RAARGH—
The creature stepped out of the shadows. The fire light revealed its form. Wolf-like with size that rivalled a horse. Dark scale patches matted on its fur. It's glowing yellow eyes in two rows. Feral and dangerous.
Chimera spawn. Demon-touched.
Author's Eyes flickered. Gray aura. Doomed. But deadly.
The creature's lips peeled back revealing rows of jagged teeth. Saliva dripped and sizzled where it hit stone.
Auryn stood slowly. Eyes focused. His blade drew out in a controlled manner. The steel whispered free. The weight felt familiar and balanced.
Auryn's body knows this blade. Trained with it for decades.
But I haven't.
The thought sent a chill through his veins.
Julien Moreaux. Genius architect. But had never held a sword in his life. He'd never fought anything more dangerous than nail-biting deadlines and of course sickness.
Now he faced a chimera.
The chimera's muscles coiled. Lowering itself, ready to pounce.
But this body knows. Muscle memory. A hundred sparring matches I never fought.
Auryn 's body took proper form automatically. His grip on his blade adjusted with his guard raised. He was ready and he didn't know how.
Trust it. Trust him.
The chimera lunged. its speed leaving only blurs.
Auryn's body moved. He Sidestepped left as the blade came up in an arc.
Too slow—no, wait—
The sword bit into the creature's flank with a clean, deep strike. Blood sprayed across his face. Black. Thick. And smelled like sulfur.
I did that. I actually— His thoughts leaped in surprise.
The chimera yelped. Twisting in mid- air. It landed and spun faster than Auryn expected.
It's claws slashing across the air towards his chest.
Auryn's mind screamed DODGE but his feet hesistated.
Which way? Left? Right?
His body knew. He twisted right but he was a tad slow.
The claws caught his left shoulder. Tearing through leather. A loud screech followed as it scraped against the metallic armor plate.
A pang of pain hit Auryn like fire spreading through his arm.
Move move MOVE...
He quickly slashed horizontally. An attempt driven by pure instinct but the blade missed the mark. Hitting only air.
The Chimera already repositioned, Circling around him. Saliva dripping with each growl.
I'm too slow. Thinking too much.
I have to just act. But that would be stupid.
The creature feinged left but Auryn's eyes tracked it even as he ran a marathon in his mind.
It's going right—- He deducted
Auryn's legs moved without asking permission. Muscle memory from battles he'd never fought.
He was able to take a step back, raising his guard. Transfering weight across his body as his sword blocked the chimera right lunge.
Claws scraped steel. The impact leaving a slight strain on his wrist.
Damn its stronger than it looks. Can't block directly. His mind raced.
The chimera pressed hard. Oozing rage and hunger. It snapped at his throat but Auryn ducked. Feeling the hot breath across his scalp.
Swiftly moving for the counter-attack. An upward blade thrust glanced off scales on its chest. Barely scratching It.
Weak points. Where are the weak points?
Julien studied architecture. Structural failures. Load-bearing elements. He knew how to spot this things.
His searching eyes caught them. The joints. Places where scales met fur. The throat and underbelly.
There!
But knowing and executing were different aspects of the same battle and this creature wasn't waiting.
It lunged low this time. Going for his legs.
But Auryn's instincts were sharper. Reading it. He pivoted, bring the blade down in a arc catching the creature mid-leap across the shoulder.
Steel slashed deep. Cracking the bone even as blood splattered.
The slash though effective didn't stop the creature that crashed into him. It's momentum couldn't be stopped.
Thud!
They hit the ground together. Auryn's head smashed a stone behind. His vision blurred and he only saw stars.
No no no—
The chimera's jaws opened and snapped inches from his throat.
Too close too close— He panicked.
His left hand shot up. Found its throat. Holding it back. Scales cut into his palm. Slippery with blood—his or the creature's, he couldn't tell..
He focused his grip on the creature's throat while his right hand still gripped the sword Buried in its shoulder.
The creature thrashed. Trying to shake him loose.
"Can't hold it. Too strong"— He grunted.
Think. THINK
He torqued the blade sideways with everything he had. Twisting it. He felt tendons snap. The shoulder joint dislocating.
The chimera shrieked loudly. A sound that shouldn't come from any living thing.
It convulsed violently. Auryn took this opportunity shoving it away with his legs. Uing it's own momentum.
The chimera staggered. It's front left leg useless now. Dangling.
Gray aura flickering. Fading.
Finish it.
But his body was exhausted. Arms trembling. Head ringing.
One more strike. That's all I have. That's all I need
The chimera turned. Desperation in its six eyes. Like an animal backed against the wall.
It lunged with its last bit of strength.
Auryn didn't think. Simply giving himself away to his instincts. He stepped inside its guard. It was risky and probably suicidal but necessary.
He drove his sword upward into its throat. The blade punched through soft tissue. It stuck sturdily on its spine.
The chimera's momentum carried it forward. Impaling itself even deeper.
Its weight bore down causing Auryn to fall backwards.
They collapsed together in a tangle of limbs and blood.The creature twitched once. Twice. It's gray aura extinguishing like a candle.
Auryn lay there. Pinned beneath the corpse. Breathing hard.
Everything hurt. His shoulder throbbed. Head pounded.
I'm alive.
The thought felt surreal.
" I killed it." He whispered to himself.
He shoved and the chimera's weight rolled off, hitting the ground with a wet thud.
Auryn stayed on his back. Staring at the stars through tree branches.
His first real kill.
He waited for horror. For guilt. For Julien's humanity to recoil. But nothing came. Just... acceptance.
And something else.
Satisfaction.
The body knew. Even when I didn't. Auryn's training saved me.
How much of him is becoming me?
He sat up slowly. Pulling his sword buried in the chimera's neck. It came free with a wet, sucking sound.
He stared at the blood covered sword. Black and crimson mixed. Suddenly the firelight caught the steel. It reflected and ...
Auryn froze.
His reflection stared back from the blade's surface.
Left eye: Crimson. Dragon's blood.
Right eye: Gold. System's mark.
He'd heard it described. But seeing it was the confirmation.
I really am different now.
Not Julien. Not Auryn.
Something else
The thought should terrify him. Instead, he felt relaxed in the uncertainty.
This is who I am now. Who I'm becoming.
He looked away. Cleaned the blade on the chimera's fur. And sheathed it.
His shoulder burned. He pulled the armor aside carefully.Three deep scratches. Bleeding but not spurting.
Could've been worse. Could've taken the arm. He thought.
He used water from his waterskin to clean the wounds. Tore strips from his undershirt and bandages it crudely.
He sat watching the flames of the camp fire dance. Body trembling with aftershocks. His mind, still racing.
I'm changing. Julien's fading. Auryn's rising.
A question echoed unanswered.
Which one will I be when this is over?
The worry wouldn't let him sleep all night. He just watched the fire. The stars. And the chimera's corpse for any sign of movement.
Dawn came slowly. Gray light filtering through trees.Auryn stood still stiff and sore but alive and determined.
He kicked dirt over the fire. He looked at the horse.The animal had stayed remarkably calm. Used to battle. Another gift from Auryn's past.
The countdown flickered in his vision. A bleak reminder.
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[TIME REMAINING: 90:00:00]
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Less than four days. He'd already lost time for rest to the chimera.
No more distractions. No more fights.
Get the blade. Get back. Survive.