Fear, Hunger and Cosmic Horrors

Chapter 8 - A Shakespearean Tragedy

Chapter 8 - A Shakespearean Tragedy

"RRAAHH!"

With a scream of rage, Iron Shakespeare charged towards us, trying to hit us with his shoulder.

Ragnvaldr was the first to move out of the way, leaping to the side, sending the Iron Shakespeare straight past, but not before cutting the great knight's left arm with his axe, leaving a wound oozing blood.

Unfortunately, this wasn't enough to stop Iron Shakespeare's advance, as the knight continued running towards us.

Somersaulting to the side, Cahara was the second to move out of the way, leaving a gash on the knight right leg in the process.

Iron Shakespeare stumbled in the middle of his run upon receiving the blow, but he soon regained his balance and continued advancing towards his targets, namely D'arce, the Girl and me.

Without wasting time, D'arce and I walked away in opposite directions; simultaneously I grabbed the girl by the shoulder, pulling her away.

A crash of shattering metal and stone echoed through the hallway as the Iron Shakespeare collided with the gooey wall next to where we previously stood.

The impact left the knight stunned for a few seconds, long enough for D'arce to strike the knight in the back, releasing a jet of blood and leaving behind a large bloody cut.

However, to D'arce's surprise, Iron Shakespeare quickly turned around and threw a flaming punch directly at her. Seeing that there was no way to dodge, D'arce did something that confused me.

She let out a war cry, assumed a slightly crouched stance with her shield raised in front of her face. The moment the punch hit the shield, a bell-like sound accompanied by a burst of flames occurred.

I expected D'arce to fly away with her broken arm.

What I didn't expect was the knight enduring the blow but being sent backwards with her feet sliding across the ground and steam rising from her shield. When D'arce stopped, she snapped out of her stance while swinging her stricken arm in pain, but other than that and the scorched shield, she appeared unharmed.

Wait? Did she just use one of the game's skills? Defensive Stance?

I was brought out of my stupor when Ragnvaldr and Cahara ran past D'arce and charged towards the knight, the Iron Shakespeare letting out a defiant shout and Ragnvaldr returning with his own.

Upon seeing the two enemies advancing, Iron Shakespeare raised his fists and tried to crush both opponents, which caused them to stop in their run to avoid being hit.

With that, Ragnvaldr and Cahara escaped the blunt of the blow, but were burned by the flames that exploded out of the punch. With his enemies off balance, Iron Shakespeare charged forward with his fist raised, attempting to crush Cahara.

The mercenary managed to dodge the blow, but I saw him make a face of pain as the flames licked his body. However, by being focused on Cahara, Iron Shakespeare left himself open for Ragnvaldr's blow that hit him in the left arm.

D'arce decided to take advantage of the opening, because as soon as Iron Shakespeare shifted his focus towards Ragnvaldr, the knight slashed Iron Shakespeare in the chest, causing him to let out a cry of pain.

Nevertheless, recovering from the strike, Iron Shakespeare delivered a powerful blow to drive away his attackers. With a swift movement, Iron Shakespeare spun like a top as he charged towards Ragnvaldr and D'arce, leaving behind trails of fire in the air.

Both were caught off guard by the blow, only having time to raise their shields, and this time, D'arce was unable to change her stance and use her skill.