Chapter - 10
Varkas in his Berserk Rage looked like a monster out of a nightmare. His dark skin turned into deep shades of red, his veins bulged and looked like a network under his skin. Leo could even see heat emitting from his body as if steam was rising from him.
His muscles grew so much it looked like his body was about to burst, he looked at least a foot bigger than before and his eyes burned with pure, savage rage.
"I WILL FUCKING EAT YOUR HEART!" Then he roared. He had gone mad in rage, swinging his massive axe in wild, brutal arcs that smashed through everything around him. Trees shattered into splinters, bushes were torn apart, and the ground cracked under the force of his strikes. All the while, he kept screaming, his voice full of madness and hate.
"STOP RUNNING YOU RAT!"
"I WANT YOUR GUTS AS NECKLACE!"
Leo's gut twisted. Now he was no longer on the front foot. He was the one being hunted. His tricks and plans were worthless in front of brute force. All that mattered was staying out of reach of that axe, and staying in one piece.
Leo spent all his energy, trying to duck, roll, and keep his distance from this monster. The +1 Agility from his clothes was the only thing barely keeping him alive, giving him just enough speed to keep himself at hair's distance.
CLANG!
One wild swing came too close, and Leo barely managed to block it with his twin dagger.
[Durability: 2000/2500]
One block and the dagger lost 500 points. But it was not just the dagger which felt the brunt of the impact. Even Leo felt like that cowboy who got rammed by a wild bull.
The shock travelled up his arm, and shook his bones such that the dagger almost flew out of his hands.
"Fuck!" Even blocking his attacks felt like blocking a bazuka. Against this monster, all Leo could think was keep dodging and hope he survived.
But Varkas did not let him breathe. After the Berserk mode was activated, it felt like he lost the capability of reasoning. He swung his axe horizontally, wanting to cleave Leo through the waist.
Leo, using his small body compared to Varkas, was more nimble, he ducked under the axe, as the wind of the blade rustled his hair. He barely survived.
But Varkas was relentless, he brought the axe down in a brutal overhead chop. Leo threw himself to the side, landing hard on the dirt as the axe slammed into the ground where he had been, sending a shower of rocks and soil into the air. A sharp stone cut his cheek.
DING!
[HP: 91/100]
And before Leo could control his roll, a backswing caught him across the ribs. He was hit by the back side of the blade but it still felt like being hit by a speeding car. The air was punched out of his lungs, and pain spread through his veins.
DING!
[HP: 62/100]
"Fucking stand still, you little worm!" Varkas roared, his face slick with sweat and spittle.
'This isn't good,' Leo thought, gasping for breath. 'He will fucking kill me.'
'That guy, he has lost all sense of pain. At this rate I can't outlast him.'
His own dagger was still on fire, but the small flame seemed pathetic against the raging inferno of the Varkas's fury. He needed another opening. He needed to pull another trick. Something to break through the momentum of this mindless freak.
His eyes darted to his belt. One item left. The Basic Fire Rune. A one-use spell scroll. It was a bomb. But Leo had no idea if it would be enough. It had to be. Otherwise he won't make it out alive.
While Leo contemplated, Varkas prepared for another charge, his muscles bulging. He lowered his head like a bull, the huge axe held in both hands, ready for a final, unstoppable cleave. This was it. The big, telegraphed finishing move. Leo had seen it a thousand times in games.
As Varkas thundered towards him, Leo's hand shot to his belt. He ripped the small, cylindrical scroll from its pouch. It felt cool and smooth in his hand, covered in glowing symbols. There was no time to aim carefully.
"Eat this, you ugly son of a bitch!" Leo yelled and threw the scroll with all his might.
It wasn't a perfect throw. It wobbled in the air, but it flew straight. Varkas, in his rage, didn't care. In his Berserk mode, his logic of reasoning was greatly reduced. Right now, he was too focused on splitting Leo in two. The small scroll did not matter. He let it smash straight onto his forehead.
"Is that all you got, rat?" Varkas looked down on him, as for a split second, nothing happened.
But then suddenly with a deafening BOOM!, the scroll exploded.
It wasn't a huge blast, but it was concentrated. A burst of brilliant white light and intense heat erupted directly in Varkas's face. The bandit's roar of rage turned into a high-pitched scream of agony. He dropped his axe and clawed at his face, stumbling backward. The front of his greasy hair was instantly singed off, and his eyebrows vanished. The skin around his eyes was red and blistering. He was blinded.
[Fire Rune Detonated. Target is Blinded and Disoriented for 5 seconds. Damage: +300]
This was his chance. His only chance.
Adrenaline surged through Leo's body, washing away the pain in his ribs. He activated Flash-Step. The world seemed to slow down. He saw the blinded giant stumbling, roaring in pain. He saw the massive axe lying on the ground. He saw the opening.
He charged forward, not away. He lunged under Varkas's flailing arms, he held the daggers tightly in both his hands. He aimed for the center of the bandit's chest, putting all his weight, all his fear, and all his desperation into one final, brutal thrust.
The tip of his dagger met the flesh of Varkas's chest. There was resistance, then a wet, tearing sound as it punched through muscle. Leo pushed harder, gritting his teeth. He felt a hard, grating crunch as the blade scraped against Varkas's sternum before sliding past it and sinking deep into his chest cavity.
The heat from the flaming dagger cauterized the wound instantly, the sizzle and the smell of cooked meat mixing with the stench of blood. And the paralyzing venom on the dagger, slowly spread through his blood, all the way towards his heart.
Varkas froze.
His pained screams stopped. He slowly lowered his hands from his face. His eyes, now open, were blistered and useless, but they stared down at the impossible sight of a flaming daggers buried to the hilt in his own chest. The light of the Berserk Rage began to fade, replaced by a look of utter, final confusion.
He tried to speak, but only a wet, gurgling sound escaped his lips, a torrent of thick, red blood bubbled from his mouth, running down his chin.
Leo yanked his dagger free with a sickening squelch.
Varkas stood there for one long, silent moment. Then, like a great tree being felled, he crashed backward onto the ground. The earth shuddered with the impact. He was dead before he hit the dirt.
Silence.
The only sounds were Leo's own ragged, desperate breaths. He stood over the giant corpse, his body trembling, his chest heaving.
Blood, mostly Varkas's, was spattered all over his clothesBlood.
He had done it. He had actually done it.
And just then a series of chimes of notifications flooded his head.
DING!
[Defend the Innocent. Quest Complete!]
[Optional Objective: Rescue any surviving civilians. Optional Objective Completed.]
[Rewards: 100 EXP; 100 Gold Coins; 1 Bronze Pack]
[Bonus Reward: 1 Random Spin]
DING!
[Defeat Blackfang Enforcer Varkas and protect the path to Auravale. Quest Complete!]
[Optional Objective: Humiliate Varkas before defeating him. Optional Objective Failed!]
[Rewards: +250 EXP, 1 Silver Reward Pack, Rare Potion: Elixir of Potent Lust (2 Hour Duration)]
DING!
[You have Leveled Up!]
[You are now Level 2!]
[1 Bronze Reward Pack has been added to your Inventory.]
[1 Silver Reward Pack has been added to your Inventory.]
[100 Gold Coins added to your Inventory.]
[1 Random Spin added to your Inventory.]
[Rare Potion: Elixir of Potent Lust has been added to your Inventory.]
Leo let out a shaky breath, a half-laugh, half-sob. He stared at the two dead bandits, the blood, the burning wagon. This wasn't a game anymore. This was his life.
Just then, a rustling sound came from the bushes. Leo spun around, his sword raised, his heart leaping into his throat.
But it was only Grendel. The old man stepped out from behind a tree, his face pale as a ghost, his eyes wide as dinner plates. He looked from Leo to the mountain of a corpse on the ground, and then back to Leo.
He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He just stared, a look of pure, unadulterated terror on his face.
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Author's Note:
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Thank you
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