Lue, while embedded in the tree, slowly pushed himself out of its cracked, moss‑covered trunk. Tightly, he gripped the sword strapped to his waist and unsheathed it.
He glanced at the skeletal form, his expression was serious at first. A moment later, he was rubbing the back of his neck and laughing out loud.
Under the shade of leaves, light spilled on it, revealing the truth that it was twice the height of Lue. The opponent stepped forward, his skeletal body clattering like stone against stone. The trees wavered from side to side as it ran, stomping toward Lue.
Smiling, Lue shouted "That's what I like to see! Come at me", Just as he lunged at it.
The skeleton gripped its right hand and pulled its arm behind its shoulder to throw a punch, and Lue responded by swinging his sword forward.
Cling! Clank! Cling! Clank!
A deafening echo of sword and bone rang across the forest, a ferocious exchange.
From the skeleton's eye sockets, tears flowed, dripping to the ground as it traded blows with Lue. Unbeknownst to Lue, who was consumed by the thrill of battle.
"Is that it?!" Lue shouted as he stomped with his right leg, cracking the grassy ground into pieces. Sending it flying into the air,
The skeleton was caught off guard and thrown into the air. With a barely audible chuckle, Lue sliced from side to side countless times as the skeleton's arm turned from proper bones to something resembling pebbles.
As Lue did he sheathed his sword and delivered a punch to its ribcage, slamming it to the ground. Breaking the ribcage into dust.
Without letting it retaliate, Lue unsheathed his sword and split its skull in half. The skull split in half revealed a brain that oozed blood.
The skeleton's movement ceased and Lue observed him for a second longer, muttering to himself, "Weird…"
"Skeletons… don't have brains… Well whatever" He chuckled and pointed towards the fully cloaked figure in pitch black material.
And without a second of hesitation he threw the sword at the second skeleton, the one behind the cloaked figure.
The sword rotated like a hawk flying down towards its prey, and it slashed its skull in half. With momentum it returned right into Lue's hand, as he shouted "Good! It's fun! Is that all you have to offer? Show me more!"
As Lue pointed his sword at the cloaked figure silently. A ray of sun spilled over the figure, but he remained fully covered.
Lue tilted his head and muttered, "What?"
The man ignored Lue and said "As expected, that's all your useless being could achieve… better performance than when you were alive"
"Were you satisfied? The figure looked straight into Lue's eyes as his skull necklace swung on his neck.
"Heh, no! I want more"
"Not that it matters. The dead don't deserve their opinion. Whatever you say, this summon will scare you, next one will kill you," The man said as he extended his arm forward. Black fabric over his hand clung to his boney like fingers.
With full strength in his fingers, he locked his hand in place as brown sparks flew out of his arm saying "Now, fulfill your duty, Atropal"
Just as he finished saying it, a green vortex appeared out of nowhere, within a blink of an eye to his right. Out of it a figure emerged. It raised both arms, crossing them over its face in an 'X' as if shielding itself from sight. It wept as it took form.
Floating mid air, its body was brown, decomposed, skin sticking tightly to the bone, barely any muscles. It cried no tears as it covered its eyes with its left hand.
a lump of red clothing hung over his neck as it fell down its spine and split into three wide strands of cloth. At the ends of them, were a diamond shaped stone, with an eye carved into it. Atropal sewn eyes moving around watching Lue's every move.
"Instill fear in him, Atropal"
***
Somewhere deep into the elven forest, inside a clearing, growls and unnatural screams echoed off the trees. Thick, fishy mist hung high in the air, restricting view past the arm's reach.
countless monsters covered the plain, eating its way through anything that stopped them.
Mytri slashed at them, at six legged monsters with elbow-like joints. Blood splattered on the grass, turning it into a hellish deep red.
But ever more crawled out of the mist.
"Hmmmm, What are you…" he muttered.
They stood on feet that resembled the tiny, grasping hands of a child
Slowly countless monsters approached him from every direction. Their reddish bodies were impossibly stretched, as if at any second it would tear apart.
Their sunken eyes were bloodshot, looking straight at Mytri, its pupils dilated into a dot, as if in an agony.
Slowly their mouths opened, beyond human capabilities, just enough to be able to swallow Mytri himself. Inside, the whole space where the throat should be was filled with a green vortex, consuming anything that entered it.
The vortex connected up to their row of small, human-like teeth.
"Well, you are monsters, rare to see you here… I've never seen this kind before," Mytri thought. "They keep on coming back… I wonder if Lue is in the same predicament,"