Parallel Vol. 4 [LEGACY EDITION]

Chapter 12: Hektor's Resolve

Undisclosed Location

Squeak, squeak...

Within a dimly lit system of caverns and tunnels, a rockbiter rat bore its way through dense rock formations, spurred on by the all too familiar stench of blood. The rockbiter rat quickly darted past large skeletons, the stench of rotten bones causing its nose to twitch. Some of these skeletons were large enough to reach the top of the ceilings. One could imagine just how massive some of these creatures had been. But they had all perished here, losing the battle against stronger foes.

The rockbiter rat meandered through the tunnels, its pace accelerating as the stench of blood grew stronger. The air grew heavy and red with blood mist, the suffocating stench drilling through the rockbiter rat's nose all the way to its brain. The rockbiter rat's eyes gradually turned blood-red and its squeaks grew louder and more frequent as it descended into a blood-induced frenzy. It no longer bothered with cavern pathways. After pausing for a moment, it directly bit into the rocky walls. Teeth and claws sharper and tougher than iron tore through the dense rock like tofu, allowing the beast to take the shortest path to the source of the smell.

The rockbiter rat drilled out of the rocks into a large, open cavern, where it was not surprised to see thousands of its brethren. A quick glance around revealed several hundreds more pouring out of holes in the caverns walls. The rockbiter rat ignored the others as it charged forward, having already lost its mind to bloodlust.

Boom!

A powerful boom aKin to the rumbling of thunder reverberated within the cavern, closely accompanied by massive gusts of wind. The rockbiter rat let out a pained screech as it was sent tumbling back the way it came. The wind felt like a ten-tonne hammer. It left the rockbiter rat disoriented and confused, instantly curing it of its frenzied state.

The rockbiter rat shook its head, squeaKing softly as its eyes slowly returned to its natural black. With its bloodlust gone, the rockbiter rat suddenly suffered a cold chill down its spine. It instinctively scurried behind a large boulder just as another blast of wind boosted past. The rockbiter rat stared in disbelief as it saw hundreds of its Kind burst into blood mist. It shivered, a heavy sense of dread pressing down on it as the blood from its Kind condensed into a thick mist.

The rockbiter rat could not escape its fate. It reluctantly inhaled the concentrated mist, then overcome by the ensuing bloodlust, it charged out from behind the boulder and rushed towards the center of the cavern. It had barely crossed ten feet when another boom blasted out, accompanied by the deadly shockwaves.

The last thing the rockbiter rat saw was the bone spear of a bloodied figure of a lone man clashing against the claw of a black dragon. The dragon's massive wings were tucked close to its side, gruesome gashes in its membrane. It had lost the ability of fight, but the black dragon was not flustered much. It could still destroy this human with its massive 15 ft body. Despite facing the dragon's imposing frame, the stalwart figure showed no hints of bacKing down. The young man's muscles tensed as he struggled against the enraged dragon.

Pop!

Hektor had no time to spare the onrushing rockbiter rats any heed. It took all he had not to crumble under the strength of the majestic beast facing him. His heavily scarred body was a living testament of the trials he had endured. He had learned enough to know that turning his attention elsewhere during battle was enough to get him Killed. His armor and axe were long gone, crushed to bits within the stomach of some monster. The young man had nothing on save the bone spear named [Dragon's Tooth] he had obtained from the belly of dragon and the pants he had found in a treasure chest.

Hektor gritted his teeth and inched his feet forward. He squatted low, gathered momentum then burst forth with blinding speed. The dragon reared its head in pain as its claw was torn right off. It quickly retreated with deceptively quick steps.