Struggling to move, Iramo slowly lifts his hands, seeing his arms wrappings soaked from the inside out, spewing blood onto the scorching ground. Shocked to see it vanishing without a sound before his eyes, leaving a deep, red stain across the ground. A Shadow Of Blood that told Iramo two things… he can’t stay here. An if he didn’t make it out soon… his body would never be found. In such a harsh, unforgiving heat, he’d vanish without a trace.

  “That… really hurt.”

  If I didn’t have my guard up, I’d probably be dead. My arms are aching and trembling and I got this awful pain in my head.

  “Your heartless. I liked you better when you were playing dead. Guess it’s my fault though, I should of left you alone.”

  Laying back onto the hot rocks, Iramo looks around to see just how far he had gone in land and realizes just how far he had flew when he recognized the whistling of the winds up so high.

  “You didn’t have to hit me so hard, I damn sure wasn’t the one who put you down! But jokes on you just put me on step closer to getting out of this place.”

  Forcing himself up, Iramo grabs onto the jagged rocks pulling himself up with his hands. Ignoring the pain as he watches blood profusely sliding down his arms, slowly flowing onto his chest. Each drop of blood staining his vest and igniting his wrath.

  “Next time I see you I’m gonna send you right through a fucking mountain! Lets see how you like it, when I get you back! And trust me… after all this— I’m gonna make sure it’s the first thing I do! You’ll be paying me back in blood, until I’m even with you.”

  Using the little strength he’s recovered, Iramo stumbles forward, firmly plants his feet while he keeps himself up with his hands and gathers all his strength stand. Pushing through the pain as he moves his left foot forward then the right, wincing from the pain while applies pressure with his hands to steady his legs.

  “FUCK! That’ll have do at least for now. Come on body— don’t you go giving up on me now! Your all I got left! If I die, you die and there’s no fun in that. So lets keep going until we find our way to the light. Once we made it there, I’ll take over and let you rest. Until then, keep doing your best.”

  Powering forward through the blazing heat, Iramo makes his way up the mountain in search of the blue light The Voice spoke of, in hope of a quick way home. Seeing the trail of destruction the Blue Beast left behind tearing through the mountain side, leaving crater all around.

  It single handily was reshaping the land. Turning the Black Desert, into a No Man’s Land. A dead zone known as The Deion’s Den. A region filled with unspeakable terrors, thriving off the relics from the past and those foolish enough to touch the black sands.

  I can’t help but wonder, how will he do on his own? But when you're A Star Baby, you're never really all alone.

  “Well, well, well. Your sure far from home. Ouu and you don’t look like a local either! A very special case. Its been a while since anyone new’s been up here. Lets see how far you’ll go, before we meet face too face.”

  Slurping on a white substance, coming from it’s hand. This creature watches over Iramo from a far, looking down on him as he struggles through the mountain, rubbing on its scar.

  “I think I’ll keep you alive, It’d be so boring to die in this place. Maybe I should act as a mentor? Guide him along his path? And right when he trust me — BAM! I vanish. That would be a good laugh and the perfect way to have some fun. Or should I save him then put him back on the run? So many options so little time to decide. I better get ready, soon he’ll reach this side. Oh, I love it when two fates collide!”

  Waving it’s hands, then vanishing into thin air. The mountain began to shake and all around Iramo monsters appeared. Crawling out of the cracks, soaring through the air, no matter which way he turns a new beast appears. Circling him from the ground and the air.

  Great. Now I have to deal with this too. That’s totally fair.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “I’m in a hurry, I’d appreciate it if you got out the way.”

  But Iramo’s words we’re drowned out by the screams of the massive beasts gathering around him.

  I guess it wouldn’t be that easy, right? But they didn’t even try to hear me out. Oh well, to late now.

  Snapping back to reality, Iramo quickly slid across the ground narrowly dodging a razor sharp beak brushing by his head as he rolled underneath it, only to be caught by its claws wrapping around his arms, narrowing missing his chest as it drags him away. Pulling him up into to the skies while he holds onto it’s claws as tight as he can, keeping them away from his chest the best he can to avoid them piercing his vest.

  Barely holding back its wings as it spreads them even further, pushing out black spikes, covered in blue blood, from deep within it’s skin. Almost taking out his eyes as they spring forward but Iramo swiftly pulls back and kicks them away, narrowly dodging death this time.

  “That was a cheap trick! But if we’re playing like that I’ll do one too!”

  Spitting right in it’s eye, Iramo waits until it blinks then slams his hand against the it’s spikes, again and again. Enduring its deafening cries of pain as shards fly all over the place, slashing up his hand as he rips a bone from its back and drives it straight through its face. An out the other side of its skull, spreading bloody, chunks of flesh all over the ground as he popped its eye.

  Holding on as tight as he can while it screams and thrashes around, flying higher into the sky before plummeting down to the ground. Knocking up a cloud of dust as Iramo throws himself onto its back.

  “You started it! So you got no right to complain! Fuck! All that damn yelling nearly rattled my brain! I can’t hear shit right now!”

  Taking advantage of the monsters hesitation, Iramo pulls two spiky bones from its back and holds them as tight as he can.

  “Don’t be scared now! This is what you all came for, lets dance!”

  Charging in with a venomous roar, Iramo gave them no time to advance as he plunged his daggers into a slimy creature with six long hands, swatting him away, right into its sharp tail that, leaving a deep gash across his leg. But driven by pure determination, Iramo gritted his teeth and ran around its side, cutting off its hands from behind its back. Avoiding its blue blood as he ran up its back and cut off it’s head. But to his surprise it was far from dead.

  An before he could dodge out the way Iramo was knocked back by another head, coming out its chest this time, bashing him hard in the head. But he didn’t falter. Even as it dragged him across the ground, Iramo held on and stabbed the bones into the side of its head over and over again until he was sure its dead. Standing over its half blind as he drifts in and out of consciousness.

  Staring down the monsters with that same vicious look in his eyes, that showed no fear. Driving the few of them that had any sense left away in fear. But even those who stayed could feel it… that death was near. If they weren’t careful a beast not even half their size would take them there.

  Stumbling as he walks through the blood bath, Iramo pulls the blades out its head and forces himself to stand.

  I’ve lost too much blood— there's no going back! I- have push forward, I can’t let them push me back!

  But while Iramo fights for his life, he’s being watched in plain sight. By a disturbing individual shrouded in white from a far. Pacing back and forth as he carefully studies every move, savoring the fight. Eagerly waiting for Iramo’s next move with a sadistic smile spread across his face as blood begins to fly.

  “Wow! You outdid yourself! Your really killing them left and right! Its like your in a trance! I didn’t expect this at all but indeed my boy, lets dance! I wonder just how far you can go while taking that stance! Oh just the thought of you pulling you apart gives me a such sweet delight! But if your going to make it here boy— you need to know how to fight. Or else there’s no way you’ll make it through a night.”

  Cheerfully shouting from up the mountain, deep within the trees, the Mountain Man mimics Iramo’s attacks and throws his hand to the sky.

  “I’m routing for you do your best to win! They may be monsters in your eyes but they far kinder than the people you’ll face. Compared to the ones beyond this mountain they’re all saints in my eyes. Because unlike the real monsters, they only kill to survive. But you’ll see that once you reach that place— if you survive.”

  Licking the hands palm intensely, the Mountian Man throws them back into the sky as a green mask with black cracks spreading from the nose appear on his face.

  “Maybe while your here, I’ll teach you my poker face. You should be able to learn it easily since your not from this place.”

  Looking to the skies, he turns his head left and right then up and down. Checking every direction before dared to face the ground again and the realization settled in as he watched Iramo drag a lifeless body across the ground. Driving his foot into it’s head over and over again until he didn’t hear a sound.

  “So it was you! But your not… you are. So that’s why you came falling from the stars. Your fates worst than mines! An now your even beyond reason, be grateful for time. Because once he's gone… it’ll only be matter of how much you can take! No matter how tuff you are star baby, make no mistake! Before Chaos all men will break!”

  Slowly watching as one of it’s eyes rolled across the ground, matching his gaze and reflecting his eyes. Iramo saw an overpowering flash of purple in the center of his eyes, surrounded by endless black clouds. Slowly turning about the center as it remains the same. Flickering intensely as he stares into and hears his name.

  “Iramo!”

  …

  “Iramo!”