AN: Yo! Sorry for not posting yesterday but I kinda forgot. Been reading some good stuff and if it wasn't for one of my discord members, I prob would have forgotten for a few more days.
Here's chapter 5 of ID Create, THIS is the Campione idea I came up with.
As for other possible ideas, some of you gave interesting options.
To the reader 'Aion27' – LOL. Dude, you just recommended my own story to me. King Of Games was a story I wrote over 2 years ago but lost my muse for along the way. I had a lot of fun creating the idea behind using Tet for No Game No Life. No idea if someone else used my idea, but I think It was original at the time. Posted it in July 2020.
To other readers, I really appreciate the ideas, but I'm flat out denying worlds like Fate, Worm, Attack On Titan, Demon Slayer, Etc. My first response to these worlds is NUKE IT WITH NAPALM. Lol, not a diss to fans of them, but I would rather burn those worlds than imagine myself in them.
To the reader 'lrbrenneke' – yes, that is weird.
Moving on, this chapter is my take on the campione world, and while some may feel it's a bit rushed or cliché, I just went with it.
I can't promise to please everyone, and I'm sure someone is going to try to complain, but this is just what I went with, and I had fun with it, so that's really it.
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Disclaimer: I don't own any source material.
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Chapter 5: Campione.
Roy thought he was off to a good start.
It was snowing, it was cold, it was night, and there wasn't a SINGLE fucking spider or hairy poisonous insect in sight.
That's already nine out of ten points in his book.
"Although, I admit it would be nice to know where I am. Australia at least had its iconic kangaroo's to differentiate it from hell."
He hummed and looked around the winter landscape he found himself in as the heavy winds blew his brain in the air. After digging himself out of the hole he made, he chose a random direction and started walking with a skip in his step.
Unfortunately, even with his great clothing and stronger body, a blizzard was a little much and it was making it hard to move. Not to mention it being cold and night.
He stopped and shook some snow off his head in bewilderment, pulling his fur coat a bit closer. "Alright, I guess I can just hole up for the night in The Lobby and move on in the morning."
But as he opened his mouth to call out the command phrase, a flash of light appeared in the edge of his vision and he stopped. "Hmmm? What was that?"
He looked off into the direction and a second later between the falling snow and heavy wind he saw another flash of light.
"People? Maybe it's a town or something. Following usual cliches in these situations, this is where the protagonist would gain something important, soooo~ I should probably check it out." Roy was a bit different from how he first started out.
No longer was he weak, scrawny, confused, and at level 1 noob status. He didn't need to run and hide away from the start anymore.
His year traveling really taught him that the hard way. He got a bit overzealous about secluded training, not that he regretted it at all as he frankly enjoyed it a lot, but he could take care of himself now.
"Although, If I'm going to walk there I should at least be smart about this." Roy quickly hopped into the Lobby, where the snow remained but the blizzard vanished.
"That's better but still…I should have bought snow shoes…hmm…DIY time." He grabbed a handful of his lesser quality arrows and fastened some easy snowshoes to the bottom of his boots.
Stepping on the snow was much easier as he wasn't sinking in. "Much better, now onward~!" He cheerfully called and started walking with a chuckle.
It did bring to mind the need for a garage with various vehicles. 'Maybe a future achievement will unlock more storage space. That would be nice.'
Either way, he had a while to walk and grabbed some earphones to listen to music along the way. He might not have cell service but as a man who originally grew up in a time before iPhone's were a thing, he got himself a…*gasp*… iPod. It's like an iPhone, but it needs no internet connection and solely plays pre downloaded music. Magical.
'Choices, choices…oh I know.'
{Valhalla Calling by Miracle of Sound}
The deep drum and fog horn blared in his ears as he smirked and felt the mood of the song fill him and sang along.
"Ships on vigor of the waves are skimming~,
Barren summits to the verdant plains~,
Each horizon is a new beginning~,
Rise and reign~."
It was oddly fitting and Roy couldn't help but laugh and sing along as he walked, pounding his chest to the beat as his voice echoing in the silent world of The Lobby.
*Line Break*
The crackling of flames gently resounded through the stone chamber as it's glow provided a sole source of light to a group of three.
One who was curled up in a sleeping bag on one side while the other two sat at a crude table made of old wood, drinking deeply from their cups with flushed faces, drooped shoulders, and depressed expressions.
"This is bullshit Mule, *hic*. We've been here for days and found *hic* nothing but dust and bones." The first man, a smuggler named Coyote with a long face, angrily pointed a finger at the other as he spoke.
"Just a little more Coyote, *hic*. There's gotta be something *hic* in here." The second man, a smuggler named Mule, standing at a grand total of five foot two, defended himself by trying to push on.
The two men had been having the same conversation for days now. Coyote always being the skeptical and doubtful one while Mule was stubborn as a…well a mule about his thoughts.
"*Hic* we've been here for too long, someone's gonna notice. *Hic*, Tombs are bad luck." Coyote grumbled and looked into his mug.
"Nobody's gonna find out Coyote, *hic*, I've told you a thousand damn times. The Nine Worlds, *hic*, ain't got enough manpower to search these tombs. Heck, the dumbass they got to watch over this place, *hic*, is distracted by them girls Runner hired." Mule finished with a nod toward the third figure sleeping by the fire.
A massive woman full of muscle with an unpleasant face. The three of them made up the group of Den Hunters, smugglers going where there aren't supposed to in search of forgotten treasures.
"Messin with the dead is bad luck I tell ya, *hic*." Coyote repeated mostly to himself.
Mule slammed his mug on the table in annoyance. "Eighty percent of our jobs revolve around the dead Coyote! *hic* We're still standing ain't we?"
Coyote glared at his partner. "And we're still broke aren't we!? *Hic*, this was supposed to be a big find Mule!"
Mule glared back. "We'll find it this time you pessimistic fool! *Hic*, I know it's here, I can practically taste it in the air! We'll be in an out before them mages ever know we broke into one of their precious 'sealed' tombs."
Coyote sneered at him. "Taste it huh? *hic*, Why I haven't heard that one a dozen times now. We're walking through ancient traps and spells for piles of dust and bone Mule! *hic* There ain't nothing here!"
"Why you little! Say that to my fist you coward!"
"Oh yeah?! Let's see who the real coward is you stubborn fossil!"
"WOULD YOU TWO MORONS SHUT UP!" A pair of meaty fists came down on the two morons heads and knocked them through the old wooden table they had been using.
Standing over them was the angry visage of their third partner, having been woken from her sleep by the shouting.
"Ow! What the hell Runner?!"
"Did ya have to break the table ya damn ogre?"
The two men had different concerns as the woman snorted and turned back. "I'm going back to sleep, shut the hell up would you. Coyote, trust Mule, he's got us this far."
The two men grumbled and brushed off the dust and splinters before finding a new table and sitting down once more in silence with two new bottles of beer.
A silence that was broken a minute later by Coyote. "Sorry man."
Mule grunted and took a sip. "Ain't nothing to be sorry about. This job is stressful."
"Hn. And creepy."
"Heh, aye. Being around the dead is nerve racking. Remember that time Runner fell in a coffin with that mummy in Egypt?"
"Ha! Damn woman screamed like a girl and punched a hole straight through its stone walls."
"And the noise attracted the attention of the guards."
"And we ran like hell and got lost in the desert."
"And you drank cactus juice and lost your marbles."
"Bullshit, you drank it to."
"I was thirsty. Good thing Runner dragged our sorry asses out of there."
"Yeah, I think we thought we were employee's in a Macy's."
"*Pft* 'Try this fragrant perfume' and then throw hot sand in your face."
"Haha and then there was that time…"
The two drank in peace and low laughter for a bit until Coyote abruptly stopped laughing and sat up.
"Oy, you hear that?"
Mule rose a skeptical brow. "Pull the other one man, I'm not in the mood for those kind of jokes."
Coyote scrunched up his face. "I'm being serious, listen."
Mule put down his drink and gave him a long look. "Coyote, it's been a long week, just chill before you wake up the ogre woman again."
Coyote hissed and stood up, pointing his ear toward the dark passage of the tomb outside the room they were staying in for a long moment under Mule's annoyed eyes before he looked back with a pale face. "I'm being serious Mule, listen, I can hear something."
Mule rolled his eyes but got up. "It's probably the wind you fool, it's a damn blizzard out there. No one is getting through that at this time of night to come to some decrepit tomb."
"Then what the hell is that?!" Coyote whisper shouted as the sound got louder. Mule was about to comment when he paused as he heard it to.
A deep, wailing, but faint sound echoing off the stone like a whisper.
{Far from the fjords and the ice cold currents~,
Ravens soar over new frontiers~.}
Mule's eyes widened as he could barely make the words. "W-what… is this a prank man? It's not funny."
Coyote took a shaky step back from the dark open doorway. "This isn't me Mule, I don't fuck around with this type of stuff."
{Songs and sagas of a fate determined~,
Shields and spears~.}
The echo grew louder and the two men quickly backed away while huddling closer. The words accompanied by a faint bang sound at the end of each word.
"O-oi, did it just s-say 'fate determined'? Who's fate?"
"W-what about shields and spears man?! Did we wake something down there?!"
{Vows of favor or the thrill of plunder~,
Pull together for the clan and kin~.}
The echo grew louder still.
Mule and Coyote scrambled toward their packs to grab their weapons.
"It said plunder! We're the only ones here!"
"I can hear you dumb fuck, I'm not getting plundered today! Oi, Runner, wake your ass up!" Coyote threw an empty can at her bag and the woman growled as she rose.
"I swear to god if you two don't let me get my beauty sleep, someone is going to get punted into that blizzard out there."
"Not the time woman, we got a situation!"
"Something woke up down there!"
Runner's anger subsided in place of annoyance as she looked at the two fumbling fools arming themselves.
"Whats gotten into you two? What woke where? I'm right here. Did you morons drink from some strange plant again?"
Coyote hissed and made a shushing motion with his finger. "Quiet woman! Listen!" he whisper shouted at her.
Runner gave him an annoyed glance but humored him for the moment before she would strangle him. Such thoughts however quickly vanished as an eerie deep voice echoed off the walls from the dark passage.
{Clank of hammers and the crash of thunder~.
Pound within~.}
Her face paled and she quickly scrambled out of sleeping bag. "W-what the fuck did you two do?!"
"It wasn't us! We were sitting here the whole time!"
"It wants to plunder us woman. I don't want to be plundered! WE are supposed to be the plunderers."
Mule slapped Coyote in the back of the head. "G-get your shit together man."
"Say that without a stutter you old goat!"
"I'll show you a stutter you flee bit mutt!"
{Oh-ho-oh~,
The echoes of eternity~.}
Runner slapped both of them. "Shut up! It's getting closer, get the guns!"
""What do you think we've been doing!?""
{Oh-ho-oh~,
Valhalla calling me~.}
The grew louder, deeper, primal with a faint echo of a drum like beat.
"Valhalla is not calling me! It's not calling!"
"It's calling it you fool! It must be some ancient warrior who never got their last fight."
"And how the hell do you figure that?!"
"We are in a Scandinavian tomb! What did you think it means?!"
{Oh-ho-oh~,
To pluck the strings of destiny~.}
"Don't pluck my strings, please don't pluck them." Coyote muttered in fear against the far wall.
"No one be plucking anything today, keep that rifle pointed forward you fool." Mule tried to keep him calm.
Runner held a pistol in each hand and conveniently happened to be slightly behind both men, ready to use them as portable meat shields if necessary.
There wasn't much space to hide in the chamber they were in, only some fallen pillars and debris outside their small campsite.
The voice grew even louder, echoing off the walls loud enough to shake some dust from its ancient walls.
{Oh-ho-oh~,
Valhalla calling me~,
Valhalla calling me~.}
"I said it's not calling!" Coyote hysterically shouted back while shakily pointing his rifle.
"Come on you zombie fuck, show your face and I'll blow it straight to Valhalla for you!" Mule cocked his pistol and muttered with grit teeth.
"How the hell do I keep getting dragged into these situations with you two morons." Runner fearfully spoke while keeping her pistols trained on the doorway.
Mule went to open his mouth to respond but Coyote shushed them both as he saw something.
From the light of their fire flickering off the walls into the hall, a shadow seemed to grow.
Not a single sound a footstep resounding.
Only the voice growing louder still echoing.
{Sails a' swaying on the crimson rivers~, *bang*
Blood and glory in the fighting fields~. *Bang*}
"Oh god, oh no, what did we do?!"
"Keep your shit man, blood and glory isn't going to this beast today!"
The shadow grew larger, puffed up in places as if wearing armor, holding a long weapon, and looking like a demon of the abyss.
{Fires are rising and the bells are ringing~,
Glory take us into Odin's halls~.}
"A fucking Draugr…"
"A what?!"
"Ancient Nordic zombies, usually guardians of important tombs, ready to rise again and slaughter invaders."
Coyote and Mule paused and gave Runner a shocked look.
She scowled and blushed. "What, I like Nordic stuff."
The two didn't get a chance to respond however as the first sign of the monster crossed the threshold as a fur lined boot stepped into view, quickly being followed by its expected undead form.
{Golden glimmer and the sound of singing~,
Asssggggaaaarrrdddd's caaaall eh?"}
"FIRE!"
*BANG*
The sounds of gunfire rang loud and true in the stone chamber as dust and smoke filled the hall.
Three pairs of eyes looked on.
"…."
"Oi, did the zombie make a confused sound at the end there?"
"….Your imagining it. It was a zombie." Mule defended their actions.
But as the three continued to look on and no sound or movement was made, things got awkward.
"Um…"
"Hey so…did we just…"
"IT WAS A ZOMBIE!" Mule vehemently defended their actions.
"A zombie? Where?" A casual voice spoke out.
"Right there you moron."
"We just shot it."
"…"
Runner paled. "Guys…"
The three turned to the side to see a new addition standing there with a trail of blood running down his forehead and a wide smile.
"So, who wants to die first?"
The smile was not friendly.
*Line Break*
"Ahahahaha you three thought I was a draugr! Hahaha that's gold!" Roy laughed with tears in his eyes as he slapped his knee in humor.
Three nervous chuckles responded from the three figures sitting on their knee's with bound wrists and bruised faces.
"In hindsight, not our greatest judgement call."
"I got pulled in to these morons flow."
"In our defense, why the hell were you singing? It's like 3am and were in a fucking tomb in the middle of a blizzard!"
Roy calmed a bit and wiped his eyes. "I liked the song. It felt like it fit the mood."
"IT SCARED A DECADE OFF MY LIFE!"
"Oi, stop screaming at the guy who kicked our asses."
"I feel pain in places I didn't think pain was meant to be felt."
"Sorry about that, you kinda shot me." Roy shrugged unapologetically.
"Oh yeah, we shot you."
"How are you alive?"
"It Twas not me who pulled the trigger. It Twas the wind. Blame the wind."
Roy chuckled as he looked at the three. Honestly, he reacted before they even pulled the trigger. His instincts warning him before he fully registered a threat to his life and he was moving before the bullets even left the gun.
With that said, he still got grazed and some shrapnel was thankfully deflected by his wolf leather jacket. It still hurt though.
"You guys are funny. Here, c'mon up." He bent down to untie them and pull them up onto some seats around the campfire.
"Wait, you're going to kill us?"
"Or plunder us?"
"Or have your way with us?"
Three heads turned toward Mule as he spoke the last line. Roy shivered. "Right, deleting that from my brain, you don't sit directly next to me.
And we're all good. You attacked me, I attacked you, I won, I see no problem. Let's have some drinks."
The three were a bit bewildered the strange man's thought process but decided to just go with the flow and open the crate of beer they brought with them.
An hour later the four were laughing at a tale Coyote was sharing about their time in the Amazon rainforest. "And that is why I will never look at a snake the same way again. Gah it still gives me goosebumps."
"Oh you were being a baby; it was just a small wound."
"He had four broken ribs. One punctured his lung."
"Bah, baby stuff. We were so close to the city of gold; I could taste it."
"You say that every time you old goat!"
Roy laughed hard at the interaction and enjoyed his drink. "Ahh~ you guys are great. So your basically treasure hunters or something?"
Mule nodded with a wave of his hand. "Mainly yeah. Although smuggling was the intention, we never actually got much of anything to smuggle in the first place. So treasure hunters and tomb raiders is a more apt description."
"No thanks to your 'instincts'."
"Oh shut your trap you mutt, what else you have to do in life huh?"
Coyote rose a finger to reply but thought about it and dropped said finger with a shrug. "Point."
The four laughed in good humor for a bit before Runner spoke up. "So, not to poke the elephant in the room but…what the fuck are you doing here?"
Roy snorted. "Yeah, that's not a poke, that's a gunshot." The three grimaced and Roy laughed and leaned back against a broken pillar. "Well, I was taking a nice little stroll and saw a light in the distance. I followed it and found an LED light by a set of stone stairs leading into a dark tomb. I walked into said tomb. And I sung to make things more fun. That's pretty much it."
The three deadpanned at him for a long moment before Mule and Runner rose a finger each.
"I have so many questions."
"But first."
""Coyote you idiot!""
The two proceeded to punch the guy into the wall. "Ow! Why!? What did I do!?"
"Stop taking a light with you to piss!"
"How could you leave the light outside! We're in illegal territory you moron!"
"Oh? It's illegal to be here?" Roy's questions rang out and silenced the three suddenly nervous people.
"Um… I misspoke?"
"Twas the wind."
"I didn't say nothing."
Roy laughed and waved a hand. "Chill guys, I don't really care. I'm actually a bit lost out here, think you could tell me about the area?"
"So you're not a mage?"
"You're not here to arrest us?"
"I thought only a mage could react to gunshots like that."
The three sat back down and although skeptical, they began to explain some things while Roy listened along.
Firstly, they thought he was a mage. He didn't confirm or deny it but simply said he lived a secluded life with his 'master.'
His clothing and hair style helped confirm that identity.
Second, they thought he belonged to one of the mage associations. Namely 'The Nine Worlds' which was the smalltime group that oversaw the Scandinavian area of the world. Namely Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. With Finland and Iceland tagged along.
They were horrendously understaffed and spread thin, so despite labeling many of the mystical ancient tombs and area's as off-limits, they didn't have a real way to oversee all of them. The current tomb was one such off limit location deep in the mountains of Sweden. A place few would venture and home to a dozen odd ancient tombs.
It was a minor tomb that no one would ever really notice if someone broke into and Mule was sure there was treasure inside it.
Or at least one of them.
Thirdly, while they knew of plenty of supernatural stuff, they were not mages themselves and only had a moderate level of knowledge on things.
And finally, an offhand comment by Mule had him understanding what world he was in.
"I mean, it's not like this land has a god slayer in it so no one really pays any attention. Makes it easier for us to get in places like this you know."
Roy couldn't help but interrupt. "Wait, god slayer?"
The three gave him a really odd look. "What? Your teacher never explain what a fucking god slayer was?"
Roy shrugged. "Maybe she used a different phrase for it."
Runner's eyes lit up. "Ah, you mean Campione then?"
It his Roy like a ton of bricks internally but outwardly he chuckled and nodded. "Hn, that's the one. I forgot it meant god slayer. I usually remember the being a devil king part more. Theres what, six or seven of them right?"
"Six. Last one was that Italian bloke a while ago."
"Oh yeah, the swordsman king. Bit of an airhead by right terrifying if his attention lands on you."
"I remember this one time…."
The three started back into story mode while Roy hummed and fell into his own thought. 'So I'm in Campione huh? The world of gods and god slayers. Wonder if I can find an easy god to kill. The Campione package is one of the best I've seen, an all-around boost to the body, energy reserves, senses, power, magic resistance, luck, and the addition of divine authorities.
…
A real crazy deal. Hm... if I'm looking for a god, I might as well start with what really brought me here…'
He turned his gaze slightly to the left and down, not so much as seeing as feeling a slight nudge on his spiritual sense.
Something was there, pinging on his weak sense like a very faint sonar. While entering a tomb seemed fun and all, it was really the ping that stopped him from just jumping into The Lobby and calling it a night.
Well, that and he was hyped up on the Viking music. 'That stuff really gets the blood pumping.'
'Following usual cliches, I would either find one of three things, an item of great power that will change my destiny, a girl frozen in time that will be my eternal waifu, or some great beast that will either change my destiny by way of swearing vengeance, eternal friendship, or a brutal and sudden death.
Frankly, as long as it's not the last option with the brutal and sudden death, I think I'm good with things.'
The small party went on a little longer before Roy decided to speak up. "You three came here for treasure right?"
Nods went around.
"Yes! Treasure will be ours!" Mule cheered.
"We CAME for treasure. That's as much as I can agree with."
"Why do you ask Roy?"
"I think I know where you can find something in here." He said casually while sipping his beer and enjoyed the reactions of his new friends.
"Let's go moving." Surprisingly, it was Coyote who jumped up first much to Mule's shock. "Oi, since when are you motivated!? Or trusting?!"
Coyote pointed a finger between Roy and Mule. "One of you can dodge bullets and scare the crap out of me, the other led me into three dozen death traps that sometimes literally took the skin off my ass cheeks. He's mysterious and has a protagonist vibe going on, you have a third rate side character vibe going on. I'm hungry and tired of rations, you're not helping. I feel justified."
Mule really wanted to argue against those points but couldn't find a way to do it with words. So he used his fists.
Runner just shrugged and grabbed her bag. "I don't mind, while I would usually be more skeptical, we have been out here way to long and I'm tired and cold. So, lead on scary dude whose not really that scary once you actually talk instead of sing misleading songs in creepy places."
Roy rose an amused brow but did so. "You three are a riot I swear. Come on."
While it might have seemed sudden to just trust Roy like that, the three realized he never had to actually ask them for something. He could just take what he wanted after kicking their collective asses.
Plus like the other said, they were tired, hungry, cold, hungry a second time in Coyote's case, and tired of this shit. In that order. He wasn't just a possible payday but pretty much a very large excuse to make a solid last ditch attempt before they packed up and left. No matter what Mule felt.
Roy led them through the tomb, using the same skills he learned in the goblin dungeon to walk without much issue in the dark passage.
The path from the stairs were mostly a straight shot down and then up to their campsite, so he didn't really need to watch where he was going, but this time he kept his ears open to the echo's inside each room.
The group behind him using flashlights didn't hurt as well.
Roy was just following the spiritual nudge in his mind, often coming up on walls and having to go around them.
Around an hour, four ancient mechanical traps, sixteen verbal curses, and fifteen beer bottles later, the group came to an end inside a room with four coffins imbedded in the walls.
Runner looked around the place with her flashlight. "Soooo, where's the treasure?"
Mule whispered to Coyote. "Think this guy's lost his marbles?" Coyote gave Mule an incredulous look. "You're asking that?"
The two quickly broke into a scuffle as Roy ignored them. following the nudge, he walked up to a coffin and put his hand against it.
'It's coming from behind here.'
"You might want to stand back." He called back and didn't wait for a response as he gripped the sides of the coffin and heaved.
The coffin lid groaned and creaked as Roy's muscles bulged until with a resounding crack, it was ripped off its container, dropping a pile of bones, rags, and a tattered battle axe onto the ground.
The dust quickly blew out into the passage as the three gapped at Roy casually throwing the stone coffin lid aside. "That was gross."
Mule slapped Runner's shoulder. "Oi, could you do that?"
She shook her head. "Not at all. Thank god he's amicable."
He nodded in agreement while Coyote toed the rags and bones. "This isn't it right? Please tell me it's not? I'm tired of eating rations for three meals a day."
Roy chuckled and picked up the battle axe. "No, no it's not it." He wound up and threw the heave tattered iron battle axe at the inside of the coffin, indenting the fragile stone wall and throwing pieces of stone into the space behind the coffin.
"Oh, a secret passage."
"Ah, that makes sense."
"You two keep gaping, I'm getting my food money."
Coyote rushed ahead while Mule and Runner had their hands on their chins in deep reflection.
Roy laughed at Coyote's actions as the man rushed ahead. "Man has his priorities straight; I'll give him that. Come on deep thinkers, it should be right here."
Coyotes whoop and cheer from the other side was a clear sign of that.
The short passage behind the coffin led into a large stone room with a mural on the far wall with water running down it into a small pond, a large coffin before it, and an assortment of gold and jewels lined around the place.
Mule stood slack jawed. "I knew there was treasure…."
Runner slapped Roy's shoulder in joy. "Holy shit, you're like a bloodhound for treasure. Join our group and I'll be your woman."
Roy chuckled and pushed her hand away gently. "Sorry babe but I'm not ready to get tied down just yet."
He responded jokingly with an air of charm that had the ogre like woman laughing and walking away with a mutter of handsome men never ready to settle down.
Roy sweat dropped internally. 'I doubt she even realizes my physical age. I don't really look the part of an eighteen year old do I?'
He mused to himself while Coyote was on his knees by a pile of gold with tears running down his face. If you listened closely you could hear him mutter while ticking off fingers. "Wagyu Beef….Caviar….White Truffle….I will eat you all. Allllllllll."
Roy let them enjoy themselves as he walked toward the coffin. The mural on the wall was hard to make out, having taken water damage over the centuries or millennia.
'What is that supposed to be? A guy I guess but whats he holding? A bow? No, I think its…ski's? The fuck? Did ancient people value Skiing that much?'
He shook his head in bewilderment and focused on where the ping was coming from. He circled around the coffin and came to the head. On the far side facing the mural, hidden from sight for even the detailed observer with a layer of water covering it, was a stone tablet imbedded in the stone.
'Is this it?'
There was strange writing and symbols on it he couldn't make heads or tails of but he knew it had to be special by the spiritual energy it gave off.
Pulling out his knife, he wedged the blade between the gap and was surprised to see how easily the tablet came out.
'Not even a speck of damage to it despite it looking like stone. Heh, maybe I found my so called item of power after all.'
He reached down to grab it but the second his fingers made contact, he was frozen stock still as every hair on his body rose up and his instincts flared to life like never before.
The others were oblivious to his plight, not feeling a single thing as they joked and laughed with all the gold, but behind Roy on the wall, the mural's eyes seemed to glow and lock onto Roy's form.
{So, a mortal found my Grimoire after all. I was beginning to think it would never happen.}
A bellowing voice rang Roy's mind and made him see stars for a second but Roy got the odd impression the god wasn't even trying to do such a thing.
{Oops, my apologies child, it's been far too long since I've spoken with your kind. Speak thy name.}
The pressure eased up a tad but he still couldn't move an inch. With his voice incapable of being used, he did his best to speak in his mind. "Roy Smith. Can I please move? I have an itch to scratch."
There was a pause on the other side before laughter resounded.
{Hahaha~ ah youth, always so cheeky no matter the species. You cannot move child but it was not me who did such a thing. The tomb you are in was for one of my ancient followers and you are currently in one of his rune entrapments. Your energy is being taken to awaken the guardian.
I am simply using the connection I have here to observe and converse with you.
So young Roy Smith, did you follow the hunt for my grimoire? It must have been a mighty tale to be sung in legend for you to make it all the way to this final resting place. What was the clue that guided you here? I was curious which it would be.}
Roy paused to digest all that and notice that indeed, his spiritual energy was being siphoned slowly. He tried to break it while he responded. "Um, no sir, god, whatever, big guy. While I'm all for the hunt, I just followed the spirit signature coming off this tablet, or grimoire I guess."
The line was silent longer this time and when the god spoke, Roy could swear he sounded depressed.
{I see….that's…disappointing. Hm.. and awkward, I didn't account for a spiritual aware human. *Cough* You said you liked to hunt lad?} The god was quick to try and change the subject.
Roy was quickly getting a hand of how his energy was being siphoned and began trying to pull away from it. The three stooges in the background couldn't see it from their side, but the coffin was lighting up on Roy's side.
"Of course. I pride myself on two main things in life and that's hunting and tailoring. By the way, I didn't get your name mr…?"
The booming laughter returned and gave Roy the mental image of a rotund man in furs holding a hand to his stomach as he laughed.
{You're on the right track lad, pull your energy to right. And wonderful! I love hunting! Skiing more but hunting a close second for sure.
And you didn't get my name because I didn't give it! Hahaha!
If you desire my name and the power resting in that grimoire lad, a piece of this ole warrior, I'm willing to offer ye a challenge.}
Roy followed the advice and felt his limbs regaining feeling as the pull on his energy was weakened.
"Whats the catch?" He didn't bother cutting corners. If the random god wanted a challenge he wanted things up front.
{No catch lad. It's an honest hunting challenge. It's been millennia since I've seen what a mortal hunter could do. Humor an old warrior eh?}
Roy was just about free from the binding at this point, having quickly adapted and learned how to snap the unwanted connection from the trap.
"Alright, I'll bite. Whats the challenge." Stupid it may be, the god didn't give his instincts a bad vibe so far.
{Haha! Good! You have courage lad, now let's see if you got a brain in that head as well.
Exit the tomb by the time the sun peaks over the horizon and you will see fresh tracks in the snow. Follow them, track thy prey, and let's see if you can succeed in your hunt before it makes you its own meal.
The time limit is the fifth sun rise in the east from the time it starts.
Are you willing to risk all that you are for a worthy challenge young hunter?}
Roy's blood boiled at the question as he broke the last shackle with a glass breaking sound that made the others look up just as he turned around to face the mural with its glowing eyes.
"Better a brief spell of honor than a long life of shame."
The eyes shined brightly for a moment before they began to grow dim.
{Hahahaha! Indeed young hunter, indeed! Courage sings true in thy blood, let the world hear your tune!
Raise your bow and follow the tracks, let's see if you can hunt the beast that hunts hunters.
My divine beast, Amaroq!
Victory will see your rise to the top as slayer of the divine, defeat means we shall dine in the halls of Valhalla!
The hunt begins with the sunrise. Best of luck young hunter, I eagerly await to see your mettle.
Oh and, you may want to turn around lad.}
Roy's eyes widened as his instincts flared. He spun around and dove to the side as the coffin exploded in bright green light, lashing out at the place he stood just a second before with deadly intent.
The gods booming laughter was the last Roy heard of him as he concentrated on the scene before him.
The eerie green light hit the ceiling and flowed over the chamber like water as an aura of dread filled the space.
The coffin shook violently and slid open a crack, revealing a skeletal hand covered in black glowing armor as it struggled to open the lid.
'I guess it didn't get enough energy from me.' He didn't even have that much spiritual energy to begin with.
There was a slight pause as air was rapidly sucked into the coffin before a horrendous screech escaped the coffin, bringing all four people in the room to their knee's holding their ears in pain.
Roy was closest to the coffin and saw stars as he tried to regain his footing while the three stooges near the entrance were seemingly immune to the damages as they pointed forward and screamed in unison at a volume that could match the guardian.
"""DRAAAUUUGGGRRRRR!"""
Roy couldn't help but twitch. Last time he heard that line he got shot at.
Mule fumbled with his shotgun and fired without hesitation. "EAT LEAD YOU ABOMINATION!"
Runner didn't even bother saying anything, dropping her bags of gold and unloading her pistols.
Their bullets didn't do much damage as the green glow around the coffin deflected the projectiles and the monster began rising from its grave as it pushed the lid off.
The revealed form of the terrifying draugr towered at nine something feet tall with pitch black deadly black full plate armor.
The glint of a giant double sided battleaxe was revealed.
Twin pupils of eerie green fire shined from within its prison.
"*GGRAAAHHH!*" A second screech shook the very air as Roy got serious. This wasn't the time to gawk.
He grabbed the bow from his back and took aim, squared his shoulders, focused his mind, and began thinking up a dozen strategies to assess the monster. What traps to use where. When to evaluate his blade. To see how strong it was compared to himself.
He was ready to unleash hell and begin a mini boss fight before his great challenge against a literal god.
But fate wasn't shining on him at this moment.
No, it shined on another.
A shout from the soul, a shout of pure desperation, desire, and utter gluttony drowned out the draugr's own shout.
"I WILL EAT EVERYTHING I DREAMED OF! DDDIIIIIEEEEEEEE!"
Coyote, sweet cowardly and pessimistic Coyote, pulled out a whole three dozen bundle of lit TNT from fucking nowhere, sprinted so fast he left an afterimage, threw the TNT directly in the draugr's confused face, and slammed shut the stone lid with force unexpected from his frame.
…
And then he ran like hell with tears running down his eyes toward the exit.
"GRAB THE FUCKING GOLD AND LETS FUCKING GO!"
The scene was so surreal that everyone froze in shock for a total of three seconds while Coyote grabbed three sacks of gold and dove headfirst into the stone corridor like a god damn Olympic swimmer.
"HAHAHA THE GOLD IS MINE!"
Coyotes distant voice snapped everyone else from their shock. The reactions were simple.
Coyote just threw enough TNT to clear a mine shaft into a confined stone room, underground, with them in it.
""COYOTE YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"" Two of the three stooges shouted with emotion and ran for the exit with tears in their eyes.
"OH SHIT!" Roy was right behind them, grabbing the grimoire and quickly catching up. Kicking each of them in the ass through the passage just as light, sound, stone, and all hell was raised from the coffin.
*BOOOMM!*
Time seemed to slow down as their airborne bodies were launched through the tight passage and back into the tomb, colliding with a prone Coyote looking like a picture perfect image of a gremlin holding the One Ring with his bags of gold.
Black smoke and heat came on their coattails and blanketed the inside of the tomb as the ground shook and cracks spread through the stone.
Roy grabbed Coyotes collar and hoisted the gluttonous moron to his feet. "Come on you idiot, you gotta live if you wanna spend it."
Coyote blinked and seemed to realize the situation he was in as the ceiling was coming down and took off like the road runner with his prize.
Roy didn't even have to say anything to the other two. Their faces were quiet pathetic as they ran like the devil was right behind them.
And in a way it was.
"RUN FASTER." Roy's eyes glowed with evil light and the two swore they could feel the image of Satan himself behind them.
""WERE GOING AS FAST AS WE CAN!""
"YOUR LEGS AREN'T BLURS, MOVE FASTER!"
""WHOSE LEGS DO THAT?!""
The way out was a race against time and Roy liked the three stooges too much to let them die. With that said, he wasn't carrying them out.
The Lobby was also out of the question as the mirror world reflects the real world, and all his stuff will get messed up by debris.
So it was with the devil behind them, whipping them on verbally and occasionally physically, that the four of them escaped the collapsing tomb back out into the subsiding blizzard.
Minutes passed before the rumbling began to settle and Roy risked stepping closer to see the damages.
He whistled at the sight. What once was a majestic and ancient looking stone tomb heading down into the earth currently looked like a sink hole with massive boulders of stone and debris covering the space.
"Damn, these dudes don't half ass things do they?" He chuckled and called behind him "Oi, roll call! Is the class still alive!"
It took a moment but muffled voices reached his ears.
"UUuuuu, I'm alive. The devil didn't eat my soul."
"I'm going to kill you if you're not dead Coyote."
"Huuuu, I'm alive. MY GOLD! MY FOOD! MY PRECIOUS!"
'Yeah, they're fine.'
The next half hour was a whirl of recovery for the trio. Recovery and therapy anyway as Mule and Runner showed Coyote their appreciation.
But in the end they were just happy to have enough gold to actually progress in life. Crazy idiots they might be but jumping into one life threatening location after another for years trying to find a score was some dedication. And all without killing or betraying their partners as is often seen in such a line of work. Much as they seem to enjoy inflicting violence on each other anyway. But that's just best friends.
The three invited Roy to hitch a ride in their van parked nearby but he turned them down and told them it was fine. They were both terrified and incredibly grateful to him and it was hilarious watching them jump from one to the other.
Honest idiots were the best kind.
"Stay safe Roy! Good luck with whatever the hell you do and lets meet again some time! Hopefully for more gold!"
"We'll teach this moron a lesson about explosives so next time you see us, don't kill us please!"
"I'll share my favorite restaurant location list with you! Join my food lovers discord!"
Roy sweat dropped at the casual goodbyes and waved as they drove off. "Alright. Well, be safe." He shook his head wryly and cast a glance back at the sinkhole before chucking and entering The Lobby to get refreshed and prepared.
He had a little over an hour until sunrise and he wanted to be at his best for the hunt to come.
Weird, bored god with a weird challenge but… he was interested.
As he changed out his clothes for a clean set and packed a long bag with rations in case he couldn't enter The Lobby, he wondered about the challenge to come.
'I pretty much just agreed to a challenge about hunting a divine beast. Victory means I get to be a campione, yay~, defeat means death and eating and drinking for eternity in the halls of glory? I think? Well dead is dead and that means I lost so that's not an option.
Although the eating and drinking for eternity part is kinda cool.
Meh, who cares about the details. A hunts a hunt and my blood's boiling at the thought. I haven't had a real challenge in over a year. I couldn't even fight those damn monsters in the next dungeons without some kind of energy source like mana, but I just got spiritual energy so it's still pretty weak.
I mean I could, but it would probably take me half a year in each to really grind things. This seems like more fun~!'
He grinned widely and scarfed down some pre-cooked boar meat he kept in a cooler. 'Can't forget boar jerky, that's good stuff.'
There were a hundred and one ways to deal with boar meat and by now Roy knew most of them. No matter how good the quality of the meat was, you need some kind of variations to keep things interesting after a while. And he's been eating it daily for years.
Soon enough, fully decked out and ready to go once more, he stood beside the tomb as the sun's rays peaked over the far mountains. Before they left, the three of them gave him a map showing the closest town was a dozen or so miles to the south, and everything from north east to north west was wild mountain land for hundreds of miles. It was the perfect playground.
'Come on, come on, come on, let's do this.'
He tapped his foot in impatience on the snowy ground as he waited. While usually much more patient, he was just too excited about the hunt to come and could barely contain himself.
He was more than tempted to smoke to calm his nerves but he never smoked before hunting. That's a recipe for disaster waiting to happen as most animals could smell the scent a mile away.
Thankfully, just as the top of the sun peaked over the horizon, a deep and primal wolf howl rang through the mountains before him and golden glowing tracks appeared in the snow.
He grinned ferally. The hunt was on.
*Line Break*
(AN: Optional song choice: Strength of a Thousand Men – Two Steps From Hell – My beta said it fit the following scene exceptionally well.)
What does it mean to hunt?
Not the basic answers such as 'to get food' or 'to remove the target.' Those were answers for 'why' does someone hunt.
We're talking about beyond that. To truly hunt in mind, body, and soul. What does a hunt entail? What does a hunt look like? What is the hunt, aside from simply the beginning and end.
It's a challenge, a test of pitting one soul against natures might to track and take down a worthy prey.
It's a rite of passage, to assess your knowledge, skills, and will.
It's going back to the roots of your species, to the primal ancient parts where it was man vs beast with only the heavens as witness.
To go dozens or hundreds of miles, following the barest faint traces of a trail, trying to understand to intent of the prey your chasing.
No matter what terrain, what weather, and what obstacles, you keep to the trail and close in on the target.
The harder the trail, the more confusing it is to follow, the less you can gleam from each track, the more worthy the prey. The more worthy the hunt.
An easy hunt is no challenge. It brings no real excitement if there is no larger purpose. No challenge brings no purpose besides to answer 'why' someone has a need to hunt.
But a true hunt needs no larger goal. No need. No purpose beyond what it is.
It's just you and your prey. Everything else is grey and meaningless… like ash in the wind.
The harsh snow that obstructed his steps, the hail that pelted his form relentlessly, the mist that obscured his vision in treacherous terrain, and the biting wind that sought to sap his strength and put out his fires.
None of it mattered in Roy's eyes. He couldn't care less. He was having far, far too much fun.
The days had been vicious, the weather unrelenting in its varied intensity. The nights had been cold and unfriendly, making gathering anything in the wild a monumental challenge.
The sun blinded and burnt him. The moon brought no light covered by the harsh winter storms.
He was being wore down by nature's wrath. Almost certainly affected by the divine to make his path as difficult as possible.
But if that was all, it still wouldn't be the true challenge of a God.
No, it was not the end at all.
By day it was relentless travel, but by night it was the true test of a hunter.
The test to see if a hunter would become the prey.
There was no sleep for him. No rest. For he was being hunted by the beast he was hunting.
It stalked him from the shadows, tasting his scent, observing and learning. Looking for the weak spot to sink its teeth into flesh.
From tracks alone Roy could identify a few traits.
It was massive for one. Easily fifteen feet tall and as wide as a minivan.
It ran on four limbs, its prints identifying it's species.
A wolf. A wolf unlike any he had hunted before.
For it was a wolf born to hunt the hunter.
And that made it all that much better in his eyes.
He knew wolves. He studied wolves. Trained with wolves. Hunted wolves. Slaughtered wolves. Skinned wolves and wore their furs as clothes.
He knew wolves. And the wolf would soon learn that.
The two danced among the mountains.
Nary a trace left without purpose, to mislead, to get the upper hand, to find an opening.
He was covered in mud, his fingers long since numb from the cold, his breath harsh and labored, but his spirit shined, his blood boiled, and his eyes were like emerald gems in the night.
For four days, they danced. They tested. They assessed and evaluated. They tasted each other's scent. The wolf he was hunting used all the tricks it had.
All tricks he had already seen a hundred times. Tricks a certain boss wolf from the dungeon lived and bled for.
Likewise Roy pulled out his own bag of tricks, using his experience with wolves to his advantage. Leaving traps in places he knew his foe would pass. Tricking the very sense it relies on most.
Dripping his own blood for the trail. Bleed a drop to take a liter.
They were high in the mountains now. Had moved higher and higher in elevation as they circled each other from out of sight.
Well above six thousand feet high, a layer of winter storm clouds blanketing the world beneath them, and with the sun lowering in the western sky, bathing the world in its natural beauty, they came to the final leg of their journal.
Four long days. Four long nights.
No rest. Minimum substance intake. One mental battle after another.
A challenge like none so far. A hunt taking everything from him. All without ever visually seeing his target.
The night was its territory. It's domain. It's place to flip the tables and try to make him prey.
The forests and frozen lakes helped him before. The terrain used to his advantage to counter the beasts skills.
But not this time. Not this night.
It was the final night. As the sun rose on the morrow, he would be victor or he would be dead.
The final fight of this grand challenge of Hunter and Prey was coming to its climax, and Roy was walking toward it with his head held high.
Didn't get to enjoy his life enough? Had so much to live for? He just started his grand adventure?
Fuck that. Fuck all of it. He didn't care, he never cared.
As he told the god when he accepted the challenge, 'Better a brief spell of honor than a long life of shame.'
The hunt sung true in his blood.
He was born for this, bred for it, bled for it.
Literally in the case of his soul. A modified soul built for the true purpose of combat was his foundation. Whatever he once was before, whatever he will become after, the enhanced genetic modifications of his soul from the first moment he opened his eyes in his new life guaranteed a life of combat ahead.
Roy realized this long ago. He knew he was different from who he once was. But so what?
This was his life, his fate. He made his choices and didn't wallow in what if's.
It didn't matter what anyone else said, it wasn't their place to say. It never was.
Things were never going to change so he was going to stay this way.
He was going to thrive. He was going to rise. He was going to win.
He was going to hunt. And he would do it his way.
His feet stopped at the final clearing at the top of the mountain as he stepped into view. His prey stepped in on the other side.
The first meeting of eyes. The first visual confirmation. Gazes of predators eyeing each other up after a long fight.
Eyes of appreciation, respect, recognition.
Eyes of challenge, defiance, and the will to win.
A six foot three human. A fifteen foot tall divine wolf.
A man and a beast.
A hunter and predator.
Only one would survive, only one the victor.
It was time.
Like the divine wrath of a god, the winter storm clouds around them grew in intensity, expanding and howling violently. The mountain obscured from view to anything outside this arena.
And yet the very storm itself was telling the world something else.
Divine energy rolling off its form in waves sending signals to every corner of the hemisphere.
A god was here. A powerful god. An ancient god.
And the god was acting. Something was happening.
The various associations scrambling as their radars went off, red alarms raised as everyone attempted to identify the where, when, and why.
But the signal wasn't for them.
No, it was for those on top of the food chain. It was for the campione and rouge gods. The kings and the fallen gods who called this plane of existence home, seeking their former power.
It was a simple message.
'Don't interfere.'
It was not their challenge to step into. It was a call of honor all who claimed greatness had to honor lest they be claimed a coward and fool.
None of the campione were young. None of the fallen gods wished to face the wrath of one who was ancient and whole.
A call of honor was ancient and targeted the one thing they all had.
Pride.
They understood it and would abide for a time.
A timer had been set.
To see what would come.
Before they would act toward something which challenged them.
And so they sat and waited as the supernatural world churned in chaos, mages moving like ants in an ant hive.
But to Roy and his foe, none of that mattered.
The two circled each other, step by step, twirling the edges of the arena they found themselves in.
Roy, the hunter.
Amaroq, the wolf that hunts the hunter.
Mortal and divine clashed once more, in a world that had seen such a scene repeat over and over.
The all seeing mother cast her gaze on this scene. Not caring for the ancient gods warning as she was no challenger.
She was the judge and jury.
She would observe this moment and judge it's worth.
For good or ill, a tale would be born this day and her eyes sparkled in anticipation of a new potential child being welcomed into her arms.
On the opposite side, the ancient unknown god watched on in his own anticipation. Having already deemed the young hunter worthy of his hall should he fall.
But enough was enough and he decided to spark the flame.
A small piece of glowing hail fell from the sky toward the center of the arena.
The two circling foes noticing it's arrival.
It gently floated under the power of gravity.
It's glow reflecting off four pupils.
It's edge digging into the cold earth with a resounding and soft clink.
And the two moved at the exact same moment, as if rehearsed a thousand times before, just as the snowstorm fully encompassed the arena in a vicious blizzard.
An arrow of pure skill and intent tore through the snow unobstructed only to meet a wave of pure force generated by a roar as the beast charged.
"AWOOOOO!"
Roy's ears rungs, his steps faltered, but his hand was firm on his bow, the material beneath groaning from the force.
He was moving even before the arrow had made it halfway across the space.
Running through the blizzard, planting stakes in the earth in a pattern known only to his mind.
His instincts flared to life just as the wind howled and a paw armed with gleaming silver claws tore through the snow to claim his life.
He dove to the side in a roll, coming up only for a split second to release a second arrow toward the beasts eyes with pin point accuracy. Having only had a single moment to calculate the trajectory of the limb to predict the location of its head.
But the beast wouldn't be crippled so easily and it's second paw came up at a speed beyond human movement to smash the projectile and slam the ground where he fired from.
Roy wasn't there. He never stopped to see the result of his strike.
He was moving once more. More stakes being planted.
The stormed roared, the blizzard piling snow at a rapid pace and covering the planted stakes.
Frost was building on cloth, skin, and fur at a steady pace, sapping the strength and heat from both combatants slowly but surely.
They were on a timer, and neither planned on wasting time.
A game of cat and mouse began as the beast hounded his every step, tracking him through the blizzard without seemingly any honest effort like a heat seeking missile.
But looks are misleading and Roy wasn't an easy foe to track.
Stealth was his bread and butter and he kept falling into the beasts blind spots. Kept moving in ways to use the beasts own momentum to pull away.
But it couldn't go on forever.
The wolf was born in this environment. It knew it's terrain. The night was its domain.
Some things were inevitable, for all that Roy was skilled he was still barely above the human limit and his foe was of the divine.
But who said a mortal couldn't make the divine bleed?
A blow clipped his side, blowing him aside as a claw severed his left leg at the knee in a sickening slick of a razor sharp edge.
A restrained grown and roar barely escaped his lungs as he twirled through the air, flipping in the air and barely managing to use the snow to slow his momentum. The cold immediately numbing his wound on contact.
He couldn't stop. He couldn't rest. He couldn't give in to the pain.
The beast was upon him.
Gleaming silver fangs sought his head only to clack violently on empty air.
Intelligent and wild eyes opened wide in surprise only to grow wider in shock as pain struck it from the side.
*AWOO!*
The beast howled and looked to its side where an arrow pierced it's pristine fur. Amaroq was a divine beast of the hunt. It didn't hold the invincible mane or fangs of Fenrir.
It was born in the nighttime winter forest to hunt the hunter. It's senses surpassed even Fenrir, but not it's defense or offense.
And as it looked at the arrow, it's eyes held more confusion then pain, more annoyance at being dealt its first injury then the wound itself.
A second arrow honed in on the beast, only to be clawed away as it charged to where it could smell the human.
His blood was pungent and distinct. From this close, there was no way it could miss it.
It's fangs once more sought the humans form. It knew there was no escape. The human was crippled. It was its win.
But once more the unthinkable happened.
It's jaws didn't sink into its worthy prey but empty air once more. And a new arrow imbedded itself in its fur. Again in a non-vital area but it was a new wound. A new strike. A new spot of spilt blood. A new chink in the unsurpassable wall.
It was faster than its prey. Stronger. Had better senses. It's domain empowered it.
And yet its prey was not giving up. A vulpine grin grew on its face.
The wolf howled to the heavens in joy.
If the human wanted to play to the very end, it would gladly abide.
Victory was coming to one or the other.
Wills were pushed. Wounds were accumulated. And a mystery that grew with each minute frustrated the wolf to no end.
Every time it closed in. Every time it knew it should taste flesh. Nothing awaited it except empty air and snow.
Even when it knew it was coming, it couldn't tell what direction the arrow would come from. Always changing, never showing a pattern.
It's once pristine fur was matted with its blood. Dozens of arrows imbedded in its hide.
It's limbs pierced and slowed. The frost encroaching and sapping it's strength. The loss of blood blurring it's vision.
The hours passed as a battle without eyes took place.
As frost and snow overtook a mountain top in it's terrifying wrath.
As the very heavens sung to the show of two hunters giving their all.
Labored and shallowed breaths escaped two weary throats.
They were at the final stretch.
The night sky was waning.
But the beast wouldn't fall. No matter how many arrows peppered it's form.
No matter the blood it lost, it wouldn't falter.
It would win, it could taste it.
Like a breath of a god, the blizzard was blown aside for a moment.
Both forms were revealed.
The wolf looking on with wide eyes. The mystery revealed to its exhausted eyes.
Wire.
The stakes.
The human planted stakes and used them to pull wires to move his form without touching the ground. To move in impossible ways.
To vanish and attack from the dark.
But at its own cost.
Roy was trembling fiercely.
Frost clung to his form like a second skin.
His string pulling hand already down three fingers lost to frostbite.
His crippled leg black and restrained with the belt originally around his waist.
His skin cracked with every breath.
His arms were dripping blood as wire was imbedded in them, having worn through the wolf leather sleeves of his jacket slowly but surely until they bit into his flesh.
He looked like a puppet with its strings cut, laying half in the snow, pale as a corpse and trembling for warmth as blood loss threatened to end him.
But his eyes shined with inner light.
He wasn't done.
He wasn't finished.
He was still ready.
Even as his body failed him. Even as pieces of his form fell. He continued to pull on the wires before pulling his bow string.
Two gazes met once more, like it did hours earlier at the start.
Respect and admiration for the other clear as day.
A human and divine beast, a bond of hunters and predators, a recognition of another as an equal.
And a will to carry things to the end.
The wolf breathed deep and true, air pooling it's blood filled lungs, and it howled like never before.
A howl for the world to know that a mortal was considered equal by a divine. The howl resounding through the mountains and echoed to the world.
Hunter and hunted.
The climax was upon them.
A smirk was frozen on Roy's face, his lips split from the motion.
His pack was long gone, every tool he could use was used over the course of five days.
His dozen quivers of arrows packed away was down to his last one.
He needed nothing else. His last arrow packed quite the punch.
It was do or die.
The wind howled and the snow fell like the hand of god to blanket the arena one last time.
A roar, the wind being split, a howl, an explosion, and the almighty sound of rushing snow as an avalanche tore apart the storm to descend the mountain.
All the accumulated snow over the course of the long night piled up to create a massive movement of force that tore the very earth and stone from the mountain.
And as the sun's rays peaked over the eastern horizon, two forms were bathed in its warmth through the clear skies.
The form of a man, or what was left of him, and a wolf.
Two pairs of eyes staring into the other in recognition. One of resignation and acceptance and the other in pride and respect.
The wolfs eyes dimmed as it's lower form was crushed to paste under tons of snow.
Roy's form hung loosely from a tree, the remains of a wire stuck in the branches and dangling him like a piece of meat.
His other arm torn off at the elbow as the wire pulled him apart.
What remained of his blood pooling beneath him.
He was dying. But he won.
The smile frozen on his face.
And as day came on the fifth morning. Pandora welcomed her seventh child.
A campione was born.
And a legend was made.
Chapter end.
AN: Yo, hope the fight scene came out well. Was a bit self-conscious about it but 3 out 3 beta reads said it was great so I kept it as is.
