Series: The Mountain: Book 1: The Awakening

A Dangerous Encounter

Liam stood calmly, eyes closed, with a hand placed on the snout of his latest victim. Although smaller than its previous counterparts, the energy within was by no means any lesser in quantity. Focusing as he did before, the familiar, cold feeling came over him as the Void's Essence spread over his body. He reopened his eyes, surprised by his current speed of absorption. Liam flexed his fingers as the newly absorbed energy relieved the fatigue from his recent battle.

'What had it been?' he wondered, 'Was this his fifth or sixth?'

'Sixth,' Shadow's voice clarified. 

Over the past few days, Liam had grown accustomed to Shadow's voice popping in from time to time. Since his return, Shadow's input had been welcomed, not only as a guide to his newfound power but also as a source of companionship. He shuddered as he envisioned his chances had he been alone. Pushing the thought from his mind, he retrieved the rusted, broken blade from the slain wolf's skull. As Liam's body adjusted to his nimble form of combat, he began to experiment with new ways to fell the Dire Wolves. This experimentation was brought on by the arduous nature of his second battle. Although it resulted in his victory, he'd struggled greatly even after mimicking the moves from his first battle perfectly. Deciding that a better way needed to be found, he began testing the corpse for weak spots before absorbing its Essence. After repeated trial and error as well as the helpful insight provided by Shadow, Liam had discovered a relatively soft patch of skin located behind its ears which seemingly granted access to a fatal blow. Encountering his third adversary, he used the wolf to temper his physique even further before testing his theory. To his surprise, directly plunging a blade into that area had wielded desirable effects in the form of a near instantaneous kill. Overjoyed by his success, he sought out and eliminated three more Dire wolves in rapid succession. 

'Your progress is quite astounding. To think you, who struggled to fell two beasts within two weeks of your return, has managed to end the lives of four within three days.'

"Has it really been that long?" he wondered aloud. 

Compared to his time in the void, his current adventure had felt like a brief moment in time. 

'Circulate your energy so you may view your own development.'

Obeying Shadow's words, he began to draw on the essence that resided within. Unlike his previous attempts, Liam had learned to focus the Void's Essence with opened eyes and minimal focus. As the energy swirled within his body, the dark glow began to spread rapidly over his body faster than a flame on a bed of dry leaves. The cold, dark energy stopped short at the base of his neck, marking the new limit of it's progression. Previously, the absorbed energy was only capable of of covering his left arm, however, after the increased intake of essence it'd expanded slowly to it's current point. 

'It would seem one more Dire Wolf is required to complete your collection, however, it is apparent that your weapon won't survive another battle.'

Liam stared at the worn blade intently. It had certainly seen it's fair share of hardships since it fell into his hands. Starting from his loss against Sonol to its years of neglect hidden within the earth, to its current purpose as his primary weapon against the Dire Wolves. He held the broken sword outwards, rusted blade pointed at the soil, as the dark red blood that stained its side slowly dripped off its serrated tip. During the first two weeks of his revival, Liam had carefully explored the ruins in hopes of finding a better weapon, however, after days of searching nothing could be found. Even the kingdom's once well stocked armoury was laid bare and abandoned. The closest thing he'd found to a dangerous weapon came in the form of his second Dire wolf, whom after defeating concluded his search within the ruins. Although food had also been a top priority of his, Shadow assured him that the absorption of energy from the wolves would drastically reduce his need to eat. Thus far, Shadow's words had  held true. It had been nearly five weeks since his return yet he felt no sense of hunger or thirst. Though it felt odd not to eat at first, his concern for the matter evaporated completely by the second week. 

As Liam studied his blade, lost in though, a faint rustle stirred in the thicket behind him. Startled by the sudden noise, he reflexively readied himself, broken blade at the ready. Keeping his eyes peeled for a sudden attack, Liam was taken aback as a wolf as large as the very first he'd defeated, stalked confidently out of the bushes. Since his first encounter, no other wolf had taken the initiative to approach him. As it neared, he noticed a green foam, leaking from it's mouth. It sizzled briefly as it made contact with the soil. 

'Poison!'

Liam instantly became alarmed by Shadow's warning. He began backing away from the rabid creature until he bumped into the fresh corpse of his recent kill. Simultaneously, the wolf opened it's mouth widely as if it were about to roar.

'Dodge quickly!'

Heeding Shadow's warning, Liam threw himself sideways, barely avoiding a green torrent of slime. As he righted himself, his gaze drew to the place where he stood moments ago. To his horror, half of the corpse had been completely melted by its poisonous breath. Fixing his posture, Liam launched himself at the beast. The rabid wolf, spewed another torrent of acidic poison at him, however, with prior knowledge in mind, he twisted just out of it's path. Unfortunately, a stray wad of slime separated from the main barrage heading directly at him. Instinctively, Liam used the flat of his blade to shield himself from the stray projectile.  Successfully defending the attack, Liam skipped lightly to it's left, poised ready to attack.

'Retreat,'

"I can still finish this," Liam said confidently.

'Retreat!'

"Why?" he asked confused by Shadow's sudden cowardice.

'Ready you may be, however, your weapon is no longer adequate for this battle.'

Liam glanced sideways at the beast as it launched another wave of poison. Narrowly avoiding it, he examined his blade which was had now been shortened to no longer than a foot in length. At its newly formed tip, the rusted iron bubbled slowly as it rapidly eroded. Liam plunged what little remained of the blade into the earth which halted the corrosive properties. Realizing why Shadow had sounded for retreat, he backed away from the beast before turning on his heels to escape. Liam weaved through the shrubs with great haste. To his dismay, the beast gave chase, as if intent on ending his life. Running aimlessly through the dense forest, Liam was suddenly struck by what he thought of as a great idea. In on of his exploits to the ruined city's edge, he'd discovered that the moat, once filled with molten iron had long cooled. As it did, many strange formations had been created unknowingly. The one that caught his attention the most were nine or so metal spikes that jutted upward menacingly. 

'If I could just lure it there,' he thought as he ran nimbly through the undergrowth, 'I might have a chance to get through this.'

As if in approval, Shadow's voice grated in the back of his mind. Liam made a beeline to the remnants of the wall as swiftly as he could. The enraged Dire Wolf, ploughed through the trees as it desperately tried to catch its target. It was only thanks to his familiarization through his prior exploration, that Liam was able to maintain a safe distance away from its foaming mouth. 

After what seemed like an eternity, Liam arrived at the broken wall overlooking the tall metal spikes. He glanced at the beast who was nearing him quickly. 

"Ok Liam, you've got this," he breathed slowly, steadying his nerves, "All you have to do is dodge and those spikes will do the rest."

He slapped himself, steeling his nerves as the beast was about to run headlong into him. Just as it came upon him, Liam jumped sideways just avoiding the gnashing teeth that flew past his head. However, Liam's luck would end there as the wolf's body twisted awkwardly swiping an outstretched claw at his shoulder, dragging them both to the depths below!