Pride and the Doomguard (Sunvein RP Prompt)
((.....This is what happens when my muses are cooperating and I have inspirational music playing while I'm writing. I'm like...startled and super proud of myself at the same time. x.x Feedback would be appreciated; I haven't written anything like this in a long time. Well, with the exception of that little snippet with him fighting the Abomination. XD))
Pride let out a small huff and ran an arm across his forehead, wiping away some of the sweat that formed there from his mining expeditions. He bent down then, smiling quietly to himself as he began to gather the ore he had revealed from breaking open the large stone in front of him and put it in his supply satchel. Pausing, he rolled his shoulders with a grunt, noticing again, the heavy pack of rocks the Blood Father had him carrying on his back. To help build strength, the young Wretch assumed, and hopefully, balance. Pride had always been somewhat clumsy, and his self-taught sword-wielding skills likely didnât help; his stances were off, and his hands still had the occasional hard time holding the hilt strong enough. He couldnât count the times he nearly ended up throwing his sword at an enemy rather than slicing at it, due to his hands growing tired. Chuckling, he shook his head. Lately, he had started to improve with at least the holding aspect, and with his confidence in himself slowly building itself, he felt rather pleased with himself.
Lost in his own musings and busy with counting what tithes he had gathered so far, he didnât notice the rippling start in his shadow. From where he was crouched, the sunâs light caused the natural entity to appear a bit too far to his right for him to notice it. He was oblivious still as it began to twist against the powers manipulating it, but then, when an eerie hissing noise made itself known, the Sinâdorei stiffened, ears twitching alertly. Glancing around in suspicion, he never thought to look at his shadow until he got a creeping feeling at his back and he whirled around. The weight of his pack was still not entirely familiar to him, so in the quick movement, he threw his own balance off and fell on his backside; luckily, he had been stooped down to begin with, so only his ego was minorly bruised. Both eyes widened, though only one could see the horrific creature as it emerged from the gateway that had been opened.
âAnarâalah,â he whispered, trying to process what was now standing before him. âWhat...is thatâŚ?â His ears flicked back and he felt himself going pale, and he could not understand why--until his thoughts shot back to the other night, when the Blood Father, the Oracle, and Lithe had spoken of demons. He could only guess this was one such creature. A quiet hiss pushed from behind his teeth as he slowly scooted backwards, reaching for the sword he kept at his right hip with his left hand, carefully drawing it.
The Doomguard had seemed unaware of the Wretchâs presence, but upon hearing the sound of metal unsheathing, it looked straight down at him, rows of sharp, foul teeth seeming to make a gesture that was a mix between a snarl and a grin. It took a deep breath, the gruesome expression on its face widening. The boy was afraid.
Pride took a deep breath, trying to mentally shake off the feeling of a frightened rabbit staring into the eyes of a hound as he moved to stand. He had no idea how to fight this creature. Lithe had mentioned needing âspecial weaponsâ and âspecial spellsâ--none of which he had. What spells he knew were weak due to not knowing how to properly use them. He had fought many creatures in his exploring and gathering, yes, but simply aiming and hoping it hit wasnât the best method. All of his skills were practically self-taught. He made a mental note in the back of his mind to quit procrastinating and find a training dummy. Soon. Snapping back to reality, he took a step back cautiously, trying to size up the monster before him, decide what to do. He could run now that his leg had healed, but even then, would he be fast enough to outrun such a creature? He did not know. His brows knit together and he grit his teeth, swallowing hard as the stand-off continued.
Suddenly, the creature let out a hissing growl and lunged forward, a hand outstretched as it moved to grab the young Sinâdorei. Pride yelped and jumped back, mindful of his pack this time and keeping his upper body bent forward slightly, sword instinctively lashing out at the demonâs hand. Fel-tainted eyes widened when the blade had no effect and was batted out of his grasp with a mere flick of the Doomguardâs wrist. He stepped back again and shook his head, trying to recall anything at all that could help him. He wanted to fight, to stand his ground, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized he truly didnât have a chance against the opponent set before him.
Wait. His eyes widened as it came to him--a chance to at least give him a head start. The Doomguard was suddenly frozen in place as a bolt of golden light swept over it, the Holy Wrath rendering it immobile. Three seconds, Pride knew. Three seconds was all he had, and he prayed it would be enough. Golden light surrounded his own form next and he dashed for his sword before turning on his heel and running for higher ground. There were many hills and small cliffs in Eversong, he knew, and he hoped to take them to his advantage. As the glow around him faded, he scrambled, fighting against the weight on his back to pull himself up on such cliff and he ducked down, laying flat on his front as he peered out. Just as he thought, the monster had followed the trail his ability had left behind, but it faded before it could catch exactly where he had gone. He shivered, feeling sweat on his brow as his muscles quivered in adrenaline and fear. One shot.
Feeling the energy bubbling inside him again, he jumped to his feet and froze the demon again with another bolt of the Holy Wrath. This was reckless, stupid, some part of him screamed, protesting as he took a running leap from his perch, straight for the Doomguard. Sword in hand he angled it just enough that the force of gravity and his own weight plunged it into the shoulder of the monster, anchoring him as he pulled himself up onto its shoulders. The monster bellowed in rage, the effects of the spell wearing off then and it reached up to grab at the boy. Pride locked his legs around the throat of his enemy for leverage and leaned back, dodging the sharp claws. Instincts were driving him much like they had when he fought the Abomination, but this time, he was stuck as well. He didnât know what to do from this point.
He suddenly found himself grunting as he felt a sharp blow from both sides, and his vision blurred in a daze. He had forgotten about the giant wings the Doomguard possessed, and a powerful flap from them had landed their mark. His legs loosened and he plummeted straight for the ground, air fleeing his lungs as he landed on his back, the rocks in his pack grinding against him. He struggled to gather himself, but before he could even draw his next breath, he felt the sensation of being crushed. His eyes widened in terror when he noticed the large hoof on his chest and the demon glowering down at him. His sword was still buried in its shoulder and he didnât have the strength to stun it again; even if he could muster another stun, how would he move the impossibly heavy creature on his own? A choked, barely audible sound came out of his mouth when the hoof slowly began to push down. Shaking hands grabbed at the leg of the monster, trying desperately to remove the burden and reinstate the oxygen flow he needed. His efforts were in vain and in the next moment, he felt bones breaking and blood forced itself out from his lips.
âHelpâŚâ His lips moved to form the word but no sound came out. His eyes were widened still, and his hand continued to struggle against the hoof crushing him, but his efforts were weakening. He found his thoughts flashing to the better days in his life, when he was looking forward to walking the path of a scholar, perhaps be a priest like his mother, then they moved to his father, the strong, honorable warrior that always pushed him forward despite his struggles. The Scourge came next, along with the his last memories of seeing his parents and the pain that tore through him as the Abomination impaled him. He coughed again, trying to let out a cry as more of his ribs caved under the pressure, but any sound was replaced by the choked gurgling of blood in his mouth. He didnât notice the tears begin to leak out from the corners of his eyes. He was afraid, he knew--terrified. He didnât want to die. Not now, not like this. Not when he had just found a purpose again, a family. Family. The word stuck out amidst the chaos in his thoughts and he clung to it like a child. His family--Fire, Lithe, Sling, Euphanie, Syrinity, Valâthalore. The boy didnât hear the low, rumbling laugh rise from the Doomguardâs chest.
Demon, his mind whispered weakly, reaching for the mental connection he held through the brand on his shoulder. He was starting to lose consciousness and he knew that one of his lungs had been punctured by a splintered rib. He choked on more blood.
Pride was too tired to care if he sounded ridiculous. What vision he had was now a blur and fading fast. He couldnât breathe. His ability to think was nearly gone at that point. Finally, his eyes rolled as another set of bone cracked and his hands fell limply to his sides. Though just before his vision failed him completely, he thought he saw a small figure with long black hair pulled into a ponytail appear from the shadows and head straight for the demon. He didnât feel the pressure from the hoof give way as the Doomguard moved away to face its new opponent.
âDonât you dare give up, Pride!â the Wretch thought he heard, somewhere in a distant place, admist the swirling darkness that surrounded him. Did his lips move in response? He couldnât tell. Deeper still into the darkness he fell, but among the silence, another phantom sound tried to reach his senses. A heartbeat.
((I apologize for the vagueness when it came to bringing in Tua. I don't know his character very well yet, so I just did what I was comfortable doing without being worried about screwing up his attitude or something. Haha.))
