Chương 8: Last Push

Kal's vision slowly cleared. He was hanging from a tree, his feet swaying. Just outside his vision, a branch protruded from his shoulder, keeping him pinned to the tree. Every little movement made him let out a gut-wrenching scream.

"Little pest," the demon said, his voice laced with anger. Kal glanced in front of him. The demon walked toward him with a limp on his left side, grimacing with every step. The left side of his body was covered in ichor, dripping onto the ground. Kal tried to find a way out of the situation, but the pain spread throughout his body, keeping his mind in agony. He saw the first time he found the book, then his family, and everything he held dear. Memories kept flashing through his head.

The countless hours he spent in the training ground, the days he'd spent with his family. No, Kal screamed inwardly. Today wasn't the day he would die. He had to survive, to complete his Coming-of-Age and experience the wonders of mana. Clenching his teeth, he pressed his right hand—the one holding the sword—against the side of the tree. He hoped the demon wouldn't notice it and that he would get a chance to strike before it was too late. The demon stopped a step away from him.

Moonlight illuminated his grin as he stared at Kal.

"You know," he said.

"For a human, you are really hard to kill." A chuckle escaped him as he took another step toward Kal. For the first time, under the moonlight, Kal was able to properly see the demon. His skin was dark grey, with two horns protruding from his head. The horns were small, just a few inches long. Other than that, he looked just like any humanoid Kal had ever met. He was also much taller, with a muscular build. Kal's heart stammered as he finally managed to take his first breath.

His chest filled with cool, fresh air that reinvigorated him. Just as the demon took another step, standing a few inches away from him, the demon raised his hand and wrapped it around Kal's throat.

"Bye, little human," the demon said, putting pressure around Kal's throat. Kal didn't say anything because his throat was on fire. He wanted to take a breath but couldn't. His vision slowly started fading, turning black. It was now or never, he thought, and clenched his hand around the hilt of his sword. He only had one chance to hit a vital point, or he was going to die in his first real fight. He clenched his teeth as he stared at a single point on the demon's throat.

A single opening that was free of any carapace. A point where his blade could pass through without effort. His survival depended on whether he could hit it. The pressure the demon applied to his throat increased as Kal felt like his eyes were about to pop. It hurt and his mind was barely able to keep up. He angled the sword slightly and, with all of his strength, pushed the blade forward. It pierced through the unprotected flesh and sank in deep. The demon's expression changed.

He was confused at first before it turned to shock. Kal twisted the blade as much as he could before his little strength faded, and the sword remained in his hand only because it was lodged in the demon's flesh. A spray of ichor followed, splattering across his head. The demon's free hand reached toward his neck, but because of the protruding carapace and the blade, he wasn't able to close the wound, and ichor flowed freely. In moments, his body grew unstable, and he swayed.

His hand around Kal's throat somehow stayed there without weakening at all. He tried to say something, but the only thing that left his mouth was a wet gurgle. Then he fell backward, taking Kal with him. As Kal fell with the demon, the branch tore through his wound. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. He let out a scream as the wound burned, and a pool of ichor started forming around them. Kal took a deep breath, burning his throat.

Wet gurgles came from the demon beneath him, and ichor flooded Kal's clothes. He had won. The demon was still alive, but he couldn't move his limbs, as if he were paralyzed. The only things that came from him were blood and wet choking noises. He'd gotten lucky, and his blade had done more than he'd first assumed. Still, he wasn't in any better circumstances. The left side of his body was barely responsive, and whenever he tried moving it, he was in agony.

Stabbing, burning, crushing—every kind of pain imaginable hit him at once. He would have probably screamed his lungs out from the pain, but his throat wasn't any better. He had won the fight somehow, but… would he survive? He wasn't sure. The only thing on his mind was to move, to leave the scene before any of the other demon folk came running and found him. But how? Where was he supposed to go? He raised his head. In front of him, just a few meters away, was the edge of the mountain.

Kal gritted his teeth and pushed himself off the demon's body. He slid off it and fell next to the demon, landing on his right side. Pain exploded throughout his body, and he vomited a mouthful of blood. His vision tunneled at the edges. It took him a few moments, but he managed to take hold of himself. The sword was somehow still in his hand, and from the position he lay in, he managed to put it back in its sheath.

Just a few steps away from him lay the dagger, so he pushed himself forward with his right leg while burying his right hand in the ground and pulling himself along. Tears streamed down his cheeks; perhaps it was even blood. He had a few potions in his backpack, but he didn't feel it on his back. I am going to live, he screamed inside his head as he pushed himself again. And again. He wasn't sure how long it had taken him to reach the dagger, but he didn't take it.

The ground was too hard for the dagger to pierce; his hand would be much better for dragging his battered body. He ignored the dagger and pushed himself again, and again. Time passed slowly as every push took more of his strength. His vision darkened with every push. His eyes wanted to close, to rest for a bit.

"No," he managed to mutter as he pushed himself again. A painful groan escaped him. The demons would be there at any moment; he needed to escape before they came. After what felt like an eternity, the edge was just a few steps away. Would he escape or fall to his death? Kal didn't know, but he didn't have the time, nor the mind, to consider it. All he knew was that staying where he was meant certain death, and he didn't plan on dying at the hands of the demon folk.

Just as his push ended, he felt vibrations in the ground around him before footsteps echoed from the side. The wyvern core. As the footsteps kept approaching, his thoughts wandered over the core. Maybe he should start his awakening and somehow… No. Even though he wasn't thinking straight, he knew that starting the awakening process would just kill him even before the demon reached him. He cursed and pushed himself again. With every push, he got closer to the edge.

The noise of the footsteps grew louder; they were just a few seconds away from reaching him. Fuck. One more! He pushed and pushed. His hand reached forward and grabbed empty air. Painfully, he raised his head and saw the darkness in front of him. He had reached the edge. The footsteps were really close as he grabbed the edge and pushed himself once more. With the last push, his head came over the edge, along with part of his shoulders. He stared down the mountain, but the only thing he saw was darkness.

The moonlight didn't help at all; all he saw was pure darkness. His heart stammered. Was today the day he would die? He hesitated as the cool air caressed his face. From the start of his Coming-of-Age, nothing had gone right. From the Moonweaver fight to the demon folk flooding the mountain and breaking the pact that had held for decades. At least, he assumed it was the same pact Naezil mentioned. He wasn't sure what part was broken, as skirmishes happened once every few years.

Still, the Moonweaver had said it, which meant that this time, it wasn't going to be a simple skirmish.

"Ev du lauon," a demon shouted in the distance. Kal stared at the darkness as the footsteps grew louder behind him. He didn't really have a choice. If the demon caught him, he would still die, but he was going to suffer and make his father's decisions harder. They would use him to get something from his family before killing him. Or perhaps they would just kill him to take revenge for the demon he'd killed. Looking at the darkness below him, it felt much better than dying at the hands of the demon folk.

Somehow, through all of the pain, he let out a chuckle and pushed himself one last time. In moments, he felt the cool air caress his body, and most of the pain went numb before darkness enveloped him. Warmth spread through his body from his pocket, where he'd put the core.

"I overdid it… didn't I? Well… at least the reward will be better," a voice resounded in his head before everything went dark.