Under the Weight of Chaos

The gargoyle stood motionless in front of me, but its gaze clearly reflected malice. The distance between us shrank with each passing second, and although I had fought Kael before in the training arena, this was different.

And that time with the Dark Harpies... well, that was a massacre. I didn't stand a chance against them. This time would be different, or at least I hoped so.

The gargoyle was the first to move. Its heavy stone feet crunched against the ground with each step, making the air vibrate around us. I clenched my teeth, and as soon as it raised its claw to strike me, I tried to dodge, but I wasn't quick enough.

The blow grazed my side, but the impact was enough to knock me off balance and send me to my knees.

I felt a sharp pain in my side. The pain was intense, but there was something else with it.

My body was reacting strangely, as if something dark was waking up inside me. The veins in my arms began to pulse violently, and my vision seemed to darken at times.

A wave of heat spread through my chest, but not in a comforting way... it was something more unsettling, though I didn't have time to dwell on it.

The creature attacked again, this time with both claws. I rolled on the ground, barely dodging the strike, but I felt the impact hit the ground behind me. The sound of the rock shattering made my heart race.

I got up quickly, but my body wasn't responding as usual. Every movement was clumsy, as if my muscles were resisting. A slight dizziness clouded my mind for a second.

I yelled and threw a punch at the creature, and then I felt it. Something was unleashed. A dark energy, which I didn't understand, wrapped around my arm the moment it hit the gargoyle's stone body.

The blow was stronger than I expected, and the gargoyle staggered back, but the power destabilized me. I stumbled backward, unable to control that sudden force.

The sensation was strange. It wasn't just power; there was something else behind that energy unleashed within me. Something I couldn't control but seemed to want to emerge every time I was in danger.

Before I could react, the gargoyle lunged at me with relentless fury. Its claws raked across my chest, tearing through the fabric and cutting my skin.

"Aah!"

The scream escaped my lips involuntarily as the pain jolted through me. I felt the warm blood running down my torso, and I could barely stand, but the energy kept flowing.

The pain was overwhelming, but something else was happening. That same energy that had surged before coursed through my body once again. It was wild, uncontrollable. My breathing became erratic as the gargoyle prepared for another attack.

This time, I felt like I had no choice. I raised my hands and let the energy flow through me, without knowing what it would do.

The gargoyle launched its attack, but this time something changed. My reflexes, guided by that dark force, responded faster. I managed to dodge its claws at the last second, and with an impulse I didn't fully understand, I delivered a direct blow to its jaw.

The crack of the stone breaking echoed in the air like a thunderclap. The impact was too much. The force threw me backward, and I hit the ground, gasping, with my arms trembling.

"Agh!"

I cried out again as I tried to get up, my side burning from the wound the gargoyle had left in my skin. The pain intensified with every movement, and the blood kept flowing. The smell of dust and shattered stone filled the air as small clouds rose around the creature's fragments.

The gargoyle was hurt too, but not defeated. It turned toward me, its eyes glowing with hatred. The pain in my body was unbearable, and every movement reminded me that I wasn't ready for this fight. The creature approached again, slow but deadly. There was no escape.

With one last effort, I stood up. I knew this would be the end, one of us would fall here. The power coursing through me was the only thing keeping me on my feet. As the gargoyle lunged once more, I let that energy explode. My body reacted instinctively, moving with a speed and strength I didn't recognize as my own.

I struck with all the fury I had left. The gargoyle staggered back, and this time, it didn't have time to recover. My next blow, charged with that dark energy, hit its chest directly. I could feel its stone body slowly crumbling, as if the magic had eaten away at its insides.

Finally, it collapsed to the ground, shattered into pieces.

I stood there, gasping, blood pouring from my wounds and my body trembling. I had won... but barely. The pain was unbearable, and even though the gargoyle was destroyed, the sensation of that energy in my body remained, like a constant shadow that wouldn't leave me.

I was still gasping, trying to catch my breath when I heard the rumbling in the distance. Despite defeating the gargoyle in front of me, chaos still reigned in the town. The sounds of screams, stone smashing, and buildings collapsing reached my ears.

The gargoyles were still spreading destruction, but this time it wasn't just the townspeople defending themselves. Grimmor's men and their creatures were fighting back.

In the distance, I saw the lizardmen serving Grimmor attacking the gargoyles. Their swords and spears sank into the stone, breaking off pieces of the creatures, but it didn't always work.

Some gargoyles fell to the ground in fragments, but others kept advancing with relentless fury. The lizardmen fought fiercely, taking down some of the creatures, while others managed to crush a few of the soldiers.

My vision blurred for a moment. The pain from my wounds wouldn't let up, and I could feel the blood still running down my chest and side. The adrenaline that had helped me defeat the last gargoyle was starting to wear off, leaving me weak. Every breath felt heavy, as if the air itself burned my throat. Even so, I couldn't stay still. The town was still under attack, and as my eyes scanned the chaos around me, I saw him.

Kael.

He was in the middle of the marketplace, fighting not one, but two gargoyles. His sword glowed with magical sparks as he tried to hold both creatures at bay. But even with his skill, it was clear he wouldn't last much longer.

The gargoyles were circling him, attacking from both sides, and Kael could barely dodge their strikes. I remembered training with him, how he had taught me to make the most of every move. But now, he was outmatched, and if I didn't act fast, he wouldn't have a chance.

My heart raced. I didn't think twice.

Despite the pain and my weakened body, I ran towards him. Every step was torture. It felt like the ground tilted beneath my feet, and the blood I was losing made me stagger, but I didn't stop. The heat from the cut in my chest burned with every movement, and at times my vision blurred. Even so, I had to keep going. Kael was in danger, and I couldn't leave him alone.

When I arrived, I saw one of the gargoyles swing a direct blow at Kael.

"Kael!"

I shouted, but I wasn't fast enough. The creature's claw hit him, sending him crashing into one of the market stalls, knocking everything down in its path.

"Tsk!"

I groaned as the pain in my body reminded me that I wasn't in any shape to fight, but that didn't stop me. With one last effort, I threw myself at the closest gargoyle. I felt the dark power I had used before begin to surge again, running through my arms with unstable energy.

"Damn it!"

The pain shot through me as my fist, wrapped in that energy, slammed into the creature's side. The gargoyle staggered, but didn't fall. It turned its head towards me, its eyes full of fury.

I knew I was running out of time. Kael was down, and I could barely stay on my feet. Even so, I prepared to face the creature, knowing I couldn't afford to lose this fight.

Suddenly, one of the gargoyles around me lunged at me with brutal force. I didn't have time to react before it rammed into me, knocking me to the ground with the weight of its stone body.

"Agh!"

I gasped as the impact hit my chest, as if all the air had been knocked out of my lungs.

Before I could even try to get up, the creature planted its massive foot on my torso, pinning me down with its weight. The pain was overwhelming. Every time I tried to move, I felt the pressure crushing my ribs, like my body was about to collapse at any moment.

Air barely made it into my lungs, and my arms trembled as I tried to push the gargoyle's weight off me. I was trapped, with no strength to free myself.

As I struggled to breathe, I heard the flapping of wings above me. I looked up with difficulty and saw the other gargoyle rising into the air. The wind from each flap whipped against my face, and its shadow grew larger as it prepared to dive down on me. Its claws gleamed in the light, ready to tear into me.

"No… I can't… get free," I thought as my desperate attempts to shove the gargoyle's foot off failed over and over. The pain clouded my mind, and my body barely responded. I knew there was no escape.

The sound of the wind and the gargoyle's descent grew louder. It was so close I could feel the gust of hot air on my skin, but my body remained pinned beneath the weight of the other creature. My hands trembled, unable to do anything but watch as it closed in.

The world began to blur. My breathing grew weaker. And then… everything went dark.