Resilient Retreat (2)

3RD PERSON

Action music is recommended, and illustrations are available in the chapter comments.

Vane navigated the forest above the rock ledge, dragging his legs while feasting on a modest meal of bread and jam from the bag he looted.

As he glanced at the map, revealing 12 kilometres to his destination, the realisation of his meagre progress left him in a haze.

Mental fatigue crept in, and the abrupt shift in worlds forced Vane's mind to adapt rapidly, inflicting a toll on his mind.

Despite his condition, the world showed no mercy. The star set, casting a dim twilight and warning Vane about the encroaching dangers of darkness.

Resolving not to surrender, he pressed forward, checking his condition—'Highly fatigued,' the display warned. Yet, the approaching assailants allowed no respite.

The support group had gathered; their leader Arom, alarmed by the screams of Randall and Granar, had slowed down to protect his group and was nearing Vane's direction.

Limping forward, Vane observed Granar's peculiar actions on the map;

'What is he doing? Why is he going back and forth?' he questioned, perplexed by Granar's erratic movements.

However, the 2D map couldn't capture the nuances, and frowning, Vane moved on, but he felt uneasy about Granar and decided to observe him, questioning his actions.

Alas, he would get to know soon, as he saw the dot shifting from the light-shaded part onto the dark-shaded part on the map; the rock ledge.

'Did he just jump over here!?' Vane guessed correctly, as Granar jumped onto the ledge over 5 meters high, baffling Vane.

Vane supposed Granar to be in the amateur novice stage, but he was proven wrong, and even worse, Granar was darting towards Vane.

"What the fuck," Vane mumbled, transfixed at Granar's absurd speed, but immediately jolted to action.

Granar was already within sight, emitting a faint red glow amid the foliage.

Chills pulsed through Vane's spine as Granar charged maniacally, tearing through bushes and plants, locking his eyes on Vane.

Cupping a fistful of sand, Vane hurled it at Granar's figure a few meters away, but it met no resistance, the young man was too fast.

SWISH

"GRAAAH," Granar cried, the surroundings shaking under his rage.

'System!' Vane summoned, time dilating, allowing him to catch a breath, and after a brief pause, he began.

Observing the map, he calculated his odds and frowned as he looked at Granar, anticipating the inevitable clash.

Willing adrenaline to his veins, Vane tapped into his power reserved for life-and-death scenarios.

As time resumed, the effects kicked in, throttling Vane's body.

Glycogen reserves were released, supplying an influx of energy, and his pupils dilated, bringing imperceivable information into focus.

Forgetting all fatigue, his muscles were reinvigorated, pain numbed, and his lungs and heart worked in overdrive.

His kinetic vision was overclocked, and his computational resources were dedicated to combat, sending Vane into super-focus.

Granar's attack held no finesse, no technique, merely unbridled brute force. Vane couldn't see Granar's moves but could predict them.

Completely immersed in reacting to Granar, Vane widened his eyes, leaving his mouth ajar, and dodged right instantaneously, leaving Granar wide open.

Instinctively moving, Vane plunged the knife into Granar's neck.

PULCH

Granar dodged, escaping imminent death, but his left shoulder didn't, "GRAAAHHH," a blood-curdling scream echoed.

Despite his pain, Granar looked at Vane, the red glow accentuated his bloodshot eyes, and madness, sending shivers down Vane's spine.

An urge to run jolted Vane, but before he could pull away, Granar dropped his sword, gripping Vane's right wrist.

CRACK

Adrenaline numbed Vane from feeling his carpals getting crushed and his tendons tearing, as Granar twisted his hand.

Unfazed, Vane spun on his toes to offset the twisting, pulling away, while launching a kick onto Granar's chest.

THUD COUGH COUGH

Granar tumbled a few feet away, hitting a nearby tree, while Vane gazed at the sword on the ground and picked it up.

Granar stood up, and removed the knife from his shoulder, letting out a low grunt as he did.

Vane raised his sword with his left hand, mimicking it from the movies he saw.

"GAAAHHH," Granar screamed, his mind was consumed with killing Vane to avenge Randall—his brother.

SWISH

It met no resistance as Vane dodged left, leaving Granar exposed.

However, the sword was too heavy to swing with one hand, leaving Vane to defend.

Granar stabbed the knife at him again, slicing Vane's right bicep.

Instantly pulling back, he stabbed Vane's left shoulder in rapid succession.

Vane barely dodged Granar's relentless attacks—one opening, all he needed was one opening.

SLICE SLICE PULCH

Granar sliced his torso, his cheek, his forearms, and wounds accumulated all over, but Vane patiently waited.

'This way,' Vane thought, moving towards a tree, and "GAH!", Granar shouted, stumbling on a tree root.

Vane slashed at Granar's torso, but he swung his sword wide due to his inexperience.

Granar blocked with his steel vambrace on his right arm.

CLANG CRACK

"GRAAAHHH," Granar screamed, tears streaming from his eyes, as his bone cracked, causing him to drop his knife.

"GUH," Vane was left open due to his slash, and he flew as Granar kicked his abdomen, sword dropping from his hand.

WHOOSH

Granar dashed at him, both of them were unarmed; it was purely hand-to-hand combat now.

Vane raised himself and tried to follow Granar's movements, 'Did his movements speed up?' Vane observed, but Granar was already there.

Granar's left fist connected with Vane's lower right ribs, breaking them and sending Vane to collide with a tree.

THUD CRACK COUGH COUGH

Granar unleashed a roundhouse kick on Vane when he got up, forcing Vane to dodge awkwardly.

Immediately, Granar back-kicked Vane, but it was sloppy, letting Vane dodge it and hit Granar's shin with his elbow.

"ARGHAA—SHIT!"

'He got stronger,' Vane affirmed, and the stroke of luck allowed him to take on a combat stance.

Straining his eyes, Vane focused on Granar's body, his eyes, his movements, his centre of gravity.

He further immersed himself in reacting to Granar, drowning deeper into his focus, he calculated Granar's actions.

Vane could partially see Granar's kick aimed at his head, and he bent his head, sidestepping to deliver a punch to Granar's face.

"GUH", Granar grunted, spitting bloody saliva, and looked at Vane with a greater ferocity.

Kicking dirt at him, Vane charged past the cloud of dust, landing a front kick to Granar's gut.

"FUCK—I'LL KILL YOU!" Granar threatened, irked by Vane evading all his punches and kicks.

Relentless, Vane struck the wound on Granar's shoulder, reopening the clotting wound.

"KUAARRGHHH—FUCK, FUCK, FU—HAA—HAA—HAA," Granar recoiled, and time apparently paused.

Granar's gaze fell on the knife nearby and dashed toward it, and Vane, sensing his intentions, tried pausing time.

Unfortunately, the function was on a cool-down for a few seconds, and in a last-ditch attempt, he dashed towards the sword, which was farther.

Just as Vane gripped the sword, Granar approached from behind. This was the decisive clash of the battle.

'System!' Vane paused, calculating the final strike, and soon time resumed.

Vane swung the sword backwards while spinning, and simultaneously rising.

PULCH SLICE

His sword cleanly disembowelled Granar, and Granar's knife planted itself on Vane's left shoulder, cutting it along the length of his scapula, planting itself there.

'I did it,' Vane reveled, as he inflicted the most damage between them. Granar is going to bleed out and die soon.

Granar stumbled backwards, blood seeping through his abdomen in copious amounts.

Planting his sword on the ground, Vane waited for Granar to die.

COUGH COUGH

SPLURT SPLURT

"N-NO W-WA COUGH, I-I HAVE TO A-AVEN COUGH COUGH P-PLEAS COUGH G-GIVE -E MORE!" he prayed, begging for more. 'What does he mean?' Vane pondered.

"I- COUGH COUGH GI- SPLURT EVERYTHING!" Granar pledged, causing Vane to frown, and unease built up within.

Vane wanted to run, however, what Granar invoked was beyond his comprehension, and escape wasn't an option;

WARP TWIST

The forest, once a tranquil backdrop, now bore witness to an unholy transformation, painting the forest in an otherworldly brush.

Granar's transformation echoed through the forest, an unholy metamorphosis that defied the natural order.

His once-human form contorted, muscles expanding beyond reason, and veins pulsating with an otherworldly fervour.

Leaves swirled in a haunting dance as nature itself recoiled in fear. The air bowed before him, heavy with malevolence.

SWISH SWISH

CRACK CRUMBLE

RUMBLE RUMBLE

As the ground quaked beneath his footsteps, Vane couldn't shake the feeling that he faced not just a warrior but a force of nature unbridled.

Granar's once human gaze, now reflected an abyss of rage and darkness, locking onto Vane with a disturbing clarity.

"GIRAAAHHH!" With a guttural roar that sent chills down Vane's spine, Granar charged forward, a vengeful entity incarnate.

Granar's relentless onslaught spoke death for Vane, with every step of Granar nearing Vane, heralding his impending demise.

Vane had lost a lot of blood and pushed his body beyond his limit, yet, he was spared no mercy.

Vane's mind ruminated various scenarios, entertaining his death in many of them, amid his pursuit for survival.

Deep within, he knew he wouldn't survive; fear set roots in his head, shouting at him to give up, for all his efforts would be pointless.

Yet, his body refused to yield to the overwhelming might of the entity ahead. The sole anchor for it was; survival.

An extreme desire coagulated within the depths of his mind, forming a cloud within his mind, and exerting its influence.

'I want to survive.'

'I want to survive.'

'I want to survive.'

'I want to survive.'

'I want to survive.'

'I want to survive.'

Vane's desire was beyond rationale, consuming the entirety of him, as if a dormant switch was flipped, triggering a transformation within Vane.

A metamorphosis of his own, which embedded an otherworldly essence into him, gradually revitalizing him.

His torn muscles were revived with power, and his bones creaked under the stress of this mysterious force, while his tendons and ligaments threatened to snap.

Everything seemed to slow down as Vane's senses were pushed to their absolute maximum, while his mind was overclocked.

His brain processed exabytes of data every moment, calculating his surroundings merely with his senses.

Vane's metamorphosis transcended Granar's, as his eyes witnessed Granar barely moving in his glowing ethereal-white vision.

The air around Vane distorted violently, his veins pulsating with immeasurable power, exerting on the forest, causing the world to tremble.

The force grew, unstoppable, and Vane's body was breaking itself to sustain this strength, something beyond hysterical strength.

He realized that the power would come at an immense cost, and the price was beyond his current comprehension.

Rather, it was beyond any mortal's comprehension, for the consequences would be the greatest ever faced.

Amidst the clash with Granar, Vane's mind wrestled with fear, determination, and a relentless desire to survive.

However, all were washed away by a relentless thought, 'I have to kill him.' But why? Wasn't survival enough? Could he not run away?

No, a compelling force within him demanded Granar's demise. It felt beyond rationale, beyond his control.

He had to kill him, and Vane's body, fueled by this enigmatic power, prepared to fight—no, rather, to kill.

The forest around him became a chaotic tableau as Vane calculated each move, the echoes of his heartbeat resounding.

Gracefully lifting his sword, drawing an arc as he did, Vane poised himself to strike Granar, aligning with the mysterious force and the heavy wind.

Just as he was bringing his sword down, the strength, just as it surged, started to seep away, as if vacuumed.

Confused, Vane couldn't comprehend why, nor did he have time to, for the scene unfolding was equally baffling.

COUGH COUGH SPLURT

The man, painted in blood, further drowned himself in crimson, coughing and faltering while holding his heart.

Vane observed Granar's figure, his vigilance unbridled, eyes widening at the site, while he frowned deeply, trying to comprehend.

'Ah,' Vane understood.

It was clear that Granar, too, had entered his absolute, but his body couldn't endure it, exceeding his limits, breaking himself till he died.

Vane stood still, questioning Granar's demise, but his body yielded, kneeling on the ground.

Fortunately, he was affected only by the hysterical strength and not the mysterious one, as it seeped away instantly.

"GAAAH, U-URGH COUGH COUGH SPLURT," the stinging behind his eyes was a testament to his pain as he recoiled in bloody vomit.

Vane's body bore the scars of a relentless struggle. Fatigue and pain slammed into him like a sledgehammer, each step was a burden.

Internal injuries, broken bones, and torn flesh leaked blood profusely, yet, the forest, indifferent to his pain, whispered doom with the darkening sky.

The creatures, scared by the otherworldly fervour, now dared to move closer, and the pursuing group was on the ledge.

After the intense battle with Granar, Vane, battered and exhausted, surveyed the aftermath.

His breaths were laboured, and he felt the weight of his muscles.

With a heavy heart, he turned his attention to the task at hand – looting Granar's consumables.

The transition between combat and contemplation unfolded in a dilemma between surrender and survival for Vane.