Fire and Peace

I keep fighting the monsters, but they keep coming. It's a like a swarm at this point, they're all around me. I keep punching and kicking, occasionally using some fireballs, or covering the monsters with firestream.

When they drop, more replace them. I have to keep fighting with my bare hands then using fire to cull them when I have enough mana. Back and forth like this. I put points in stamina, spirit, and vitality.

I'm getting cuts from them here and there, they don't do much damage, but there are so many tearing at me I can barely keep my health from dropping even with my high vitality.

My mana isn't regenerating fast enough to deal with the swarm, even with the points in spirit, and I'm exhausted, even with all of my stamina. I'm reaching my limit. Even when I level up occasionally, a few extra points isn't making enough of a difference.

Even if I wanted to run, where would I go? What if I run into more monsters and get another swarm after me? I have to keep fighting, I can't rest until they're dead.

When I think about it, maybe there are more monsters now because they've killed most of the people in this city, so they're grouping up and searching for anyone left. Maybe they've gotten stronger from killing people just like I've gotten stronger killing them? Maybe I'm one of the last people left.

I don't have any tricks left, and there's no way in hell I can figure out forging right now, even if I could make something with their bodies. If I stop moving and using my fire for a few seconds I'd be killed, and they'd just get stronger. Then they'd just go after the next guy. If there is a next guy.

Using firestream from each hand, I cover everything around me in fire. Even as bodies fall and burn me with my own flame, I keep shooting until I run out of mana, then I swing at anything near me until I get enough mana back.

Increasing spirit isn't giving me enough mana regen to matter right now. When I'm waiting for my mana to come back I'm taking too many hits, and I'm not taking down the stronger ones fast enough, even as they burn.

I have enough strength to break through their exoskeletons, I need speed. As I level up in this burning swarm, surrounded by piles of bodies, I put all of my points into dexterity. As it increases my hits become more accurate, I manage to avoid a hit here and there, I'm swinging faster, the fight seems unreal.

If I had a huge sword maybe I could swing through all of them, but right now I need to kill one at a time as fast as possible, for anything that survives the fire.

As this goes on the swarm doesn't seem as thick, they aren't infinite. I just have to keep holding out. As my health gets lower, avoiding every hit I can becomes more important.

I finally bring the swarm down to just a few dozen. As I finish off the last few, my body feels heavy, it's like I'm throwing around my limbs. As I'm reaching the point of exhaustion, I finish the last of them. Finally, the buzzing and screeching stops, and I just hear the fire.

Then something bursts through the piles of bodies, and slashes at me with it's weird scythe arms. I mostly avoid it, getting a long shallow cut across my body. It's another bug monster, the others are about four or five feet tall, but this one's at least ten feet tall. This must be some elite version.

I don't care about the piece of shit's name so I don't bother using the sight of the one eyed monster. I just need to kill it so I can get some sleep. I run forward and smash my fist into it's torso. I feel it's exoskeleton crunch, but it doesn't break entirely, it stops me from reaching the internal organs.

It jumps back and swipes at me, but I duck under it. The monster's size, and it's forearms being like blades, means it doesn't want me too close, I have to keep it in my range. I run after it and smash the heel of my foot into it's knee, or whatever it is for a bug.

Then before the monster swipes, I run behind it and grab it's wings. If this thing starts flying around, things could get harder. Even worse, if it can fly back and get more troops.

I pull myself up and put my feet on it's back, squatting, then I push myself up as hard as I can and rip it's wings out from the base. It screams, and ichor shoots out from the holes on it's back. It turns toward me after I land. I throw the wings down and rush forward, slamming my fist into the same spot on it's stomach again. Another crunch, then I punch as fast as I can, over and over again, left and right, crushing it's abdomen.

When it moves back to attack I jump back and shoot fireballs into it's damaged torso. The explosions finish breaking through and it's guts spill out in chunks. I shoot my firestreams at it and cover it in flame as it writhes around on the ground.

The monster's on it's stomach trying to keep it's organs from falling out. I step onto it's burning back, squat down until the fire is almost biting at my balls, then I grab each arm. Holding onto the part just before the blades start, I pull up and stand. It's a struggle, but eventually I can hear cracking and popping, I can feel the tearing. Then something gives way and it's arms start coming off of it's body.

When I've fully ripped them off I throw them into my storage for later, maybe I can make some swords with them. Somehow this thing is still alive. I kneel down on it's back and start punching as hard and as fast as I can, breaking up it's exoskeleton. Eventually my fists start putting holes in it, and the fire is being put out with it's ichor.

Even when it stops moving, I keep punching until it's back is just a crushed pulpy mess. I get off the monster and start walking down the street, I can't remember if it's where I came from or not. I want to pass out right here, but the bodies might attract something else. When I've got some distance between me and the piles of bodies, I break through the door of an apartment complex.

None of the street lights are on, and none of the lights inside work either, I guess the power's already out. I step outside and try making a small controlled stream of fire like a lighter. I manage to do it, eventually, but it's more comfortable with one stream coming out of my index and my middle finger each.

I walk back into the apartment complex with my burning peace sign and go up the stairs. I get up to the sixth floor and decide it's high enough, then I pick a room at random and knock. No one answers. "If you don't say something, I'm coming in." I say, as loud as I can. No one answers.

I break the door open and go inside. It looks like a mess, whoever lived here probably rushed around and took what they could then left. Maybe they thought if they got out of here they'd get away from the monsters.

After making sure the apartment was empty, I go into the bedroom and shut the door, despite knowing it's not really going to keep anything out. I lay down down on the bed and fall asleep. I don't think I've ever been this exhausted.