Zalgo's smug face was echoed by the other six mouths scattered over his body. The new advantage that the Slender Family had gained didn't seem to faze him in the slightest. He remained collected and confident of his situation, standing far back across the sea of minions. The evening's darkening sky gradually gave way to the glow of the Zalgoid demons; their lava-like veins illuminating with pulsing excitement.
Both factions stared each other down with bloodlust in their eyes. The natural silence of the forest had returned, if only for a moment. The long and lazy gusts of a cool, evening breeze could be heard from the canopy above. If there was wildlife here at any point, it had been scared off long during the beginnings of this war.
The urge to lunge forward and attack overwhelmed you, giving no leverage to fight the impulse. This sensation seemed to infect everyone else, too, as both the Slender Family and the Zalgoids once again clashed in a wave of violence.
You saw - from your perspective, from everyone's nearby perspective, and from Slenderman's perspective - the full strength of your master as he tore into numerous demons. He used his bare hands and his tendrils in perfect, gory harmony; ripping, slashing, crushing, spearing, and anything else the imagination could muster. Any other attackers that he couldn't physically deal with right away, Slenderman would use his telepathy in awful, torturous ways - inducing his family's Slender-sickness upon targets. Many Zalgoids fell to the trampled ground in a state of seizing. Once Slenderman had a chance, he would finish them off with a physical attack. Some Zalgoids proved stronger than their fodder-like cohorts, which would occasionally threaten to inundate your powerful master. So far, he had proven himself superior.
You, on the other hand, were still fighting with your salivation glands to produce venom. Here and there, you tried using your fangs in hopes it would stimulate the source of your noxious fluids, but your nerves were still keeping you dry. Already, you were more than halfway through your supply of holy water balls. The onslaught of demons was heavier than before, and you were having a hard time keeping up. You knew that the only solution was to get your feral traits in high gear, and yet fear hindered you. It was the fear that those voided eyes and those mouths dribbling darkness were real. It was the fear that the whispers in your head would remain if the war is lost. It was the fear of loss; the fear of a familiar emptiness from your human days; you dreaded that sensation's return.
"If you want to avoid the inception of such a fear," Slenderman's voice broke through you scrambled thoughts, relaxing them like a massage to a cramped muscle, "then I suggest you ensure our victory."
Still emptying your minuscule remaining ammo into the demons, you watched everyone do their part. You saw with the network of vision how each member of each team had a role to play; how they didn't hold back, nor let fear hold them back. Even your fellow Proxies fought with vigor, despite some of them having only human capabilities. Why did you, a powerful half-feral, need to fear giving your all to this decisive war?
In the background of things, you saw Nirman, the butler ghost from when you had fought Slenderman, doing his best to stay low and give aid to allies who had fallen. He sewed up wounds, pulled the injured from the fray when they were down, and helped to awaken the unconscious. Nirman wasn't much of a fighter, but he still had his worth. Without his tireless efforts, many of your allies would have died by now. Instead, they could recover and rejoin. If Nirman could cast aside his fears for victory, then so could you.
Your ammo ran dry. You flipped the empty rifle, gripping it by the muzzle, and swung it wide. Just in time, you clocked a demon in the temple with the butt of the air-gun; both the demon's neck and the rifle's barrel snapped in half. The gun was of no use anymore, so you tossed it aside. As for the demon, it tumbled to your feet in a heap of writhing black and red. Despite its crooked neck, the being continued to live, reaching for your legs as it wobbled in an effort to stand once again. You unsheathed your machete from the confines of your jacket, not hesitating to swing down and chop right into the demon's chest with a hefty thwack! Luckily, your plan to lace all of your blades with venom pre-war came in handy. The demon squealed almost immediately, clawing at you, but you pulled your machete away. With desperation, the demon tore at its chest, trying to rid itself of the venom's agony, but it was far too late. You didn't bother watching until the end; there were plenty more enemies to face.
The moistened sensation in your mouth was relieving, but not enough. It wasn't nearly the flow of venom that usually came with the thirst for violence. You needed more; you needed to stimulate the lust for gore. At least there were a plethora of victims to do just that.
Not far from your team, Black Blood slaughtered Zalgoids almost as fast as Slenderman. Her strange shadows whipped and jabbed at the foes. Occasionally, one of her victims would still be alive, crawling to Black's feet in a last effort for success. The shadow user would simply drive her straight-bladed dagger into the barely-living being, finishing them off with savoring speed. You happened to notice that she was isolated in the midst of Zalgoids, which looked to put her at a disadvantage.
With that thought, you made your way to Black Blood, one demon at a time. The venom-laced blades were good for about two stabs before the toxins depleted. Luckily, you were capable of fending off each enemy whilst in close combat, even without your venom; though, it wasn't nearly as easy. Each new kill added adrenaline to your veins, exciting the feral side of you. The feeling of death being controlled by your very hands was nothing less than invigorating. Your venom and salivation glands were starting to get their courage back. With increasing confidence came greater agility, more strength, and more venom. You lunged for a Zalgoid, licking your combat knife in mid-attack, and plunged the blade into your unsuspecting foe's neck.
At the same moment, a jagged shadow darted to you, only halting its assault when you turned to step back and expel a guttural hiss. Spit and venom splattered at the shadow, then continued its way through the air, only to make contact with the ground. The demon you had stabbed didn't go ignored, mind you. In fact, during the brevity of your new confrontation, you followed up your original strike with several more repeated stabbings. Not once did you take your eyes off of the shadow, which seemed to stare you down with its irregular shape. The demon fell your feet, gagging, gurgling, and laughing at its misfortune. You hissed again, this time accompanied by a nasal growl. Your fangs were bared and ready to puncture your new foe, if at all possible.
"That's any ally!" You heard a feminine voice scold the shadow. "We've met her before." The voice was Black's, which you realized after following the shadow's dark trail to her physical body. She looked distressed, more so than when she was surrounded just earlier. Black Blood made eye contact with you before saying, "I can hold my own. My shadows don't always separate friend from foe, so please keep away." To this, you relaxed your face and cautiously backed away from the shadow that - figuratively - stood its ground. It couldn't be trusted; not with your own life, anyway.
Once the shadow turned away to rejoin its companions, you fought your way to a safer distance. Throats were slashed, torsos were impaled, skulls were smashed, and limbs were dismembered. You made quick work of the smaller demons, dancing around them as though your body had become liquid. From what Slenderman had explained about his fight with you as a full-formed feral, this was exactly the same style of combat: agile, swift, and fluid motions. You were a serpent in the wind, and struck viciously like a wolf. The euphoria of dominating your enemies filled your veins with bliss. Finally, you were able to use your abilities to full capacity.
Another giant among the Zalgoids thundered in your direction. It seemed more focused on Sexual-Offenderman's Proxies; their master was busy with a Zalgoid that didn't look of the demon type. You decided to take initiative and help defend the Proxies, rushing your way to the giant in a slippery manner; you dodged, parried, and countered each attack from Zalgoids you would pass by. It didn't take much time to reach the giant demon, its branching horns littered its body equal to the grinning mouths. Immediately, you wielded two jagged-toothed knives and plunged them into the giant's calf as it swung by. You held on tight, only having to endure the force of your huge enemy's leg landing on the ground once. It didn't like the new tick on its leg. With a small frame of time to act, you used the giant's irritated pause to sink your dripping fangs deep into its flesh. Admittedly, biting a Zalgoid was rough on your fangs, but you were able to pierce through. The giant was obviously upset. It lurched its arm down in an effort to swat you off, but you had other plans.
You retracted your fangs and ripped out one of your knives, aiming the blade for the incoming hand. It impacted with the palm, pulling you with it; you were able to take the second knife with you, which was used to stab the hand once again. On the inside of the palm was a toothy mouth stretching across its surface. The hand swung back up to the demon's face for a good look at its pesky attacker. You flattened yourself against the palm's side, holding on with every ounce of strength you could muster, thighs squeezing the crispy flesh between them. The demon screamed at you with no coherent words. It was cut short by a volley of holy water balls exploding on the surface of its skin. You glanced down to see John, Neela, Isikam Isiko, and Sabrinae pelting the giant with unrelenting determination.
With additional time, you took advantage of the demon's agonized flinch over its sizzling skin, and swirled a wad of spit in your mouth until it was of satisfactory volume. The venom packed in your mouth was going to be a hell of a dose for the giant, if you got it to swallow the stuff. You eyed the mouth on the demon's palm, wondering if it would be just as good as the main mouth. A mental shrug was all you needed to convince yourself to try, so you worked the muscles in your cheeks and jaws, created a force behind the wad of saliva and venom, and fired it right into the screaming palm. The greenish ooze landed on the tongue, to which it quickly withdrew into its cavern to shut tight. You felt it swallow, however that anatomically worked.
Just as you were considering on getting down or going for the demon's main throat, you were whipped from the hand as it jerked away. You lost grip of your knives, and your thighs couldn't squeeze any tighter, so your body had only one option: fall. Holy hell, your neck was going to feel that in the morning. From your belly-up position of descent, you watched the giant flail its arm that had swallowed your venom. It seemed much more concerned with its internal ailment than the war, now. You tried twisting your body in preparation of landing on your feet, but the trait of feline grace wasn't on your side. Instead, one side of your body was met with a stretched cloth. There wasn't much bounce to it, but the landing was merciful. As you were lowered to the ground, which was merely a few inches away, you pushed yourself up and laid eyes upon your catchers. Isikam Isiko, Sabrinae, John, and Neela stood around you. Isikam Isiko took the blanket used to catch you and wrapped it back around her otherwise nude body. A fleeting thought wondered why she hadn't worn body armor like the other Proxies, but you dashed it away with other concerns.
"Thanks," you eyed each of the four. "We should probably finish taking down this guy before it causes more trouble." They all nodded in agreement.
From a safe distance, and the protection of ally Creepypastas nearby, the five of you quickly devised a plan. Sabrinae would keep the giant distracted with her ability to move around invisible at will, John and Neela would go and cut the giant's heels, then knees, etc. to get it lower to the ground, Isikam Isiko would fire remaining holy water ammo as a second distraction, and you would make a pin cushion out of the demon with your venom-laced blades. It all sounded perfect in theory, but the final test would prove the plan's worth. A final nod to each other began the attack.
Passenger went invisible and climbed up the giant's body while it ripped off its deteriorating arm. She appeared at its neck, wielding a sword you hadn't seen before; aside from its typical, short-sword shape, its silver blade was just visibly segmented. Sabrinae pierced the sword into the giant's neck, retracting and disappearing before the brute could swat her away. She was like a slippery mosquito.
John and Neela closed in on the towering demon's feet, respective sword and daggers at the ready. They rounded their foe's wake in an effort to dodge its shifting, hulking legs. Once an opening revealed itself, the giant pausing its step, the two darted to each leg and sliced deep into the back of the demon's ankles. Crispy flesh crumbled at the adjustments of its splitting, softer layer below. Tendons contracted far into flesh. Darkness oozed from severed veins. The giant stumbled against the precipitous weakness in its heels, trying to hold a steady footing; it soon failed. Smaller demons and nearby allies scurried away from the falling hulk, which fell to its knees. The earth trembled beneath your feet. With a fruitless attempt to sweep its half-arm at surrounding enemies, the giant only managed to shower them with dark fluids that continued to dribble from its dismembered wound. Neela and John readied themselves for the next chance to slice through the large foe's thighs.
You withdrew a couple of shuriken from your jacket, licking them with a fresh coat of thick venom. There were bellowing mouths on the giant's shoulders, and one was facing you, clearly exposed. You could probably get a couple of shuriken into said mouth, which would be more effective than a small prick in the thick epidermis. The opportunity was like a brightly-lit beacon.
Cautiously, you readied yourself for a long toss. The giant was kneeling, but its shoulders were still towering high above. Isikam Isiko kept the pressure on any smaller foes who might think you were distracted enough for a sneak-attack. You flung the first shuriken, spindrifts of excess venom flying from the sharp tips as it fiercely spun through the air. It hit, though just the bottom lip of the gaping orifice; which, in turn, quivered at the nearly insignificant puncture before waggling its tongue in search if its offender. The mouth screeched as the venom began to take effect, its wound swelling and rotting right before your eyes. This wasn't enough; you needed to get the whole shuriken into the mouth. Unfortunately, at this point, the giant turned to you, reacting to its new source of pain before being distracted by Sabrinae again. It jerked its head and swatted itself like some sort of severe schizophrenic sufferer, yipping and yelling at its various assailants. John and Neela followed the massive demon as it shuffled around on its knees in an effort to lunge for you. The mouth on its chest was roaring with understandable rage, giving you another opportunity before your large enemy could flatten you with its incoming hand.
A skillful fling of the shuriken, and a tactful rolling dodge out of the way was all you needed to succeed. The giant demon's hand slammed into the earth next to you, only catching a corner of your jacket, though it was easy to yank out from under. The shuriken lodged itself right into the chest-mouth's uvula. This caused the demon to pause in its losing battle, focusing on a coughing fit that was guaranteed to be its doom. John and Neela stole the opening and severed all tendons across the back of the giant's knees. It didn't fight back, only collapsing to the ground where it lay on its side and dug its only hand into its chest. The demon was trying to remove the shuriken, but the damage was done. The venom was easily spreading as the large mouth had swallowed and coughed in desperate attempts to dislodge its source of pain; instead, it only activated the venom faster. Blood and phlegm boiled from the aggravated mouth as it gagged and gurgled. You watched as the giant ripped flesh and bone from its chest, only to finally expire in a pond of its own gore.
You checked yourself over as the others regrouped with you. There were still plenty of kunai and a few more shuriken in your jacket; not many knives remained. There was also your pistol and ammo, though you wanted to save that for emergencies.
"Thanks for the help," Sabrinae appeared at your side, followed by Neela, John, and Isikam Isiko. You returned a nod in the small one's direction.
The war wasn't over yet; not by a long shot. There were still numerous Zalgoids, despite their steadily dwindling numbers. Giants were off in the distance, soloed by allies you haven't met before. Other demons of chaotic appearances mixed in with the crowds; some of centaur-like forms, some like spiders, and some with unearthly shapes. Zalgo remained in his place, too far across the battleground for anyone to reach him - yet. Perhaps you could take him. Your venom was tremendously effective against his demons, so why not the master, himself?
It didn't take any further convincing to get you moving. You left the Proxies behind, knowing that they could hold their own now. Each determined step carried you over the scattered corpses. Every Zalgoid that dared to face you was struck down in a matter of seconds.
A swirling of black smoke danced around a group of demons, who all looked dazed and confused - in a strangely pleasant way. You saw The Gentle Man command a few corpses of fallen Creepypastas, though none were of Zalgo's species. The undead beings clambered to the stuporous Zalgoids, easily overpowering them. When the demons were certain to be dead, the lively smoke collected itself and solidified into the Creepypasta you had met before, Smoke. He glanced at you, acknowledging your presence, then straightened an arm in your direction. His signature substance briskly flew from his hoody sleeve to somewhere behind your head. You heard something cough and gag, to which you spun around on your heel to find a Zalgoid not but a couple feet away. It stumbled meekly, unable to get away from the smoke that surrounded its body; not a single one of its mouths could inhale a fresh breath of air.
You stole the opportunity and grabbed the demon by the pair of horns on its head. Another demon rushed to you, which you used to kick off of its chest, a swift jab to its chin with the other foot, and back-flip; all the while, you held on tight to the first demon's horns. Somewhere between the initial kick and the solid landing, the first demon's neck twisted beyond its limits, breaking under your body's momentum. You swiped a kunai from your jacket and swiftly jabbed the broken Zalgoid a few times. The second demon made another attempt at rushing you, hoping that you were distracted enough this time - you weren't. Instead of a successful attack, the Zalgoid was met with another forceful kick, this time to the face. You followed its falling body and tackled it before there was time to recover. Fangs, thick with venom, sank deep into the demon's neck. It wriggled and screeched, clawing at your body to get you off. You pushed away and hopped back, wiping your mouth. There were a few fresh cuts on your arms and torso, but nothing severe enough to care.
It took a moment for you to gather your sense of direction again. Having everyone's vision all at once was dizzying when trying to pinpoint your own location. The Slender-beings' aid was a godsend in this aspect. Zalgo was still quite a distance away, but you knew you could get there with a little more effort. And so, you fought on, helping to lessen the number of Zalgoids with each length of yard that you traversed.
Nearby, you thought you saw Smoke again, but it was another, darker entity attached to Hailey, The Closet Monster. She was moving as needed for her conjoined demon to reach any foes that dared to enter their radius. Whatever Zalgoid tried their hand against Hailey and her smokey counterpart, they were quickly maimed. Hailey didn't need to do much more; you weren't sure if that was all she could do. She looked uncomfortable with the situation, shoulders hunched forward and hands held close to her torso. In her hands was a jar of dirt hugged tight against her body.
Not far from them were Felix and William. The brunette was handcuffed and chained to Felix's waist; helpless and completely at the mercy of the auburn-haired burn victim. Felix was busy smashing in the skull of a Creepypasta you hadn't yet met - and now never will. The victim was long dead, but Felix was more interested in turning the body to mush. William stayed close by Felix's side, knowing that the deranged boy was the only safety net he had during this war.
A plume of fire roared in Felix and William's direction, spewing from an antique-looking flamethrower. Holding said flamethrower was a woman dressed in 19th century fashion, styled with plenty of warm colors. Her thick, red hair matched perfectly with her theme. This woman of fire had a noticeable burn scar on the left-half of her face, which was accompanied by other scars at least on her arms, from what you could see. She was heavily equipped with various ways to set things aflame, including bottles for molotovs.
Felix screamed at the fire-bearing woman. William pulled his undesired partner away, if only for his own safety.
Directly in your path was Isadora Deves, fighting off a crowd of Zalgoids. She looked outnumbered. Her ammo had run dry a long time ago, and all that remained in Isadora's arsenal was a single butcher's cleaver. Winded and battered, the stocky woman had seen better days, but she wasn't ready to give up anytime soon. Isadora reached her free hand into the utility belt that was barely hanging on by only a couple of belt loops. From one of the pouches, the tricky woman pulled out and flung a cloud of red dust at the demons. It reached their lungs and soaked into any external mucus membranes, causing them to back off while swiping at their bodies for relief. Some Zalgoids dropped dead; others proved vigilant. This was where you rushed in to finish off Isadora's current foes.
Tackling the first demon, the two of you rolled to the ground. You gripped one of its arms and used the momentum to swing it head-first into another staggering Zalgoid. A jagged horn pierced right into your target's chest. While they struggled with each other, barely alive as it was, you hopped to your feet and began your work on the third demon. You flung a kunai directly into the third one's eye - unintentionally, but you wouldn't tell anyone - then rushed it with a another kunai, repeatedly stabbing the Zalgoid in the jugular until the head was barely hanging on. The body fell to its knees, where you ripped off its head, gripped each horn in one hand, and strained to snap them apart like a wishbone.
Isadora Deves chopped up the demons that were barely surviving your onslaught. She followed up with finishing off the few that remained. One demon caught her off guard, struggling to disarm her of the cleaver. Right on time, the horns you were trying to separate gave in to your will. The kinetic energy pushed them apart, hands still tightly gripping them, and one horn slammed right into Isadora's offending Zalgoid. It punctured the demon's back, jamming between its ribs. You tugged a couple of times before the horn went free, only to be turned on by your accidental victim. It growled, preparing to attack you, but Isadora had regained control of her cleaver and used the opportunity to hack right into the back of the Zalgoid's neck. Her forceful swings were precise and deadly. It only took two good hacks to cleave the demon's head right off. The body was kicked down for good measure.
Now that things were under control again, Isadora flashed a beholden smile before regrouping with her nearby teammates, Bridget, Cat, and Seedeater. You gave a nod and continued your path to Zalgo.
The distance between you and Zalgo was much shorter than before; not much further now. The incredible flood of Zalgoid demons was what slowed you down. Each one picked a fight, ultimately losing to you. A centaurian Zalgoid galloped in your direction, wielding a long spear that looked much like its species' horns. The large being thrust the spear, hoping to push you into the dirt like a seed, but you were able to just contort your abdomen away from the weapon's path. Instead, the spearhead lodged itself into the ground, seedless. You leapt onto the spear's shaft and ran up it to reach the centaur's head. The sudden jolt of the spear being dislodged from the earth threw you off balance, but you were able to catch yourself on the being's arm, where you swung around and flung your body to its shoulders. The centaur slammed the spear shaft at you, striking only itself as you maneuvered around the neck. You pulled out the demon horn from earlier and jammed it into the centaur's shoulder. Again and again, you pierced the muscle ragged, only stopping to switch shoulders when the Zalgoid tried to swat at you. It thrashed and screeched, even bucking its four-legged half, with wild determination to get you off of its body. You refused to be thrown so easily. Eventually, the centaur's arms were rendered useless; the spear clattered to the ground amongst the fallen corpses of war. You tossed the used demon horn and gripped each of the centaur's, standing atop its head.
"All right you demonic pony," you growled and stomped a foot to get your new mount's attention. "Get moving!" Again, you slammed your foot into the Zalgoid's head, but much harder. It screeched, reared up, and leapt forward to begin galloping away from Zalgo. "Hey, hey!" You tugged on the horn closest to Zalgo's direction, stomping on the same side of your battle pony's head. "That way, you idiot!" It turned and bucked, but at least it was running the correct way now.
Within your path of trampling, you spied Sylviane by herself. She swung around a large, gradient black and silver scythe that glowed a ghostly blue. On occasion, she would jab the spear-like hilt behind her, piercing any Zalgoids that were trying to be sneaky. You could see a wisp of something absorb into the scythe, then Sylviane swung the blade in a wide arc. From it, a wave of blue energy spread out and sliced right through many of the Zalgoids in its wake. This made it easier for the centaurian Zalgoid to move - not that it was having all that much trouble in the first place. The two of you passed by, quickly on your way to Zalgo, who, despite seeing your obvious approach, held his ground with smug confidence.
You closed in on Lord Zalgo, thundering hoof-beats drumming your battle song. The less distance between you and your target, the more your grip on the centaur's horns loosened. There was hesitation in the demon's steps, but it didn't stop - not until it was forced to.
Zalgo oh-so-elegantly, leaned back, pointing one leg forward, toe and all. As soon as the centaurian Zalgoid's torso connected with the tip of Zalgo's claw, the humanoid half folded over. The four-legged half dropped to the ground, sliding with momentum underneath itself. You were launched from your war pony's head, flying right over the length of Zalgo's perfectly balanced body. The demon lord's red eyes locked with your panicking ones as you catapulted through the air. His finely manicured hand reached up and snatched you in midair, gripping one of your much smaller arms. The forceful stop strained your shoulder, and it sure as hell didn't help your already sore neck. You weren't sure if you would have preferred crashing into the trees and risk being impaled by a branch; what a way to go out after all this, right? Zalgo, once certain he had stopped you from going too far, dropped you to the ground behind him. The centaur that had enveloped his leg melted and absorbed into its lord's body, yet Zalgo didn't grow from the gain of mass.
While you were busy recovering from unplanned mishaps, Zalgo returned himself to an upright, standing pose, watching you the entire time. You got onto your feet, rubbing your shoulder, and glared at Zalgo. He didn't seem to mind the hostile energy coming from you, much rather finding it amusing.
"Have you come to declare your undying love for me, ___?" Zalgo clasped his hands together and held them to his chest. "I think we bonded so well during our last meeting."
Grunting in disgust, you straightened up and readied yourself for a sudden brawl, "Your idea of bonding is a one-way street. I'm here to kill you."
"I know," Zalgo picked his barely visible nose.
"Fucking gross," you rolled your eyes.
"Oh, that's my favorite kind."
Fed up with Zalgo's existence, you pulled your last two shuriken from your tattered coat and flung one in the demon lord's general direction. For now, you needed to know how he fought; what his strengths were, and, if you were lucky, what openings you could take advantage of. This wouldn't be like fighting the other Zalgoids. Zalgo was the queen bee of his minions; unlike a queen bee, however, he was the most powerful of the entire hive.
The shuriken was deflected effortlessly. You barely saw Zalgo move his hand. "Sorry," he said. "You haven't unlocked the final boss, yet." From somewhere aside Lord Zalgo, one of his most loyal minions stepped between you two: Iris. She flipped a combat knife in one hand, emphasizing her lax demeanor over the situation. Zalgo backed away, more interested in the war than the battle. "Try not to die," he playfully chimed.
This Iris was the same person who had tricked you into being kidnapped. Considering how she stood back and let the demon minions wrestle you unconscious, you weren't expecting to see this Creepypasta on the battlefield; however, Zalgo was having Iris fight you. Either Zalgo didn't expect much from you, or Iris was a better fighter than you anticipated. The woman before you waited, holding her guard firm with no intention of striking first.
You really didn't want to make the first move, but someone had to. Otherwise, you'd never get to Zalgo. Taking Iris down was your only option. Going straight for Zalgo would just have two powerful enemies against you, and since there was a choice, why put yourself at a disadvantage?
Deciding to take the, hopefully, easier road, you swiftly closed the distance between Iris and yourself. You held on to your last shuriken, waiting to use it at the right moment. For now, you managed to dodge and block Iris' attacks and counters. She was a agile; matching your own fluid movements. Her precise strikes weren't arduous to overpower and deflect; in fact, you quickly found that Iris wasn't built for strength. You needed to act soon before one of her swipes or jabs were able to land in a vital spot. So far, you only suffered minor cuts on your arms, but too many of those would even prove fatal. Using your shuriken was pointless. Iris would easily deflect or dodge it; hell, you wouldn't be all that surprised if she caught it. There was only one choice to take her down.
As soon as you saw an opening, you lunged at Iris and wrapped your arms around her torso. It was a risky move, but you knew she could do little about it. The two of you tumbled to the ground. You could feel Iris plunge her knife into your shoulder. Refusing to let go, you wrapped your legs around Iris', preventing as much struggle as possible. There wasn't a great deal you could do about her arms, which either ravaged your upper body for a deterring grip or repeatedly stabbed your shoulder with the same knife. You reared your head, unhinging your jaws to allow the venomous fangs to unfold from their cavern. Iris' eyes grew wide with anticipation of what was to come. Down, you swung your head, piercing the crook of your foe's neck with relative ease. Not once did Iris stop stabbing you; hell, she even tried stirring your flesh with the blade. Needless to say, your heavily wounded arm was inert. Iris tried to wriggle her body away, feeling your limp arm slack, but you only sank your fangs deeper. The venom soon took effect, and Iris heaved a dreadful cry. It was only then that you retracted your fangs and stood up. The dagger had been let loose in your arm, now that Iris was distracted by something much worse. You pulled out the weapon. There was no point leaving it in, considering the numerous open wounds soaking your arm with blood.
The world seemed hazy now. Your body felt light. No doubt, you had lost - and were still losing - a considerable amount of blood. With the only good arm you had, you loosed a belt from your coat sleeve and cinched it as far up your shoulder as possible. At this point, there was no reason to try saving your useless arm if you were going to die of blood loss in the process. If it were to rot off, then so be it. Slenderman had incredible technology for this very situation. Just like your leg, he'd fix your arm, too, right?
At your feet, Iris screamed and writhed. You almost pitied her, but she was the enemy. Anyone who got in the way of your revenge against Zalgo would have to die. You mumbled a brief phrase of appreciation to Iris for her knife; the low and limited number of weapons on your person had you scavenging, it seemed. Then, you mentally slapped yourself at the awful timing of your memory - you have a damn gun on you! This fight didn't have to end with the loss of an arm! Curses and other foul words spewed from your lips, "So god damned stupid!"
The anger managed to aid in leveling your blood pressure. Your vision cleared, for the most part, and your body felt tethered to the ground. Several yards away was Zalgo, overlooking the war with unwavering confidence. You followed his gaze to the ocean of violence, seeing how your allies were just barely keeping the Zalgoid numbers even to their own. Many of Zalgo's minions had fallen, but they were wearing your side thin. Though you didn't recognize many Creepypastas, you knew that plenty of the corpses on the battlefield were of your own team. This war wouldn't last much longer. A victor would be decided in a matter of short time. How the decision would be made, you weren't sure; all options were still in the air. Admittedly, you weren't in fighting condition, but if necessary, you'd go down swinging. You had to do everything you can to defeat Zalgo's army; if not for your duty as Slenderman's Proxy, but to avenge the torture you were forced to endure.
One thing struck you as odd, however; your shared vision through the Slender-beings' telepathy had gone. You were unable to see via anyone else's sight but your own. Had Zalgo's overwhelming presence done this? Or perhaps a Slender-being had been taken down. Was the connection so delicate as to cancel after a single break in the line? No answers were offered at this time. Other matters were prevalent, for now.
"Well," you mumbled to yourself, digging your one good hand into your coat, "someone's gotta get started on him." You pulled out the pistol that you inconveniently remembered about, switching off the safety. Luckily for you, it was preloaded with full rounds before the war started. Unluckily, that was all you could use, considering that reloading with one hand was just asking for a bad time. You took a few deep breaths, trying to ease your nerves, which were being fed with pure adrenaline at this point. The breathing only just steadied the shaking in your hand. You aimed the barrel down your sights, directly at Zalgo. There was a good chance a simple bullet wouldn't do a damn thing to a powerful demon lord, but any chance to get in a sneak attack shouldn't be taken lightly.
You pulled the trigger, the pistol kicking back against your hand. It seemed stronger than usual, which you knew was due to your exhaustion. The single bullet sped for Zalgo's side, just outside of his visual range. He didn't react to the pistol's sharp bark, which was good, but also worrisome. Zalgo knew something.
The bullet flew right at Zalgo's shoulder, directly at its grinning mouth. Just before the compacted lead reached him, the mouth opened, and then chomped shut. The bullet sat right between its teeth as though the laws of physics didn't work on Zalgo. Grinning with all seven mouths, Zalgo turned his head to you, eyeing you with an ambivalent expression; amused at your vain attempt, yet deeply saddened that the time had come. The bullet, still in Zalgo's shoulder-mouth, melted into an inky ooze, which scattered into raven-like flies. "My beautiful ____," Zalgo called with a bittersweet tone, "your style of courtship is unhealthy, by human morals."
"I'm not your's to be had," you spat, tossing the gun aside. It was obviously useless against the horned being. "And my humanity became irrelevant way before I met you." Digging into your coat, you wielded Iris' combat knife, and licked its blood-encrusted blade with a thick coating of your venomous saliva. If you could get enough of your venom into Zalgo, you'd win. It was your only trump card.
Zalgo waved a dismissing hand at your words, "I'm afraid you don't have a choice in the matter. Nevertheless, we'll deal with your tsudere love for me later. Are you ready for a little flirtatious wrestling?" His seven mouths grinned, dripping with an ebony fog.
"When you put it like that," you mumbled, scrupled by Zalgo's abhorrent remarks. His mentally agitating tactics were outlandish, yet effective.
If you were going to back down, it was far too late for that. Zalgo ran the short distance to you, trembling the earth beneath his feet well beyond what you would expect from his size. How much control did he have over the things around him exactly? What could he manipulate with his chaotic energy? What were his limits? You realized much too late that absolutely no preparation went into this fight. Zalgo noted your frozen state and reared back a pointed set of claws, ready to strike for your abdomen. You bounced back, hoping to dodge in time, but a thick wall of black vines wove in front of you. Zalgo halted his assault, his eyes glaring at someone behind you.
YOU ARE READING
Can't Say
FanfictionIt seems people have been stealing this story and posting it here, so I'll officially post it, myself. A novel inspired by this one-shot: https://www.deviantart.com/shadowsbyday/art/If-Only-Slenderman-x-Fem-Reader-472659391 Summary: [SlendermanxRead...
