It Echoes Onward 8


    Small stones bounced through the air all around cknail as he slid down the side of the hill. He desperately fought to keep his bnce, but the rocks beneath his feet kept moving. All he could do was to try not to hit anything on the way down. Arge rock rose before him, so the hobgoblin jumped to the side. Afternding, he had to reach down and catch himself, but he barely managed to keep from falling on his ass as he slid down the slope.


    At the bottom of the hill, the first wave of stones reached the beasts fighting down below. Most of the shards were small and harmless, but there were somerger ones, including the original boulder cknail had knocked free. That huge rock was rolling right towards the alpha wolf.


    The mutant wolf had turned and fled from his fight with the huge boar a few moments ago, when it had noticed the iing rockslide. The injured boar was too exhausted to escape, and it knew it. Instead of running, it turned to face the rocks and hunkered down. The other wolves and pigs were fleeing in all directions.


    The wave of stones washed over the huge boar and then rushed past it without slowing. Wolves and pigs were thrown in every direction and crushed by rock. The alpha wolf dodged to the side to avoid the huge boulder, but then a smaller rock smashed into its head. The mutant canine was sent rolling across the ground and was then hit by a shower of smaller stones.


    cknail would have cheered but he was too busy trying to keep himself in one piece. The hobgoblin was still sliding down the slope amidst a wave of dust and rock. Most therge rocks were in front of him but that didnt mean he was safe. There was a lot of momentum carrying him down the hill, and even a small rock could crack open his skull.


    A few moments and some near missester, the hobgoblin reached the bottom of the hill. He leaped over a pile of rocks and then kept running as he weaved his way forward past all the obstacles. As he ran, cknail tried to backpedal and slow himself down, but his momentum was too strong. Then he stepped on a small round stone.


    Oh no, the hobgoblin said as he tripped and his foot flew up into the air. This was going to hurt.


    It did. cknail hit the uneven ground hard. More than a few sharp stones dug into the flesh of his back. He gasped painfully as he started rolling. Even more pointy objects stabbed into him as he rolled. When he finally came to stop, a cloud of gravel fell on top of him.


    Ouch, cknail groaned as he picked himself up. He then spat to one side. His mouth was full of dust. It tasted like hed tried to chew rocks.


    The hobgoblin looked around. There were severalrge dust clouds hanging low close to the ground but they were already beginning to blow away. Loose rocks were strewn about everywhere, but cknail saw no immediate threats, so he took a second to check his body for injuries. He had quite a few new tender areas, but nothing seemed broken. It would take more than a mere rockslide to defeat cknail!


    With his checkup done, cknail went looking for the alpha wolf. The creature had definitely been hit by the rockslide and it had already been wounded. This was far too good of a chance to pass off. The wolf was probably already dead, but if it wasnt, cknail was going to finish it off. This was his territory and no mutant was going to get away with attacking him!


    The pile of rocks covering his target wasnt that far away, so cknail headed over towards it. He smacked the side of his head a few times to get the rocks out of his ears as he walked. He had no idea how they had gotten in there.


    The fallen body of the giant boar was off to one side. It looked even bigger from up close, but it also looked very dead. Large bleeding gashes had been torn in it sides and it was breathlessly still. Since it wasnt a concern, unless he got hungry, cknail turned away from the boar and focused on the wolf up ahead.


    As cknail walked, he drew his sword. The alpha wolf had been hit by a wave of rock so it was probably long dead, but cknail wasnt about to underestimate a mutant. They could be freakishly tough. He might have to stick it a few time to finish it off. He hoped he would; that sounded like fun.


    Im going to make me a wolf fur nket and a maybe a pretty tooth ne too, the hobgoblin bragged as he smiled confidently.


    The hobgoblin approached the buried alpha wolf, and kicked a stone away. He couldnt see much of the wolf beneath the rock, only a few patches of fur. Suddenly, the entire mound shuddered and began to rise. Rocks fell away to reveal the back of a huge furry shape. cknail took a step back. He didnt like where this was going.


    The creature then turned and looked at the hobgoblin. It was without a doubt the alpha wolf, and it looked mad. Its yellow eyes were narrowed hatefully at cknail. A few bits stripes of blood decorated its fur but it didnt seem all that wounded. As the hobgoblin watched, the creatures fur seemed to darken and go t. The sudden change made it obvious the wolfs fur had been weirdly fluffy and shiny a moment ago.


    The wolf shook itself to remove some of the dust and dirt that covered its body, and then it snarled menacingly. Its lips rose up to reveal the many sharp teeth in its maw as the menacing sound reached cknails ears.


    Cheater, cknail remarked resentfully. He then reached into a padded pocket in his shirt and pulled out a thick ss vial. It was hisst vial of Elixir. He hurriedly popped the cork and downed the pink contents. He had a feeling he was going to need it. The alpha had obviously used some sort of weird power to protect itself.


    The wolf was still fairly dirty and it shook itself again. cknail didnt waste the opportunity. A hot sh of energy went through his body as he burned Elixir and lunged forward. His sword whirred around into a downward sh that was aimed right at his opponents neck.


    cknail moved with incredible speed, but the wolf didnt even try to dodge. Instead, it held its ground and growled. The fur all along its body instantly puffed out and grew shinier. It almost looked like crystalline spikes.


    The sword hit the fur and was violently repelled. The force of the blow recoiled up cknails arm. The sword vibrated in his hand for an instant and then it shattered. Bits of metal flew away as the de was snapped in half.


    Not good, cknail hissed at he stared at his nowpletely destroyed weapon. This wasnt going the way he had nned. He hated magic.


    A momentter, the wolfs fur softened and went t again, and it lunged at the hobgoblin. Its jaws opened wide to reveal jagged yellow teeth, ck gums, and a long slimy tongue. cknail immediately threw himself out of the way. The mutants teeth snapped shut on the empty air where his head had been a brief moment ago, and a drop of warm drool sshed against his neck.


    As panic caused his heart to speed up, cknail threw his broken sword down and drew a long dagger. He was just in time, the wolf attacked again. It came in low to snap at his feet, but cknail managed to twist to the side and sh at the creatures head. The power of the Elixir was already seeping into his body and lightening his movements, and this time his de cut through the fur and drew blood. However, the ncing blow only left a shallow scratch.


    Bothbatants stepped back and eyed each other. cknail knew he was in danger but trying to flee never even urred to him. He was face to face with another predator. Backing down would only put him at a disadvantage. He had to win no matter what the cost.


    The potent energy from the Elixir was rushing through cknails body. It threw his mind into overdrive. His first attack had beenpletely ineffective, but the second had worked. It seemed like the beasts fur was only tough when it was shiny. The wolf also moved slower then, so it transformed its hair only as ast ditch defense. cknail could use that, somehow.


    The wolf let out a deep growl as it began to circle around the hobgoblin. Its every step brought it slightly closer, and cknail had to continue turning to keep his eyes locked on it. Before he got dizzy, cknail snarled and shed at the wolf. It was only a feint, but the beast jumped back out of the way.


    Sensing an opportunity, cknail drew another dagger and whipped it at the mutants head. The knife spun as it whirred through the air, and then it sailed right over the wolfs head and hit a tree. The de didnt even sink into the wood; it bounced off into a nearby bush.


    Ya, I never really learned how to do that right, cknail muttered to himself in disappointment. It had looked really cool when he saw bandits do it, though.


    The throw wasnt aplete waste. The startled wolf ducked low and its fur went spiky again for second, but then it realized the hobgoblin had missed, and it growled at him again. cknail growled back and raised his dagger menacingly. He was feeling confident. The Elixir was flowing through his body and strengthening it. He felt no pain or weariness. So what if the wolf was a mutant? He was cknail, the greatest hobgoblin warrior in the history of ever! He had no equal.


    cknail lunged forward to attack again. He shed at his opponents eyes. The wolf tried to twist around the attack and get at cknail, but the hobgoblin was ready. He reversed the direction of his sh and drove the beast off.


    The wolfs yellow eyes focused on cknail as it hunched down, and an instantter the wolf leapt up. It jumped straight for the hobgoblins chest. cknail grinned in bloody anticipation as he aimed his dagger at the creatures exposed throat, but then its fur rose up again and hardened.


    At thest moment, the hobgoblin was forced to throw himself down. He rolled across the ground and away from the wolf. Unfortunately, the mutantnded and spun around before he could get back up. With a victorious growl, it charged. cknail raised an arm to shield his head, and the wolfs jaws closed down on it. Teeth sank through his heavy leather coat and into his arm.


    Bloody gods and piss everywhere, cknail gasped as the pain hit him.


    Instead of flinching though, he channeled his pain into anger. With lightening-like speed he stabbed at one of the wolfs eyes with the dagger in his other hand. His mind wasnt muddled by fear or pain, but focused by them instead. The here and now was all that mattered. He had to win.


    The daggers tip headed right for the wolfs iris, and the wolf reacted immediately. Instead of letting go, it dropped its weight and pulled cknail off bnce. The hobgoblin stumbled and clenched his jaw as the beasts teeth dug deeper into his flesh. cknails attack missed, but he didnt waste any time. He growled as he shed at the wolfs eyes again.


    This time, the beast twisted around and let go of his arm. The action caught cknail by surprise. He was thrown violently to the side and flew through the air until he hit the ground and started rolling. Disorientated, his body knocked aside loose rocks. He reached with his hands and tried to grab something, but then a solid object smashed into the back of his head. There was a loud crack. cknails head jerked forward and his neck twisted. For a moment, everything seemed fine. It was just another minor wound. The fight was still going on, and he couldnt back down. cknail growled as he tried to stand up, but then his body suddenly went limp. As he fell, his vision went ck.


    cknail was sinking into cold nothingness. Like chains, the darkness held him down. It was so cold that even thinking was hard. What was going on? Who was he?


    A ring of stones rose up into sight. The darkness rippled away from them like ck water. Crude symbols decorated the weathered grey monoliths. Their lines and whirls were hypnotic even though they held no meaning to cknail. He remembered seeing something like them once


    Then there was light. At first it was a pin prick, but it grew until a zing sun hung overhead. A giant appeared in the light. The ze behind it obscured its features, but it was looking down at cknail. The hobgoblin could feel it studying him with unseen eyes that pierced everything. He felt eptance instead of judgment, but that didnt matter to him. He didnt care what anyone else thought. Actions were what mattered.


    Suddenly, one of the stones began to topple. As it fell, it hit the next one in line, and that stone began to fall. Soon the entire ring would copse. All themotion energized cknail. He began to struggle against the cold waters dragging him down. He couldnt afford to stay here. He had ns! He had no idea what those ns were, but he remembered having them!


    The giant noticed the iling. It reached down with one dark hand and grabbed cknail. There was a sucking sound as it dragged him out of the cold water. Then, just as the third stone was beginning to fall, the giant took the hobgoblin and wedged him beneath the stone so that it stopped falling. cknail felt a heavy weight push down on him. He couldnt see his own body but he felt it shift and deform under the pressure ever so slightly. There was a popping sound, and he opened his eyes.


    cknail was lying on his back. Fragmented shes of some sort of vision or dream ran through his mind. Had he fallen unconscious for a second? There was a rock poking painfully into his side, and a huge mutant wolf jumping at his face. Normally that would mean he had but a few scant moments to live, but everything seemed to be moving very slowly, like he was underwater. The wolf hung suspended in the air. cknail could clearly see its grey fur, yellow teeth, and long ws.


    The hobgoblin knew his body was too battered and bruised to react properly. He wouldnt be able to avoid the wolfs attack in time. Death seemed certain, but cknail wasnt about to give up. Purpose filled him. Vengeance still smoldered within his heart, but it was more than that. He would live! He would conquer! If his body wasnt up to the task then he would simply find another way.


    Time continued to pass, even if it was at a slower rate. The wolf was closer now. Soon it wouldnd atop cknail and its jaws would close down on his neck. The Elixir was still coursing through the hobgoblins body. cknail could feel its energy empowering every fiber of his being. With no other option, he drew on every bit of it he could gather up. It burned within him with nowhere to go.


    The energy was too much. His muscles couldnt burn it nearly fast enough. The pressure built up and began to rip the hobgoblin apart from the inside. Just when cknail was sure he was about to burst, the energy found an escape. The power surged into cknails head and then exploded outward. There was a path for it there that had only ever seen a trickle, but now it was being flooded.


    Invisible energy struck towards the wolf and ripped into it. Time sped back up.


    Birds exploded out of all the nearby trees and flew up into the sky. The wolf yelped in surprise and began to writhe in midair. Instead ofnding on cknail, it hit the ground next to him on an awkward angle. There was loud thud as its back mmed into the ground. Its fur was standing up so straight that it looked sharp in ces.


    cknail was already moving. He threw himself atop the writhing wolf without any care for his own safety. Rage drove him. This ce was his, and he was the strongest!


    A w scraped against cknails chest but he twisted around it so he could get in closer. The wolf seemed to recover from whatever had confused it. It tried to push away from the hobgoblin and get back on its feet, but its thick fur slowed it down and restricted its movements.


    As thest remnants of Elixir burned up within him, cknail grabbed a tuff of fur on the wolfs neck, pulled himself over, and then stabbed at the creatures closest eye with the dagger in his hand. There was no oddly tough fur there. The de sank into the fleshy orb, and then cknail twisted the de in deeper. Blood poured out of the wound, and the wolf yelped.


    The beasts hind legs hit cknail hips and knocked him aside. He lost his grip on his weapon, and hended off to one side of the wolf. The furious hobgoblin immediately tried to get back up, but his muscles suddenly gave out on him. He stumbled before managing to get back on his feet.


    Meanwhile, the wolf iled about. It seemed to try to scratch the sky for several seconds, but then it let out a deep wheezing breath and flopped down onto its side. cknail drew another dagger from within his coat and stared at the beast for several long seconds, but ity still.


    Ha, now youre dead. Stupid mutt, the hobgoblin eximed viciously.


    He then spat a mixture of blood and mucus to the side and copsed into a sitting position on the ground. He was really tired all of a sudden. It had been a long day.