Litmus Test (CONQUEST)

Face still against the ground, the Heran was slowly coming to terms with his fate. It relieved him to know that, in the end, his elders and ancestors were right. There was no greater purpose in life than to live every moment to its fullest. While some racked their brains to find meaning in existence, they may have lost track of the simple fact that maybe there was none, and in consequence, everything became possible.

He didn’t regret anything and as he was about to be blown away by the incoming attack, none other than Ruby placed herself before him, taking it head on. Why? What was she trying to accomplish? No, he did not need to wonder about that at all. She was just acting however she saw fit and by doing so, reminded him that he should be doing the same. Resist to the end.

Maybe it was because he had lost so much blood already and wasn’t thinking straight, but in that moment, he felt in sync with the world around him. That strange feeling, almost euphoric in nature, was enough to give him a second wind. Blown away by the attack, he didn’t feel the shockwave as he was pushed out of the island, towards the sea. On the edge of the ship, he managed to hang on, holding tight to some metal pipe until the attack subsided. He watched Ruby fall into the ocean, making a mental note to at least fish up her body afterwards. With a swing, Dosu propelled himself upwards several meters into the sky, doing several flips that no one in his condition should be able to.

He landed on his feet, stretching his upper body for a while as his power grew back to its absolute peak; a process he had no conscious control over. His body was overtaken by spasms, forcing him to contort in almost inhuman ways as he stretched. Like an awakening of sorts, his most primitive instincts took over, while retaining enough sanity to understand that there was no escaping this situation, so long as he was standing. That guy who attacked him out of nowhere had made it clear already.

He felt the tremors of the ship breaking apart, the large blades of energy tearing through the floor around him. With agility more akin to a beast than a man, he began weaving through the attacks, using the ensuing chaos to his advantage to hopefully move without being seen. His target was clear from the start: the one who had sliced him up, this Usumi person.

With increasing speed, the blooded Heran charged straight for the demon, launching a single open palm strike at her face with such an angle that he hoped it would twist her neck and leave her on the ground, lifeless.

Though ecstatic, he did not show any apparent feelings as he struck, his outward appearance being far more serene than anticipated. No enjoyment, no joy and no regrets. He would be only witnessing life for what it was, a meaningless struggle for survival.

And in the off-chance that this entire ordeal would work in his favor, he would grab Usumi by the hair and toss her into the sea, hopefully prompting the others to go after her. On the contrary, should this prove to be a failure, he would resign to his fate, not that he had much choice to begin with. In hindsight, Ruby had only delayed the inevitable. In both case, he’d stare at Marci and Sesame and say:

“I have nothing else. Do what it is you have to do.”

The spark in his one good eye, however, would not fade.

The hunter had prevailed, he had reached the first milestone in this uphill battle. Facing him, two last enemies remained. Exhausted and at death’s door, the Heran could do nothing but wait in silence, his rattled brain unable to conjure up any sort of plan or tactics. Breathing heavily, blood still oozing out of his multiple wounds, he looked towards the pink skinned guy. That guy appeared to be angry beyond words and his intentions were that of someone who had lost his composure. That, in itself, was a victory of some sort.

The Heran couldn’t see the fist coming for his chest and he felt his opponent’s fist sink a little into his chest, forcing the air out of him. He held on to that fist, keeping it from going farther and half-listened to what he had to say. In response, the Heran said in a shaky, worn out voice: “Her mistake…was failing to kill me when she had the chance. You’re…just the same.”

Not that he was trying to persuade him to go for the kill, but at this point this was not something that he had any control over. The elbow struck him right in the neck, forcing him to go into the ground, only for the kick to fling him back up into the air. Spurred on by an uncharacteristic sense of pride in face of overwhelming odds, he made a point to stand his ground, even when battered by killing blows.

“Not…enough. I am…Dosu the Undying…hunter of the Ish-...”

A spasm halted his speech, forcing him to cut it short. He would’ve vomited blood if he had any more to spare at this point, sadly, his only response was a replica of what he had done earlier to Ruby. Spitting a ludicrous amount of blood at Sesame’s face at point blank range, he had hoped that the veil would briefly disrupt his attention, enough for him to try and stab Sesame’s eyes with his thumb and index finger. He would not stop at only this, however, even if blocked he’d try to go for his opponent’s shoulder and bite as hard as he could, not stopping until he had bitten off a chunk of flesh.

His ultimate assault would determine the winner of this bout. Back against the wall, the hunter had but one goal in mind, to survive at all cost. As his claw strike reached the target, he felt it go through him like butter, even easier than that! As if he was slicing through the air. Under normal circumstances, the absence of feedback on his sense of touch should’ve ringed a bell, lifting a red flag that something was not normal. But his eye saw his victim, the gashes it had created on his face and he did not question further. While he was not celebrating quite yet, he made sure that his point was clear.

“I WILL NOT DIE HERE…”

He would stop right there, the scenery around him turning surreal all of a sudden. His vision distorting the world around him, it was as if the demon was melting in front of him. Then everything faded to black. He felt his body relax all of a sudden, faced against the unknown. What was going on there? Was he dead? Had he really died to that man, after all that?

As the assassin’s fist punched at his temple, the Heran did not even realize what happened. The shockwave hit him at full power, sending tremors all across his body. Though he remained upright, his tensed-up body eventually relaxed for good, his upper body slumping forward. Like an open faucet, blood simply poured from his mouth, nose, eyes, and ears, falling to the ground in continuous streams. At that point, it was almost surreal in itself given how much blood he had spilled over the course of this fight.

By all accounts, he should’ve been dead right here and there. However, the two enemies would be forced to recognize that his earlier claims were no mere boasts. If Sesame dared look at him, he would notice that the Heran was still looking at him, his glare as fierce as ever. There was still life to be found in that man. He tried talking, but only gargles would come out at this point.

He moved forward. A single step. Tired and heavy. He lifted his arm, formed his hand into a fist and if it had only been a matter of willpower, he would have resumed his attacks. Instead, there came that moment when his body couldn’t follow anymore. His fist died as his arm fell back to his side, and his gaze suddenly fade out as the man lost consciousness.

Yet, in spite of everything, he did not fall.