Free

Caught off guard, Perses could only watch the beast's maw open more expansively than ever before as it threatened to swallow him whole. Before it could enclose around him, Perses used both his arms to prop open the mouth using all his strength.

Now aware of his own strength and used to it, Perses couldn't help but feel confident in his ability to keep the jaw away despite the terrible state of his right arm. That was until the continuing momentum carried the beast's jaw straight through the staircase. Perses's back slammed against the opposing wall, allowing him to regain his footing for only a moment.

Looking back, Perses watched fearfully as he finally understood the beast's objective. Far down, he could see the familiar ghostly lighting of distant torches.

'It wants to drop you'.

Perses acknowledged the devil's hint but disagreed. A fall from this height would likely not kill him in his current state. Instead, he believed the beast intended to bury him, for real this time, as it did not possess tools great enough to kill him. Making eye contact past the beast's snout, he could no longer see a vindictive rage in those red orbs. Feverent insanity was all that remained. 

Rather than be intimidated, Perses sighed and began pushing back against the creature. Only a short moment of pushing at full force made it dreadfully clear to both. Perses was far stronger. Recognising this, the beast's efforts faltered. With one last push, it was shoved back through the hole it had created.

Perses, with a grin, went to stand on the other ledge to admire his work, making it just in time to see the long claws of the creature dig into the wall it was falling from.

The room it had fallen into was an almost identical copy, with only the fragile staircase to separate the two. This meant the structure was equally withered and allowed many holds for the beast's claws.

Cursing his luck, Perses didn't falter, choosing instead to flee up the stairs. Sadly, the distance between the two was meaningless as the beast threw itself up, smashing back into the spiral staircase and launching Perses upwards. This time, the monster did not even attempt to swallow Perses. He was too sturdy for the teeth to pierce him, not to mention by this point, the beast hardly had any teeth left to bite with. Its only advantage was speed and, more importantly, the mass that it used to throw itself at Perses instantly.

"Too fast!"

Sent reeling directly upwards, Perses crashed through layers of stone stairs that threatened him and his consciousness. Before he could stand and recover on an outlying chunk of debris, he was once more flung into the air. The beast clambered up the staircase using the space Perses had made to continue its pursuit. Before his momentum died, he smashed through a seemingly weaker material that almost acted as a cushion.

Barley, conscious he looked around only to see a familiar wooden structure. Getting to his feet, he returned to the hole. He saw the beast pacing below him, unsure of how to scale the last section of the stone staircase that was now utterly destroyed.

"You suck at fighting."

Perses could only fall back into a sitting position, desperately catching his breath, unable to even argue. The creature's mass had struck him one too many times. It seemed it was smarter than he was, or at least it had been. He didn't think he'd be conscious right now if the stone structure hadn't been so ancient and weakened.

'Get up quickly. If you run away it'll be some one else's problem.'

Agitated by the voice inside his head, he couldn't help but agree as he rose to his feet, prepared to leave. Of course, it wasn't that simple. The beast finally dragged its still large but dishevelled body out of the stairway, devastating what remained of it.

Already aware the confrontation was not over, Perses turned to face the beast this time. He was on flat ground. However, the beast did not stare at him with its usual senseless ignition. Its eyes had changed from its red-raged state to a familiar white radiance. With newfound clarity, the beast looked upwards. It stared blankly at the sky. Without warning, it bounced through the wooden structure, galloping away from the building.

In the distance, fierce shrieks sounded out as citizens of the inner walls spotted the terrifying entity.

Just like that, Perses' resolve was rejected. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. It didn't help that the large, uneven wooden structure trembled and began to crumble all around him. Hearing the distant voices of the guards, Perses turned to face the barracks, leaving in the direction he had come. The reason for this venture had been to find more answers about the kingdom and even the world, but instead, he came away with only more questions.

Maybe he had gained something, though only time would tell exactly what. Where the beast had wondered off, too, well, that was none of his concern.