Rise Of Pandora

Rise Of Pandora: XXVI. Man's Mercy

"There is nothing scarier than a smart monster."

-Prometheus

VIII. Poet

No matter how much he scampered and trudged around the dense forest, the man always caught sight of him while whistling that menacing tune. Running out of options and convenient areas in which to conceal himself, he hurried for the man with hurried thought.

He quickly lifted his sword and partially blocked one arrow that was darting towards his face. The arrow deflected down and dove into his right foot. Those arrows came at him with such an unruly force; he did not know how to handle them. The rush of fear which tempted to overflow him allowed him to disregard the pain and adhere to his decision to charge at his enemy. He did not stick to a singular trajectory as he charged with both his blades smothered tightly, rather, he zigzagged around with the effort to elude and confuse his arrogant enemy.

Frustrated, the man ceased to whistle and focused on the incoming the soldier whose eyes burned with conviction. He could not believe that he was actually evading the rapid succession of arrows which threaten to rid him of life. The man wildly swerved to the side in the hopes of retaining his distance.

The man's eyes widened in a muddle of disgust and worry as he began to acknowledge that his efforts to shoot the soldier down were being thwarted. He finally caught up to the man and swung wickedly with all his remaining strength. He involuntarily unleashed an emotional shout as he whirled his sword at the man's throat. The man ducked his entire body down in one rapid and instinctive motion, his long hair lingering and swaying in the air. He did well to avoid the horizontal swing but the soldier quickly worked the man's awkward position to his advantage. His eyes widening, he believed he had won.

He lunged his other swords downwards at the man but it was him who felt sudden pains, specifically in his stomach. His foe moved like an apparition, defying laws which bounded man to regularity. With his fingers tightened together, he had jabbed the soldier in the gut several in the course of less than one second. It was fierce and abnormal the manner in which he moved. He was like a phantom who sparred with a mortal. He was physically dominant. His muscles appeared as if they wanted to rip from his chilly hide.

He quickly retreated while grabbing at his throbbing stomach which bled profusely. He could not believe how his target had just struck him. It deterred all momentum he had just managed to glean. He was convinced he was fighting the roughest of demons, the wildest of brutes. They both grunted wildly like feral beasts. His fingers were like knives the way he struck him. His legs felt weak and his stomach was already swollen and thumping ceaselessly.

However, this did not fully deter him. He noticed that the man had dropped his bow. Trying to take advantage of the man's apparent vulnerability, he lunged at him with his swords. He took many steps closer but before he could come close enough to strike him, another clap reverberated in the still air and suddenly the bow had reappeared in the man's large and menacing hands. Seeing this, he immediately strayed off course, trying to remove himself from the man's immediate view. He navigated around him.

Despite trying to keep his mind still, the fears and emotions he was undergoing began to ooze out from his calm interior and project outwardly in the form of sweat. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glance at what seemed to be Gaijin rushing in his direction. Suddenly, the man kicked the soldier causing him to kneel on the snow. The man was so unbelievably stalwart and heavy.

He tugged the bow and a violent succession of arrows sank into the soldier's lower back like a knife cutting through butter. The arrows ripped through his skin, breaking and overpowering his bones, and ripped out through the front of his abdomen. He shrieked and scrambled for breath.