Want to support CHYOA?
Disable your Ad Blocker! Thanks :)

Chapter 34 by TMJ2008 TMJ2008

Do you remain in hiding or do you show yourself?

You are still too much of a knight to ignore what is happening.

"That's enough!", you call out as you step out from behind the boulder you'd been ducking behind and move forward into the light of day and into the camp of the dwarves with your head held high, your gauntleted hand clenched into a fist and the chest you'd been carting around with you tucked under your left arm, "Stop there, Rolf. I have no desire to see whatever filthy, stunted excuse for a cock you have nor do I wish to see you put it to use on your squire. After all, you can hardly punish the girl when she is clearly correct."

Both the dwarves turn in your direction and shock touches both of their faces, though the shock on Asta's face is pleased while that on Rolf's is angry and vindictive.

"Jacen? Is that you? It is! Oh, I'm so glad you're-!", Asta starts to say but is cut off as Rolf roughly shoves her to the ground and starts to move towards you with a snarl on his lips.

"You survived?! How can that...oh..I see.", he growls, stopping as he sees the gauntlet gleaming with dark energy on your right hand, "So you've sold your soul to that dark thing for power? Ha! Such a typical thing for a weakling to do."

"If you and my other so-called allies are what you would call warriors with a soul, perhaps I am better off without mine.", you retort with a growl of your own, your anger still burning within you even if it is controlled at the moment.

"Hmph. It seems you've grown a proper set of bollocks along with the rest of your body, seeing as you're finally able to speak more than simpering, laughable wishes to be a hero and naive tripe.", he says mockingly as he moves a hand to his belt where his battle-axe is tucked beneath his belt, "It doesn't matter though. I'll cut them off along with the rest of your limbs and your damn fool head. I'm actually glad you're alive. It gives me a chance to kill you myself. And I'll do a damned better job than that human wench."

The mention of the paladin that had nearly killed you (or perhaps she HAD killed you and the gauntlet had brought you back) sets your blood to boiling and you feel dark power spark through you, inspiring bloodlust in you once more. It is all you can do not to leap forward at the dwarf in a berserk rage. Instead, you turn your anger into wicked derision as a truly evil grin comes to your lips as you look to the dwarf, catching his eyes with yours. Your gaze causes him to pause in drawing his axe, but only because, unbeknownst to you, they are once again glowing with that spark of red light as they had when you'd succumbed to your lust with the naiad.

"Oh? Will you now? Are you sure you are up to the task, dwarf? Are you sure you won't need a...hand?", you ask tauntingly, but the dwarf only gives a derisive sneer at your words.

"If that was your attempt at provocation, whelp, I'd have to say that you should spend some of that evil power you gained for selling your soul growing your wits as well.", he retorts with a shake of his head.

You had expected that, but your wicked grin only widens as you shift your hold on the chest under your arm so that you are holding it up in front of you upon your left palm. "Provocation? Why, I was not attempting to provoke, dwarf. That was an honest question. Do you no need a hand? Because, if you do...", you say as you flip open the chest with your gauntleted hand, reach in and then toss the single item within it onto the ground in front of the dwarf with a dismissive flick of your wrist, "I have one to offer you."

The severed hand hits the ground with a meaty thud, its stiff and pale fingers frozen into a grasping claw and the flesh pallid from being without blood. But, despite that, the hand is unmistakably that which had once been connected to the dwarf's wrist and Rolf realizes this as his face colors with rage and his eyes blaze with fury. And you, fueled by the dark instincts of the gauntlet and your own personal hatred for the dwarf who had been party to your betrayal, let out a low, deep laugh that comes up from your chest and bubbles up your throat until it escapes your lips and rises in volume and intensity until your peals of laughter are echoing against the stone walls of the cave mouth and seem to batter down on the two dwarves from all sides.

Asta, at that moment, looks at you with wide and perhaps fearful eyes, but Rolf only glares and lets out a guttural roar as he pulls his axe from his belt. "You bastard!! I'll kill you!!", he bellows as he charges towards you.

Your grin falls to leave a look of rage and hatred on your face as you throw the now empty chest at the approaching dwarf and then move forward yourself. "I'll take your other hand before I have you pay for what you've done, dwarf!", you snarl back at him as you draw your gauntleted hand back in preparation to strike with it, expecting the dwarf to have to spend a moment to dodge or block the thrown chest so you'll have a chance to strike.

You are mistaken, however, as the dwarf instead swings his axe and cuts through the chest as though it were simple parchment, the axe blade continuing through it and towards you in a deadly arc. You curse as you bring your gauntleted hand forward with quickness borne of your training and the preternatural quickness the dark power of the gauntlet gives you. The obsidian steel of your cursed Artifact and the silvery mithril of the dwarve's axe come together and the results of that impact is unexpectedly intense as they clash with sparks of blue and red magical energy arcing out from them. They connect and then, with that explosive arcing of magical energy,they are violently repelled from one another, the dwarf and you sent flying back from one another as the two weapons are thrown backwards with violent ****.

You feel your shoulder wrenched savagely, but you ignore the pain as you look to the dwarf with surprise, wondering what had caused such an explosive reaction. The dwarf looks equally surprised, but you both seem to come to a realization as you look at each other's respective armaments. Rolf's axe glows with a blue light, dwarven runes worked into his weapon burning bright. Meanwhile, your gauntlet gleams with that aura of red that marks the dark energy that it contains. It seems that either your gauntlet is repelled by dwarven rune magic or the dwarven runes are repelled by the dark magic that makes up your gauntlet. Perhaps both things are so, but the end result is the same regardless. It means that fighting with the gauntlet will make it difficult if, each time it comes into contact with the dwarf's weapon and armor, it will be thrown back and take you along with it.

That fact doesn't seem to be stopping Rolf as he roars out a battle cry and starts to charge towards you again, leaving you with only a scant few seconds to decide how to defend and counter-attack effectively, if you can't rely on the gauntlet to strike a fatal blow against dwarven weapons or armor.

How do you react to Rolf's next attack?

Want to support CHYOA?
Disable your Ad Blocker! Thanks :)