The Legends Of Chima: Journey to the Lands Below

Chapter 29- Laval

Warning: depictions of graphic violence and blood

The figure turned to face me, I couldn't get a good look at him but his half naked body was painted red; like many of the warriors from home had done. Only this time he was painted with blood and not dyes. He was on the other side of the room but he still looked massive, at least a foot taller than me if not more.

As he started to walk closer he drew two knives from the table, not even turning away from me, it was like his hands reflexively went to them. If anything his gaze grew stronger, I could see that his eyes were nearly entirely black, like a cat on the hunt, literally. His jaw hung loose like some sentence hung at the end of his tongue. Hs canines peaking out below his lips looked to be dripping with saliva. I couldn't hardly tell him from an animal, though I'm not entirely sure he isn't one.

"The final trespasser makes himself known. The sacrifice will soon begin with you as the first blood." The beast snarled out.

"There will be no sacrifice, put down the knives and..." I retorted.

"And what lion?" He barked out, interrupting me. "What if I do surrender? What then? We both know what you were sent here for; to kill me! Ry'Tharr has sent countless others before you with the same objective; take no prisoners, leave none left to tell the tale of the atrocities committed here, both of mine and Tharr's!"

"What are you trying to get at? Are you trying to recruit me just like Ry'Tharr did?"

"The only legion I'm recruiting you to is that of the damned . Do not mistake my acknowledgment of your naïveté for that of forgiveness! You are just as much an enemy to me as I am to you. Soldiers under your command have defiled my patron deity and that cannot go unpunished. The basin is drained, and it must be refilled, with your blood."

We charged toward each other with blades drawn. My sword won the initial clash and passed through his guard without much difficulty but stopped hard when I actually hit him. I hardly made him bleed and I fell into his arms. I squirmed out of his reach quick enough and suffered some bad cuts to the biceps. It hurt like hell but it could've definitely been worse.

The blade clash began again and I had the advantage. Leverage, reach, and skill we're all in my favor and he was fumbling with the dagger. I caught one of them in between my blades just like I had with so many others and disarmed him. I then brought the pommel straight up and into his chin.

The strike left him disoriented and with his guard down. I went to end this quick with a stab to the chest but the sword stopped, he had recovered and grabbed the inside cavity of the sword. I pushed harder but it wasn't budging, his face was clearly straining from holding it back but for someone of his size is shouldn't be much of a problem. Then I fell forward into him, he had pulled my sword clean apart. After landing face first into his surprisingly soft, pillowy pecs he threw me to the floor. What wasn't so soft was the knife he lodged into my chest on my way down, my chest plate doing little to stop it.

I pulled the knife from my chest with a bit of force and massive amounts of blood started spilling out. I couldn't breathe, I could hardly move, and my vision was blurring quick.

"I had hopped for more, it has been many years since someone managed to brave the insides of my fortress and face me." He mocked. "Don't die now lion, things were just getting fun!"

I reached for the pouch on my hip, feeling for the orb in it and tearing it off; shoving it into the knife wound. It didn't stop much bleeding but it was a last ditch effort that payed off. I didn't know what a heart felt like but I didn't feel mine in my chest, just large veins and arteries eagerly forming around the chi orb in my chest, almost reconstructing the organ around the orb.
Then it hit me, it had felt like plugging chi but hundreds of times more intense. My muscles felt bigger, the ruined sword in my hand felt light as a feather, I felt no pain and fire coursed through my veins. I felt like I was hardly in control of my body and was acting on pure instinct.