Revenge Part.2

Rolling to dodge yet another strike from the damn snake's fangs, Oliver grabbed the blade with both hands and could barely pull it from the wood. He had to brace his feet against the trunk, almost falling into the river when he stumbled after yanking it free.

Sssssssssssss!

The next attack came the second he got to his feet and was launched meters across the ground. His arms still ached, and now his sneakers had been completely shredded by the friction.

"You damn snake, those were a gift from my dad!"

He held the blade the way he'd seen in tons of movies and anime, repeating a kendo-style strike. He slashed downward, straight into the monster's snout. Blood gushed, and Oliver sensed a new wave forming to his right, but this time, the water was the least of his problems.

A white tail came crashing along with the surge, and all he could do was cross his arms and pray he didn't die.

The impact hit a second later, launching him into several tree trunks, which shattered on contact.

Air was knocked from his lungs again, and pain started to drown out his senses. He heard a faint crack, and he was pretty sure a couple of ribs had just broken and bailed on him.

"I'm honestly shocked I'm still alive. How the hell do you kill something this big? Shit! If it weren't for these changes we went through, I'd already be dead."

Oliver didn't have time to dwell or rest. The monster's head came crashing down toward him, and he barely managed to roll to the side, tumbling several meters to avoid being crushed to death.

"Her patterns are way too smart. It's like she realized the fang attacks can be blocked and started using her body mass to flatten me. Wait... does this thing have sentience???"

A shiver ran through his body, and not even the adrenaline could hold back his fear. He started sprinting between trees, hoping to slow down her strikes, but was quickly reminded of how freakishly agile that snake could be.

She slithered through the trunks like a missile, coming straight at his back with the force of a train. Oliver had to hurl himself into the air, using the momentum to get tossed a few meters back.

Even though he was gaining distance, this fight had dragged on too long. His body was showing signs of exhaustion, and his muscles were starting to ignore his commands.

"I can't hurt her... My strength is too low because of my small mass, and the only wound that's still bleeding is from the fang I left stuck in her forehead. Everything else has clotted! Damn monster constitution! Shit, Oliver! Think, think!"

Another strike came hard and fast, and this time he jumped over a fallen tree trunk. The poor dead tree was obliterated by the kinetic force, but not before delivering a final act of vengeance.

Hundreds of splinters embedded into the snake's face, and an idea sparked in Oliver's mind.

"I don't have strength, but I can use her strength against her!"

For the plan to work, he needed distance and to lure her somewhere she'd have to attack at full force. So he started chopping at branches and thinner trunks, trying to slow her advance.

It didn't take long for trees to start falling, and Oliver didn't even realize how insane it was that he could cut down trees with a swing of a primitive sword.

Slowly, he widened the gap and spotted the sunlight bathing the river. When he got close to the water, he almost considered praying to the angel for a blessing. If this failed, he was dead.

Oliver was never a betting man, but ever since entering this place, he'd been forced to gamble his life over and over. That lack of control was eating away at him.

"This has to work! It has to!"

He saw the forest being ripped apart by the damn snake as she searched for him. Clearly she was blind, relying on other senses to find her prey. The harsh midday sunlight was throwing her off.

"HEEEEY, YOU PIECE OF SHIT SNAKE! I'M RIGHT HERE, COME KILL ME IF YOU'RE SO DAMN GOOD! COME ON, YOU OVERCOOKED NOODLE!"

SSSSSSSSS!

That signature hiss, more like a roar now, rang out and he had no doubt the monster understood him. All her fury came crashing down in a perfect strike, aimed right at his chest.

Her mouth opened wide at the last second, switching tactics again. 

With each passing second, Oliver saw her throat stretching wider, like a damn tunnel leading straight to hell.

"SHIT!"

Everything slowed down... until he heard it... the sound of air being sliced.

Zim!

A arrow slammed right into the snake's eye, making her veer a few meters to the right.

At the perfect angle, Oliver lined up the ivory fang against his forearm and flexed with all his strength.

The blade tore through the side of the snake's mouth, slicing nonstop for several seconds. The screech of scale-on-blade and the downpour of blood would be his favorite melody for a long time.

When he looked back, a wave had risen from the river and the bank had expanded, but now the water was slowly turning red, just like the eyes of that albino demon.

Oliver glanced to the side and realized he was just a few dozen meters from the tree where he left Nikki resting. And when he looked over, he saw her.

Her eyes, still lifeless but now open, and a small smile on her face. The fierceness she usually carried was gone, and he could read her lips moving before she passed out again, still gripping the crossbow in her hand.

It took Oliver a few minutes to process what she had said. But when he did, a smile spread from ear to ear.

"I made that shot count!"