BADUMP!
ZAP! ZAP!
BADUMP!
Like a broken record, Cole repeatedly endured a cycle of death and rebirth as sparks and bolts of lightning deconstructed his very cells.
Over, and over, and over. Cole had long lost count of how many strikes he had received, only to be plunged back into a cold darkness. Even with every bone and organ in his body vaporized, the Veteran status he had acquired allowed him to regenerate from nothing.
BADUMP!
First, a heart spawns; then, it beats, expanding arteries and veins, followed by cells that form tissue to create organs. Each heartbeat pumps out blood, which is then wrapped in materializing flesh and bone. The final process involves the perfect replication of his features—all in under three seconds.
ZAP!
Each time, Cole felt a stubborn cold rush past his body.
Finally, Cole's rotting flesh fell past the mad storm acting as a barrier. After his remains crumbled into dust, Cole regenerated from thin air as he fell. Once his body reassembled, his senses returned as well.
The thick winds slammed against him as he flapped in the air; below him, a spherical wasteland rested. With no control over his movements, Cole's body slammed brutally onto the ground.
Not to worry; he was immortal, after all. As Cole stood, his bones and flesh repaired themselves. The moment his eyeballs rolled into their sockets, he wasted no time surveying the landscape.
From all he could see, the region where he stood was somewhat inclined, but he couldn't determine to what extent since he couldn't spot any edges. That, however, was the least of his problems; the first thing Cole needed was to find anything he could put on.
His skin was exposed to the realm's treacherously cold breeze. For a dry, earthy place, Cole found the temperature a little odd, especially since it resembled a desert with lines and patterns drawn on every surface.
Unless his previous assumption was spot on, the premise of him landing on a mountain peak or a tall structure of sorts began to seem more logical.
Nonetheless, time was of the essence. To make matters worse, Cole had long misplaced his sense of time somewhere within the raging storm; he couldn't tell how many seconds, minutes, or hours had gone by. Getting struck by lightning over a hundred times tends to cause that, after all.
Cole walked several miles trying to find any rations or items of significance, but as usual, he was met with futility. Dust and a cold breeze hugged his bare skin; on top of that, he was basically starved and thirsty. He was numb to the passage of time and the exact distance he traveled, and his immortality didn't really help either. If he died of hunger, he'd revive hungrier.
Cole was beginning to look like a model skeleton each time. Fortunately, his exploration wasn't in vain.
As he reached a more rugged region of Aught, Cole saw what resembled a mucky burial ground; each angle and corner was occupied by wooden stakes with black cloths tied to them.
"Were they paying respects to someone?" Cole tilted his head as he muttered. "But who... I don't think this is where I should be."
Cole stepped into the muck, skimmed through the area with careful consideration, and chose which cloths to steal from the wooden stakes.
Afterward, he tied one across his waist and one on his head like a bandana. If that wasn't lucky enough, the bony remains of what seemed like a soldier were curved at the edge of the muck and solid ground.
Its clothes were tattered but still in good condition; that alone made Cole dash towards it with joyful vigor. Without a hint of care, Cole ransacked the defenseless skeleton, cleared off some of the dust, and wore the outfit.
The result was a pair of slightly worn-out black cargo jeans and a hooded shirt with a badge of four roses crossed by a line. He kept the cloth tied on his head like a bandana.
The warm feeling of clothes made Cole feel refreshed. Again, he surveyed the land with his eyes. Everywhere was indeed still barren, not to mention the landmark given by the Potter wasn't present.
Perhaps several days had passed. Thanks to the deity's parting words, Cole was at least certain he hadn't passed twenty days. He also considered that back in his mercenary days, when he was stranded in enemy territory, he could go nine full days without eating or drinking.
'All factors considered, the more accurate presumption is that I've been here within the span of ten to nineteen days.' He pondered deeply. 'But what is the exact number?'
GRRRRRRRR!
'At this point, even Vanity's food would taste like a five-star dish.' Cole hugged his stomach as he pulled an ugly face.
His gaze flew up by accident; what he saw was rather intriguing, to say the least. When Cole first arrived, the sky was a ravaging greyish-white storm cloud, but now it resembled an impressionist painting of different colors swirling at a faded focal point like a sun.
At the very furthest distance, nearly beyond his clear gaze, a thin spiral structure stretched from above until it went deep into the soil—or so he could discern.
"Katharis? I didn't know I'd traveled so far..."
'Wait, if Katharis reaches all the way down, why did I jump to get here?' Cole slammed his palm across his face.
With a short sigh, Cole walked further away from the Katharis. He kept his guard up in case any monsters were present; if luck hadn't fully abandoned him, he'd be fortunate enough to come across a Man-Eater.
However, if it were a Soul Drainer, Cole wouldn't stand a chance.
CRACK!
A loud crunch, followed by a constant rumbling, occurred on the land. The tall plateau structures and hills crumbled; it didn't take long for Cole to be engulfed in dust.
Despite how inclined the section seemed, its topographic behavior was very unusual to Cole. Even then, he knew what had to be done next.
'Run for it!' he exclaimed.
Cole pierced his body through the wind like a bullet as he sped across the landscape with total disregard for his withering condition.
He looked back to catch a glimpse of the source. The mucky pool littered with stakes curved and stretched upward; as some of the icky material thinned down, it revealed a field of black fur.
SCREEEEEEEEECH!
Cole kept running. His bones rattled from the reverberating sound, but he didn't stop.
With one foul leap, the creature showcased all its malicious glory. What seemed like skin ripped into four sections, separated from each other, and then hung like drying clothes attached to its back.
'It has wings!' Cole gaped with a dumbfounded gaze; his movements, however, were still coordinated and swift.
The creature had six insect-like arms, a caterpillar-like tail with several curved fangs within, large butterfly-like wings with spiral designs, dreadfully black fur protecting its body, and a small, thin, wrinkled head with empty sockets and a mouth hole blatantly opened.
Its target was the running snack that had disturbed its hibernation. Due to it being blind, the tail served as its navigator as it collected the low banging sounds on the ground, using them as a location method for tracking down prey.
At least Cole was lucky to be spotted by a Man-Eater class. Still, that didn't make the experience any more pleasant, though Cole noticed a strange feeling bubbling within him.....
A familiar yet foreign feeling. It was odd to describe since his body felt like two sides of a flipping coin, but maybe, just maybe... small fragments of Cole's former personality were leaking back. The insane grin on his face backed up the hypothesis.
A maniacal aura oozed out of his body as he ran. Cole darted towards a large plateau with a small circular gap within. The creature followed him smoothly from above as it closed the distance.
Extending sharp claws, the creature suspended its wings, pushing its top half slightly back as a result. Using its tail, the creature fired an attack; all its 108 fangs spun like a grinder.
In the nick of time, Cole slid into the hole. So did the caterpillar; however, due to its large size, the Man-Eater's tail got stuck midway. Cole packed his lips to the side of his cheek in disgust.
The tail wasn't just stuck; trying to escape slowly tore its body. The only thing left was the main body; unfortunately, it could extend its tail further, allowing it some mobility, similar to a prisoner bound by long chains.
Cole didn't have much knowledge of the creature nor its biological structure; thus, making any reckless mistakes could be fatal, especially if it possessed any sort of defense mechanism.
'Wait a minute... I'm immortal.' His mind flashed to the fact.
With a mad expression, Cole faced the creature. The Man-Eater launched a forward attack, but Cole dove headfirst and slid beneath it. The Man-Eater scratched its insect-like feet against the ground to reduce its speed; thanks to the living tail, it detected Cole's escape.
Immediately, the man eater turned to launch another attack. By the time it turned, Cole was already on its tail. Cole tensed his fist, adjusted his arm, and fired a thunderous blow that vibrated its body.
The caterpillar jolted from the pain; the immense vibration broke the plateau. In a moment's breath, the freed caterpillar went for an attack, its mouth fully expanded with grinding teeth at full speed.
Mere inches before tearing into Cole's flesh, his wrist glowed a dull blue.
SNAP!
SCREEEEEEEEECH!
Releasing a loud cry mixed with a pained roar, the creature collapsed on the ground as its tail tore through its fur and flesh. The caterpillar dropped like a flappy rope a few seconds later; the Man-Eater's corpse twitched and groaned until it went still.
Cole stood with tucked hands and a cocky smile. The look in his eyes was almost lifeless, yet at the same time brimming with joy.
Cole wiped the ground with his finger and examined the floor's texture; the rough, dry feel and its sulphur-like smell pleased him. He then struck rocks against each other; once they sparked, he nodded.
"Guess I won't be starving any longer."