"Wait... there's no need to go this far... You can have all of them. The human... the elf... The Kick-Rats!"
It was not often in my life that my voice screamed with raw desperation as it did at that moment. Drajkovane wanted to perform a fatality on me, and he had the power to do so. His nails pricked my chest above my heart, and my faltering strength would not be able to hold him back for long. That is why I shouted my final proposal. I expected his viciousness to continue, but to my surprise, he hesitated. Drajkovane hesitated and considered my offer.
Was he stupid? Did he really consider my desperate plea? As I stared into his bulging eyes, I spotted that consideration. Once again, he made another mistake. My ears flickered as the sound of rushing footsteps appeared behind Drajkovane and didn't need to look to know who it was. Two blades arched downward as Mikangleo brought his daggers across the vampire's back. Blood streaked across his body, coating briefly while Drajkovane howled in anguish.
Drajkovane attempted to pull away, but the shoe was on the other foot. I clenched my hand around his wrist, holding him in place as Mikangleo stabbed the vampire in his back. It was a sickly union that my enhanced kitsune ears heard every sound of.
"You little-"
I interrupted the vampire's snarl with a headbutt so hard that I might've knocked myself out from the impact. Stars greeted my vision, but I willed myself to remain conscious. Unfortunately for me, Drajkovane matched my energy. While I did manage to open a gnarly gash across his forehead, he snatched away from my grasp. His unexpected power caused both of us to stagger, but Mikangleo was able to follow through. He pushed himself toward Drajkovane and stabbed him in his side with both daggers.
There was intense focus on the human's face, but he was forced to sidestep away from Drajkovane's fierce nail swipes. Blood pumped from Drajkovane's wounds, but Mikangleo's recent dagger wounds proved to be critical. The vampire was notably slower, and his smug face was replaced with one mixed with both frustration and fear. I was slow getting out of the starting blocks, but I did the first thing that came to mind at that moment.
I charged the vampire and hit him from behind with a tackle. While I never had a future in the NFL, I did channel my best linebacker impression and tried to sack Drajkovane hard enough to be flagged for a penalty.
Since our fatigue levels were comparable, Drajkovane had no defense against the full force of my weight slamming into him from behind. Dazed by our impact on the ground, I did the only thing I could think of at the moment. I needed to end this here and now. To accomplish that, I wrapped my dominant bicep around the vampire's neck.
'Please don't shapeshift! Please don't shapeshift! Please don't shapeshift! Fuck!'
The vampire shapeshifted. I cursed in my mind as the choking vampire faded into a crimson mist underneath me.
"Enough tricks!" Drajkovane roared after he revealed himself.
Pushing myself to my feet, we managed to locate the vampire as he manifested on the withering branches of a nearby tree. His hand gripped a wound in his side as he glared down at Mikangleo and me with unbridled hatred. The miasma around his body intensified before Drajkovane erupted in a coughing fit. Blood splattered to the ground as the vampire wheezed.
That provided an opening, and Mikangleo took it gladly. I wasn't so glad to see him miss. I felt second-hand embarrassment when I witnessed him throw one of his knives at the tree trunk and attempt to hit the vampire. The blade ricocheted horribly when it missed, and Drajkovane was alerted as a result.
"Iarus," Drajkovane erupted into another coughing fit as he staggered.
I had hoped that he would fall from the tree unconscious, but it was wishful thinking. He steadied himself and pointed his right hand toward us. Within his extended palm was the crimson crystal.
"My life will be claimed by the likes of you two!" he bellowed as the crystal blackened and crimson miasma maliciously manifested from the object.
I felt the fur on my tail stand on end as the misama flooded the area. There was a wildness in Drajkovane's eyes, and his veins stood out more. The bruises on his body blackened as the miasma warped his flesh. Bloody saliva leaked from his growing fangs as his glare intensified to a nightmarish degree. This motherfucker would rather warp into whatever the hell this version of him is than negotiate.
"Motherfucker's crashin' out!" I said with gritted teeth. Mikangleo moved to my side and watched with wide-eyed horror.
"Vampires are wholly demonic, and now you see why. Beastfolk can enter a wrath state that increases their power and endurance by at least double, but demonic beings go beyond that," he said with a frown. His body shuddered, and he gulped.
A miasmic wind gust erupted from Drajkovane, but I mostly resisted its push. Mikangleo wasn't as resilient. He was pushed back several feet and even tumbled onto his ass. I couldn't afford to give him attention for more than a few seconds before I glared back at Drajkovane. My instincts told me that taking my eyes off Drajkovane was foolhardy. The winds of change were swinging like a pendulum, but deep down, I knew that something could be done.
This battle wasn't lost yet, no matter how much of my flesh was withering away into miasmic ash. Drajkovane's voice erupted into a roar as he began levitating in the air. He was the eye of this storm, but no matter how I looked at it, he was equally as weakened by the miasma as we were.
Looking at Drajkovane, I can see Cyto's perspective better now. While I can't agree with genocide, there is something to be stated about the frightening strength of those labeled as demonic beings. Whatever that crystal was, its boost to Drajkovane's miasma production was extraordinary. If my body weren't capable of fighting off the decay, albeit slowly, I would have withered like the forest around us. I could imagine the pain Mikangleo was experiencing at that moment, but he pushed forward.
Once he was close enough to me, my tail shot over and wrapped around his waist like a lifeline. His face was cracked and gray, but his eyes remained defiant. Pain shot through my lower back as the human used my tail as a rope to get closer to me. I wanted to bite the motherfucker for doing that, but his words knocked me out of my stupor,
"This situation is untenable! We need to do something before I wither into dust!"
He was right. Left to its own devices, Drajkovane's miasma would continue to consume the environment. That meant every living thing around us would be met with a swift death. I couldn't allow this stuck-up vampire to devour this area.
'Devour?'
"That crystal... would you assume that crystal is the source of his power?" I asked Mikangleo.
"Isn't that obvious! I've never seen one like it, but I can sense the tainted mana funneling through it," he responded, which perked my ears.
I didn't know he could sense mana. No, I can't get distracted now. I was correct in my assumption, and with a second opinion, I knew what I needed to do. I had arrived in this god-forsaken hellscape in search of crystals to devour, and while it was sidetracked thus far, I found myself staring at one. It wasn't the same as the one I was looking for, but it doesn't matter.
"Then our solution is simple! He's willing to sacrifice himself to kill us, but I'm not havin' it! We-"
"Heads up! He's alternating to another spell!" Mikangleo shouted.
I was stunned by his interruption, but I understood his sudden distress. The miasmic wind veered, blowing from behind us. It circled Drajkovane as the vampire landed onto the ground. His bloodshot crimson pupils illuminated in power as he spoke the incantation,
"Iarus, grant me the power to slaughter my prey! Bless me with the power to overcome: Miasmaic Stall: Devestation!"
The gathered miasma flowed together like streams converging into a lake. My jaw dropped as the crystal focused the lake into a single point, and the miasma fired towards us into a concentrated beam. There was no blocking that attack, so I did the next best thing; I got the hell out of the way.
In times, I like this Mikangleo, thank whatever god he worships that I possessed a tail, because I dragged him with me. My muscles cried with every movement I made as I pulled the man alongside my evasion maneuvers.
I jumped into the air, avoiding the initial blast, but that vampiric bastard redirected his magical attack. It was just my luck that I was able to land in time to avoid the next attack. Once my feet were on the ground, I didn't take a chance like that again.
'This fucker is relentless with his spells! This shit has to be cheating!'
No matter how much I cursed, it didn't change our current reality. Miasmic beams roared in my direction, no matter how nimble I was. There were several close calls, but I managed to duck or jump over them. I realized Mikangleo upon one of my landings, and the human immediately went into a combat roll to avoid a beam.
"Charge him! This is our chance! One of us has to-" I sidestepped a beam and pointed toward the snarling vampire. "Fuck it! Cut that bitch's hand off! I'll deal with the crystal!"
There was no response from Mikangleo, but he instead took off to our right. He dropped one of his katana daggers and fled with the grace of a bat out of hell. I was completely flabbergasted by the action, but it didn't take me out of the situation. It didn't matter, though, because before I could react, Drajokvane manifested to my left. Fangs arched through the air, and I brought my dominant forearm to block them.
"Motherfucka'!"
The words erupted out of my mouth as blood spilled from his sabertooth-like fangs, skewering my forearm. There was hunger in his gaze, but that didn't alarm me. His left hand gripped my head like a basketball, and I felt his immense strength. I gripped his wrist and palmed it on both sides at two different points.
"Fuckin' dumbass! I shatter metal, bones are nothing!"
Craaaack!
Pressing with all of my might, I made good on my threat. His eyes flew open, and he removed his fangs in an excruciating scream of agony. He attempted to pull away, but I continued squeezing, splintering more bones. His screams ignited something in me, not unrelenting violence, but pettiness. I wanted payback, and I got it. I brought his broken and bloodied forearm near my mouth.
Chomp!
It was a five-star gourmet meal, but I wasn't a wild animal. It wasn't necessary to bite him as he did me, but I wanted to for the hell of it. Drajkovane's face twisted in fear and anguish, but the vampire's gaze was ruled by pure hatred. If he didn't die today, I could sense a grudge being created as a result of that.
I continued my assault, slamming my bloodied forearm into his throat. Drajkovane spluttered out of breath, but he found his head snapping back from an uppercut. His body tensed, and I thought I saw the white of his eyes blink out. Considering the trouble he had caused me, I didn't allow him to slip unconscious freely. I grabbed his collar and slammed my fist into his face.
"Oh no! You wanted blood, huh?! Choke on your-"
His eyes lit ablaze, and his nail shot forward, striking me in my shoulder. The pain shocked me into hesitation, forcing my body to lock up. A smirk appeared on his face as he vanished into a crimson haze. While I couldn't prevent the vampire from escaping, I quickly understood why.
"Damn it! No!"
A blade punctured my stomach, and the other end was Mikangleo. His eyes colored with disbelief as he stared helplessly at me. Blood rushed from my throat, spewing onto the white-haired human. This was a disaster. He was too stunned to do anything, so I decided to throw him aside.
However, it was the opening that was needed for Drajkovane to catch me with his next attack. Out of my peripheral vision, I could only see the distressed face of Mikangleo as his words were unglufed by the wave of magic.
If you had asked me a week ago if I would have ever considered being hit by a magic beam, then I would've told you no. It is foolish to ever willingly be slammed with the full force of a magical attack, and this moment proved why. I screamed in agony as the miasma burned into me like an open fire.
It was the absolute worst feeling I had encountered in this world thus far, almost as bad as my entrance into this world! I thought I was being hit with the weight of every sin known to man! This had to be divine punishment! To be blasted with miasma with this intense concentration would be a fate worse than death!