Hands Bleeding

Mahon reached out his hand, inching across the sand and curling around the small leather pouch squeezing the last drops into his mouth, the wounds on his body disappearing as he pushed himself up, his legs shaky and blood still pouring from his lungs.

"Looks like you're tougher than I thought.'' Mahon's cocky voice ran through the monster's ears, its back turned and red shell glinting in the sun. Mahon raced forward, his body greeted with claws, the huge blades slicing through his skin as he narrowly dodged yet more blood splashing to the floor. A blazing maroon trail carved in the sand. Pushing himself into the air, Mahon clenched his fist. The excruciating pain ricocheting through the limb, a burst of light smashing through his arm as his suspended body crashed down on the crab, the fist slamming into his face. The monster swung at him, arms lashing around at his head, but Mahon ducked, pushing closer to the wraith and smashing his fist into the softer torso, his second fist igniting as he sprung a flurry of punches, the burning hands rippling sound out of each blow. The incessant punching carried on each clumsy powerful strike by the shellfish was dodged easily, Mahon pushing forward his tiny frame slamming into the monster again and again. The pain sending tears running down his eyes, the sight of each and every monster filling his body with nostalgia and pain, each glimpse of the huge beast felt like his heart was ripped open again and again.

Through the misty sight in front of him, the aftermath of his onslaught… there was nothing. Poseidon stared down at him, not even bothering to attack any more, Mahon's hands were the only thing bleeding.

The humanoid figure stood back, Mahon's tired and broken body staring at him as the huge pincers dropped from his hands his back exploding with arms huge shelled limbs like spikes sticking into the ground and lifting him above, the pincers replaced with even bigger ones, each one serrated like a saw but sharp enough to cut through rocks, the scissor like weapons each a metre long, behind him the water rose and fell.

Each wave slammed against the beach, growing higher and higher. The water rushing back and forth swirling and swelling in place crashing and smashing over itself and churning into more white foam the turquoise water being dragged back in and pushed out tumbling over itself into a huge structure it eclipsed the sun, the mass of water holding in the sky.

"Warrior you have fought well, but what I do is for the sake of humanity, so I cannot yield. I wish to see you in the next life."

The water unleashed, but Mahon could only stare, his body barely able to move… his arms hanging and swaying blood and blisters covering the clumsily reassembled skin, the burn marks towering up his forearms and biceps. The huge pressure of water crashing into the sand before him.

He could only gaze helplessly at the waves.

But somewhere, deep in his thoughts,

Even through the endless deaths

The endless revivals

The endless pain

There was a voice, a screaming shouting voice.

Its raging rant against the void of Mahon's mind

Shouting and protesting

Chanting through his soul.

"Fight!"

He pushed out his shaky hand, the blistered and burnt fingers unleashing an unbearable piercing pain to the touch, but he fought and endured. His fingers rubbing together in a singular, silent click. The hollow sound emanating through the beach against the looming mass of water… and then all went silent, the water stopped dead in its tracks. And instead there was a deep blue. The glacial wave before him. The freezing block of ice blowing against his cracked skin with a soothing, chilling aura.

But even still the crab hung in the air suspended by its legs, the helmet-like head staring down at the man, his life barely hanging from a thread, each movement triggering a panting fit of exhaustion.

"You just won't die, commendable if not irritating."

"I won't… be separated… from the ones I love… again."

Mahon struggled forward, the burning hands fizzling out as soon as they were triggered, his movements were lifeless like a zombie stumbling forward.

Through his plagued movements there was a glimmer of light, his red eyes burning through the darkened helmet, his flapping cape billowing over the ice, a giant wooden shield covering his shoulder as the man rushed forward the ice shattering under his legs as he smashed into the crab the shell cracking as the man rocketed into him.