Claws attempt to shred my hard layers of muscle.
Yet more creatures attack, and I must have a dozen at least mauling my body.
I fight, but injuries are taking a toll. I’ll stay here and fight to the death. Nothing can cross my path. Not one of these things will get near my nymph. Suddenly, I’m not able to keep standing and thump down on one knee.
The others; the professor, the centaur, the dog, and even the dragon. They fight well. They’ll protect her.
I am covered in them now. A truly dead weight, dragging me down. I will let them. I will pull them all into the abyss with me.
“LUDO!”
Her voice cuts through the clatter of bones. My name on her lips.
An ending more than I could have ever hoped for.
10
Holy Hellhounds, this is insane.
Like, I’ve seen some shit in the last twenty-four hours, right? Torn through into another dimension, grown dog balls, and then my cousin turns up and says I’ve been missing for a year.
But this is next level, balls-to-the-wall, mines of Moria nightmare fun—creepy dead monster whack-a-mole.
And I’m the goddamn hammer.
A hammer made of fanged, sinewy, unadulterated terror.
There’s a reason hellhounds are the bringers of nightmares, bitches.Mwahahah.
I’ve just finished ripping apart some gnarly bone-dude, you know, the kind that cracks like dry twigs under my paws, when I notice the big bull is down and struggling.
Not on my watch.
I’m the Hound of Hell…hear me woof.
I launch myself towards him, a streak of malice and muscle. My white bull friend must have ten skelly-monsters on him. Not for long, here I come.
With one savage bound, I land on top of bully and wa-pow. I love my paws. I destroy several of the bony bastards with casual swipes until the bull finally manages to stand and shake off the last few.
His chest rumbles so violently that it knocks me off my feet, but I take it that’s a minotaur's way of saying thanks. I give what I think is a wink, but with these flaming hound eyes, who the hell knows?
I’m feeling pretty pumped when—whoosh—a golden arrow flies past my muzzle, nearly clipping a fang.
A Godsdamn golden arrow.
It smashes through a skeleton that was just about to launch itself on my neck. Bone chips are sent flying like confetti at a skeletal wedding party.
Whoosh.
Another arrow. It destroys a skeleton that looks like some unholy cross between an ostrich and an alligator. An ostri-gator? And it was about to stab me in the ass with its toothy-beak thing.
Nutso.
Cosmo, bless his rage-filled heart, is going full dragon, his fire breath turning the pit into a Godsdamn inferno. It feels good.
Feels good to destroy the things that might hurt the girl. Feels like I might be a good dog again.
I glance back. The scent of her blood still in my nose from earlier. It drives me insane. I roar, channeling all that self-loathing into a massive swipe that sends three skeletons flying into the abyss.
