The Being

The Being accelerated his new body through the upper atmosphere examining what this Verse perceived to be his form. He noted the five fingered hands and toes attached to strong limbs, draped in pinkish flesh wrapped around tightly wound muscles over a dense skeletal system. Symmetry was the theme of this body, as what was present on one side was also present on the other. He knew without looking he now had two eyes, with a nose between, and a mouth below, imitating the form of the Humans that occupied the planet below.

He steered his body towards the location of his future pupil and decided he wanted to observe the Challenger first. The newly minted Reaper appeared to be in the middle of an important task, and it would be poor decorum to interrupt him. Opportunity would present itself and it would be good to observe his charge from a distance for a while. Maybe see if he survives the next two months before revealing myself? It’s not like I don’t have eternity.

He made a streak of flame and smoke as he penetrated the lower atmosphere at supersonic speeds and slowed above a large floating island of granite and flagstone that contained a small bubbling spring. Small trees had already begun reaching for the sky surrounded by waste high bushes and a wide grassy area sheltered by large rocks was visible from where he hovered. This will do, most of the locals don’t possess flight. It should be ok to make this place my home for now.

He finally landed on the edge of the spring and felt the warm sand squish between his toes. He spent several moments reveling in the sensation before summoning forth a tunic, pants, and soft shoes from his interspatial storage. Now properly dressed, he walked to the edge of the floating island and peered out into the desert where the First Challenger was training with an eclectic group.

He silently nodded while studying her spar with a pair of larger male humanoids, one carried a gleaming sword and shield, the other swung a massive two-handed sword. She swiftly exited and entered the shadows around her, timing her attacks, waiting for the right moment to strike. Her opponents were no slouches however and gave her a solid workout.

The pair of fighters closed their ranks to leave no room for the young woman to appear between them and waited, extending their senses, attempting to reveal her hidden location. They moved like seasoned warriors that had fought many battles together and covered each other well. Soon the woman revealed herself and lashed out, catching the warrior with the two-handed weapon across the back of his forward leg and spun to deliver another blow across his ribs. Just as she was about to recede into the shadows she caught the other man’s shield in the face and was sent tumbling away.

The bigger warrior grimaced at his superficial wounds and the shield warrior walked forward and helped the girl up. The being nodded approvingly as they discussed the engagement then took up positions to start again. Oddly, the woman stopped and looked up directly at him. Perception, or something else? She certainly sensed my scrutiny, though it’s hard to completely contain my aura. With a shrug the Being walked through the shallow river the spring created and followed it for a short distance to look over the other side where his unknowing future pupil was engaged with his own task.

He watched carefully as the big man marched his team down a dark street and headed for a large warehouse style building that had found itself the home of a particularly nasty sort of demon. A type of Flesh Wraith, if he recalled his bestiary correctly. The spindly creatures had thin bodies with equally thin arms and legs, sometimes multiple of each, and atop their necks a yellowed human skull, looking far too large for the tiny limbs to properly carry leered back at them.

The Reaper fired his pistols at the freakish monsters and missed more often than not as they would simply shift their thin bodies and limbs out of the way. He smartly holstered his weapons and drew his axes, quickly flowing into the forms and attacks familiar to the Being. The same forms and techniques that he vaguely remembered his own father teaching him.

He settled into a clear space at the edge of his new home to meditate and observe the Reaper, needing the time to adjust to his new form. He decided that before he introduced himself to the man, he would observe his growth, as well as mingle amongst the denizens of the nearby settlement that the man had founded. It would be good to see how these people interact with each other. It’s been so long since I have interacted with a living Verse. This could be fun.

Karl Brunett

“Fuuuuuuuuck! Yooooooou!” I roared as a pair of the creepy ass Flesh Wraiths attempted to pin me down with their creepy spindly limbs. I swept my axes in a circular motion and bisected the pair at the waist. Their legs fell forward spraying thick black blood while their bodies tumbled to the side. Keeg was quick to skewer one of the monsters through its gaping skull, while I turned and stomped on the other. The sound and feel of bone crumbling beneath my foot was immensely satisfying.

“These foes are quite tenacious!” Keeg exclaimed as he batted a spear shaped fleshy arm away with his shield and swiped to remove the offending member from another monster that came wailing around a parked car.

The sound of gunfire behind us alerted me to another ambush as the Hunters covered our rear while we pushed forward. Albert had rejoined us after we had secured a safe haven for the survivors with the Deer Lady and her people. Now he worked the rifle I had loaned him like he’d been using it his whole life. The pairs accuracy was much higher than mine, attributing to the additional thirty years of experience. “We have more coming in from the rear!” Henry shouted up to our position.

“I’ll help in the back! Stephen, help up front!” Carly barked as she shifted her onslaught of ice over the heads of the hunters to land in the middle of a small gathering of the monsters and explode. Sending limbs and freaky too large skulls flying about. While the attack would slow them, the real threat of the Flesh Wraith’s was their ability to reform if their skulls remained. Henry and Albert knew their jobs though, and quickly went to work shattering the offending bone matter with quickness and precision.

Stephen stepped up with a charged [Solar Flare] hanging perilously over his hands. A trio of wraiths chose that moment to reveal themselves and he released the attack to vaporize them and the cars they were hiding behind. What fuel remaining in the tanks of the abandoned vehicles ignited in a chain of fireballs and shrapnel. Everyone ducked and looked over their shoulders for just a moment before more of the freaky bastards emerged from now non-existent hiding places with a shriek of rage that threatened to burst our ear drums.

Keeg slapped his hands together and burst of holy light radiated out from around him to push back the creatures with a hiss and a pop. Any creature within five meters of us was reduced to ash, the rest shrieked and flinched as the holy energy fought their own unholy origins for dominance. The Dark Elf momentarily glowed the light of his magic then charged forward to smash into one of the larger wraith’s and explode in radiance.

I ran forward hacking and slashing as I moved, [Reaper’s Fluid Grace] guiding my footsteps to avoid being skewered or sliced. That’s not to say I didn’t take any injuries, but Courtney was on her game, continually hitting me with regenerative boosts and bulk heals as needed. Four of the monsters surrounded me as I pushed forward to support Keeg. Their faces were locked in a macabre grin as they slowly closed me in.

“[Reaper’s Cleave]!” I roared and spun in place with both axes slicing through the supernatural monsters before they could dog-pile me. The quartet fell to the ground in pieces, black blood pooling at my feet. Almost instantly their wounds began to close and limbs attempted to reattach themselves. I quickly stomped forward and smashed skulls as if I were killing roaches. The last creature managed to reform a pointy ended arm and shove it into my thigh right before I crushed its head under my boot. “Fucker!”

Before the pain could settle in my mind, Courtney had already shoved a heal my way and the hole in my leg began to close while I rounded on my next attacker. I found none to face me, and looked around to see that everyone else were in the process of wrapping up their own fights. Suddenly, the sound of a wolf howling echoed across the parking lot, the sound sent chills down my spine and I looked up towards the source of the mournful call.

Atop the Home Depot stood a massive wolf, easily twice the size of Kaia. Its fur was the color of cloudy midnight with eyes the color of lemons. Fangs like short swords extended from its mouth and claws the length of an average man’s forearm dug into the roof of the building where he stood.

On the midnight wolf’s back was another demon that must have been at least twelve feet tall. The demon sported the body of a man and the head of an eagle with pitch black feathers. Red eyes studied us as we trespassed his domain. Where all the demons before were nude, this one was clad in soot-stained armor and carried a massive sword on his back.

I analyzed the giant monster's information, Marquis Andras, Regent of Agony, Twelfth Marquese of Hell, Level 15(A). Fucking shit, the System certainly is sticking to its themes.

Surprisingly, Andras called out to us, “Foolish mortals! You dare invade my sanctum and kill my children!? Beg now, and I’ll end your lives quickly.” He ended his demand by drawing the massive sword off his back and waited our response.

My team gathered around me and stared their defiance at the wolf riding demon. Fire burned in all of their eyes, we knew this was the last obstacle in clearing out the demons, this leg of our journey was almost done. We just needed to bring down this big bastard and his evil wolf. Seeing our resolve, he spoke once more leaping from his mount, “So be it, it’s been centuries since I faced a worthy challenger, don’t disappoint me.”

With that he launched his massive frame through the air with his equally massive sword raised over his head behind him. Keeg quickly stepped forward and muttered a single word, “[Bastion]”. His shield and arm quickly infused with a holy white light and then Andras landed. The demon’s sword slammed down across the face of Keeg’s shield with the force of an out-of-control freight train, the sound of a massive gong echoing across the lot. A shockwave of force pushed everyone but myself back a short distance. Keeg was forcibly pressed into the parking lot asphalt which cracked beneath the blow. Dust billowed away from the clashing duo, obscuring both their forms briefly.

I activated [Reaper’s Fluid Grace] and [Heart Seeking Lunge] at the same time and dove through the dust to catch Andras in the flank. The heat of rancid breath tingling across the back of my neck alerted me to the midnight wolf moving in on my own flank. I aborted my former attack to roll out of the way in time to avoid having my head removed by those sword-like teeth. Before I could maneuver away again, I was shoved forward with the force of the monster wolf’s claws scraping across the back of my armored vest. The armor held but I still tumbled gracelessly across the asphalt.

Plasma splashed across the hip of the beast as Henry distracted the wolf long enough for me to gain my feet. It snarled and flung saliva in his direction then snapped its glowing yellow eyes in mine, ignoring the burning plasma to focus on killing me. Meanwhile, Carly and Stephen maneuvered to support Keeg, the dust from the initial clash had yet to clear, the only indication of what was happening within the obscured area around the two was the occasional sound of metal on metal and the flickering of light.

The wolf snarled and snapped at my leg to remind me that he was my opponent, “Alright doggy, you want my attention, you got it.” I taunted while spinning my axes in my hands. Soon we both crouched low, stalking each other in a slow circle. The wolf fake lunged forward several times, testing my reactions and I did the same in return, neither of us ready to commit to the final battle. It seemed that Keeg and our mages had their battle, while I was once again paired up with the Hunters for my own fight.

Finally, something gave and we lunged at each other, eager to end each other’s lives by tooth and blade.

Keeg

As the dust and debris billowed out from the epic clash between man and demon, Keeg felt the bones in his shield arm crack. He bared the pain, knowing if he didn’t hold this first attack the demon would end his life. And Keeg was rather attached to his life, as it were. Sensing the pressure from the initial attack beginning to recede, Keeg spun to his left and slashed out for the demons’ lower leg. In the blink of an eye Andras spun his weapon down to deflect the attack with the clang of steel on steel. Keeg back pedaled out of range of the larger demon’s sword and grit his teeth.

“Ho ho ho! Little Dark Elf has some fight in him! Good! Please, make this fight as glorious as it can be!” Andras taunted. He gave Keeg little time to recover before charging forward with a horizontal swing meant to bisect the smaller man at the waste. Rather than meet the attack with his already numb shield arm, he deftly parried the attack upward and swooped in below the demons guard for another attempt at the larger being's ankle.

Andras stepped back quickly, dodging the strike and chopping it down. Keeg’s eyes widened in surprise, but was given no time to consider how the oversized being managed to avoid his attack. Almost before he could respond the demon’s massive weapon was soaring through the air towards his neck. He took the blow full on his shield and winced as the bones in his arm cracked further.

Lightning-fast blows followed that Keeg could barely keep pace with. Sparks flew as their weapons clashed in the dust filled parking lot, kicking up more debris to barely conceal their fighting forms. After what seemed like hours the dust cleared to reveal a bloody and sweaty Keeg, sucking deeply for breath, staring up at the eagle headed demon who was standing casually with his heavy sword over his shoulder.

“Now that we’ve both been warmed up, shall the real fight begin?” Andras taunted, then sniffed the air in front of him, “Hmmm, you smell familiar. In fact, you look a lot like my most recent meal.”

Keeg’s eyes widened in shock, he had suspected his family were dead, but to hear this evil being reminisce so casually on their fate. A dim holy light began to infuse his person as the vile demon spoke. Then Courtney’s healing magic coursed through his veins, healing his wounds and reinforcing his strained skeletal system. The young mages similarly stepped up beside him and his quickly spiraling despair plateaued as he realized he wasn’t alone in this fight.

“Mmmm? More lambs to the slaughter, I wonder what your livers will taste like.” Andras flexed with a final taunt and prepared himself for the next engagement.

Keeg did the same, allowing his energy to build while his teammates spread out to face their overwhelming foe together. When Courtney finished applying her healing to Keeg’s wounds the man launched forward in a streak of brilliant white light. Andras did the same, dragging the tip of his blade sparking across the ground and screaming, “HER LIVER WAS DELICIOUS!”