October Prompts; prompt #21
Prompt Used: 21. It is taking forever.
Genre: Character / setting study; adventure? Genres confuse me. There is action in this one, too!
Fan fiction / original fiction: Original fic.
Characters: Ares, a mercenary / hunter who works alone.
Warnings (if applicable): Violence with a big rock monster thing.
Wordcount: 773 words.
Author's Note: This takes place almost directly after my first prompt answer here, and yes. Now you can all know what she's hunting. I drew influences from Shadow of the Colossus, but no, it's not a Colossus. Just a rock monster thing.
I appreciate feedback and comments. :)
---
This thing before her is now, is looming over her and casting a shadow that Ares feels with welcome relief.
Even when she kills this thing, she'll be happy to have been in at least a little shade, as the sunlight gets hot and harsh in this wasteland, and the trees don't exactly have leaves to provide shade.
The creatures stands more than twenty feet high, seems to be the same color as dusty stone, and Ares thinks she can see wings folded on its back.
The city she came from to hunt this thing called it a demon, a beast, and many other things besides, but the most important adjectives she can remember is 'rock demon flying thing', and she'll be damned if that isn't accurate. She can see the green fire it has for eyes, and she can see that it has more limbs tucked against it, and oh. Oh dear. It's noticed her.
Ares steps back, watching as it unfolds those limbs and its wings, and then she draws her sword from its straps and lowers into an offensive pose.
She doesn't know how she's going to kill it yet.
Sure, she has an enchanted sword that can draw blood from anything, including things that have no blood, but the question is: where is she going to stab it so that it will die quickly? She doesn't want to have to try everywhere on it, as that would take forever.
She's thirsty, and wants to stop and get a drink. Her pack is a distance back, away from the fight, and it's just her and her sword and the rock demon thing.
It throws itself at her, performing a perfect bellyflop where she used to be a minute ago, and Ares takes the opening to jump onto its back, moving between its wings and climbing up to its head.
It stands back up, moving slowly, typical of a monster its size, and she hangs on for dear life as it shakes itself. The ground it a far ways down, now, and she's lucky it has protrusions in the rock that is its skin, and other debris that has attached itself to it. She can't trust that the debris will be strong enough to bear her weight forever, though, and so she swings her sword into its head, carving out a fair chunk of stone. A moment passes while the magics in her sword take their moment to work, and then grey blood is pouring from the wound, taking the energies that this thing uses to move with it.
Even as Ares sees the blood and knows that she's started on the path to getting this over with, she knows it will take more than a few good swings to bring it down.
Then the wings begin to beat, and with a sinking feeling Ares looks back at them, and yes, they are going to fly. So she scrambles further up it and leaves more cuts in it as she goes, and soon she's at the top of the monster, next to the flames it has for eyes. It has two deep pits that probably go down far, and the flames hover in each pit, and yeah, that's where she wants to stab next.
Ares looks at her sword and at her shaky grip on the thing, then trusts her luck and stabs one of the flames, pushing her sword deep until she scrapes at stone again. The fire is twisting around her sword, flickering at it, and as she draws her sword back it finally breaks with a pop and vanishes, releasing a whoosh of air as it goes.
Ares has to scoot back down its back as several arms come up to grip at her and its face, probably in pain, but the wings are slowing, and they aren't taking off anymore - in fact, the monster seems to be bellyflopping again, and she can't tell if it's out of pain or some strategic thing.
She doesn't it's strategy, though, as it's a slow rock monster that could fly, and if she had to name it, she'd probably call it a really big golem that a mage built for some reason.
But that's all theory, and she needs to get back up to its face and stab the other fire out.
Ares looks up at the sky, and while she's glad she's not being crushed beneath it, she really wishes it wasn't so bright out. She doesn't want a sunburn on top of everything else today, and with that thought, she begins the climb back up to its head.
---
Written for thewyrmx, and again, out of my need to prepare for NaNo.
Genre: Character / setting study; adventure? Genres confuse me. There is action in this one, too!
Fan fiction / original fiction: Original fic.
Characters: Ares, a mercenary / hunter who works alone.
Warnings (if applicable): Violence with a big rock monster thing.
Wordcount: 773 words.
Author's Note: This takes place almost directly after my first prompt answer here, and yes. Now you can all know what she's hunting. I drew influences from Shadow of the Colossus, but no, it's not a Colossus. Just a rock monster thing.
I appreciate feedback and comments. :)
---
This thing before her is now, is looming over her and casting a shadow that Ares feels with welcome relief.
Even when she kills this thing, she'll be happy to have been in at least a little shade, as the sunlight gets hot and harsh in this wasteland, and the trees don't exactly have leaves to provide shade.
The creatures stands more than twenty feet high, seems to be the same color as dusty stone, and Ares thinks she can see wings folded on its back.
The city she came from to hunt this thing called it a demon, a beast, and many other things besides, but the most important adjectives she can remember is 'rock demon flying thing', and she'll be damned if that isn't accurate. She can see the green fire it has for eyes, and she can see that it has more limbs tucked against it, and oh. Oh dear. It's noticed her.
Ares steps back, watching as it unfolds those limbs and its wings, and then she draws her sword from its straps and lowers into an offensive pose.
She doesn't know how she's going to kill it yet.
Sure, she has an enchanted sword that can draw blood from anything, including things that have no blood, but the question is: where is she going to stab it so that it will die quickly? She doesn't want to have to try everywhere on it, as that would take forever.
She's thirsty, and wants to stop and get a drink. Her pack is a distance back, away from the fight, and it's just her and her sword and the rock demon thing.
It throws itself at her, performing a perfect bellyflop where she used to be a minute ago, and Ares takes the opening to jump onto its back, moving between its wings and climbing up to its head.
It stands back up, moving slowly, typical of a monster its size, and she hangs on for dear life as it shakes itself. The ground it a far ways down, now, and she's lucky it has protrusions in the rock that is its skin, and other debris that has attached itself to it. She can't trust that the debris will be strong enough to bear her weight forever, though, and so she swings her sword into its head, carving out a fair chunk of stone. A moment passes while the magics in her sword take their moment to work, and then grey blood is pouring from the wound, taking the energies that this thing uses to move with it.
Even as Ares sees the blood and knows that she's started on the path to getting this over with, she knows it will take more than a few good swings to bring it down.
Then the wings begin to beat, and with a sinking feeling Ares looks back at them, and yes, they are going to fly. So she scrambles further up it and leaves more cuts in it as she goes, and soon she's at the top of the monster, next to the flames it has for eyes. It has two deep pits that probably go down far, and the flames hover in each pit, and yeah, that's where she wants to stab next.
Ares looks at her sword and at her shaky grip on the thing, then trusts her luck and stabs one of the flames, pushing her sword deep until she scrapes at stone again. The fire is twisting around her sword, flickering at it, and as she draws her sword back it finally breaks with a pop and vanishes, releasing a whoosh of air as it goes.
Ares has to scoot back down its back as several arms come up to grip at her and its face, probably in pain, but the wings are slowing, and they aren't taking off anymore - in fact, the monster seems to be bellyflopping again, and she can't tell if it's out of pain or some strategic thing.
She doesn't it's strategy, though, as it's a slow rock monster that could fly, and if she had to name it, she'd probably call it a really big golem that a mage built for some reason.
But that's all theory, and she needs to get back up to its face and stab the other fire out.
Ares looks up at the sky, and while she's glad she's not being crushed beneath it, she really wishes it wasn't so bright out. She doesn't want a sunburn on top of everything else today, and with that thought, she begins the climb back up to its head.
---
Written for thewyrmx, and again, out of my need to prepare for NaNo.