I reached for it, hoping it would be my salvation.
The moment my fingers closed around the grip, the weight nearly dragged me down. Not a good start, but I held it up, feeling its strength.It felt like something that could protect me, even if I didn't know how to wield it properly. I prayed that was the case.
Erethis cocked his head. "Excellent choice."
The air between us rippled, and a form emerged from the shadows.
It was low to the ground, wide and hulking and covered in chitinous plating that gleamed dully in the dim light. Scaled limbs scraped against stone as it moved, and where its mouth should have been, there was only a gaping maw that exhaled thick, rolling mist.
What the hells was that thing?
I’d seen my fair share of beings in the past week that left me stunned to my core. But this…
The fact that I couldn’t make out what it was terrified me more.
"The rules are simple," Erethis said, leaning forward on his throne of bones. "Try to take down your opponent. If one of you hits the ground for ten seconds, you lose the round. Of course, if you die, it’s game over."
Just fucking great. That sounded very much like I’d be in the fight of my life.
Every nerve inside my body was writhing with panic, and my heart was beating so fast I thought it would explode. I had to focus just to breathe.
Mostly, I wanted to run away. But I summoned courage and tightened my grip on the sword.
The creature surged forward, faster than I expected.
I charged, too.
Stupid.Reckless.But I didn't know what else to do.
I thought it was going to lunge itself into my body, but it froze in the air and blew out a sharp breath of…
Mist?
A gust of it rolled over to me and slammed into my body like I’d hit a wall.
What the…
My skin seared with pain.
Burning.
Not fire—corrosion.I screamed, dropping my sword and falling to my knees on the hard ground.
My skin stung as though acid and lava had been thrown on me. My lungs seized as I tried to breathe through it, but I inhaled the mist, and my insides set aflame.
Oh fuck.I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t do…anything.
Merciless Gods, I hadn’t even gotten one strike on that thing, and it sent me to my knees with one breath.
I tried to push myself upright, to fight through the pain, but the thing breathed again. Pain exploded everywhere the mist touched, and blistering boils formed on my skin.
I fell on my back, mist coiling around me, seeping into my lungs.
“Well, well, well,” Erethis cooed. “Not as powerful as she thought she was. Will she get up?”
He started to count.
Get. Up. Elariya, get up.
