The creature dashed forward, mud flying all around. It roared in fury, its empty eyes gazing at me with overwhelming killing intent.

  Its stature towered over three or four meters in height, hard to say when the bloody thing is moving towards me at breakneck speed. One of its arms raised high, and swinging down soon afterwards. I raised my left arm in response, receiving the blow in its entirety, I sank a bit into the ground, the flesh in my arm tearing apart—releasing a nauseating stench. The smell hit the creature, the foul and repulsive odour of decayed flesh, stunned it for a single second. I didn't take that time for granted, as my free arm thundered towards its forward knee. I felt the bones crushing under my blow, effectively making the creature just a bit less dangerous.

  Basking in my accomplishment, my dumbass failed to notice its other arm sweeping towards me.

  I was thrown a good distance away, a testament to the power that creature possessed. I fell just a bit farther of the position of the smaller creatures, that pounced on me like hungry beasts.

  As I tried to get up, one of them swang its claws at my thigh, creating a deep gash. The pain simmered in my brain like boiling water. Another one clawed the side of my torso, creating deep incisions between my ribs, exposing my ruined lungs. A third clawed at my back, a fourth at my stomach, and a fifth at my neck.

  I was thoroughly bleeding all over, my guts were spilling out of my abdomen, my neck a fountain of black blood—I was in piss poor conditions. The pain was unbearable, despair clung onto my blackened heart. At this very moment I realised how utterly stupid I truly was. Despite my snarky humour and a few other emotions I managed to mantain, something had indeed changed in my mind, and only now did I understand the depth of it.

  'Fun' my ass! 'No problem dying amongst corpses' my ass!

  None of these thoughts made sense to me now. I was despairing at the idea of dying, at the idea I was never to see Lissana, that I was never to accomplish anything other than playing an unwilling matchmaker role.

  As despair grew inside of me, so did my anger, it intensified to such extents that I could see it was affecting the surroundings. Little waves flowed in the muddy waters of the swamp, the wind billowed eerily, the creatures stopped and started trembling. I tried to roar in anger, to scream to the heavens in dissatisfaction—but all that came out was a frightening shrill, a ghostly cry.

  The sound was of such intensity that my throat exploded, and so did my lungs, yet I continued screaming. I let out all my frustrations in that one sound that kept going for who knows how long. I couldn't care less for the frozen beings that were ferociously attacking me just moments ago, my only focus was on letting every ounce of resentment out of me.

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  Soon enough I stopped myself. Something inside of me felt different, something flowed inside of me—something powerful and ancient. Though now was not the time to figure things out, I had something else to do for the moment.

  My gaze fell from the skies towards all of the creatures. My dark eyes burning with vengeance.

  "You're all fucked now." My voice a harrowing screech, completely unnatural, yet still familiar.

  I darted towards the nearest thing, my hands flying with a grasping motion, as they sank into the beast chest. A crunching sound resounded as flesh was torn and bones were broken. In my fingertips I felt the pulsating heart, its beat powerful and rythmic. I clasped my hands over it, and yanked it hard, my hands once more visible. They were covered in green blood and in them lied a distorted heart.

  The now dead being fell weakly to the ground.

  The remaining four smaller ones gurgled angrily and afterwards pounced at me. One of the first to reach me aimed at my face, no doubt seeking to take my sight. I crouched a bit and grabbed its ankle, then I swung the creature towards its nearest kin, as if it was a simple club—and lot a living being. Not that I care for it being alive or not, as soon enough it would die as well. I swung again and again, every time I hit, pieces of flesh of the thing in my hand and the one now on the ground flew everywhere. I threw it atop its comrade and stomped on their head, crushing them like rotten pumpkins.

  Of the two remaining there was one that just stood there, paralyzed in what I think might be fear. It's a really great sight, to see the thing that was tormenting me a few seconds ago, now standing frozen in sheer fright. The other more corageous one jumped towards me shrieking and flailing about desperately. My hand clasped its neck tightly, applying just a bit more pressure every now and then. I looked towards the frozen one, it was shivering in fear. While still in my hands the creature struggled savagely, clawing at my arms, leaving nothing but bones. Strangely enough this time there was no pain, only a bit of relief as my bones came in sight.

  Despite no longer having any muscles in my forearm, no flesh, I could still apply strength to my grip. Actually, I could apply even more strength, now that my own flesh was no longer holding me back.

  Still looking at the shivering mess of a being, my hand tightened, flesh rupturing ever so slightly under my hold. Bit by bit, I felt muscles become undone and veins exploding beneath my hands, the creature strugling less and less. I put even more strength, and with a 'pop' the head separated of the body quite cleanly.

  Not even looking at the decapitated body at my feet, I walked forward, reaching the last normal sized creature.

  It looked at me with almost pleading eyes, begging for mercy. But I spared him none. I slaped it with the back of my hand and sent it flying, lifelessly. The body flew a good distance till it fell right by the giant one, who stood there in a daze. The commotion near it taking it back from its reverie. Looking at all his breathren dead, it looked at me with renewed rage.

  I smiled.

  "Just you and me now big guy."