From hunter to prey(end)

(Author: The following will be two chapters in one. ps: contains several explicit scenes of goore.)

-------------------------

Narak approached slowly, savoring the moment, while the guards positioned themselves around Mark, ready to intervene if necessary. The tension was palpable, and the air was thick with the metallic smell of blood and dust.

"Alright, guys, hold him down while I break every bone. I want him to feel every single blow." -Ordered Narak, a sardonic smile framed by a cruel light in his eyes.

The guards moved closer to Mark, but he, with one last effort, lifted his claymore. Every muscle in his body screamed with fatigue, but he couldn't allow them to take him without a fight. Taking a deep breath, he prepared to defend himself.

One of the soldiers advanced, and Mark, with a desperate move, swung the claymore in a wide arc. The blade met the metal of the soldier's armor, producing a grating sound. Although the strike wasn't enough to hurt the opponent, it pushed him back a few steps.

"Come on if you've got the guts!" -Growled Mark, gripping the claymore with trembling hands.

Another soldier lunged at him, and Mark parried the attack with a clumsy but effective movement. The clash of swords filled the air, and Mark's every move was driven more by desperation than technique. But he knew he couldn't keep this up for long.

The third soldier advanced, this time more cautiously. Mark took a step back, trying to keep his balance. With a quick dash, the soldier managed to hit his side with the flat of his sword, making him fall to his knees. The claymore slipped from his hands, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

Mark gasped, trying to recover. The throbbing pain in his side and the exhaustion permeating every fiber of his being made it hard to think clearly. Narak stepped forward slowly, his cruel smile wider than ever.

"You know, in my own way, I respect you. Not many have this kind of grit before they die." -Narak said mockingly.

Mark looked up, eyes full of defiance. He hissed through his teeth, trying to get up.

Narak chuckled at the sight.

"Let's finish this."

The guards moved in again, ready to end it. Mark tried to rise, but his strength was leaving him. However, just then, a deafening noise filled the hall.

A strong tremor shook the ground, and within moments the ceiling began to collapse. Large boulders and debris fell, creating an impenetrable barrier of rocks and dust between Mark and Narak.

"Not again!" -Shouted Narak, trying to shield himself from the sudden collapse.

Despite being injured and exhausted, Mark seized the opportunity. With a superhuman effort, he got up and staggered away from the landslide, searching for an escape route. The dust slowly settled, revealing the devastation caused by the collapse.

"Where did he go?!" -Yelled Narak furiously, trying to see through the dust cloud.

Mark didn't respond. Using the chaos to his advantage, he moved as quietly as possible, trying to put as much distance as he could between himself and Narak. Every step was a battle against pain and exhaustion, but the will to survive drove him forward.

He found a side passage partially hidden by debris and slipped inside, hoping that Narak and his guards wouldn't be able to follow him immediately. As he moved deeper into the passage, the sounds of battle and the collapse faded, leaving him alone with his heavy breathing and frantic heartbeat.

Heavy breathing.

Mark walked, staggering. He clutched the wound caused by the hobgoblin, but it was impossible to stop the bleeding that was weakening him more and more.

'Just a bit more... I have to keep going a bit more.'

Even Mark didn't know where he was finding the will to move, but he would never give up, not when he had been given the chance to start over.

"MOVE!"

Yelling at himself, he quickened his pace, leaving a trail of blood behind. His goal was the light he saw at the end of the rocky tunnel. He walked with all his strength and when he reached his destination, reality made him fall to his knees.

"Haaa... this is bad..."

The light he had seen was just a small crack, who knew how many meters of rock and stone were away from the surface.

'Think, there has to be something, I can't die like this!'

Mark looked around with the little strength he had, but he was at a dead end. Going back meant facing Narak while staying meant bleeding to death.

'That is if they don't find me first.' -He thought ironically, before coughing up another mouthful of blood.

"If only I had... a bit of energy..."

After saying those words, an idea popped into Mark's head and after rummaging through his clothes, he pulled out the magic stone of the monster he had defeated.

[I strongly advise the host not to do what you are thinking.]

Mark ignored his words and asked the question that interested him most at that critical moment.

'Just tell me this, can I absorb the energy in here?'

Mark's idea was born from the nature of monsters. Every monster had a magic stone inside it that acted as a core; this meant that inside them there was enough energy to give life to something, and considering that Mark absorbed the vital energy present in the world to become stronger, his hypothesis was more than possible.

[Technically you can, but I advise against it.]

'Why?'

[The energy in those stones isn't something you want to merge with. They contain a high amount of impurities, you'd only harm yourself.]

Noises.

In the distance, Mark could hear the sounds of voices and destruction, indicating that his pursuers were getting closer, increasing his anxiety.

"Damn it, Guide! Look at the situation I'm in, do you think I have the luxury to worry about impurities? Just tell me how to do it!" -Shouted Mark, causing a fit of bloody coughing.

[There will be consequences.]

"I... don't... care." -Said Mark, feeling even weaker after that cough.

[I understand. Use the breathing technique I taught you, but this time you must ignore everything around you and focus only on the stone in your hand.]

Mark didn't hesitate and immediately got into the ideal state. It took Mark several attempts to ignore the energy around him and focus only on the one in his hand.

It was much denser than he was used to, to the point that he couldn't even absorb it. Mark tried to concentrate as much as he could, but the results were still meager. If he had to describe the sensation he was feeling in words, it was like trying to suck honey through a straw. Still, he didn't give up and tried again and again, until that dark energy lump began to pour into his core.

Initially, Mark thought it would be cold, but on the contrary, it was warm and energetic, and the more he absorbed it, the stronger that sensation became, like regaining strength.

[Now, host, stop absorbing.] 

The Guide commanded.

But Mark didn't respond and his absorption rate increased even more.

[Host, you're absorbing too much energy, stop it.]

"I-I can't, i-it's entering on its own! ARGHHA!"

All that influx of energy was flooding into Mark's core, tearing him apart with the burning sensation he was experiencing.

[Host, your body can't contain all that energy, if you continue, your soul will collapse.]

"I-I'M TRYING! ARGHHAAAA!"

Even throwing away the stone, the flow of energy continued to enter him. Mark writhed like a madman to erase that horrible sensation he was feeling.

"AHHHHH! MY HEAD!"

[Host, you need to immediately @#]'%%& before /%£$% effects %/&()??= corruption § °§* danger.]

The Guide's voice became unrecognizable due to the noise coming from who knows where.

"GUIDEEEEE!"

With that last desperate cry, Mark's mind was engulfed in darkness, and the fragment he had thrown away turned to dust, leaving that place in a macabre silence.

(Change of perspective.)

"Hurry up if you don't want your heads destroyed!" -Narak roared furiously.

The desperate guards searched for traces of Mark, but the landslide made their task much more difficult.

Watching the scene, Narak clicked his tongue in annoyance. He knew Mark was seriously injured, but he wanted to make sure he saw the corpse with his own eyes.

"Found something!"

Hearing one of the guards cry out, Narak approached where they pointed. There was a small passage through the rubble with traces of blood.

Narak laughed coldly and with a powerful kick, he swept away the debris, creating a passage.

"Let's go."

The group continued through the dark tunnel, finding more and more traces of blood that indicated Mark's presence.

They continued straight until they reached a dimly lit room with a breach in the ceiling, and leaning against the wall at the far end was Mark's lifeless body in a pool of blood.

"Is... he dead?" -One of the guards asked.

"Not yet." -Narak could see he was still breathing.

"You, go finish him." -He said, pointing to one of the guards.

The guard looked terrified first at Narak, who stared coldly, and then at Mark's half-dead body. The choice was immediate. The guard approached slowly until he was near Mark's body, and once there, he lifted the sword and swung it down forcefully.

"What the..."

The blow narrowly missed the body. The guard tried again, but once more it went wide. Several more attempts followed, each one futile.

"Stop wasting time!" -Narak yelled at him.

"I'm trying, but I can't hit him."

The guard raised the sword again, noticing Mark's eyes were open, staring at him mockingly, with a smile so twisted it was macabre.

He tried to step back quickly, but Mark's legs shackled his own, and the next moment the guard found himself on the ground with Mark's foot on his face.

Inhales.

"Haaaaa... god... I feel so fucking good!"

Mark yelled to the sky with outstretched arms, as if it were the peak moment of his life.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" -Narak asked, feeling an extremely unpleasant sensation.

"What's wrong with me?! I've never felt so full of energy!" -Mark energetically jumped on the spot, not realizing he was repeatedly crushing the guard beneath him.

"UGHA!"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot you were there." -Mark said apologetically but didn't remove his foot from the guard's face.

"I'm talking about your eyes, what the fuck is wrong with them?"

"My eyes?"

Mark touched his eyes as if searching for something strange. What he couldn't see, however, was how his pupils had become X-shaped and scarlet.

"Well, never mind. Now, gentlemen, I'm glad you've all gathered-"

"UGhhH!"

"As I was saying, I'm glad-"

"Aghh!"

"I'm glad-"

"UGha!"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP!"

Mark's shout echoed through the room, making everyone's ears ring.

"Seriously, I'm trying to give a serious speech here, but you keep making weird noises. Don't you think you're overdoing it?" -Mark asked, displeased as if he weren't the reason behind the guard's pain.

"Please..." -The guard pleaded, feeling his head beginning to crack.

"Haaa, will you be quiet?" -Mark asked with a sigh.

"Y-YES!"

"Okay, but stay still, I need a pedestal."

Mark used the guard's head as a pedestal to look at the others and tried to resume his speech.

"As I was saying-"

Crack!

The guard's head couldn't withstand the pressure and exploded like a watermelon being squeezed.

"Oops... I've gained a bit too much weight, don't you think? Oh, right, you're dead. Anyway, what I wanted to say embarrasses me a bit, but I'm about to kill all of you." -He said, winking at them.

For the first time in his life, Narak felt a chilling shiver run down his spine. Mark's smile, that twisted and cruel smirk, spoke of limitless madness, of sadism he had never encountered before. The other guards exchanged terrified glances, trying to decide whether to fight or flee.

"Attack! You all saw how he ran before, he's bluffing!" -Narak cried out, urging the guards to muster courage and attack.

"Oh no! How did you uncover my secret?!" -Mark melodramatically exclaimed, bracing himself for the grim future ahead.

One of the guards was the first to reach Mark and delivered a fierce strike. The two stood back to back, as often seen in movies.

"You did well... a good attack." -Mark said, taking a few uncertain steps as if about to fall.

"...Pff, oh shit, I laughed. Let's do it again, let's do it again, this time I'm serious. Anyway, it seems you need a hand, here, I've got one right here."

Mark tossed something to the guard, who instinctively caught it, quickly realizing his anomaly, and when he saw what he held, an inhuman scream of pain erupted from his mouth.

"HAAAAHHAA! My arm!"

The guards immediately froze at the horrifying scene, while Mark shook his head in offense.

"Look at the manners you were taught. I offer a hand and this is how you react, right guys?"

Seeing Mark's smile, each of them felt the specter of death at their necks, but they still had a chance, or so they thought.

"Anyway, where did Narak go?"

At Mark's words, the remaining three guards glanced back quickly, only to find no trace of Narak, sealing their fate.

"Wow, that guy is really something. He escaped so quickly I didn't even notice."

Two guards froze when they heard Mark's voice in their ears and his arms around their shoulders.

"Mercy." -One of them begged, terrified.

"Look, I would, but... no, actually, I wouldn't."

With a swift motion, both their heads were turned.

"Alright, looks like it's just you left." -Mark said excitedly, eyeing the last guard whose legs trembled so much he couldn't stand.

"P-Please, I have a wife and a daughter, if I die, no one will take care of them!" -The trembling man pleaded.

"God, that's a tear-jerker story! But like... how can I put this... I don't give a shit." -Mark said awkwardly.

"P-Please."

"Okay... okay. Let's play a game. If you cut off a finger without making the slightest sound, I'll say you've won and let you live."

"E-Eh?"

Before the guard could even realize it, he had a dagger near his hand and another pointed at his temple, held tightly by Mark.

"What are you waiting for, do it." -Mark said impatiently.

At that close distance, the guard could see Mark's distorted eyes more clearly, and he began to tremble even more.

"D-Don't make me do this."

"3"

"I'll be your slave!"

"2"

"I know secrets, lots of secrets!"

"1, you're-going-to-die." -Mark slowly enunciated each word into his ear.

"I'LL DO IT! I'LL DO IT!"

Desperate, the man picked up the dagger, his hand trembled so much that he could barely hold it steady, but despite that, he gathered his courage and swiftly cut off his pinky in one go. 

The pain was so intense he wanted to pass out, but he didn't make a single sound; his face turned purple, veins bulging on his neck.

"You're great, you didn't make a single sound." -Mark said admiringly.

"I-I won." -The exhausted but relieved man said.

"Hisss... why did you speak? You were supposed to wait for me to say you win, too bad." -Mark sighed sadly.

"N-"

Before the man could say anything else, his head was stabbed.

"I know it may seem unfair, but I don't make the rules, well technically I do, but you get the point... and once again I forget he's already dead, seriously Mark, you gotta stop doing this, it's weird." -He scolded himself, in what had become a true chamber of horrors.

Meanwhile, Narak was running as fast as he could. He didn't know what was wrong with Mark, but he knew he was extremely dangerous. Without waiting a moment, he escaped and used the others as a diversion.

"Finally out of that shit cave."

Narak sighed with relief when he felt the sunlight and tried to head towards the carriages, but he heard a voice that made every hair on his body stand.

"N-a-r-a-k, where are you going in such a hurry?"

Mark's figure emerged from the cave covered in the blood of the people he had killed.

"Y-You!"

Narak pointed his giant axe at him, but he too began to fear the monster in front of him.

"You know, I've been thinking of different ways to kill you, obviously nothing personal, but you know, you're a huge piece of shit following a half-dead person into a dark, cold cave." -Mark said offended.

"DIE!"

Narak was tired of Mark's nonsensical speeches and attacked, hoping the wounds inflicted by the monster had weakened him.

"Hahaha! That's more like it! Let's have a proper showdown, like in the movies, where the charismatic hero, me, fatally battles his first boss, you!" -Mark exclaimed.

Mark drew the stolen sword and counterattacked, and it was immediately clear who had the upper hand, as Narak was thrown aside.

"Ummm, Narak, you should try harder. This should be a fight to the death, you know?" -Mark criticized him.

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

Standing back up, Narak attacked again with all his strength, but Mark easily dodged. Narak attempted a series of attacks, but none of them troubled Mark, who went from having an excited smile to a bored expression.

"Narak, can you start taking this seriously now? Come on, this is when you reveal your hidden card and endanger the hero." 

Mark tried to spur Narak on, but seeing him out of breath and dripping with sweat made his jaw almost touch the ground.

"D-Don't tell me this is seriously your best?" -Mark asked, shocked.

"S-Shut up!"

With that shout, Narak attacked again, but his hand was easily grabbed by Mark and then broken. Narak screamed in terror as Mark looked down on him increasingly disappointed and contemptuous.

"What a shame, all those years ruling only to end up this incompetent." -Mark taunted as he circled Narak, sliding the blade across his body, and cutting him slowly.

"S-Stop!"

Narak tried to pull away, but Mark crushed his ankle, stopping him.

"Argh!"

"Hoho, the great Narak reduced to a poor cripple."

"S-Shut up! I'll kill you!"

Narak yelled, trying to muster the courage, but he continued to be slowly wounded by Mark, quickly erasing that courage he had.

"Tell me, how does it feel? In the citadel you were revered and idolized, feared by all, but here in this dusty land, you're worth nothing, zero."

Mark plunged the blade into Narak's shoulder, causing him to scream in pain once again.

"S-Stop! Tell me what you want and I'll give you everything! W-women, money, power, you can have it all!"

Seeing him begin to beg, a smile as charismatic as it was sadistic began to form on Mark's lips.

"Are you afraid? After all, you know you're about to die. A slow and shameful death, like the dog you are." -Mark whispered gently.

"N-N-No. G-go away! Go away!"

Desperate, Narak tried to crawl away, and Mark followed him slowly, enjoying the spectacle.

"Look at you go, so fast. Are you sure you weren't a worm in your past life?" -Mark joked.

Mark continued to inflict minor wounds and force Narak to crawl while he screamed in desperation, and after moving several tens of meters, Narak's body moved no more.

Mark lifted him by the hair and beat him several times, but there was no reaction, and in his still-open eyes, only the shadow of death remained.

"Hahahaha! I can't believe it, he died of a heart attack!"

Mark laughed so hard that tears streamed down his face. Holding his stomach from the pain of uncontrollable laughter, he tried to catch his breath.

"Haaaa, you really outdid yourself with this one... and here I am talking to a corpse again, I seriously think I have a problem."

Shaking his head, Mark walked away from Narak's corpse, humming to himself, heading towards the carriages. Slowly, as he walked carefree, there was a change. His X-shaped pupils began to return to their original shape and color, and all the joy and euphoria he had felt up until then was replaced by the realization of what he had done.

He breathed deeply, his chest rising and falling heavily. He raised his trembling, blood-stained hands and a hoarse, broken voice escaped his lips.

"What have I done..."