I slowly raised my hand. Even that simple movement felt like it took everything from me. It was covered with blood. It was same color as her hair. I put down my hand. Inhale, exhale. Every breath hurt. Due me lying on my back knife, which was already deep enough to pierce my kidney went deeper. I tried to turn to release the pressure but I quickly realized that I didn't had any energy left for it. Despite being covered with warm blood my finger tips felt cold.
"Come on. You probably seen this kind of stuff several thousands of times."
I smiled. It was a weak smile.
"It will end here, I guess."
She seemed sad, for once in my life. I slowly turned my head to look the woman covering in corner. While she seemed to be in shock she weren't hurt.
"Our lifes are short." I said. My consciousness was slowly fading away.
"But I am glad. I am glad that I was able to give you a short companionship. I am glad that I was able to save someone. I am glad that I lived this kind of life."
She started crying.
"Eternity is a long time. I am sure that you will find interesting things."
As I closed my eyes last thing I heard was a pain filled scream.
"No." That wasn't me. I didn't had 5 fingers. I didn't got stabbed. I looked at the woman top of me.
"Nox! Are you okay?" Minerva. Her hair was a mess. She also didn't had her glasses.
"If you be so kind to get your knee of my groin I will be better." She quickly stood up. I also stood up and realized that I was in some serious pain. My arm that I fired that blast, specially.
"You should have told met hat you could do something like that."
"I didn't knew I could do it just until now." I answered. I looked at the crater caused by that magic. It was huge.
"Will you be okay without your glasses?" I wondered how much she could see without them.
"I'll survive. My aim will be slightly worse than usual though."
"So horrible. Got it." While I joked I didn't think that I would be able to use my right arm for some time.
"You and your mouth." She didn't seemed to realize how my arm was. Good.
"So what are doin… Minerva!"
Minerva flew back due impact she took. I used Fury and slashed it with my healty arm. It jumped back and I took a good look on it. While my heart skipped a beat it wasn't the Stain. But it was fast. It had centaur like body. Lower body looked like an ox. Human like torso ended with a head of oversized chicken. Rather than arms it had dog heads. Of course it was covered with black mud and all the parts I mentioned were mutated and looked disgusting.
"I am okay." I saw Minerva taking a potion from her bag and drink it. Good. It must be a healing potion.
"I will held in place! Prepare a solid attack!"
"Okay!" She grabbed her staff tightly and started to chant. I also leaped to it. While one of my arm was unusable I was a fucking demon. I could fight even with my teeth! It raised its front hooves and slammed them to me. I created an magical shield but it got broken in an instant. As I felt my ribs getting crushed I stumbled back. I couldn't block its attacks. I had to dodge them. But even with Fury could I do it?
"I have to!"
I roared as I barely dodged its attack.
"Ready! Fire!"
I jumped back as several man sized icicles hit it. While it seemed to took damage it still was standing. It's durability was way above other mud monsters! I fired magic missiles back to back.
"Again!" I ordered. Red light started to come from her shoulder. From my crest. A red dragon made out of energy started to form around her. Realizing danger creature rushed towards her. I blocked the path. It slammed to me with an incredible speed and weight. Shields I created broke in an instant.
"Don't fuck with me!"
I barely stopped it just in front of her.
(Skill Fury transformed to skill Wrath.)
All muscles in my body felt like tearing. I slashed my claws to it, breaking them in process. My ribs made cracking noises due insane amount of strain but I didn't seemed to care. It was almost like my sense of pain didn't existed anymore. Ground under my feet cracked and I slowly pushed it back. It's arms bit me but I kept pushing. My blood fell to ground dying it to black. My vision stated to blur. If not for creature roaring I would have lost consciousness. I must sensed the danger coming from Minerva.
"Rarghhhhh!"
As if to shut it I roared back.
"Ready!"
I threw myself to side. I hit to ground, hard. Minerva fired dragon to monster. Dragon destroyed everything in its path including mud monster. It continued move. It left deep marks on where it passed. It was even more destructive than my magic. This meant that recoil…
"Minerva!"
I picked myself up.
(Duration of skill, Wrath ended.)
My sense of pain returned to me. At the same time I felt weaker. I nearly fell to ground due returning pain. I managed to get to her. With my healthy arm I took potions and made her drink. While she didn't seemed to took physical damage beyond several cuts and bruises her eyes were closed and she didn't reacted to my voice. I checked her breathing.
"Good, her breathing is normal."
But we were in danger like this. I didn't knew if there were any other monsters like we just defeated. I tried to carry her but I failed. I took one of the potions for myself and drank it. Even with my demon physiology it seemed I was in my limit. I still was on alert if anything came towards us. Thankfully, nothing came. While I was on look out I realized that mud monster we killed left a thing behind it.
"A mana stone?"
Some monsters in this world had mana stones in their body. Those mana stones could be used to create magical items or in rituals. But this one looked different than others I seen before.
"I should secure it."
Since this monsters were created due corruption leaving this kind of thing by itself would only create more problems. The moment I picked it up several tendrils came out of it and pierced my arm.
"Are you kidding me? It is trying to corrupt me?"
Trying to corrupt a demon! How arrogant! I growled. Just by some piece of shit mud! Don't mock with me! I defeated all the mud creatures here! Don't think you can corrupt me!
(Skill Mental Barrier became level 2.)
I gripped it tightly. It shattered. When I closed and opened my eyes all the wounds caused by tendrils were gone.
"An illusion? No."
I looked at my scales in my forearm. They were blackened. I returned to Minerva. She seemed to be waking up.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Yes. That magic took all the magical power I had. That was the reason I lost consciousness."
"Can you get up?" I offered her my hand. She took it but she still seemed to be weak. I supported her. My right arm which was damaged due magic recoil seemed to gain a little bit its power back. She leaned to me and we slowly started to move.
"We don't have any potions left, right?"
"Yeah, I made you drink some and drank one myself."
She sighed.
"They are not important that our lifes, you know."
"I know. But it funny coming from you. You seemed to be in a worse condition than me."
"I am a demon. This kind of wounds are no big deal."
Not a big deal my ass I nearly died back there. Not that I would openly admit to her. Especially not when she were this condition.
"I think horse ran away." She said in a defeated voice.
"You did tied the not correctly, right?"
"Of course I did."
"Then how did it ran away?"
"Maybe one of the monsters attacked it."
"Maybe. But if that's true we can't stay there. That means that there are more of those things. At least we should get to village. There we can at least be in some kind of shelter."
She nodded weakly. I kept supporting her. It was a pain to slowly walk like this but we kept doing it. During our walk back to village Minerva kept her eyes to ground. She seemed to be in a lot of trouble. Maybe she thought about people here. Maybe what caused it. Maybe she thought she were weak. I felt like I should tell her something. Something to cheer her up.
"You are not to blame for those people. It was already to late when we came here."
Nevermind I suck at this.
"I know."
She only replied like this. I am really bad at cheering people up. I remembered the dying man trying to cheer red haired woman in my vision.
"Umm, by killing those creatures we stopped other people from getting hurt."
I think that was better? I looked her and she seemed same.
"Hey, we are just in… Fuck!"
I said as I looked at the people front of me.
"It seems like your accusation was correct Mister Brown Ox. Adventurer Minerva indeed is a witch."
Man wearing a white armor spoke. I knew him. S ranked paladin Aldar Plin. I got ready to fight.