Dark Earth (Male Reader)

22: Prevent

The first to charge is the Cloud Lurker. It's wide wings flap hard as it rockets towards you with blazing speed. Even though you've fought one before, it still catches you slightly off guard by how fast it is. It slams into you, reaching out with its sharp fangs and biting into your shoulder. You yell out by wave your arm. The second ring glows and the monsters mouth is slowly pried off of your flesh, letting you go. You leap backwards into the air, landing near the back of the large surface of the pillar. The fourth ring glows and the wounds on your shoulder heal up, shining with energy as they disappear.

"Is that all you've got?"

The Cloud Lurker shrieks and charges again, only this time, you're prepared. With a wave of your hand, you send the monster flying sideways, crashing down into another pillar. It shakes itself off and flies up before it could tumble down into the black abyss. You glance over at it before turning back to the other beasts. The Dirt Lurker rushes forward, stomping into the ground. The two heads on its arms cry out as it takes a wide swing at you, but it's attack is useless. The second ring protects you, hardening the space in front of you into a force fried. You look up at the hand covered in eyes, feeling disgust well up in you.

There is something you didn't see coming. You blink for a moment, and there's a flash of white. Standing beside the Dirt Lurker is the Bone Lurker. It hadn't been there mere moments ago. Catching you by surprise, you don't have time to react to it's assault. Gripping the large bone in its thin hand, it slams it into your side like a bat hitting a pitch. The force is more than you expected. You're sent backwards off the side of the pillars surface. You use your power to float up, recovering from the hit. Your arms even hurts a little.

"Wow... could you do that the whole time?" you say.

You're not sure what you're looking at. It seems like a regular Bone Lurker. Thin, long body. Pale, broken skin. Sunken, hollow eyes. But it's strong, stronger than anything you've seen before. You can't tell if it's special, or if all Bone Lurkers are capable of such feats. You're not really willing to find out. Dim will be waiting for you, and you don't want to keep the tower waiting.

As the fight moved along, Dim ran through the different bridges, trying to find the quickest path to the other side. As she does, she can hear the battle going on behind her. She looks back for a second. She can see you hanging in midair, staring down the two monsters as the third flies circles in the air. You seem confident, more than ever before. Ever since the two of you came down from the mountain, you seemed changed. It's like you're becoming a different person. It's strange.

You can remember more. You remember the tower and the world as it was. You can remember people and places. But you can't remember these. These abominations that came from the dead. They aren't natural. The sooner they're gone, the better. However, you're going to have to deal with these three first.

Your body hovers in the air as the second ring shimmers. You're not used to this flying thing, so you need to fight on the ground where you're most comfortable. However, with how small the tops of the pillars are, that could be difficult. It's time to fix that.

Pushing off against the space in front of you, you land on one of the pillars behind you. You steady yourself before placing your hand on the rocky surface. The third ring glows on your arm. A pulse of energy extends outward from your palm as the entire pillar begins to widen, stretching out and bending in ways that shouldn't be possible. The rocks seemingly multiply and soon a massive area sits before you, ready to be fought on.

The first one to enter is the Cloud Lurker, swooping down from above as the incredibly fast Bone Lurker follows with the Dirt Lurker close behind. You raise your hand, flashing the second and third rings at once. The space in front of you turns into a blazing fire. Cloud screeches and dives out of the way, tumbling to the side. Bone stops in its tracks, but Dirt continues forward. It burrows into the ground and pops up on the other side of the fire wall. You stagger back and wave your hand. The second ring pushes it out of the way as you regain your balance.

This isn't working. You can't focus on anything with three monsters attacking you at once. You need to get rid of one right away. The Dirt Lurker is easy to beat, and the Cloud Lurker might cause a problem. However, the Bone Lurker is the most dangerous. It's speed and strength are far greater than the other two beasts. It'll need to be taken out quickly.

"What the?..."

From further down the path, Dim can see where you and the Lurkers are fighting. She had turned away from the battle for a moment to climb the steps when a loud rumbling noise echoed through the valley. She spun around to see that one of the pillars had tripled in size. She watches as you made fire from nothing, wondering if you could do that the whole time. She wonders what else you're capable of.

You can take out Bone in one shot, but you'll need to be careful. You can see Dim on the side of the mountain up ahead. There's a chance you might hit her. Rushing forward, you charge at the Bone Lurker, trying to maneuver up to it quickly. It reacts instantly and reaches out for you. Strong fingers grab your shirt and push you down into the ground, moaning as it lowers its face and long tongue towards you. Looking up at the sky, you can finally take the shot.

The first ring on your arm glows. Fire pours through your body and you can feel it collect behind your eyes. They glow a bright red and you let out a massive beam of energy. It scorched the air and reduces the Bone Lurker to ash, burning it into nothing. The other two monsters roar as you stand up. You look back at them, emotionless.

You know even more. Everything grows clearer. The fire in your body isn't just turning on and off. It's constantly burning. You're growing stronger, and they know it. If you're not stopped, you'll bring them all down.

The Cloud Lurker rushes forward in a desperate attack. The Dirt Lurker digs down, going in for a sneak attack. You don't want to have to deal with both of them at once. You just want to focus on Cloud at the moment. You point at the ground and the third and fifth ring glows. The earth shifts and melts, growing and forming a crude stone body. The golem you made shifts about before rushing to the side, body slamming the Dirt Lurker as it comes out, freeing you up to take care of the other one.

You duck out of the way of its attack with ease. It roars and goes in for another strike, but you stop it with a wave of your hand. The third ring melts ground and it reaches out, pulling it into the stone. It struggles as it's slowly encased in rock. You reach out and place your hand on its head. It screams out one last time as you power up the fourth ring. Its body trembles as energy sparkles around it. Wrinkles and scars form on it as it ages rapidly, dying of old age in a matter of moments.

With two monsters down, the was only one left to deal with. You look back to see the golem fall down, cracking to pieces and dying. You look up at the bleeding Dirt Lurker with disgust. It staggers back, panting from its two mouths as it looks at you. You step towards it and raise your hand, the fifth ring glowing. You try to pull out the soul, but you can't grab it. It's not there. You can't feel it, since it doesn't have one.

You're hatred grows. Your hand grows hot and you push outwards as the third ring glows. It flashes out and covers the monster. The Dirt Lurker shakes and stops. It's silent for a moment, it's large body slowly crumbles into dust, blowing away in the wind. The battle is over, and there's not a scratch on you.

You look up at the mountain and sky. You wonder how it would look if it were still alive. It's a shame that it had to go to waste. The Lurkers drained the world of its beauty, and there's no way to put it back.

"Damn it... Oh well."

You blink and warp up to the tower. Dim is standing there, waiting for you. She's startled by your sudden appearance, but she runs up to you, taking your hand.

"(Y/N)! Is it over?"

"Yes. It's done."

"Are... Are you alright?"

"Yes. I'm fine."

You don't look fine. You look different. A strange expression sits on your face, but only for a moment. You look down at Dim and smile, squeezing her hand.

"Come on. I'm almost there."