2 Chapter II: Of Imps and Men

I don't know how much I had scaled this mountain but I like to tell myself that I am doing good progress. I am already suffering from hypothermia, my finger are going blue and I have lost sensation in them despite my efforts; my legs are in no better shape, my knees are already stiff and aching with every step I take. Thankfully, I got a respite from relentless climbing as I reached some sort of old path carved into the mountain side. While walking up the mountain path, I heard screeching cries coming from the air.

Lifting my head, I blanched as I saw rotting winged creatures circling around in the dark skies. The creatures looked to be about 1.3 meters in length and their skin was of a rotting greenish-gray color and they had two arms and legs adorned with sharp claws. Two tattered wings were attached to their backs. Yet, their faces were the most disfigured with loose jaws, popped-out eyeballs, and hanging fetid tongues.

This creature could be described in one word: repulsive. The next second, one of the creatures nose-dived towards me with its claws primed to rip me to shreds. Luckily, I was able to jump away from the descending monster causing it to crash into the rocky mountain with a sickening wet Squelch! However, that was not the end of my problems. As the multitude of creatures overhead began following their comrade's example and started rocketing down towards me. Stricken with panic, I did the only thing an unarmed highschooler would do.

I started running as fast as my frozen feet could carry me - which, to be honest, was not far. I haven't been running for even a minute before I felt searing pain and warmth coming from my back as one of the winged undead monsters' claws found purchase on my back.

The force from the strike threw my body forward resulting in me falling on the hard rocky ground. Before I knew it, the creatures had already ganged up on me. Tens of sharp claws and teeth rip into my defenseless body as pian clouded my mind and reasoning. Even when struggling with all my might enhanced by adrenaline, I wasn't strong enough to shake off the soulless creatures. As I was struggling, one of the creatures held onto my left arm with more grip strength than one would attribute to such a creature and pulled at it.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH! Sonovabitch!" I cried in agony as my arm got ripped from my shoulder without the slightest resistance. Then, a feeling of weightlessness came over me which I belatedly realized that I was flying in midair. Although that is not entirely accurate. It was not my body that was flying in midair but only my head since I could still see the monsters crowding on it as they ripped and teared to their twisted heart's content.

After that, everything went black and when I got my vision back, I was back again to the base of the mountain. Immediately, I fell to my kneews as my left shoulder flared with phantom pain from it being ripped off; even my neck had slight tingling from my unceremonious decapitation.

"Motherfucker!" I cursed through clenched teeth,"the undead chasing me was one thing but these flying fuckers are another problem entirely."

This method of ascending is inefficient and dangerous. One way or another, I need equipment if I am to ever reach the top while in one piece and not a frozen like a popsicle. However, I am in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere with nothing but snow and rocks as far as the eye could see.

While I was wondering how to get my hands on some equipment to use, I glanced back behind me to see the skeletons re-emerging again from the ground for the fifth time. Next thing I knew, a figurative light bulb lit up in my brain.

I picked up a fairly heavy rock the size of a basketball; then, carefully approaching a skeleton wearing some aged leather armor as it was trying to escape the grasp of the earth, I dropped the stone on top of it. The skeleton shattered under the weight of the rock and a familiar sound rang in my head.

[You have slain a Dormant Monster, Undead Scout.]

Not even wasting a time to look at the runes on the window before my eyes, I hurried to collect the leather armor the skeleton was wearing.

A worn leather chest piece and a pair of gloves of equal quality. Its boots where still stuck in the ground and I was already on the clock so just I grabbed my loot without bothering to wear it in the middle of the undead horde.

Now, all I needed was something for self-defense. A quick look around helped me find my target. Grabbing the same rock from the ground, I approached one of the skeletons adorned in warrior-esque armor as it was emerging from the ground.

It screeched when I approached and tried to attack me awkwardly with the sword in its hand.

Keeping my distance so as not to get cut, I aimed the rock in my hand and, with great effort, threw it at the undead.

The skeleton seemed to have some semblance of instict as it tried to shield its head. Unfortunately for it, I was not aiming for the head but rather the weapon hand. The rock found purchase, and the undead monster dropped its weapon. Before it could figure out what happened, I snatched the weapon and ran as fast as my feet could carry me up the mountain.

After what seemed to be twenty minutes of frantic sprinting through the snow, I stopped to catch my breath before my lungs gave out.

"This...*pant*....should....*pant*....enough distance....*pant*...," looking behind me, I could see the tiny silhoutes of the undead shambling their way up the mountain. After collecting my breath, I began inspecting my new gear.

The leather chest armor had seen better days but I reckon it offers better protection than anything I have on currently; sure, I could've gone for the metal armor but beggars can't be choosers, and I'm not sure climbing a mountain with such heavy equipment is advisable. The faded brown gloves look worn as hell but it looks sturdy enough to protect my hands from the worst of the frostbite. Finally, the sword is black in color, about 1.2 meters long from end to end with hundreds of thousands of metallic scratches over it, showing its age. Yet, despite that the sword appeared sharp enough to chop off my finger with the slightest pressure.

I've always wanted to know what it would feel like to use a real sword but I wish it was in different circumstances. However, even though I have next to zero knowledge of swordsmanship, it is better to have a weapon than being unarmed. Holding the double-edged sword in my hand, I found it hard to hold it steadily in my hand due to its weight and my own unfamiliarity with martial arts.

Using both hands to wield the black sword seemed to be the better option. Trying a few test swings, I was unsurprised by how amateurish I looked wielding the deadly weapon as I got dragged along the sword's inertia resulting in catching myself before falling onto the ground.

"Okay, now I'm sure I do not have some secret ability to wield the sword," I said self-deprecatingly as I started my ascent again lest I become an undead pincusion again.

As I climbed up the snowy mountain, it became clearer to me that acquiring the gloves was the best thing I did since waking up here. The condition of my hands are much better with them covered snuggly by the leather gloves. Moreover, the ascent proved much quicker as I remembered the paths and routes I had taken in the previous tries, resulting in a much faster ascent.

As time passed and the blizzard and my hypothermia grew worse, I finally reached the site of my most recent death. Hiding behind a large rock, I observed the skies with squinting eyes, looking for those rotten, flying creatures. Soon enough, I saw hundreds of those creatures flying idly in the air, probably waiting for their next prey to enter their hunting grounds.

Unfortunately, there was no way of going around them since they controlled the whole mid-level of the mountain. If I wanted to ascend higher, I had to somehow bypass them.

While I was trying to think of a way to bypass the flying gremlins, I failed to notice that one of creatures had come far too close to my location as it sniffed the air. As luck would have it, it arrived a few feet next to my immediate hiding position. Our eyes, my brown ones and its rotten, greenish ones, met and, before it could do anything, I frantically slashed at it with the edge of my sword. The sword cleanly cut through the rotten monster like a hot knife through butter.

[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Fetid Imp.]

Alas, I had no time to enjoy my achievement as the other Imps also started to sniff at the air.

Then, a cacophony of cries assaulted my ears as, one by one, the Fetid Imps focused on my location and dove down towards me with their claws bared. Before I could even get to retreate, the first Imp had already reached me with speeds far exceeding the ability of their small wings. Fueled by sheer panic, I just swung my sword at it just by reflex.

All I heard was a loud splat as the Imp was not so much slashed but rather smashed against the flat side of the sword. Foul liquid erupted from the head splashing over the ground, causing it to make a sizzling sound as it got dissolved. Some of the fluid landed on the sword and ate away at the metal.

[You have slain an Awakened Beast, Fetid Imp.]

[You have received a memory.....]

Forget the damned memory, I nearly dropped my sword from the shock that came from smashing the monster's head. Not giving me even a moment to breath, three Fetid Imps already arrived at my location. My arms numb and posture absolutely terrible, the monsters slammed into me directly causing me to fly off my feet from the force of the impact.

Landing on my back with a Thud!, the air was pushed out of my lungs as the flying Imps began slashing at my chest with their claws. Thankfully, the chest armor proved to be useful in protecting my chest but their claws were gouging it out pretty fast. I belatedly realized that after being thrown off my feet, I had lost grip over my weapon. Moreover, the other Imps were approaching quickly. Desperately grabbing for anything to use as a weapon, my hand found a rock on the ground. Gripping it tightly, I swung it at any one of the creatures.

It found purchase on the one about to claw at my chest again. In my frantic state, I forgot an essential characteristic of these monsters: Their blood is highly acidic. The rock hit it in the head; smashing it and causing foul juices to erupt from it and splashed on my face chest.

The next thing I knew, I was screaming all the way to hell and back as my skin and muscles dissolved under the strong acid. Soon enough, the other Fetid Imps crowded on my body and began ravaging it as is their habit. Then, everything went black.