Chapter 792: Findir’s Mission (5)
Findir stood over the fallen creature, his body trembling from the exertion and the pain of his injuries. He had taken another hefty hit during the fight, but he had minimized the damage as much as he could. His side burned where the bear’s claws had raked him, but he was still standing.
Two monsters down. One more to go.
Findir wiped the sweat from his brow, his eyes narrowing as the final beast lumbered into view. This one was different—more cautious, more deliberate in its movements. Its hulking form was covered in thick, stone-like scales, and it moved with a cold, calculated purpose that the previous two monsters lacked. Its beady eyes, glowing a faint orange, followed his every movement as it stalked closer.
The monster resembled a gargantuan lizard, its massive claws scraping against the ground with each step. But the most unnerving part was the ridged spikes running down its spine, shimmering with an eerie light, as if they were imbued with some kind of magic.
This one’s smarter... stronger, too, Findir noted, his heart racing as he analyzed its every move. He could sense its raw power radiating off of it—this wasn’t a fight he could afford to make a mistake in.
He inhaled deeply, feeling the familiar surge of wind gathering around him. Unlike the previous battles, Findir knew this fight would demand even more precision. No mistakes. No hits.
With a sudden burst of speed, the lizard lunged forward, its mouth wide open, revealing rows of sharp teeth. Findir was ready. He darted to the side, his form blurring with the wind as the beast’s jaws snapped shut where he’d stood a split second ago.
The creature let out a frustrated hiss, spinning around with surprising agility for its size. Findir was already on the move, weaving between the trees, his movements fluid and effortless. The lizard roared in frustration, swiping its massive claws at him, but Findir stayed just out of reach, each motion guided by the wind at his back.
He was careful this time—more than he had been before. He studied every movement of the beast, looking for an opening. The creature’s scales were too thick for a direct attack, so he would have to chip away at its defenses bit by bit.
Summoning his wind daggers, he circled the creature, always staying just a few steps ahead of its attacks. The monster lashed out again, but Findir was quicker. He ducked under the swipe and dashed forward, slashing at one of its legs. The wind blade barely left a mark, but it was enough to make the creature flinch.
Good, he thought. Wearing it down slowly. No mistakes.
The fight dragged on, every second feeling like an eternity. Findir moved like a shadow, always slipping just beyond the creature’s reach. He never stayed in one place for too long, and never gave the beast a chance to land a hit. His strikes were precise, always aimed at weak points—under its legs, around the joints where the scales were thinner.
The lizard roared again, spinning in place as it tried to catch him. But Findir was already gone, using the thick branches of the towering trees to his advantage. He leaped onto one of the lower branches and then onto another, higher up, gaining the high ground. From there, he hurled a wind dagger toward the creature’s exposed neck.
The blade struck true, and the beast recoiled, thrashing violently as it tried to dislodge the ethereal weapon. Findir didn’t stop. He leaped from the branches, landing lightly on the ground behind the creature. With another swift motion, he conjured more wind blades and aimed for the soft underbelly of the beast.
The creature roared in pain, stumbling as Findir’s blades found their mark. But still, it refused to fall. It whipped around again, its spiked tail swinging toward him like a wrecking ball. Findir dodged, barely missing the tail as it slammed into the ground, leaving a crater where he had stood.
"Stay focused. One mistake, and it’s over," Findir thought to himself.
The fight stretched on, each exchange more exhausting than the last. Findir’s muscles burned, and his breath came in shallow gasps, but he refused to falter. He kept up the assault, never letting the creature get close enough to land a hit. Slowly but surely, he wore it down.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the lizard stumbled, its movements sluggish and uncoordinated. Findir saw his chance. With a burst of speed, he dashed forward, summoning one final wind blade. He leapt into the air, aiming for the back of the creature’s neck, where the scales were thinnest.
The blade struck true, sinking deep into the creature’s flesh. The lizard let out one last, agonized roar before collapsing to the ground, its body twitching before going still.
Findir landed softly beside the fallen beast, his body trembling from the effort but unscathed. He had done it. Not a single hit. The monster was dead, and he had survived.
But there was still one more monster left—and it was only a matter of time before it found him again.
Findir steadied himself, his breath ragged but controlled as he prepared for the next monster. This one was equally vicious, resembling a towering, bear-like beast with claws the size of swords and thick fur that glistened with a faint, supernatural sheen. Its eyes glowed with a wild fury, and its roars echoed through the forest, rattling the trees around them.
Once again, Findir danced around it, using the same tactics that had served him well thus far—his agility and knowledge of the forest giving him a significant edge. He used the massive trees as shields, slipping between them while slashing with his wind daggers. Each strike was aimed at the beast’s weak points, slicing at its joints and soft underbelly, slowly wearing it down.
But this time, he allowed himself to take a few hits, knowing he couldn’t afford to drag the fight out for too long. A heavy paw struck him in the side, sending him sprawling against the rough bark of a nearby tree. Gasping for breath, he pushed himself up, clutching his ribs as the beast lumbered toward him. The pain was sharp, but it was manageable. He could take it.
The monster charged again, and Findir rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding its crushing weight. He retaliated with a swift strike of wind, a blade slicing across its flank and drawing a pained roar from the creature. It was close now—too close to death to put up much of a fight. One more hit, and he would end this.
Just as Findir readied his final blow, a dark blur shot out from the shadows. The leopard.
The sleek, black panther leaped onto the dying beast, sinking its fangs into the creature’s neck. Findir’s eyes widened in surprise as he watched the leopard inject some form of shadowy magic into the nearly-dead monster. The beast’s body convulsed, and a black mist began to seep from its wounds, swirling around its massive form like a cloud of darkness.
"What the hell—?"
Findir didn’t wait to find out what was happening. He darted toward the leopard, his wind-dagger shimmering in his hand. In one swift, fluid motion, he decapitated the panther, its head falling to the ground with a thud. The body collapsed beside it, limp and lifeless.
But just as he turned back to the monster, its eyes snapped open.
A chilling black mist poured from the beast’s pupils, swirling like smoke from a fire. Its injuries, which had been so grievous moments ago, began to emit the same dark mist. The gashes and cuts on its body pulsed with shadowy energy, the wounds sealing with unnatural magic.
The creature, now infused with shadow, rose to its feet once more, its once-wild eyes now a void of swirling darkness. The air around it grew colder, and the oppressive aura of death loomed as it turned toward Findir. The fight was far from over—now, it was something far worse.
Findir stood still for a moment, staring at the resurrected monster with hollow, empty eyes. The black mist swirling around it should have sent chills down his spine, but instead, something snapped. His lips curled, and suddenly, he burst out laughing—a wild, unrestrained cackle that echoed through the forest. It was hysterical, almost deranged, and it filled the night air with an eerie, unsettling sound. The monstrous creature, though enraged, hesitated for a moment, slightly unnerved by the bizarre display.
Tears welled in Findir’s eyes as he doubled over, his laughter ringing out louder. He turned his gaze toward the lifeless corpse of the leopard, sprawled out on the forest floor, its decapitated head lying not far from its body.
"You—" Findir howled, barely able to catch his breath, "You stupid cat! You sacrificed yourself for nothing!"
His laughter grew even louder, sending the shadow-infused monster into a frenzy, but before it could react, Findir dashed in the opposite direction. His body blurred with speed, his movements almost too fast to follow. He darted through the forest with ease, weaving between the massive trees, his steps so light that it seemed he barely touched the ground.
"You and your master—dumbasses!" Findir screamed between gasps of hysterical laughter, the sound of his mocking voice carrying back to the shadowy monster struggling to keep up. "What did you think? That I’d stay and fight all those monsters? Ha! No way!"
His speed was unmatched, and the dense forest was his domain. He moved with the grace of the wind itself, disappearing into the thick underbrush, his laughter never ceasing. The monstrous creature behind him bellowed in frustration, but it was too slow, too clumsy to follow him through the maze of trees.
Findir spun around mid-sprint, shouting back at the darkness with a crazed grin on his face. "You thought you’d stop me? You thought I’d take down all of your little pets? Idiots!" He laughed again, shaking his head. "That last one’s barely alive, running on fumes, it’ll croak in a few hours anyway!"
His voice dripped with mockery, directed as much at the elf as it was at the leopard. "And you—whoever you are, you dumbass elf, what did you think your little kitty was going to accomplish here? You’re too stupid to know when you’ve already lost!"
He kept running, his laughter still echoing through the forest, knowing full well that the injured, shadow-ridden monster would never catch him.
