I was feeling terrible. The horrible stench in the caverns, the taste of bile in my mouth, as well as the excitement and dread I felt at the imminent confrontation wore me down significantly. I stumbled after Shizuka as she dragged me forward, venturing deeper into the cavern. The deeper we went, the more I got the feeling that the horrifying stench got stronger. The floor was littered with bones and slippery pieces of bloody flesh, and I almost slipped as I followed Shizuka and the others.

  Chills ran down my back when a gruesome voice came from behind us. The voice sounded like someone combined all creepy sounds into one, and then formed words out of it.

  “Ah… fresh skin, still warm with purpose. Let’s see how long you last before you beg me to be hollow.”

  I turned around to the source of this sound. In the entrance of the cavern stood… something. His overall form was human, but he had something strange about him. His body was shifting in a grotesque way, like it was unsure which form to take. His organs seemed to be moving around in his body, not knowing where they belonged, and he leaned heavily onto a walking stick for support as the muscles, tendons and bones of his legs shifted restlessly. He started walking towards us and I involuntarily took a step back. He took a step forward, then dragged the rest of his body behind. This way of moving was as grotesque as his body itself, and it almost made me vomit a second time.

  “I must admit, I’m growing tired of adventurers coming here but…you are different. You came here willingly, knowing what awaits you. That’s very brave. Or shall I say… foolish. Either way, I will savor the taste of your courage as it rots on my tongue.”

  As he approached steadily, the others got ready to fight. Now that we had turned around, all of them were behind me, so I didn’t know what they were up to, but I could hear Shizuka ready her bow and Ryu draw his sword. Kuro’s light orb got brighter, now illuminating almost all of the cavern, and bathing all of us, including the Flesh Eater, in warm light. I got ready as well, unclasping my mace from my belt and readying my shield. I tried to focus, to push down my fear and disgust. I was an adventurer, I couldn’t let my feelings control me.

  As the light fell on the Flesh Eaters face, I could finally make out some details. His face was sunken in, like that of a corpse. Long, silky white hair framed his face like a lion’s mane and his sharp, yellow teeth shone brightly when he talked. He looked like a monster that parents would tell their kids about to make them behave.

  I raised up my voice, banishing all the fear from my mind and leaving nothing but strong will and defiance behind.

  “You will not taste anything but defeat today, monster. You took enough innocent lives. We will end you!”

  I shifted my stance into a steadier position, getting ready to strike as soon as he entered my range, or defend if he managed to launch an attack before.

  “Don’t underestimate us! We might be young and inexperienced, but we will not falter before the likes of you!”

  Ryu’s voice was strong and full of confidence, completely lacking any fear or insecurity. He firmly believed that we would win, no matter what.

  “You should have kept hiding, like you did for the last couple of thousand years. You drew too much attention, and now it’s time for your end.”

  Kuro also lacked any form of fear when he spoke, even though he was full of it when facing the Soul Eater earlier. I didn’t know what exactly happened when he visited the anomaly, but he had gained a lot of confidence since then.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Shizuka didn’t say anything, she just took her time to aim, then fired an arrow straight for Morghast’s face. The arrow closed in on him, then got stuck in the air, like the time around it was frozen.

  “I have feasted since before your kingdoms had names. Did you really think you could take me out that easily?”

  Morghast’s voice was full of mockery and also a hint of disappointment. He slapped the arrow out of the air, let go of his walking stick and then vanished into thin air. I couldn’t see him with my eyes anymore, but immediately raised my shield just in time to block his first strike. He appeared in front of me and smashed his fist against my shield, eliciting a loud cracking noise as the material absorbed his blow. Even through the shield and the protection of my mana skin, his attack sent a jolt of pain through my arm and almost made me lose my ground.

  Pushing through the pain, I held him back with all my power, long enough for Ryu to jump past me and strike at the Flesh Eater's arm. The monster pulled his arm back, dodging Ryu’s attack with ease, then grabbed his face and threw him across the cavern. I saw him crash into the wall, then focused my attention back on Morghast. His eyes were as crimson as blood, and they glowed in the same way as the Soul Eater’s eyes. They were the eyes of a hungry predator, staring at its prey. Before Morghast got another chance to attack, the ground beneath him burst open and he was impaled by stone spikes, perforating his body in multiple places.

  Shizuka ran past me, her dagger ready to strike. I saw the reflection of my own face in the blade of her dagger as she cut through the Flesh Eater’s throat, making a fountain of black blood burst out. Relief was painted all over her face as she cleaned her blade on the Flesh Eaters clothes, then strode over to where Ryu landed, making sure he was okay.

  “Did we make it? Is it over? That was pretty easy, wasn’t it?”

  I couldn’t quite keep the relief and happiness I felt out of my voice, even though I had a small doubt that this was really the end. My voice was shaky and had a higher pitch than I planned.

  “We won, we simply caught him off guard, that’s all.”

  Ryu’s voice was a bit rough and breathless after he was just hurdled through the air like a toy.

  Kuro retracted the stone spikes, letting the lifeless body fall to the ground with a thud. As soon as the body fell into the pool of black blood beneath it, the cut on his throat as well as the holes in his body immediately started to close up and regenerate. The disgusting sound of bones and tendons snapping into place was clearly audible.

  “Uhm guys, something is happening here!”

  I tried to shout out to them and warn them, but it was too late. The body started twitching, then it slowly got up from the ground. There was something new in those menacing eyes now. Not only bloodlust, but also anger. It sent chills down my spine. How could he regenerate from such wounds so fast?

  He was now up to his feet as if nothing had happened, ready to fight again. I noticed him preparing for a kick, but wasn’t fast enough to get my shield up in time. The kick crashed into my ribs, pushing all the air out of my lungs. A sharp pain shot through my chest and a loud cracking sound echoed through the cavern. The force of the kick knocked me off the ground and sent me flying through the cave, crashing into a wall and sliding down into an almost sitting position.

  The pain made it almost impossible for me to move and the air turned into a burning inferno as I breathed. The pain got even stronger as I tried to catch my breath, making me feel like I had just finished a sparring session. Everything started to blur, and the noises of my friends shouting were distorted and incomprehensible. I clutched the right side of my chest where the kick had hit me and winced in pain. I barely noticed the ongoing fight of my friends against the Flesh Eater as the sound of my own shallow breathing got louder and louder in my ears.

  “I’m sorry guys, I failed. I got distracted and didn’t keep my guard up”, I thought as I toppled over, crashing into the floor and hitting my head on a stone. Everything started to spin around me, until I didn’t know where top and bottom were anymore. I tried my best to hold my tears back, but the pain was too great. The sensation of my cheeks getting wet was the last thing I noticed before losing consciousness.