Dual Power Destiny, ch 4

Geeta's breath was loud behind Tony as he stood on the cobblestone path, facing whatever was coming. He knew better than to try running. There was no way he was feeling this way about anything other than a predator, and the worst thing to do when a predator was around was to turn one's back or run.

There were no bears around these parts, but the shadow was big, too big. The shape shifted in the gloom, taking on a more distinct form as it approached. It was massive, standing at least a head and a half taller than Tony, with a broad, hulking silhouette that blocked out the faint light filtering through the canopy. Two glowing embers burned in the darkness, eyes that seemed to float towards them with an unsettling grace despite the creature's size. "A reptoid," he whispered.

"No way! None have been around here for decades, not since the last monster invasion!" Tony didn't answer, just tried to get his breathing under control. Wishing the situation away wouldn't change it. He studied the slowly approaching monster.

It looked sort of like a giant, upright Komodo dragon. It was bestial and wild, as different from lizardmen as monster apes were from humans. Tony's heart pounded in his chest like his hammer at the forge. The creature's eyes remained locked onto him, or maybe Geeta, its prey. The scales covering its body seemed to absorb the dim light, reflecting it in dull, ominous glints. Its tail, a powerful muscle in itself, swayed menacingly behind it, stirring the fallen leaves and underbrush. But its teeth and claws held most of Tony's attention. The creature's teeth, even from a distance, looked like jagged shards of bone protruding from its elongated snout, promising a gruesome end to whatever it caught. Its claws, thick and curved like scimitars, clicked against the cobblestone path as it advanced, the sound sending a shiver down Tony's spine. He could feel the creature's hunger, a primal malevolence that filled the air like a miasma. It was one thing for Tony to intellectually know that real monsters and even demons existed in this world. But this was the first one he'd ever seen. And he was alone with Geeta.

Suddenly, he felt his friend's hand on his shoulder, and a moment later, a warm feeling suffused his body, and he could sense a barrier surrounding him. Geeta's voice shook with fear, but she was firm. "That's [Mage Armor]," she said. "I'll give one to myself, too, but they don't stack. The only thing else I can realistically do is put a hole in some poor tree or create some light." Tony's heart steadied slightly, gratitude washing over him as he felt the protective aura of Geeta's spell envelop him. He glanced at her, seeing her lips move silently as she cast the spell again, this time on herself. Her red dress seemed to shimmer briefly as the magic took effect. She stepped up beside him as he carefully put the covered bag of books to one side of the cobblestone road. "There is no point in trying to run away, is there?"

"Nope. They run faster than humans, and there's nowhere to really hide."

"Thought so. So what do we know about reptoids?"

"Strong, fast, mean, hungry."

"I guess that's enough." Geeta giggled nervously. "So what is the plan? I move slowly and try to get a rock or a stick or something?"

"No. I'm a lot stronger than you, so I'm going to hand you my knife. Then I am going to get a rock or a stick or something."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense." Geeta elbowed him in the ribs. "Hey, I have something to tell you."

"What? Are you also an aura warrior?"

"No, dummy." She took a breath, her eyes on the nearby monster. "I love you."

"What?" Tony's eyes widened, his mind momentarily blanking. The declaration was so unexpected, so out of place, that it took him a second to process it. His gaze flicked from Geeta to the creature and back again. The beast took another step forward, its claws clicking ominously on the cobblestones.

"I said, I love you, Tony," Geeta repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. Tony nodded jerkily. "I love you, too." He told the truth, although not likely in the way Geeta believed. Or maybe she knew the truth. Either way, a huge, bright smile lit up her face, and a single tear ran down her cheek.

"If we die here today, I want you to know that I'm happy it's with you. And I don't regret a second."

"Stop talking like that. Everything will be fine. I even put my books somewhere safe. Shit, we have fancy magic protection."

Geeta snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right." But she still accepted Tony's belt knife.

Then they were out of time to talk. The reptoid was only a few lunging steps away when it ran forward to attack. Tony ran to one side and shouted, "Go to the other side! Confuse it! Make it choose!" Tony watched as Geeta darted to the left, her red dress a stark contrast against the grimy cobblestones. The reptoid paused, its cold, calculating eyes flicking between the two of them. Tony seized the moment, lunging towards a loose cobblestone that wobbled under his foot earlier. His heart pounded in his chest, but his mind was surprisingly clear, focused. The large stone was awkward and far too heavy to use as an effective weapon, but he threw it anyway. Tony's heart sunk as he realized that the cobblestone would deliver a glancing blow at best, but then the reptoid swept out one scaled arm, attempting to bat the thing out of the air. Immediately, its pain-filled hiss filled the dark glen, and it flexed its long fingers and claws, looking down.

Good thing it's stupid, thought Tony. He raced to one side, heading for a small tree. His half-formed plan was to break it into a crude spear, or at least a quarterstaff. When he'd almost reached the sapling, he heard thudding steps behind him. Tony's breath hitched as he glanced back, seeing the reptoid lumbering towards him, its earlier caution discarded. The creature's eyes, cold and calculating, were now filled with a primal rage. The cobblestone had done little damage, but it had certainly enraged the beast.

"Tony, look out!" Geeta's voice cut through the air, sharp with fear. He ran forward, and right before the reptoid caught him, Tony caught ahold of the sapling he'd been aiming for and slingshotted himself back the way he'd come. The reptoid's claws, about to take his head off before, caught his shoulder instead. Despite his magic protection, the blade-like natural weapons tore into his shoulder. The shock of the wounds made his entire arm feel cold.

Hissing, the reptoid stomped forward several more steps, unable to immediately kill its momentum. Tony took the slight reprieve to break the sapling at the base and about seven feet up, making himself a crude spear.

He ran back to the road, giving himself more space.

"Tony, get down!" Geeta's panicky voice rang through the forest, and Tony immediately complied, ducking as low as he could.

The reptoid's clawed hand buzzed through the area Tony's head had just been occupying. At the same time, a blazing bolt of arcane energy streaked overhead, illuminating the dark forest with a sudden, intense glow. It struck the reptoid's other hand, punching a hole clear through it, and eliciting a deafening roar from the creature. The acrid smell of burnt scales filled the air. Geeta stood nearby, her hands still outstretched from casting the spell, stood trembling but resolute, her sodden red dress billowing around her like a battle standard. Tony knew he had to distract the reptoid, or it'd be on Geeta, so he came up swinging, targeting the reptoid's wounded hand with his shoddy stave.

The blow connected, and the impact jarred Tony's arms, but the makeshift spear held, driving into the wounded area with a sickening crunch. The reptoid howled, a guttural sound that echoed through the forest, sending birds fleeing from their roosts. Its eyes, filled with malice, turned back to Tony, who stood his ground, panting heavily. The creature's attention was now fully on him, exactly as he'd intended. Good, this will let Geeta get the hell away, he thought. She can't use any more spells anyway. He slammed the end of his stick forward, wounding the creature but not enough to stop it. Even so, Tony had years of muscles built while working at the forge, and the blow had not been a love tap.

With a grunt, the monster stepped back, and it lowered its center of gravity, preparing to charge. Tony braced himself for the attack, knowing he could possibly die, when suddenly, the reptoid arched its back and roared in pain.

Tony was motionless in surprise, blood from his wounded shoulder dripping off of his hand, wondering what had happened when the monster turned, backhanding Geeta with its unwounded hand. The belt knife was stuck in the creature's back.

Geeta was thrown backward like a rag doll, her limp form crashing through the underbrush and out of Tony's sight. His heart pounded in his chest, the sight of Geeta's broken body sending a jolt of fear and anger through him. The reptoid, seemingly satisfied, turned its gaze back to Tony, a wicked gleam in its cold, calculating eyes.

"No!" In equal parts rage and fear, Tony leveled his hand the way he'd seen Geeta do before and willed his magic to move. He'd never used magic before, couldn't explain what he did, but he got the unfamiliar energies to move. [Magic Missile] focused in his mind, and a second later, an arcane bolt buzzed through the air.

Tony's heart leapt in surprise and hope, right before the attack zipped past the monster, missing it by two feet.

"Shit."

The reptoid snarled, seemingly amused by Tony's futile attempt. It lunged forward, its powerful legs propelling it towards him with terrifying speed. Tony barely had time to throw himself to the side, dodging the creature's outstretched claws by a hair's breadth. He hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the breath out of him. With stubborn fury in his gut, Tony chased the monster, and the moment it spun, bellowing, he did his best to ram his stick down the creature's throat.

The monster's surprise would have almost been comical if Tony wasn't so sure he was about to die. The creature staggered, gagging on the sudden obstruction in its maw. Its eyes bulged in disbelief and outrage, claws flailing wildly as it tried to dislodge the offending branch. Tony, panting and fueled by adrenaline, knew this was his chance.

There was no way he was going to keep his makeshift weapon now that it was literally in the monster's mouth.

After giving the branch a substantial shove, he scrambled to his feet, ignoring the protests of his battered body, and scanned the ground for a more substantial weapon. His eyes fell upon a large, jagged rock half-buried in the dirt. Diving for it, his hands closed around the cold, rough surface, and he wrenched it from the earth. The reptoid, still choking and thrashing, began to turn towards him, but Tony was ready. With a guttural cry, he heaved the rock, putting every ounce of his blacksmith-honed strength behind the throw.

This time it was a good throw, and the stone hit the side of the creature's knee. Whether it cracked anything, Tony wasn't sure, but the reptoid roared in pain and spun with a new limp.

The creature stomped forward with its good leg and pulled the wounded one behind. It was probably still faster than Tony, but it'd been slowed.

He had a plan.

The rain started again as Tony ran toward a few decent-sized trees by the side of the road. He could feel the pursuing monster's footfalls through his own feet.

At the last moment, he peeled off to the side, trusting that the reptoid's momentum would make it crash into the trees, temporarily snaring it.

The plan worked.

Taking his chance, Tony lunged forward, putting his hand directly over the monster and flexing his magic, manifesting a [Magic Missile]. As the magic left his body, he didn't need to look at his stats page to verify that he was out of mana. A wave of exhaustion rode through his entire body as the arcane projectile slammed through the reptoid's back and out of its chest.

Tony's feeling of triumph fizzled, and he barely got his arms up in time before the monster backhanded him several feet back onto the road. He rolled, absorbing the impact, and he knew that without the fading protection of his [Magic Armor], the attack would have broken his arms or even crippled him.

But he still hurt. Bad.

Tony struggled to get up as the reptoid turned slowly, glaring at him with hate and a promise of vengeance. The monster began slowly limping forward.

The wound that Tony had made went through a lung. He could already see the bloody bubbles. But at this rate, the monster wouldn't die before getting its revenge. Not unless Tony got himself up and ran.

"Get up!" he hissed to himself, but his body wasn't moving right. He thought maybe he'd hit his head on the road.

He kept trying to recover but fell over again twice. The rain picked up, coming down heavier as the reptoid loomed over him. The creature's hot, foul breath washed over Tony as it leaned down, its jaws wide, promising a dark end. The rain pelted against his face, mixing with the cold sweat of fear and exhaustion. His limbs felt like lead, refusing to cooperate, and his vision swam with the effort of trying to stand. Suddenly, the monster's head snapped forward, almost far enough to cut Tony's face on its teeth.

"Get away from him!" Geeta screamed. She was wounded and had blood on the side of her face, but somehow, she still held the cobblestone that she'd just brought down on the reptoid's head, the same one that Tony had thrown before. The creature let out a deafening roar, its head whipping around to face Geeta. Tony's heart pounded in his chest, his breath coming in short, sharp gasps. The sight of Geeta, bloodied but undeterred, passion and fire in her eyes, would be an image he'd never forget.

But in horrible slow motion, the monster turned, putting its entire body into a savage uppercut into Geeta's chest, all of its claws ripping and tearing. What was left of the [Magic Armor] around Geeta sparkled and popped as it failed completely. The monster's body shook as it savagely ripped and tore, trying to shove its entire hand through Geeta's chest.

Over the creature's shoulder, Tony watched in horror as Geeta smiled at him, one last, bittersweet smile. But then she winked, her eyes dipped down through pain-blurred eyes, and she ruthlessly drove one of her thumbs into its eyeball.

It screamed, the sound more shrill and desperate than any before. And then, like a snake, it darted its head forward to bite the brave, unbroken Geeta.

Something terrible happened inside Tony. A wound opened, not in his body, but in his soul, and out of it flowed hatred, a burning anger that could only be sated with violence.

With great effort and pain, he gained his feet, and his hand moved seemingly of its own accord. He jerked free the belt knife from the reptoid's back and stumbled forward to jam the blade into the side of the thing's neck before rearing back and using every muscle in his body to slam the blade home in the base of its skull.

Then he braced his foot against its back and shoved off, hard. He was trying to get away and push the creature away from his friend.

Tony hit the cobblestones hard, and he stared at the sky in a daze. The rain fell unhindered onto his face, his open eyes taking in the clouds.

He was spent. The next few moments were up to fate.

In a strange way, this was a comfort. He told himself he didn't have enough energy to look over, not to see whether the monster still lived, and definitely not to see what state Geeta was still in.

The vision he had of her, burned into his mind, mortally wounded but still so alive, so resolute, full of determination and love...

It was a great injustice of the universe, that someone as unremarkable as him could be born again to live another life, and that someone as bright as Geeta could want to be his friend, much less love him.

Tony had never known real heartbreak or suffering, not in this life, and he'd almost forgotten what it felt like.

If he survived this day, he knew he'd never be the same again.

With that last thought, his consciousness faded.

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What do you think of the first 4 chapters?