Destiny Abound

The Etrian world is composed of two types of people- winners and losers, most of them... losers.


Warning: I do not own Etrian Odyssey and the writing may contain some explicit language and gore. ...Enjoy!

Chapter 1 of 2.

The wolf pounced the alchemist, and the weight of its body had him on his back.

"Fuck!"

It was over before it began. Within seconds, three white-pelted wolves, the size of enormous canines, cornered the exasperated alchemist. The experience flashed through his mind.

Two wolves prowled slowly, side-by-side, and another adjacent to him, three meters.

A low, hostile growl sounded from the nearer, lone wolf. Its fangs bared, and legs sprung back, ready. The thought of the beast rending through his vulnerable flesh unsettled him and sent an involuntary shudder throughout his body.

The alchemist choked back the nasty thoughts, returning a sneer of his own, and flicked his fire gauntlet. He didn't have the chance. The wolf pounced the alchemist, and the weight of its body had him on his back.

"Fuck!" He cursed, as the lone wolf's claws buried deeper into his right shoulder.

The wound deepened further, and the wolf's claws reached lower into his ribs, and a burning, sharper sensation entered through his lungs. He coughed in agony and surprise, the taste of mercury, dirt, and blood escaping his lips.

Cacophonies of screams and petty thoughts resonated within his mind, but the beating of his heart, the throbbing pain of his injury, and the blood coursing through his head and veins drowned it all out. He roared, violently hooking the wolf in the face.

The wolf shrieked, high-pitched, and snorted at him, its glare slightly more disgruntled, with a mixture of the alchemist's blood, its own, and its saliva dripping down its jaw.

Another low, audible growl emitted from the wolf, and its uncanny, gleeful smile looked anything but inviting. The alchemist bared his own set of teeth, and snarled back. For the record, he wasn't going to find out. He pressed his legs firmly onto the wolf's chest, and thrust upwards.

The wolf barked in retaliation, crunching down on the alchemist. And, still holding the wolf in place, its jaws snapped louder around his ears, inches from his face. The alchemist's face reddened, and he grunted and gritted his teeth, slowly buckling under the weight of the beast. With his face burning up from exertion, the need for more oxygen, and no method of unhanding the wolf, a slight build-up of terror overcame his body.

Disbelief and terror struck his face, cold like a light breeze under desert-like temperatures and conditions. He grimaced tightly at the face and legs, and closed his eyes shut tightly, strength leaving his body. Nothing mattered anymore, he thought. He embraced it, succumbing to death's hold, and hoped for a quick death, but the grim-reapers scythe did not come so swiftly.

Blood splattered on his face and the crackle of bone and maw echoed loudly around him, but it was not his own. A red-haired landsknecht looked below the alchemist. In the alchemist's view was the landsknecht's hardened face, illuminating through his bleary eyes.


A/N: Inspired by none other than other Etrian Odyssey fics! Love the fics out there! Comments, concerns, suggestions, and/or criticism are welcomed!