Ch. 18 Darlog and Gruff

Kaz was sweating bullets now. He wanted to run away, but he was cornered between a waterfall and a dangerous hunter. Fighting was his only option now. Gruff slowly approached him, taking careful steps as he watched for the twitching movements of Kaz. The dog's eyes shown more intelligence than he had ever seen in an animal before. He knew that if he moved wrong, that dog would be at his throat in an instant. Darlog approached him carefully and snapped his whip a few times. Taking in the spectacle of the hunt, Darlog was looking menacingly more and more like a typical movie villain, Kaz thought to himself.

Closer and closer, Darlog and Gruff both appreciated the fear in Kaz. It was almost palatable to them. The whip drew closer to Kaz, and Darlog began his speech. "It's monsters like you that get me out of bed. The day all monsters are killed off will be a sad day indeed." The whip snapped, and the sound traveled over the waterfall breaking the loud rushing sound it made with a

CRACK

CRACK

CRACK

Each snap of the whip caused Kaz to wince. Finally, it landed on his chest, causing him to real back a little and take a step back.

CRACK

Another mark appeared on his chest. He gritted his teeth as he tried to withstand the torture. He flexed his muscles, preparing to attack, and that was when Gruff charged him. Lunging for him, Kaz decided to raise his shield to block the incoming attack. The dog connected with his shield, and Kaz used the momentum of the attack to swing. Twisting his torso, Kaz moved fluidly and caused the dog to slide past the shield and towards the waterfall.

He was yipping as he knew what was about to happen to him. Gruff tried to stop his movement, but the rock was slick with water, and he could not stop. Off the cliff he went, unable to save himself.

CRACK

CRACK

CRACK

Back to back, the whip hit Kaz in the face pushing him back even more, slipping on the stone falling to the ground just inches away from the edge of the waterfall. His head was dangling off the side as he felt the water splash him. Scared out of his mind, Kaz quickly scrambled to his feet.

CRACK

Landing the blow on Kaz's arm, he winces and falls on his face. He was losing this fight. It was not even a challenge for this man. "You fucking monster, you killed my dog. I will make sure you suffer for what you just did."

CRACK

Kaz was starting to get dizzy. The constant hits, combined with the cuts from earlier, caused him to lose his focus.

CRACK

CRACK

CRACK

Kaz didn't feel anything anymore. He was going numb now. He thought back to the first time he died. It was a very similar feeling. A warm embrace came to his soul as he felt it tug at him. He did not want to feel this pain anymore; he just wanted to be left alone. Why were humans so vicious? His new life was about to end again. Would the gods be kind to him for wasting his second chance?

CRACK

Blood trickled from his lips as it split from the attack. He looked up at the man who was his killer. A smile covered this vile man's face. Kaz wanted to fight back. He wanted to do something, but be remembered what happened last time he fought back. Should he just take it? Let this man kill him. Was that all he was good for, a punching bag for douche bags?

Something nagged Kaz in the back of his mind. He wondered what it was. Something was trying to remind him of something he could do. What was it?

Looking around slowly as the whip continued to strike, he noticed it. The ring was glowing.

Using the strength he had left, he rubbed the ring and fell to the ground, unconscious.

STATUS ACQUIRED- Invisibility 30 minutes

"What the hell?" Darlog looked around for the shifty Kobold. "Where did you run off to, you poor excuse for a lizard."

Turning around slowly, Darlog scanned the bushes and trees for any movement. Aside from the animals that occasionally moved around, he did not see anything large moving around.

Moving towards the trees, he prepared his whip for another attack. "Come out, come out where ever you are."

With the force of bear, Perish emerged from the bushes leaping towards Darlog, who was surprised by her appearance. Landing on top of him, she started slashing at him with her claws. "Where is he? What the hell did you do to Kaz!?" The strikes kept coming as shreds of skin left the man's body as he gritted his teeth, refusing to scream at the pain. He grabbed his dagger from his belt and tried to swing it at her, but she was prepared for it. She dodged the swing and swiped at his wrist, connecting with it and slicing it open.

"Fuck!" He shouted as he grabbed his hand, trying to stem the bleeding. It was not looking good for him. Blood was oozing out quickly. He grunted as he pushed her off. She jumped back and prepared to attack again. He stood up and spit on the ground. "I don't know what happened to your little pet, but when I kill you, I will track him down and kill him too."

"You're not touching anyone anymore!" She charged him, and he yelled and charged her back, holding a dagger in his good hand. Dodging back and forth, they both landed more superficial cuts as they fought.

His blood was leaving his body quicker than he wanted, and he knew if he did not finish this quick, he would not make it. It was the same for Perish. The poison may have let her body move again, but it was still a little sluggish. A good move from her opponent could end her life.

Water splashed on Kaz's face, and he woke up slowly. He saw Perish and Darlog fighting. Trying to move, he felt his body not respond. "Perish getaway, he's dangerous." His voice did not carry over the waterfall, and the fight continued.

Perish backed up and prepared to charge him once more. She no longer had the opportunity for a surprise, so the fight was not going to be easy. Darlog's vision began to waver. He knew she was waiting him out. She had to know he was going to die soon. Making one last-ditch effort, he rushed Perish with his dagger and sliced for her throat. She aptly dodged it and spun behind him to pounce him and push him back to the ground. She was not sure why he was acting this way. She knew he was stronger than that, but he seemed desperate.

It clicked with her just now that he was bleeding out more than she thought. Using that knowledge, she continued to wait him out, and after minutes of dodging his weak attacks, he fell to the ground, unable to move.

"You win, you filthy mutt. But I won't be the last one."

Those words worried Perish a little, but something bothered her more. She could smell Kaz, but she could not see him. Just what happened to him?