Chapter 5: I Love To Fight
And so morning had come, Galahad was getting ready to head out for the first time since he came here. The strength he had achieved, boosted his confidence and would, at the very least give him a fighting chance.
There was no point to take supplies with him, he could simply find prey during the trip. With only his brown, animal hide skirt on, started his expedition, heading north in relation to his cave.
After his training, the aura that surrounded him became thicker and boosted his speed even more. Galahad now ran with five times the speed of an average human, meaning that in a span of three months his overall ability and not only his speed, had been enhanced fivefold.
"What a wonderful feeling! I bet, not even a top-tier athlete would match my speed. My stamina can probably last for an hour or so after I will need to take a breather." Having surpassed his former self, Galahad, without knowing it, sought a new challenge. A way to reach even greater levels of power!
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As predicted, at the one-hour mark, he had to stop to regain his energy. He picked a large boulder to sit on and assuming a meditation stance, he closed his eyes and calmed his breathing. It was a pose all those, self-proclaimed martial arts masters took when they wanted to cultivate and strengthen the spirit. For Galahad, it only served as a means of relaxation…for now.
"So quite…why do I have this premonition…like I am being stalked." Trying to meditate, he couldn't focus on the task at hand. A pair of spying eyes were glued on him, or so he thought.
Standing from his spot, Galahad looked around, examining his surroundings for a possible enemy. Nobody was there, yet the place was awfully quiet, with only the hot breeze to break the silence, every now and then.
"I know somebody is out there…man this is such a cliche thing to say, haha. What?!" Indeed a person was spying on him…stalking would be a better word and not a person but a group of demons!
The terrain around him was filled with boulders and cracks, of various sizes. This allowed a pack of 6 demonic creatures to avoid Galahad's senses and sneak up on him.
"H-ey guys! I'm friendly, so can we talk this out?" It seems that he had yet to understand the world he was currently in, wasn't some human playground to make friends. In response, the demons growled and spoke in an unknown and unnerving language.
Different in colors and sizes, their body was a hybrid of land, sea, and air creatures. Some had slimy skin, while others had fur. One of them had a long beak, its height easily surpassing that of his pack, as well as Galahad's. All of them had long nails and bared their sharp teeth at him.
"Hail…Satan? No? Okay then." At least he tried. Two of the creatures jumped at him, with the intent to kill. One aimed for his neck, while the other for his legs.
This was the first actual fight against proper opponents, Galahad had trouble adjusting his guard against two of them at once. Despite his improved physique, keeping up with their movements proved to be a challenge.
He crossed his arms, protecting the upper parts of his body, which left his lower half exposed to attacks. The nails of Demon-A landed on his aura-infused forearm, leaving behind a small scratch. On the other hand, Demon-B's attack hit its target, breaking Galahad's defense and marking his thigh, a three-nailed mark from which blood flowed.
The pain seemed to wake him up, reminding that this wasn't time to either test his strength or play games. His opponents were out to kill him and possibly…eat him afterwards. With a low scream, he unleashed his full potential. His aura now waving wildly around, driving the demons a few steps back.
Demon-A and B didn't give him any more time to prepare and went on the offensive once more. This time Galahad was able to grasp the trajectory of their attacks and dodge them, albeit barely, grazing his abdomen and left arm.
After escaping their failed attempt, he countered with a strike of his own. A full-powered punch landed on Demon-A's chin, breaking a few of its teeth and rendering it unconscious.
At this point in the fight, his inexperience let him wide open to Demon-B's slash, this time on his exposed back.
"Ugh! You ugly rat!" Demon-B's feelings were hurt, going in for another attack. But without the support of his ally, his strike fell through, dodged by an angry Galahad.
"Take this!" With a low growl, he lunched a rising knee, right into the creature's solar plexus. Spit came out of its mouth, quickly following with a hammer fist on its arched back.
He managed to take out two of the demons, not without a price. His leg and back were covered in blood, possibly infected. But a smile found its way to his face.
"Who is next?…" His heart was pumping blood like crazy and the adrenaline increased his pain tolerance.
"Graah!" And with that three more demons charged to attack him. Leaving behind only the beaked one, probably their leader.
The pattern was similar, dodge and attack. Adding an extra attacker made Galahad's body take a few extra hits. But he quickly retaliated, crushing the windpipe of Demon-C and breaking the spine of Demon-D with a back-breaker, WWE style.
Demon-E felt the gaze of Galahad land on him. The man was slowly consumed by the battle, becoming more and more cruel with his attacks. The pain had turned his eyes bloodied that pierced his assailant.
"Scarred?… Too late." With that, he flared his aura and dashed towards the reaming underling. Grabbing it by its neck and squeezing…more and more.
The demon squirmed in the air, slashing at Galahad's arm and chest, leaving behind faint marks. Slowly increasing the pressure, enjoying his opponents' anguish, he finally closed his grip and crush the creature's neck.
"I love this! I want more! More fighting! Give me more!" His blood was boiling for battle at this point, turning to face his last ambusher. The leader of the demons.
Once again the beaked demon spoke in his mother language, not making sense. Its words probably among the lines, of I, will kill you or Your body will feed the next generations of my family…surely.
"Took the words right out of my mouth!" Galahad responded and readied himself to charge. Demon-Beak did the same and they both charged at the same time.
Clashing, the demon had the upper hand, grabbing Galahad by the next and slamming him to the ground. His mouth opened wide and blood came out, indicating internal bleeding. Survival for him meant, that this fight had to end quickly.
The assault of the beak demon didn't end there, as it raised its massive leg, looking to crush its opponent. Luckily its speed was slightly slower than his, allowing for a near escape.
Grabbing his aching back, the heavily injured Galahad refocused and tried to look for an opening. The wide swings of the creature are what he decided to bet on, baiting a strike and countering with an all-out attack.
Drawing the remaining of his energy, his aura soared once more and he took the initiative. The demon drew its arm back and swiped across as if trying to swat a fly.
Expecting this Galahad, slid under the creature's large body, which was still mid-swing. He pushed off the ground and now behind his back managed to land on its shoulders.
Having thought that a simple blow with his hands wouldn't put such a strong creature down, he had picked up his most trusted weapon…a rock! Raising it high above his head he roared and brought it down with the might he could muster.
*Splatter!* Brain matter and crushed bones, stuck to his body like glue. The head of the demon, now a bloody mess, gave way to its body to follow. *Thud*
Galahad, with no energy left and his body riddled with cuts and bruises, couldn't find his balance and he too fell face-first on the ground. Falling asleep right on the spot, a man amongst the remains of his defeated enemies.
"I won…haha…*Snoring*"
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Back in the castle, S'ym was conversing with a bat demon. And from the tone of his voice, his mood wasn't the best.
"You mean to tell me that a squad of demons had gone missing?! And what are you for?! Huh?! *Splatter*" S'ym was infuriated with the news the scout had brought him and crushed him on a nearby wall. (Poor bat ): )
He headed towards the main hall, opening its grand medieval gates, revealing the lord…along with a new character. A girl in her teens.
The girl was standing next to the lord, at attention. But despite the soldier-like stature, her eyes were full of contempt, which increased, even more, when S'ym came in.
She was appealing to the eye, with a princess-like look. Blonde straight hair and blue, glistering eyes. Her face had Caucasian features, probably Russian. A beauty in the making! She wore tight leather pants and a long white blouse, paired with brown leather boots.
"I heard your shouts. Explain." The master demanded of S'ym.
"...nothing of concern. Just a bunch of idiots who can't do their job right." A hint of rage mixed in his words.
"Hmm…I could say the same thing. You had this child for 2 years and couldn't make her submit, and yet I managed to, in a matter of months. Isn't that right Illyana?" The Lord spoke and queried the girl.
"Yes master Belasco…tch!" Illyana responded, with a hint of annoyance barely audible at the end. But the lord, whose name was finally revealed, Belasco had extraordinary senses and simply grinned at her antics.
"I cannot compare to your….level of power and manipulation master." S'ym too was annoyed by this egoistical lord. His mind drifted to the demons he lost today, wondering if that Garcia guy had any connection with it.