Rise of the Nightmare Crestmaster

Chapter 9 Last Stand

Aldrich knew why he was still alive, he knew why this monster didn't just tear him apart, it was savoring its meal, reveling in its filthy power over him.

Aldrich found himself falling from his suspended position, he heard the sound of the shrieking monster and saw the tentacle that held him cut neatly on the ground. It happened in the blink of an eye.

"I wasn't late, was I?" Isger asked the shocked Aldrich.

"Isger? Is that you? How did you—?"

"You just fell asleep, I saw that you were in pain. I tried to wake you up but you just wouldn't wake up, naturally I had to come here to drag your lazy ass outside. I told you didn't I? Tomorrow is a work day, don't even think about skipping."

Isger wielded his long sword in his right hand as he calmly observed the monster. Although it had no facial features besides a disguised mouth, Aldrich could read its feelings, it was frustrated and annoyed at being interrupted just when it was getting good.

In a way Aldrich understood that frustration best because he just experienced it. The feeling of having victory snatched up from beneath you like a rug was unpleasant to say the least.

"This thing has a dirty smell. I better do some spring cleaning." Isger taunted.

Aldrich almost missed the clash between them as they collided. In that short moment the monster dealt three claw strikes, the same type that mutilated Aldrich, all were deflected.

Isger didn't only block but he dealt his own attack, one was to the torso and another to the inner thigh and then both retreated.

Aldrich could see that the monster was wounded, the wounds were very deep for a human but this thing didn't even bleed.

To Mr. Isger's credit he didn't look fazed at all.

"Alright, I am seriously rusty." Isger laughed, "watch carefully, this is my own technique, I made it when I achieved one with the sword, I call it the pure sword."

Without giving Aldrich any time to get any of that he lunged and an overpowering presence was released from the sword.

Now that Aldrich got a close look at it, the sword looked clean untouched by rust or dust but aside from that it was absolutely normal.

It looked normal but the feeling it gave Aldrich at this moment was that it could cut through anything even mountain boulders would be cut like a hot knife cuts through butter.

Aldrich was very familiar with Isger and knew him quite well, or rather he thought he knew him. This Isger felt like a complete stranger, he was the supreme knight from the stories come again and very real to boot.

The second encounter only lasted one blink, the previously invincible monster was decimated, cut to a thousand pieces. It could not even offer up a struggle. Mr. Isger stood over the last intact part of the monster. It's head.

Isger didn't waste time, he slashed and cut the head horizontally. "Tough piece of shit." Isger spit to the side.

Aldrich looked around in disgust at the scattered pieces of flesh and bone of the monster. He almost threw up.

Suddenly there was a deafening shout, it was a shout unlike he'd ever heard in his life, he looked around and found the source. It was the severed mouth part of the monster's head. It was screaming even though it shouldn't be able to do that.

As if in response to a signal somehow Aldrich imagined the entire corridor shacking—no it was not his imagination at all, the entire corridor was shacking and wriggling. The walls were becoming transparent.

Now Aldrich could see beyond the walls and and what he saw numbed his scalp. There were many lights of all the colors in the world and more. Outside, several strange and terrible monsters were watching them.

Aldrich couldn't clearly discern their true shapes, while he tried to he felt his eyes hurt terribly and his head felt like it was about to split in two. He felt their hunger and impatience. They were waiting for the corridor to collapse then they would swarm in.

Even more horrific was that the severed parts of the monster were quickly moving on their own and joining up with each other.

"This is why I didn't want to fight this thing without knowing what it was." Murmured Isger out loud.

"Aldrich get up, here, you take this." Isger pulled Aldrich up from his seating position and suddenly sheathed his sword and handed it over to Aldrich.

"It's good to be afraid. Fear is good, but like anything else in excess it works against you. A calm mind will serve you best."

Isger tried to calm himself, thats right, Mr. Isger must definitely have a plan. He was always able to come up with something.

"What do I do with this? I haven't swung a sword before but I'll try to land a hit."

Aldrich watched in equal parts disgust and horror as the nightmarish monster formed itself again. But this time it's bald head split open to reveal a huge eye, it's back cracked and revealed tens of tentacles.

"That's the spirit! There is a first time for everything but this is not your time."

Isger sighed before turning around and pushing the unsuspecting Aldrich through the light door. Aldrich was standing right in front of the door all it took was a light push.

Aldrich felt like time came to a standstill, or perhaps it slowed down rather than stopped. He watch in that moment before his body completely crossed over through the door, as the monster unleashed it's tentacles in mad frenzy targeting none other than himself.

What stood between him and certain death was Mr. Isger. Aldrich could only see his back from his position. The tentacled monster roared in mad rage, the monsters outside the corridor started attacking the corridor.

The last thing he heard was:

"Ah, sorry, looks like I'll have to skip work tomorrow."

And everything faded to black.