Part of me is wondering if Kiilda is expecting me to find my way off the mountain. I haven’t cared to search for a way down; I’m used to Kiilda coming to me. However, perhaps there is no way for Kiilda to reach me, I’ll never be able to fight It, which means I won’t be able to kill It, and I’ll never be able to leave this subworld.
I clasp my sword as I stand, deciding to approach the edge of the ledge and search for a way down. Shrinking at the sight of how high I am, I decide that it would be impossible to get down; this is the only ledge for a couple hundred feet, and in between lies a stretch of smooth, slanted rock. There’s no way I’m getting down.
I hear something crack. I grunt, casting a glance to my arm, which has already begun to turn to stone. It’s as I feared; the infection is spreading. The stone has begun to spread to my bicep.
I hear another crack.
It didn’t come from my arm.
My heart beat quickens, and a shiver runs through me. It’s about to begin…again.
Why do I feel weak all of a sudden? Why do I feel hopeless? I clench my sword, whirling about, trying to drown the feelings of doubt with determination. But it’s as if my resolve has begun dying. My blood is frozen. I’m not ready for this. I’m not ready to fight again.
More than my arm is turning to stone.
But I don’t know where the sound came from. The ledge is empty. Kiilda didn’t just appear behind me, as I somewhat anticipated. Once again, there’s silence.
I breathe, surveying the ledge and the mountain scrupulously. The ledge is only about twenty feet wide and forty feet long, not enough room for a fight. But this is the next fighting terrain. Each time, after Kiilda has landed a blow on me, I’ve been transported to another part of the subworld, and in that section is where the subsequent battle has occurred. So this has to be the place. I breathe deeply, my mind quickly trying to formulate methods for attacking Kiilda and defending myself, should It appear here.
Another crack.
I jump in response, startled. My eyes once again scour the ledge and the mountain for anything indicating Kiilda’s presence. After all, do mountains just “crack”, in the same way a tree might groan or creak? This is just like last time we fought, in the forest. It’s building up the suspense. It’s trying to throw me off in whatever way It can. And it’s working.
I almost miss it. I squint, peering at the wall of stone in front of me, the mountain which rises above my ledge higher into the sky. There are two holes, deep and hollow. And perfectly shaped.
Within the holes are two glowing beads of red light.
Kiilda emerges from amid the stone with astounding speed.
Astounding speed? I guess it makes sense. The demon is the god of this world after all. What can I do against such a being?
I raise my sword as Kiilda charges me. This ledge is too small, and my back is already to the precipice, which means I’m in grave danger of falling off the edge towards the ground from a height of two-thousand feet. Our blades glance off each other’s once, then twice, and I bound to the side, trying gain a better position on the ledge.
Kiilda, same as ever, bears a look of disinterested death on Its face. The glowing red eyes, the long, spikey hair, and the enormous build of the demon is so distracting. I can hardly think or react whenever It charges me. Just defend; that’s all I can do. Why can’t I think clearly? “Get a hold of yourself!” I scream mentally.
As I parry a strike from the monster, a thought hits me. This fighting terrain might prove extremely dangerous for me, but shouldn’t it be the same for Kiilda? I already know that I can’t pierce Kiilda with my blade. So what if I somehow throw It from the cliff? What if the impact of landing from a two-thousand foot drop is enough to break and kill the beast?
I have to try. Yet, I reason that unless I somehow earn for myself enough momentum to push Kiilda off the ledge, I’ll have to place myself near the ledge and cause Kiilda to throw Itself off. I’m wary to attempt my idea. But I know that I have to try. I have to try.
Dammit! I think, gritting my teeth. I have to try!
What am I fighting for?
The name rings in my head, though it is not my own voice. “Sor…or!”
I pivot, turning my back once again to the edge of the ledge. Kiilda ceases attacking, turning to face me. It almost seems like It’s waiting for something. As if It wants me to attack. “Afraid of heights?” I question, clenching my teeth, my heart racing. I grip my sword harder, thinking, “Come on, just charge!”
The demon answers my plea.
Kiilda rushes towards me. I expect a blow of some sort, but that’s not exactly what I receive. Our swords do meet, and as they do, I commence spinning out of the way. This is it; Kiilda’s own momentum is about to throw It from the cliff. But then Kiilda’s hand latches onto my right arm; Its stone hand grips me tight.
And we both surge into the air, off the ledge. I was wrong. Kiilda isn’t afraid of heights.
Wind tears through my hair and clothes, running over my bare arms and biting at my skin. For a moment, I’m almost paralyzed with shock and fear. I’m going to die the moment I hit the ground. Then I come to my senses as I see Kiilda plummeting next to me. The demon whirls in the air, striking with Its sword. I spread my arms out, and I catch the wind, hovering above Its attack. In response, I flip, spinning wildly but under control, slashing for the demon’s head. Kiilda turns so that Its back faces the ground, and It blocks, catching the wind also, suddenly flitting up above me.
I begin to turn so that I can see the monster again, but then I notice that I’m about to strike the mountain itself, which slants towards the surface of the subworld at an angle. I endeavor to soar out of the way, now only about two hundred feet from the ground.
Something hard hits the back of my head and my lower back. Something rock-hard.
I hit the mountain. To my fortune, the mountain is slanted, so I don’t land as roughly as I anticipated, and my speed continues to carry me down the cliff. But then I realize what hit me in my head and back; Kiilda’s feet. And right as I strike the mountain, Kiilda alights on me completely. I scream, the demon riding me down the stone slope. The skin on my forehead rips open and I feel blood surging out of my eyes and mouth. More than just the feeling of skidding over the mountain hurts. My eyes water with rage for the demon.
A moment later I’m falling through the air again. Kiilda, as far as I know, is still above me. Blood gushes off my face, and I can barely see. I struggle to look away from the ground below; that much I can see. And I’m going to hit it. I’m going to get splatted on the surface of the subworld. Franticly, I twist in the air, looking for the demon. I have to kill It! I have to kill It before I hit the ground!
The moment I finish pivoting in the air, I see the outline of the monster above me, and then Kiilda’s sword runs me through the stomach.
I freeze in the air, blood filling my mouth. I don’t even feel the pain yet. Instead, there’s just the knowledge that I lost…again. I’m about to lose everything. I’m about to die. With demons like Kiilda existing, we’re all going to die. And a teenaged guy fighting for his little sister isn’t going to change that. Dammit… I say mentally, in a whisper.
The world begins to grow blurry, and everything around me starts to swirl. I’m five feet away from the surface of the subworld when I feel myself get whisked away by Kiilda to the next fighting terrain. And everything goes black.