Screaming and putting everything he had into it, the mysterious skeleton lunged from the dry forest. He poured all his strength into a single punch, creating a shockwave that slammed into the beast.
The impact sent the creature reeling, staggering back from the two of them, stunned and disoriented. The girl, who had witnessed the scene in disbelief, wiped the tears and moisture from her face. She looked up at the skeleton, who was grunting with effort, and breathed a sigh of relief just to confirm she was still alive.
The creature, trying to process what had happened, felt a dull ache in its face. Its expression—vicious and hollow—twisted into a mask of pure fury at the skeleton's sudden intervention. It let out a roar and charged, intent on slaughter.
However, the skeleton seemed to anticipate the move. As the beast lunged, the skeleton nimbly dodged, but he hadn't accounted for the creature’s cunning. Using its long arms, the beast repositioned itself to block their escape, a calculated and intelligent tactical move.
Despite being caught off guard, the skeleton was faster than ever. He grabbed the girl and prepared for a desperate leap, narrowly avoiding the beast’s deadly claws just in time.
The girl seemed to be in a trance, completely detached from reality as the world blurred around her. The skeleton landed heavily, struggling to recover from the exertion. The creature, now even more enraged by their sheer DETERMINATION to survive, shrieked in frustration. They were supposed to be dead, yet they remained unscathed.
The beast’s fury reached a breaking point. It wanted them dead at any cost.
But before it could strike again, two circular, glowing blue discs sliced through the air, whistling as they cut through the wind. They struck the beast's legs—one landing squarely on the left, the other grazing the right. The creature howled in pain.
From behind the dead trees and brush emerged a new combatant. Covered in blue fur and sharp spines, wearing weathered armor and gear, he charged with a sword drawn. The creature, caught off guard by yet another intruder, was forced to retreat, dodging the blade to recover from the surprise attack.
The newcomer looked at the skeleton with a serious expression and asked :
"Is everyone okay?"
The skeleton, still catching his breath after his acrobatic effort, wheezed.
"Arfff... arfff... we’re still breathing, at least. As for the girl... I’m not sure. I need time to check on her."
The spiky warrior nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. He glanced at the girl, who was still catatonic, and said
"Understood. See to her. I’ll keep it busy."
He gripped his sword and advanced toward the beast, keeping a safe distance to give the skeleton time to reach the girl. The skeleton set her down and began assessing her injuries. Her arms and legs were covered in cuts, her clothes torn. He reached into his pouch and asked :
"Are you okay? Did you get hurt badly?"
She didn't respond, still lost in her trance.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!"
The girl finally blinked back to reality. She looked at the skeleton and the spiky warrior with a mix of fear and deep distrust.
"WH-WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?! Where did you come from? And... how did you do that? You were supposed to die!"
Seeing she was struggling to process the near-death experience, the skeleton sighed.
"Whoa, calm down! I know it’s a lot to take in. We just need to get out of here alive, okay?"
The girl fell silent, overwhelmed. The skeleton decided to focus on what mattered, even if she didn't trust them.
"Here, hold out your arm."
"Huh? What for?" (she)
Losing his patience, he grabbed her arm to steady it.
"To admire your arm, what else? Good grief... I'm checking your wounds. You’ve been through hell, clearly."
She nodded weakly, muttering under her breath.
"Oh, sure, heh..."
The skeleton wrapped her arms and legs with the last of his supplies. As she grew calmer, she started to notice details she had missed before.
"Wow... you're a bit of a weirdo, aren't you?"
She commented, with a casual tone that belied their life-or-death situation. The skeleton just glanced at her and returned to his work, saying nothing.
Once he finished, he asked:
"It’s the best I could do, but it’ll hold. Can you stand?"
She nodded. He reached out a hand, and as she pulled herself up, a sharp pain shot through her body.
"I don't know who you are, but... thank you."
The skeleton replied dryly
"Save the thanks for when we're actually safe. We need to get out of here before more show up."
She realized the gravity of his words and felt a slight chill at his cold demeanor.
Meanwhile, the spiky warrior was starting to tire. He tried to land a strike with his sword, but the creature dodged. He pulled his arm back, and three glowing blue discs appeared in his palm. He threw them, but the creature swatted them away with its left arm. The discs dissipated, leaving only minor wounds. The beast snarled, ignoring the pain.
The warrior, clearly fed up, looked toward his companions.
"HEY! ARE WE READY TO GO YET?!"
The skeleton gave a thumbs-up from a distance. The warrior smiled, ready to make their exit.
"WATCH OUT!!!" The skeleton roared.
The warrior didn't understand at first, but when he turned, the creature was inches away, ready to deliver a lethal blow. Everything moved in slow motion. It was the end.
But the warrior reacted, raising a wall of thorns just in time. The impact sent him flying back, creating a massive cloud of dust that obscured everyone from view. The sound of earth shattering echoed through the area.
"Son of a..."
The warrior coughed, covered in dirt. He scrambled to his feet, searching for his lost sword, checking his damaged armor.
(I don't think I can take another hit like that,) he thought. (Where are the other two?)
The skeleton and the girl were recovering from the dust cloud, coughing and blinded. The warrior scanned the perimeter, but then, a movement stirred the dust. He saw them—the creature was moving toward the others.
"WATCH OUT, THEY’RE COMING FOR YOU!" he screamed.
The skeleton heard the warning and the thundering footsteps behind the dust. He grabbed the girl’s hand. "DON'T STOP!"
She was terrified, unable to move on her own, but she forced herself to keep pace. The beast missed its strike but remained in hot pursuit. They ran as fast as they could, trying to lose the creature, but it was relentless.
The warrior realized he needed a plan. "I've got it!" he shouted to the skeleton. "HEY! BRING IT TOWARD ME! WHEN I SIGNAL, GET OUT OF THE WAY!"
He began to channel his magic, extending both arms. The skeleton understood, but the girl was faltering, her breathing ragged, her body giving out.
"Please... just leave me here. I don't want you to die because of me..."
The skeleton looked at her, his expression uncharacteristically confident. "LISTEN! We’re getting out of this. You just... need to hold on a little longer. It’s going to pass."
The girl stared at him, and for a moment, time seemed to slow down. Her heart raced, and something sparked within her—a surge of DETERMINATION. She nodded at him, deciding to persist even as her body begged her to quit.
The skeleton pulled her toward the warrior. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" she cried.
"JUST TRUST US!" (He)
As they neared the warrior, he shouted, "NOW, GET OUT OF THE WAY!"
The skeleton dove, dragging the girl with him just as the warrior unleashed his special attack. The energy blast tore through the air, hitting the creature point-blank. A massive shockwave dissipated the dust, leaving a crater of debris.
The warrior stood panting, exhausted but triumphant. "WOOO! Ah, kid, that was right in the beast's face!" He puffed out his chest. "Teamwork, that's the secret."
The skeleton and the girl watched him, stunned. "We almost got into that shit." the skeleton growled. "That was incredibly reckless, and all because you got distracted FOR ONE SECOND."
"Oh, come on!" the warrior retorted. "I'm not made of iron! I had a plan, didn't I? You owe me for this one.
“Besides, remember the first time you had to do this? You cried like a baby." Giving a little nudge to his ego, remembering an event not so long ago, getting up from the floor and fanning himself of his clothes to remove the dust. The prickly one puffs out his chest feeling provoked:
"Tsk, my bad, okay? I... couldn't keep buying time, it's not my fault you're so slow to do your part…”
The skeleton gritted his teeth, holding back his frustration. The girl watched their strange bickering, amazed at how different they were, and decided that, despite everything, she could trust them.
"I took care of the beast, didn't I, genius?" the warrior pointed at the clearing.
The girl stood up, and the skeleton, feeling a bad premonition, kept his eyes on the dissipating dust.
"Is something wrong?" the warrior asked. "It's over. We're alive."
The girl, finally feeling a bit of rapport, asked, "Um... hey, if you don't mind, what are your names?"
The warrior smiled. "I’m Sharpy. And the little guy here is—"
"Introductions can wait," the skeleton interrupted. "This place is still dangerous. Let's move."
Sharpy leaned toward the girl and whispered, "The little guy can be a bit... complicated."
Speaking and getting ready at the same time, Sharpy understands what he's saying:
"Okay, okay, you're right..."
The skeleton glared at him. “What did you mean by that?” Sharpy looked away, pretending nothing happened, simply replying, “Nothing.”
He rolls his eyes before speaking. "Hmm... well, let's just get out of here before more of them arrive around these parts..."
Suddenly, a sharp, sudden sound of tearing earth echoed. Almost everyone there heard the noise and looked around. The skeleton then turned toward the dust cloud, deeply suspicious. The girl, who hadn't heard the sound, found the behavior of the two strange. Seeing the prickly one slightly worried, she tried to calm things down, saying:
"Well, it must be some dry branch snapping because of the battle just now.... right...?" (Sharpy)
The skeleton's brow furrowed. In an instant, his pupils—which before were small and white—changed into large, glowing orange pupils with vertical and horizontal lines in the center, looking just like a target. He watched intently to see what was behind the dust.
Faint traces of light could barely be seen. Seeing that he was alert to something, Sharpy questioned:
"Uh... shorty, didn't he... bite the dust....?"The skeleton didn't answer:
"Hm...." (Skeleton)
His eyes dilated as he saw what was coming, finally realizing what was causing that glow:
"DODGE!!!"
Sharpy and the girl heard him with extreme alarm. Suddenly, a blast of white energy surged toward the three of them. The skeleton dodged, while Sharpy shoved the girl, throwing her out of the attack's fatal path.
The attack destroyed and pulverized everything in its way, shattering the dry trees as if they were nothing, leaving a trail of destruction behind. Soon, the attack dissipated.
The girl then tried to recover from the push Sharpy gave her. The smoke-fused creature slashed through the dust with its arm and immediately fired another blast of energy at her. She tried to react to get away in time. Just as she stood up and managed to move, the attack hit the ground, causing an explosion that caught her.
As she fell flat on her back onto the ground, everything went dark…
//END OF THE CHAPTER\\
Note: Chapter links are regularly updated in my pinned post!
Long ago, two races lived on Earth: Humans and Monsters. A war erupted between them, and only one could emerge victorious. The Monsters were defeated. They were subjugated and sealed deep within the Underground by the most powerful mages of the ancient era. A barrier was created to ensure they would never escape. In time, the war faded into legend.
20xx - Mount Ebott
Legends said that anyone who climbed the mountain would never return. For the Monsters trapped below, the surface had become nothing more than a distant dream.
Then, one day, the barrier shattered without warning — broken by an unknown force.
As the Monsters finally stepped into the light after centuries of imprisonment, humanity was already facing annihilation. A devastating calamity had descended upon the world, threatening to wipe out everything in its path.
Yet, instead of resuming their old conflict, the two races chose empathy over hatred. They forged an alliance to stand together against this new, far greater threat — an alliance that still holds strong to this day.
————
In a vast, lifeless forest, where dead branches crumbled in the wind and an overwhelming emptiness filled every corner, a young woman wandered with a sad, melancholic expression. Her eyes were hollow, as if death itself lurked all around her.
She paused, opened her backpack, and rummaged through it, looking for anything that could distract her from her dark thoughts. Among old photographs, childish drawings, and other belongings, she found a container of chocolate cookies. She sat down on a tree trunk, took one cookie, and hesitated as she stared at the photos. For a brief moment, a faint spark of emotion returned to her eyes.
She ate the cookie in silence, put the container away, and kept walking.
(Sighs) “No… they… wouldn’t want to see me like this. I have to be strong!”
A renewed wave of HOPE filled her chest. She wanted to get out of there.
But doubt soon crept in.
“Which way was I supposed to go again…?”
“Try to get her bearings”
She knew the idea of being lost forever in this dead forest was terrifying. The only thing she could do was continue in the same direction. After some time, a heavy, morbid atmosphere began to settle around her. The silence was agonizing. It felt like something terrible was about to happen.
“Keep going” ♡
To calm herself, she started singing softly:
“To prepare, you just need half a cup of melted butter, half a cup of brown sugar, three cups of sugar, and an egg to crack…”
She kept singing the silly recipe song until she felt a little calmer. That’s when she heard a distant sound. She froze and looked around nervously. She tried to convince herself it was just a branch snapping, but the tension remained.
A few minutes later, another branch cracked — much closer this time. Then came a loud crash of a tree trunk breaking, followed by heavy tremors shaking the ground, growing louder and closer with each second.
Desperately, she looked around. A massive silhouette was approaching, smashing everything in its path. Panicking, she ran toward the only narrow passage through the thick branches.
She could feel the creature right behind her. When she glanced back, terror froze her for a split second. The abomination — a huge, visceral, nightmarish canine beast — was preparing to kill her.
Everything went black for a moment.
Then, pure adrenaline took over. She ran wildly, no longer caring about the branches tearing at her skin. The creature let out a deafening roar and gave chase.
She finally burst out of the narrow path into a wider area, but there was still no escape. She reached the end of an open field and realized she was trapped. The path ahead was too narrow to continue.
When she looked back, the monster was already there.
A gigantic, nauseating abomination stood before her. She had no options left.
“NO NO NO NO NO… I was almost there… I can’t die here!!”
“If it ends here, they… they…”
Tears streamed down her face as the creature charged.
“I’m sorry… for not being able to continue… I…”
She closed her eyes, waiting for the end.
…
Suddenly, a swift figure burst from the forest with a fierce battle cry.
The young woman opened one eye in disbelief.
A skeleton had struck the creature with a powerful punch. His glowing green eyes burned with intense power. The air itself seemed to compress from the force of the impact.
//End of the chapter\\
Note: Chapter links are regularly updated in my pinned post!
I have an AU, and name is Bittertale, and this is mine protagonist, her name is Clara. I'll be updating you on my story over time. She your soul is Hope, alright? Oh! The soul her is Hope. :D
Good... first of all, Bittertale is a worldbuilding story, meaning that instead of taking place underground, it will be on The surface. Why? Because I mostly ser stories set in an entirely underground, you know? I not saying thas this of story is bad or that all stories are like that, dar from it. Now... I just wanted to do something different.
—
So what is it about? You know the story: humans and monsters lived in peace, but at some point they went to war, fighting a dangerous and long battle. The monsters lost, and the humans won, trapping them in a magical barrier where no one can enter and no one can leave. And so it was for millennia, until the monsters were forgotten by time, and also by history. BUT something in the year 20XX, the barrier was broken, and the mosnters thought they had finally achieved freedom, only to soon see humans desvastated and attacked by unstoppaple creatures that are spreading across the world. Seeing the affliction and despair of those Who held them captive, the monsters made a decision that would define the fate of humanity and their own, to form an alliance, fight side by side, and finally react the light amidst the darkness.
—
I don't know if it's a good premisse or not. But I'll go ahead anyway :)
annaxmalina
2087
gummygunk
theartofmadeline
origamiaround
discoholicmusic
dededos
dailybridgerton