noises.

And then everything went black.

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