The creature got up, fury oozing out of its every movement. No doubt the last gift I left on its back was stinging a bit. It slowly turned towards me, huffing a bit, the first signs of tiredness showing up. The greenish blood dripped out of the wounds I had caused. Big guy was now starting to look worse for wear, though it would be arguable that I was in a much more precarious state. Half of the flesh of my entire body was missing, my guts were spilling out from the slashes and slams I had endured. My entire right arm was now pearly white bones, granted they were dirty with a bit of mud and blackened blood. The right side of my torso was no more, only my ribcage and my spine were there, my intestines were just sticking to a bit of flesh and muscles from my left side, they formed a nauseating snake-like trail behind me. My lungs were long gone, as was my throat, my heart was just dangling there, desperately trying to cling onto me, it still beated a bit—but at this stage, what is the point?
Why indeed...
I left out a dry chuckle, contemplating my own physical state.
The creature stood there, waiting for me to slip up, to let my guard down. I too waited for it to come to me, any attack i initiated was bound to fail, as the creature had made a point to show it was stronger and faster than me.
I felt a sticky substance escape from my eyes and run down my cheeks. I wiped it off using my thumb, half out of habit half out of curiosity. I raised my hands to look at what it was, in a way that my gaze would not leave the beast. When I finally gazed at my bony fingers, I saw a grey disgusting sludge. Then I understood what I was 'crying'. My own brain matter. Go figure—I'm actually crying my own thoughts out right now... Now that things slowed down for a few seconds, my brain which had turned to mush in one of the bouts with the creature, now had settled and was spilling out of my cranium through any gaps it could find. For a moment, I just stared at it, at the remnants of whatever used to be my own mind leaking out of my skull. I actually felt like trully crying. Crying. But what's the point? Can a body without a throat sob? Can a heart without a cage of flesh ache? Or was this just some broken, lingering reflex. My own body grasping at some last shreds of its living breathing self?
The creature, noticing a brief moment of vulnerability in me, dashed forward. My eyes still followed its movements, its left clawed hand rising and darting down towards me. I side-stepped and slashed its armpit, a torrent of blood flowing out of the wound, and thoroughly drenching me.
The bastard howled in pain, the arm that it used before now rushed backwards in a sweeping motion, as if to swat me away. I hunched my neck backwards and saw its hand flying through empty air. I pulled myself inwards and clawed at its chest, one, two times, before it actually backed away. Its empty vitreous eyes betraying a sense of slight despair and wariness towards me.
It grabbed one off its torn-up kin, and hurled it towards me.
I raised my arms in a crossguard, trying to defend myself. If previous experiences with the big guy taught me anything, it was that this thing had too much strength to go around.
The corpse hit me like a battering ram, the flesh ripping apart, muscles exploding, and the guts spilling everywhere. I was pushed back a bit into the soil, the pain in my arms spreading all over my remaining muscles, and the entirety of my skeleton. Before I could do anything another corpse was thrown at me, and the same as before happened, but without the time to recuperate inbetween attacks, my defenses were broken through. The very next moment, I felt a massive fist collide with my face, ripping a good chunk of flesh, rattling my skull, and sending me flying away.
Once again I was rolling around in mud, dirt and most probably—excrement. Twice, in a span of less than a second. Something in me wanted to protest, it wanted to fly into a rage, it wanted to pummel, whatever was responsible for my pathetic state, into a bloody pulp. I hurriedly contained that own part of me, locking it away, keeping it from acting up.
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The world spun around itself, the collors mixed up and turned sort of greyish. I fought desperately for balance, trying to stand up straight, but my feet and body wobbled around. A massive headache echoed around my cranium, if I still had a stomach, I would've vomited by now, most definitely.
Another punch came through, and I flew into a dead tree, it exploded into splinters and other shards. The top of the tree fell on me, trapping me benath its woody embrace.
I gazed at the sky—which was still spinning in my perception. I heard the deliberate slow steps of the creature, it approached me leisurely. Perhaps it was basking in my weakened state, reveling in its impending victory. Its massive hand grasped my left arm, pulling me from beneath the tree, raising me up high.
It raised me up to its eye level, its eyes scanning me up and down. Seeing my state, I could see confusion and satisfaction in its gaze. The confusion probably stemmed, from how was I still moving, when I was more skeleton than man. As for satisfaction, probably it was how it and its kin drove me to such awful conditions. Though the world was still spinning for me, I could see a smug look on its face. It dangled me, as if I was a broken toy, taunting me to do anything. It believed in its victory, that I could no longer do anything. Normally that would be the case. But these days have been anything but normal for me haven't they? Slowly everything around me lost its spin, the colors gradually regained their luster.
A wicked grin slithered its way across my face.
The creature saw that, and its eyes narrowed in caution. The hand that held me tightened its grip, as it was about to throw me away. Before it had the chance to do it, I made a bold move, it was a nonsensical and almost suicidal move—but to me it made all the sense in the world. I yanked my arm with all the strength I could muster, and all my flesh ripped out, as if it was just a sleeve i could take off anytime. At this point though flesh seems utterly unnecessary to me, so meh, doesn't make that much of a difference.
After I did so, I was freed from its grasp, free to retaliate. Things were even easier as the bastard just stood there in a daze, its empty eyes staring straight to the flesh in its hands. I slashed my new bony hand at its throat. Wind hissed at the violent slash. As my hands were about to dig into its neck, the creature tilted backwards, managing to save its own throat. Nonetheless I still managed to do some damage, my slash ripped apart the lower part of its mouth, leaving a dangling tongue and mangled meat in its wake.
The creature howled in pain once more.
Not wanting to be near it when it started to flail around in anger, I took a step back. As I had predicted, the hulking mass of muscles just started flailing around in anger, hoping to catch me amidst its wild swings. Once it noticed it failed, it looked around, trying to find me. Soon enough our gazes met once more, the creature noticed I was out of its reach, its face scrunching up in anger—until it looked down that is... Looking down, the creature saw my intestines across the ground, it followed its trail right to my thoracic cage. Its face of unfettered anger, turned into one of pure malice. It took my intestines into its hands, and looked at me with an almost reassuring smile.
"You filthy bastard..." That was the last sound I made before I saw the creature yank.
It yanked with all the strength it had, that was to say—it yanked with a lot of fucking force. I was sent flying towards it, but I also heard a ripping sound, and I felt the remaining innards I had, just detach from my body, I also felt my tongue and whatever remained of my throat being pulled out—not to mention lower regions which should not be mentioned in detail. In short, I kissed goodbye to ALL of my digestive system.
Once I was close enough, the creature punched down with all its might. The blow landed right on my back, though I felt nothing crack, it still effectively rendered me immobile for a while.
I was left beneath its feet, subject to its mercy, and I knew there would be none. I looked up in indignation, not really accepting that this would be my fate. To die a miserable death, in a forsaken swamp, to such an ugly bastard to top it all.
I really have shitty luck don't I?
Big guy just looked down and raised both of its hands up high, interlocking its fingers, seemingly ready to deliver a finishing blow. It howled and roared happily, as it was about to avenge its brethren and triumph over a challenging foe. I could see his brilliance from down here. Showy bastard.
As the hands were about to thunder down, a dark blur shot towards its head. A sick crunching sound was heard, followed by an explosion of feathers, feathers dark as night and as black as the abyss. The creatures eyes rolled around madly, its arms and legs twitched wildly, and it started making weird sounds that started in a gurgle and ended in a whimper. Soon enough the other side of its head started moving weirdly, and burst open, releasing a bloodied black bird. A really big raven covered in grey brain matter and green blood, the raven croaked in victory and flew happily. Though I could still see it looking at me smugly.
