When Snow Falls: The Stranger.

Chapter 35.

A Stranger named Tyler.

I ran my left hand along the walls I walked past in a slow shuffle with my other arm still hanging, almost nearly useless. Though I had mended it, it still stung like a bitch, having run for hours now as my will and energy slowly faded from me, my breathing growing harder and my body going numb as chills ran down my spine. Though the air was somewhat colder than I would have liked, it was not freezing, yet the walls were, and I felt calmed by its touch as my fingers tried to latch onto the cold, something I couldn't grasp but continued to try, still hearing the loud lumbering sounds of the iron titan as it clumsily searched over every inch, and checked it over again just to be safe, so I felt the need to have something to make me feel secure.

My only saving grace was that it was slow in its search and loud as hell, not at all concerned with keeping hidden, as it either did not care about stealth, or because it knew it had a reason not too. It would find me regardless of how long I hid from it. It had all the time in the world to find me, and mine had always been borrowed as it was. I was already feeling my throat dry as thirst took hold, quietly spitting some blood into the dirt that was still leftover in my mouth from the fighting, tasting iron as I licked around my lips to keep them moist, already feeling them painfully crack and bleed.

It wasn't hot in the caves by any means, or stuffy or hard to breathe, but the longer I was here the more I felt like I wasn't getting enough air, and that was slowing me down considerably, like the place was starting to sap me of my strength. I was left to wonder, as I felt the need to distract my mind with something to keep fear away so my body could focus on my task for me, if these caves were even naturally formed or if it was some kind of long-abandoned mine. I wasn't sure I could tell the difference, because the more I walked it I found no point of reference to follow, just one long stretch after another with the rare break, finding only another series of tunnels to follow. Maybe these things had claimed it as their own and chased away the original inhabitants or workers. What history might this place have?

I wasn't getting anywhere this way, and I was most likely only going further into the mountain. I was only keeping my hand along the left walls was because I thought that at some point, it'd lead me to one of the dozen or so openings, but as the hours passed me by, I started losing hope that I'd ever find one. I guess having even a couple thousand doors didn't matter if the house went on for miles, and that was the thing; I was in this creatures territory, it had to know it better than I did if it was only ever a few minutes behind me no matter how fast or far I ran. And I wasn't sure how much of either I could do anymore, lingering on as best I could.

I was tempted to stop my running and finally face the mighty Titan, as that seemed to be the path I was walking, but I knew what would come with going down that route, or at least I thought I did. I hadn't been sure I could have taken the stone hulk when I'd faced off with it, yet here I was, living long enough to be chased by something bigger and even more dangerous. That was the extent of my luck after all, clear to me a several times over that it was shit. Maybe I'd pull something else out of my ass in the nick of time, but hopefully, it wasn't that things fist.

My thoughts turned back to the strange red relic I'd taken from its corpse once I'd remembered the stone creature, fishing it out of my pocket awkwardly in the dark with trembling hands, still warm even after its death long after. The moment I retrieved it, I saw its red light brilliantly shone, illuminating the hall and chasing away the harsh darkness, surprising me as I looked at the stone with a childlike wonder, a pleasant warmth spreading from my hand to the rest of my body. It even made my arm hurt a little less, and I was glad I'd taken it with me. With the darkness gone, I didn't feel like I was being strangled by it anymore, and suddenly, I wasn't afraid anymore. How corrupting had this darkness been if it had felt this much like a sheer cloud of death and nothing. I hadn't realized how hard its grip had been until I'd found a light strong enough to free me from it.

Even with the strange torch in my hands, the light only provided a barrier small enough to keep the thick clouds of dark that prowled the tunnels away from me, but beyond the protective circle, it looked like black hands were reaching out, trying to tear the light away from me and drag me back, further into its depths until I could no longer escape, its hunger having gone so long without being sated, that when denied as long as it had been only angered it.

It would only go longer without something to fill its stomach, as it had already snacked on me longer than I would allow, and I had no plans to become the meal for some entity that wouldn't directly face me. Let it starve. I cared none and was content with letting it die. Let it feel all that I had.

As my attention became focused solely upon the red stone, I didn't hear the sound of it approaching until it was on me, my blood turning to ice as I slowly turned back to see that my hunter had found me. 'How did it? When did it...' I didn't know how it's approach had escaped me, but that fact didn't matter as it let out a crazed roar, pulling back its right arm and throwing a wild swing, nearly grazing me as I fell back to avoid it.

I didn't have a free hand to help with the jump back, one hand holding my only source of light and the other attached to an arm I couldn't put any weight on, but I still managed it despite the sudden jumpscare.

I hadn't had enough momentum to follow through with the flip, so instead of smashing into the ground hard and leave myself open, I kicked my legs out into its side and pushed off of it. I still crashed hard onto the ground, but I was further away from it, quickly tucking into a roll to get back to my feet as it tore its hand through solid stone to free it, whipping back as it swung again and nearly grabbed me, finding nothing but open space as I threw myself at the wall, getting my back against it as the ground broke apart, shaking the inside of the mountain for a single moment and making me fear that it could bring it all down on top of us.

It likely wouldn't care even if it did, but I wasn't looking to get trapped in this gravesite. I didn't have any choice but to fight. If I'd run, it would just find me again, and if I let it continue, it just completely collapse the caves.

Where its fist had touched, it gripped the ground with fingers that could just as easily tear through stone like mine could with dirt, steadying its large and misshapen torso as it brought its left arm out, taking another swing at me.

My arms shot up in response, having to force myself to remember that my right wasn't entirely fit for combat yet, having to make the conscious effort to put my left arm forward as I defended myself, sliding across his arm and pushing off to make him avoid the wall. It had strangely appeared to bounce off of me when I shoved it back, sending him stumbling and nearly falling over. I didn't think I'd be able to muster up the strength necessary to have moved, and I would swear I hadn't. It was almost like it had just repealed off of me like a magnet. I certainly hadn't felt any resistance from it.

I stared curiously at the stone for a time, wondering what exactly it was that I held that had controlled the earth like it had. Maybe something about that could help me now. I'd made a lot of stupid choices already, what was one more?

My distraction was just enough for him to catch me off guard, swatting back into my side that threw me across the room, sliding down the stone walkway, not having been able to get the stone down to test out its ability again, but I didn't have the time to let another injury drag me down, painfully climbing back up to my feet with only a small stagger, forcing my body to keep fighting. Just for a little while longer.

It smashed its fist into the ground aggressively with a mock charge, testing to see if I'd run with angered huffs echoing as it kicked up a cloud of dust. Points of intimidation that didn't work as well as it would have liked, as I took only the smallest of steps back. I did only enough to work its nerve up, staring me down as it backed up into a readied position. When it saw I might just turn tail and run, it finally burst into a hard sprint, lumbering towards me with heavy thuds.

Each time its feet hit the ground, its weight caused the ground to break apart even more. I'd admit, I was scared of the iron behemoth charging at me, and I might have found myself unable to move in any other circumstance, but at this point, I really didn't want to die without seeing all this through. So I was afraid. But not afraid to fight back.

I planted my feet down and spread them apart, bracing myself for the moment it pulled back its massive right arm, its face scrunched up into a ball of rage as it threw whatever amount of strength it could into a final strike, aimed right at the most vital thing it could; my chest, intent on stopping my heart with one good hit.

I reared my head back and let out the howl of an angry wolf, and loud as Blood or Shadow could have given, startling the titan for a split second from the unexpected shout, lagging its attack right before its arm shot out. Its limb cracked and creaked boomingly as ancient iron smashed together. The delay I'd gotten was enough, tucking into my arms and throwing my body down, my back only getting grazed by its fingers. I didn't have any real plan in motion, I just acted on instinct.

My right hand moved as fast as I could make it considering I'd had to mend it only a short while ago. I didn't have any real strength in it, nerves still shot and bones still cracked, but my hand gripped its arm as tightly as possible and hoisted myself up just enough to get over it, quickly wrapping my leg over its forearm and sticking it into its underarm to pull forward just a bit more.

It was made entirely of iron, it wasn't very limber so it couldn't just reach over with its free arm, though it still had enough speed to immediately try shaking me off, even bashing me into the wall a few good times.

I almost lost my grip, but I still held on for whatever I was worth, bashing the red stone across its head with a fury-filled blow that sent ripples throughout its skull, splintering it with dozens of cracks running along the very spot I'd bashed it, one with the strength necessary to topple it over.

I didn't intend on getting flattened by the falling beast, crumbling down like an avalanche, sucking in as I fell forward, rolling towards it and sliding down its jagged back, feeling particularly sharp stones dig into my own skin and leaving their cuts and lacerations. My back and arms were shredded terribly, but I pushed through, landing on my feet with thick blood dripping down all over my backside. I gritted my teeth, clenched my fist, and ignored it again, twisting back with a scream to dull the burning.

It wasn't dead yet, only stunned, and not long enough as it started to whip back as well, pissed beyond the fuck off that this wasn't over and done with. This hadn't been an easy battle, one after the other after killing the stone hulk that had stood in my way. Nothing had changed at all, no matter what, fighting one opponent after the other that was beyond me; more powerful than me. Those monsters from my nightmare. Blood and Shadow, and the creatures of stone and iron.

The only difference between this one along with the stone hulk and the twin wolves was that they had beaten me, while this one would fall just like the other.

I clenched the relic between my fingers with a determination to survive, driving the red stone where its heart would have been, feeling the power in it come forth, sending it through my hand and into my arm. For once, it wasn't weak, there was some real strength to it. I felt my own strength swell. And with it, the bastard was blasted back with a strange energy that burst from me, shattering the protective covering that kept whatever it was that gave it life, but it did not break enough to see it. I could only assume it was another object like the one I had, only vastly more powerful.

The energy from the stone built up from the strike until it all came back, sending me flying back from the residual feedback. To keep from losing my hold on it, I pulled it close to my chest, feeling it grow hotter the longer I held on. I clenched my teeth as it scorched my flesh, almost burning it away until it suddenly became colder, only a small and pleasant warmth left.

If the return of the energy could have knocked me on my ass, I could only wonder what a direct hit from it would have done to me, and what it had done to him, sitting myself back up and staring down the dimly lit hall for my iron beast, seeing it finally having gone still. It laid motionless for an uncomfortably long while, disturbing me greatly.

I had a weapon I knew was effective against it despite how bulky its iron body was, and maybe I could finish it off and see about claiming another for use, but I'd already pushed my luck as far as I wanted too, shuffling over just a touch for a look over, just to make sure I wasn't gonna have to worry about it again before turning back towards where I'd come from. I'd only be going back the way I came, but I didn't want to risk it. And down the dark hall I walked, guided now by the light of the stone this time around, breathing slightly easier as there was no darkness to choke me, and that I believed the chase was over.

Yet by now, I should have known better than to believe such things, and once more, I felt my fear rise as I heard roughly clanking echo out, glancing back and welcomed to the sight of it pushing itself up from the ground, trembling as pieces of iron fell of it and shattered against the ground, placing its hand onto its chest, looking all the more menacing with the dark rolling in, glaring back at me for the damage I'd done. Not just in killing what I could believe was its kin, but because I'd hurt it. Before today, it had to have been considered impossible to hurt creatures such as them, so maybe I'd wounded its pride as well, and I knew all too well what that was like.

It turned back to face me with a demon-esque glare as the iron on its face broke until it had fallen off, revealing rows upon rows of sharp fangs, screaming an ear-piercing screech that sent me into covering my ears, watching as punched both of its arms straight through the stone wall closest to it and ripping iron out from it. The chunks of iron suddenly became liquid, drawing it into its body to reform the shell I'd broken, even taking bites out of what it'd found, finding out the reason for how sharp its teeth were; crunching away at the metal snack like nothing was even there.

While it feasted to replenish its armour, I decided a tactical 'nope, nope. Fucking nope,' was in order, and finally turned and ran for my life, keen on still keeping it for a while longer. I'd tried my hand at fighting the best I could, and I'd only managed to piss it off. It wasn't its body I'd injured, just scratched its protection. And I didn't know if surviving another clash was in the cards I'd been dealt. I'd survived once, why try a second time? I didn't have anything more to prove that I hadn't already.