Hunt for Survival

Completing the phase

Shaurya

“We still have to keep our guard up. We can’t give them a chance to take our lives away,” he said, and I nodded. Indeed, the problems haven’t vanished but there are more to come. I looked ahead but everything was stopped. No more weapons were coming in our way.

“So do you know how to use your power?” I asked him and he looked at his hand and shook his head.

“I don’t have any idea what kind of power is running inside me.” I smiled but didn’t say anything.

“Maybe you will get that idea soon enough.” This time he didn’t say anything.

“Don’t focus on me but yourself. It is only about power, but you have fought now, you have spent your energy when you know that you can’t take more.” He said to me and I rubbed the back of my neck and gave him a nervous smile.

“Don’t shout at me like that. I am just like this, only like that. My mother also says that nothing can stop me from doing what I want to do.”

“And because of that, you won’t even care if your life is at risk.” I diverted my eyes.

“Maybe yeah.” I said and I kind of guessed what his expression would be.

“You should be careful about yourself. You have got only one life and that you don't cherish either. Have you ever thought about what would happen to your mother if she lost you?”

“I never thought about that.” I heard him sigh. “But I know if she knew why I lost my life and if it was for a good deed, then she would certainly shed tears along with a proud smile on her face.” I still remember that day when she was totally broken but was proud as well. I looked at him and he was looking at me weirdly. I just smiled in his way. I looked forward and then looked at him and he sighed and this time I couldn’t catch the reason. We both started to walk and we were about in the midway when we heard a thumping sound just like that of the giant. I looked at Prashant and our expressions were mirroring each other. I looked around but I found no one.

From where is this sound coming?

Then suddenly I heard a groan which was enough to shake the heart and burst my ear and made me cover my ear. I looked through the gate and saw him coming towards us, only towards us. It didn’t look like he was coming only for us.

He was well dressed like a guard of this place. Maybe he is the gatekeeper. I looked at him and his moves. Then suddenly his eyes caught us and in a blink he was out of the door. I was amazed.

How could a giant like him come out of the door without opening it?

It all happened in a blink that I didn’t get the chance to catch up with his actions.

“He possesses a lightning bolt of speed.” I looked at Prashant, who was murmuring to himself only. I looked at him and he had the same wooden mace with which I had been badly wounded.

“This is the same mace,” I said to myself.

“What?” I looked at him, who had a confused look on his face.

“This is the same mace which had wounded me.” I said to him and he looked at his weapon. I looked at the giant whose eyes were containing the fire and that maybe to destroy us or suppress us under his feet. After all, we must be like an insect in front of him. We were both staring at each other. None of us were making the move, but I know that we can see the reflection of each other in each other. He is as furious as I am. We both want this battle to begin and yet none of us are making a move and both of us desire that the person in front of us will die.

He has a desire to stop me and destroy me in order to give this knife to the king, or maybe that is what I assume, but my desire is to either fool him and move forward or I finish him and then the way is ahead of me already, but if I get lost, then it won’t only stop me from going forward but also will make me lose my life.

While we both were looking at each other, I felt that I could see through his soul. We were both raging and we both knew that none of us going further if none of us started this battle and I had expected that he was the one who took the initiative to start this battle and, for a few seconds must be the lucky one for him because I was off guard and didn’t notice his action at all but when I heard the sound which was so much near me, I squat down and dodge it.

“Shaurya, keep yourself focused.” I heard Prashant’s voice and I nodded. I looked at him and he was already attacking me. Right now, it would be much better to defend myself because I can’t think of any better way through which I could save myself and let my energy also be restored. I don’t have so much energy left because I have wasted them on arrows and Prashant doesn’t know how to use his power it, so it is useless for him to do anything right now.

He was attacking me nonstop and it was getting hard for me to dodge and then I remembered that I had gone through this and then I remembered the illusion that had almost killed me. I looked at him and I remembered this scene. I dodged it this time before it could hit my leg and the next moment, the hit of his was on my shoulder, which was the final blow to take away my life. I dodged it anyway. He was the same as that dwarf giant. He was tireless, but I didn’t like him. I am getting exhausted. I have to end this soon enough before I collapse due to the straining inside me.

I looked at Prashant. He was all alright. None of them can reach near him because he doesn’t own the deity knife, but I own one and it is a life and death situation for me. Prashant also looked at me. He was looking all rigid but his eyes were saying something and that was helplessness. I was so distracted by him that I didn’t see the attack which I felt on my back. After that blow, I slid towards them and the blood came out of my mouth and I fell on the ground. I took hold of the sheath and was about to take it out, but I again felt the same strike and again at that place only. I think I should be grateful a bit because this mace doesn’t have spikes in them but is normal, but it hurts the most. I was thrown a few meters forward and this time I kneed on one of my knees and I coughed more blood and I put my hand on my mouth, but the coughing didn’t stop at all. I looked at my hand, which was colored with blood.

Now I am feeling so weak that I don’t think that I can continue to dodge further. The two strikes, just like last time, took my life away. I again heard the same sound and I looked behind and another strike was in my way. I didn’t have so much strength to get up. I tried to get up but I failed.

The strike is on its way and here I am unable to dodge it as well.

I looked up and saw the parting clouds. One was as white as snow and the other was as black as the dark. I don’t think that I can hold on to myself for long. I know that somewhere I should blame Prashant because he didn’t help me at all, but why should I scold him? He is powerless as much as I am without my knife and this giant is behind me because I have the deity knife. Then how can I blame him for all the incident?

I coughed blood again and I realized that I was nothing. I turned my head and saw Prashant who was fighting with a giant alone and, that too, with nothing in his hand, but the defense he was in was really good.

He was able to protect himself and that was great. I sat on the ground.

I am too tired to do anything or process anything. It is getting hard for me to keep my senses up and hold myself together. I looked at Prashant with dull eyes. His moves were fierce and they didn’t give the giant a chance to even attack him. His powers are beyond my thoughts. I guess if I didn’t make it today, then he could go further and win this challenge. He won’t be needing me at all.

After a moment, I fell on the ground and the sky was the only thing in front of me. My eyes were getting blurry and before I knew it, I lost consciousness.

Prashant

While looking at the fight, I remembered how he got the wounds last time and the scene is once again the same, how am I supposed to help him? I have to do something. But before I could think, something, that giant hit him with the mace on his back and he was thrown a bit and he coughed blood. My eyes widened at that scene.

I was feeling boiling inside me and before he could even make any move, he had again hit him at the same spot and that was the end of patience. This was enough for him to hurt someone like that. I know that this is a life and death situation and this must be the third time that he has experienced the same thing and that, too, three in a week.

This deity knife is truly a curse to him. Every attack is meant for him only and none of them really pay attention to me. I have to save him. I HAVE TO SAVE HIM.

I felt an unusual power inside me. I looked at the giant with determination and an unknown feeling which was screaming that now I could fight against this giant. This power should have been inside me before. Why come at that time when Shaurya is about to die? I looked at the giant and his final blow and I was sure it would surely take his life away.

In a flash, I pushed him and I was shocked to see that I really had so much power in me. This power which I have felt just now helped me to fight against him and I have to finish this fight as soon as possible and have to take away Shaurya before he loses his life.

His life is important. I thought to myself. I looked at the giant and attacked him again and again, just because he was with Shaurya. I didn’t even give him a chance to fight me again and, in the end, think I gave him a punch which I didn’t think would work, but to my surprise, it worked. He was on the ground. I have to finish him off without giving him a chance to attack again or even to live more. I looked here and there and found spears. I took two out and with all my force I stabbed him and I took more and stabbed him again and again with them until he was death. I looked at Shaurya and was shocked. I quickly ran towards him and checked his pulse widened. He is losing them violently. I picked him up on my back and went inside the door. This phase is completed and now the next task is to make him rest for about a week. Maybe then only he can be fine and can be active like before. We still have to go ahead together and it can’t be achieved if he is not there with me.

“Just live, Shaurya,” I mumbled.