The echoing sound of scratching filled the void-like place. Cole could hear screeching sounds from every angle.
'Are these the guardians?' He squeezed his face in a bitter manner.
The first guardian that appeared dragged its long arm backwards, attempting to grab Cole.
In the heat of the moment, Cole leaped off the rail, dodging the grab in a close second. Before he could fall into the fluffy mist, he placed a monstrously firm grip on the rail's iron bar.
Suspended at the brink, Cole clung to the edge of the stairs like life.
As though it weren't already enough, another guardian popped out of the mist in Cole's direction, its welcoming smile an unsettling gesture. Unlike before, Cole was at a disadvantage in terms of mobility, not to mention the towering guardian just right behind him.
'Damn it!'
With little hesitation, Cole released his grip on the pole and let his body sink towards the guardian's mouth. The expression on its face was that of excitement as it parted its brick-like teeth, revealing its slimy mouth.
Cole wrenched as he turned mid-air; the creature snapped its jaw to ingest him.
'Damn it, the wind's not strong enough.'
Before the guardian could fully close its jaw, the previous one Cole met swung its arm and grabbed him at the tip of the incisors, slapping him away with ease.
Cole was smoothly carried by the force, like he were a used rag; his body pierced through the walls of air like a knife through butter.
BANG!
He slammed brutally against a solid material. With a large gasp, Cole found himself gaping for air, choked by his own blood as swallowing became nothing more than a concept in that moment.
Cole tipped his head downward, then punched his chest with an unyielding force. As a result, the liquids trapped in his throat gushed out like a broken tap.
'What the hell.' Cole inhaled heavy, uneven breaths. His exhales were similar to the sound of a dying animal.
Slamming his fist on the ground, Cole pushed himself up with a fire of determination burning within him. His eyes encompassed a mix of stubbornness and persistence.
'I lost against EIDENRICH, me the nefarious mercenary was disgraced.' He shut his eyes to calm himself. 'Nobody's here to see me run away, so I won't lose face; it's obvious I can't survive this.'
'But...'
The guardians dug back into the mist. Even then, Cole saw something dark lurking towards him like a hungry shark.
Immediately, the dark blurs beneath the mist shrunk into the shape of a circle, and as a result, the continuous shrieking stopped.
Dreadful silence plagued the realm once more.
Yet Cole couldn't help but keep his eyes peeled at the dark spot beneath the solid structure he stood. From his experience, it was a poorly done attempt at an ambush.
"They'll pop out any time," he whispered beneath his own breath.
The sound of Cole's heart intensified; it was either fear or pressure that swarmed his body, regardless, he couldn't let anxieties cloud his instinct.
RAAAARGH!
With a loud roar mixed with clicking, the previous silence was shattered in an instant. Cole's figure was covered by a large silhouette; he darted his eyes towards the source of the shadow.
His eyes shrunk from disbelief.
The creature leaped from behind, already towering massively above Cole with its mouth prepared to snag a bite of the whole structure.
Cole's face stiffened, '.....I've already decided everything from here on is 50/50.'
Cole gritted his teeth and ran towards the guardian, tensing his muscles, he leaped 5x higher than a skilled athlete. The creature bit into the material, but not Cole.
Though he was flying amidst the shattered rubble, Cole spread and tightened his body to navigate through the overpowering pressure.
Once he landed on the guardian's neck, he took out the Swiss knife and ran it through. Despite his best efforts, the attack was less than an insect bite to the guardian.
'No cigar, huh?' Cole grinned madly, 'Means I have to go again.'
Cole strengthened his arm till veins rose over his skin, after which he dashed toward the guardian's petals, dragging the knife along as it went.
The Guardian cried in agonizing pain; Cole was relentless as he tore through its flesh.
'It's work...'
BANG!
Once again, Cole was swatted to the side like a fly. He crashed through the stairs before being engulfed by a cloud of dust.
"Shoot," he uttered weakly.
His usual weary look was almost corpse-like on his battered face. Cole's sight was filtered by red spots, but he could still see.
He darted his eyes to his side; before him was his severed right arm and leg, along with his partially torn flesh covered in red fluids. Cole's teeth chattered like an instrument, yet instead of screaming in pain, he focused back on the stairs and began to drag himself up.
Cole's own body weighed him down, regardless, he slapped his left palm on each step, clenched it tightly, and pulled his partly immobile body up the rough edges, decorating the lower steps with a straight line of red.
If it weren't bad enough, more guardians began to emerge from the mist beneath. At least 6 or 7, along with the first 2 he encountered. From the heckled roars and repeated clicks, as well as constant scratching and thunderous booms, more were on their way.
Somehow, Cole managed to reach the temple's entrance, mainly because he was flung to the closest flight of stairs.
Since he couldn't stand, Cole dug his nails into the concrete floor and pulled like he were climbing a mountain. The guardians were also approaching closer with each passing second.
When Cole reached the center of the temple, only a short shrine with an exposed center was in front of him, within it a glowing crimson heart attached to its radiant yellow veins.
It was beautiful, however, Cole had long exhausted his weak sight. His eyes fell within his skull, turning him half-blind.
'I'm so close.... damn it!' He raved in thought.
His hardest attempts to formulate words resulted in pained, muffled groans. Cole stretched out his only functioning hand, trying to grab it...
Before he could make contact, his nerves failed, and his arms went numb. Eventually, Cole slumped, his body pasted like a decoration on the ground.
In the end, Cole was picked by the guardian, wounded. The others shone their smiles as their mocking eyes focused on his near-lifeless body.
The guardian tossed him up like a children's doll, watching him dance around the air helplessly.
And in one foul swoop, gobbled him up with a single swallow.
Barely even a snack worth their time, Cole was devoured by the guardian.
Meanwhile...
Antadisma and Snider sat comfortably in a car, stuck in an exhausting traffic. The chilling AC didn't seem to cool down Antadisma's expression.
"You've been scowling for hours," Snider conversed.
"I'm so disappointed; from the little info I had on him, I heard he was a top mercenary. But that display was just pitiful," she answered in a thick, clearly frustrated voice.
"I doubt he's an accomplice," Antadisma concluded.
"The other factions won't believe this. Even if they did, his life won't be the same again. He's hit a dead end," Snider rested his head on the front seat.
"It's a little odd, considering how eager you were for us to help him," Antadisma tapped the steering wheel repeatedly.
"I was?" Snider turned his gaze to the side, "I just expected more, considering how he lied about his rank to me."
Antadisma frowned, "That is indeed quite disappointing. There's nothing I hate more than lies." She hardened up, "If it were me being lied to, I'd kill without a single remorse."
She stared at the rearview mirror, "I really dislike liars and lies."
"But you do a lot of that yourself," he countered.
"I'm not really a fan of myself either. You of all people should know that, Snider."
Antadisma started the car as the traffic began to move.
"Don't worry...I am." Snider smirked faintly