Joshua wouldn't call himself a-
“FUCK”
Something sms against the side of the pne, making the metal dent and knocking it back violently. Another horrible scream bellows out as the man and his mare are knocked on their asses.
No time for monologuing, Joshua fucking moves.
“Jophiel!”
“Pony!”
Pushing themselves up, they leap out of the pne and into the grass.
The scream of tearing metal rings in his ears as whatever it is seemingly knocks the pne aside in a show of immense strength.
And as he raises his head, Joshua gets a full view of it.
Tall, is the first he notices, standing well above him at a staggering 8 feet.
Sickly bck skin, rotten like charcoal along its thin dangly body. Its limbs spread and contort like tree branches into long cw-like appendages. There's no head, only a rounded stump on its shoulders that seems to pulsate slightly.
Its chest, however, is one long mouth split down the middle to their waist, a ghastly maw lined with jagged teeth of the remnants of a ribcage, along with a smaller mouth deeper in with smaller, more razor-like incisors. The fleshy red of its gums seems barely alive, like it's receiving the bare minimum for its body.
It has no eyes, as far as Joshua can see, but it still faces him with an eerie level of awareness.
Joshua freezes.
What the fuck is that?!
A pastel pink aura grips his colr as he's suddenly pulled out of the way, a bck something sms into the ground where he was with a sickening wet thud.
It squirms in the grass, hissing like a cockroach, it sounds… pissed. Thin bck appendages shoot out of its slug-like body and scitters away into the forest.
Joshua equips his sword and shield, keeping close to Jophiel as her horn ignites in preparation.
The… thing. No, he can't keep calling the ‘demons' here that, it needs a proper name.
He looks down at its lower body. The torso is connected to a strange pod-like sac, like a grub, where four long protrusions jut out into ft sick parodies of hooves.
Centaur, his mind goes to that name, he doesn't bother thinking further.
SLAM!
The Centaur sprints and crashes into him before he can react, cwing at him while letting out another raspy whine.
His shield blocks the blow, only sending him back at the impact. Arm now thoroughly sore, he grips the handle of his sword tightly and thrusts out into a stab.
Joshua feels the bde go in, but the thing barely reacts. He turns the handle in his grip and slices down, cleaving just below its jaw.
There's a brief fsh of pastel pink as Jophiel bsts it with psychic energy. She's in a wide stance, visibly stressed but the shovel hovering beside her shows her resolve.
“g-GODDAMMIT!”
Joshua feels a searing hot pain in his arm, in a fit of primal fear he pushes himself away with his shield and tries to keep a distance, only for it to rush at him again.
He doesn't have time to check his arm, it hurts, it's red, but it still works.
Good enough.
This isn't a battle.
Joshua is fighting for his life.
Another scream shakes his head, making him nauseous. He sees the Centaur charge once more, but something else impacts him.
Pain.
Acid.
Fire.
He's burning alive.
It's like his nerves are filled with needles, a weight on his chest quickly moves to his back, skittering along his body uncomfortably like a centipede. He doesn't even have time to scream.
He only caught a glimpse of bck, he guesses whatever hit him was one of those “slugs” the Centaur can shoot out.
Something enters him.
It's not like the pain, but some part of his body is informing him of something that just intruded.
An overwhelming feeling of something being wrong floods his brain.
Joshua panics.
A scream escapes his throat like a wounded animal.
SLAM!
The Centaur attacks.
With a swipe, his sword shatters flesh and bone are severed as his left side is mercilessly cleaved off, falling into the grass with his arm and shield.
The pain brings another scream to Joshua, one he's never given before, one that tears his throat. But it does bring his focus back.
“PONY!” Jophiel screams in the distance.
Another bst of psychic energy hits it, making it hiss in pain and turn its attention towards the mare.
Joshua slumps to the ground, sight fuzzy, and his hearing is muffled. Blood spills into the grass.
He feels hot, but… somehow… really cold.
It's hard to think.
Is this it?
Is this the punchline?
To this fucking joke…
.
.
.
Joshua isn't a fan of deus ex machina’s.
Lazy writing, he believes.
Something that comes out of nowhere and makes an unwinnable situation suddenly winnable.
He remembers how frustrating it was. Yes, the main character won, that's fine. But it just seems like a cop out for the showrunners to keep the story going.
Everyone knows these, they know it's bullshit.
But for once in his life, Joshua is praying for one.
The power to suddenly make everything better.
To triumph, to win.
It's a childish thought, a cowardly man's thoughts at the end of his rope.
But still, he wants to win.
He hears Jophiel crying in pain, muffled heavily in the brain fog.
Joshua thinks back, for anything to help.
His weapon was broken, his body being intruded, and now he's bleeding out in the grass.
Does he really have the power to make a difference?
Is this just… it?
The End?
Game Over?
You Died?
A tragic realization washes over him.
He doesn't have the power to do anything.
He's going to die here, along with Jophiel, and it's all his fault. All because of him.
.
.
.
…’Him’...
Why does that seem… familiar?
It doesn't matter…
He doesn't have that kind of power inside him…
.
.
.
[ A Dove fps it's wings ]
Or does he?
Joshua's strength isn't enough.
So…
Who said it has to be only Joshua's?
…
Something stirs.
A heat in his chest.
His mouth moves.
“2 Corinthians 12:6-10
For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revetions, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gdly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
AMEN”
He does have that power.
SCREEEEECH!!!
Joshua sms the back of his head against the tree. Regaining his consciousness he awakens with a scorching fury inside him.
The thing, the parasite, the demon, screeches in pain, wet thuds and aching pains Joshua ignores. His heart is burning, far brighter than he could even imagine.
“GET. OFF. OF. ME!!!”
There's a crack, and a weight falls off Joshua.
He's still breathing heavily, and his vision is blurred, but his second wind carries him up.
The Centaur is hurting Jophiel. A shovel is impaled into its neck, but all he sees is bloodied white fur in the grass.
Joshua is shaking.
Not in fear.
But in a righteous anger.
He's so pissed off that he's almost excited.
Because he knows exactly what to do.
Joshua does what he does best, he moves.
Through the grass, he sways his hand and pulls two things out of his inventory.
The enchanted dagger, and the wooden cross.
He gets closer, he gives a silent prayer to both of the objects.
And once he gets close enough, he can see Jophiel lifeless on the ground.
But he knows she's stronger than that.
With one hand, he raises the dagger.
“Hey”
The Centaur turns at his presence.
“Fuck you”
STAB!!!
He plunges the dagger down, and at the same time using his inventory and pcing the cross right where he struck.
Right at the base of its back, the cross is impaled onto its body.
SSSSSSSSS
Another scream rattles his head, but Joshua doesn't care.
The cross burns at its skin, relentlessly scorching its already ruined body. But judging how it's reacting, it hurts, a lot.
Good. He hopes to God it does.
It cws at its back, releasing guttural roars, but the presence of the cross burns and keeps away any part of it that gets too close. It fils in desperation and unimaginable pain.
Falling to the ground, it tries to break the dagger, but the weapon glows in a gradient purple sheen as the enchantment shines.
[(Unbreaking I)]
The Centaur gives up, instead focusing its rage onto Joshua. But a familiar pastel pink glow comes from its side.
Jophiel raises her head, blood running down her muzzle but her eyes are still full of life. Her horn ignites brightly.
Psychic fire erupts onto the Centaur.
The screams get louder.
Fire also works on this thing, huh?
It fils even more, desperately cwing at the cross and trying to extinguish the fmes. Joshua and Jophiel watch as it finally gives up and turns tail.
The Centaur runs into the treeline, knocking into the trees and its screams get further and further away.
There's a moment of silence.
Tension leaves their bodies, Jophiel drops her head, and Joshua falls to the ground.
“...pony?...’
“I'll… I'll be fine, girl”
Joshua looks at his inventory, he calls out his entire supply of food, mostly mutton and apples.
“Holy… shit…”
“Pony…”
He lost his dagger, and Jophiel lost her shovel.
But…
They're alive.
That's another loss for this nightmare world.
And… even though his body hasn't changed.
He feels stronger.
[ Virtue of the Dove With Seven Names increased ]
