Oh Hunter My Hunter

Damn it!" Amais yelled, glaring at the monstrous spider before him. His once-intact clothes were now nothing more than shredded remnants; his shirt was gone and his jeans barely resembled shorts. But that was the least of his worries at this moment.

"My healing factor is better than yours, you eight-legged freak," he laughed, eyes locked onto the arachnid. By this point, paranoia, trauma, and pure loathing for all things in this maze had settled right into his bones. He wasn't sure how long Tobi had been gone but he guessed a week now? Maybe longer? But none of that mattered for he was the Gravewalker, after all. His body was unnatural, his features changed by the divine blood and fruit he had consumed. His hair, now white, was probably a result of his many deaths; at least that's what he guessed. Five times he died; at least he had died before waking up like this, an insane man trapped in a death trap after escaping from a battle between gods. And yet, here he was, back in the fight.

The spider loomed over him, its white exoskeleton gleaming under the dim light, its eight blue eyes locked onto him. Amais had noticed a trend in this cursed maze: too many creatures had those same unnatural blue eyes and white skin. But the worst part?

WHY THE HELL ARE THE SPIDERS BIGGER THAN THE WOLVES?! he thought, exasperated. Like, Lord, have mercy on my soul!

Still, he had gotten competent at fighting or at least, he had mastered the art of dying. Running was another story entirely, given how ridiculously slick the STUPID floor of this damn maze was. At least he couldn't die permanently. Being an immortal corpse and all.

He had encountered more horrors than he could count. Aspids, mosquitoes the size of dogs, tigers with too many eyes, and even land sharks. Land sharks. Who in their right mind decided that needed to be a real thing? But those were just the recognizable ones. The true nightmares, were the things without names, which were far, far worse. A writhing mass of tentacles, a walking statue, and even undead creatures that... that, for some reason, didn't attack him? Maybe because he was technically dead himself?

Amais gritted his teeth as the spider lunged at him, its mandibles snapping. He leapt high, landing on its back with a triumphant grin.

"Aha! On your back, you're powerless!"

he said then he felt something skitter over his shoulder.

he shuddered and his face paled.

He turned his head slightly, dread pooling in his gut as he looked at the tiny, not-so-tiny spider.

...Oh, it's a mother.

Tiny spiderlings crawled over him, and he wiggled violently before cursing and jumping off, landing hard on the slick floor.

"Stupid maze," he grumbled, barely getting to his feet before the massive arachnid loomed over him again. He cursed inwardly, but he had one advantage: he was a superhuman. He swung his fist into the spider's face, sending it staggering back as he crushed its scuttling offspring beneath his feet. His body was covered in bite marks, blue blood seeping from his wounds.

"Do I get superpowers now?" he joked dryly before dodging a web shooting toward him. "Hey, maybe I did."

The spider lunged. Amais rolled to the side, sliding across the floor. He grinned, pulling out the sword he had found embedded in a pedestal earlier.

"This has been such a wonderful experience, but I got something that'll beat you. Look at my pièce de résistance!" he proclaimed proudly as he held it high.

Then he swung the sword with all his might...

It shattered on impact.

For a moment, Amais just stared.

"..."

His eye twitched.

"It looked legendary," he muttered, disappointed. Then he was promptly smacked by one of the spider's legs, sending him rolling. But as he tumbled, he grabbed onto one of its limbs and, to his surprise, it detached in his grasp. He blinked, staring at the severed limb before grinning.

This? This might work.

With a manic smile, he hurled the jagged limb like a javelin. The makeshift spear shot through the spider's head, impaling it mid-charge. Amais then leapt, grabbing onto the leg still embedded in its skull and dragging it through, slicing the beast apart. The last of its children fell to his fists soon after.

Breathing heavily, he threw his fist in the air as a victory before promptly collapsing onto his back, staring at the porcelain walls above.

"Blue blood," he noted absentmindedly.

"I'm alone," he admitted quietly.

The realization sank in. He had been isolated for so long, trapped in this endless maze with nothing but blood and monsters. The only colours he ever saw anymore were red or blue. It was maddening. And then

His reflection smiled.

Amais flinched, scrambling back. But when he looked again, it was just his normal reflection. He cursed.

DAMN MAZE...

He thought and sighed, shaking his head.

"You know, the worst part is that I only have shorts," he muttered, pushing himself up. "Whatever. Time to explore some more of this hell."

Tobi's eyes fluttered open hours later. Or had it only been moments? He wasn't sure. All he knew was that he was falling.

His body tumbled through the air, rolling and skidding across the ash-covered ground below. His senses reeled, his body wracked with pain. Slowly, agonizingly, he came to a stop, lying in the aftermath of a battle between gods.

The once-grand, lush, luminous forest was gone. The wooden dome was now a graveyard of charred pillars and soot. Ash rained from the sky like cursed rain, blanketing the already desolate landscape. The towering trees were nothing but blackened corpses, save for one single tree, withered and scorched but still standing.

Tobi stood and stared at it, unmoving.

For a moment, he simply stood before the tree, watching it sway in the dead air. Then, with a quiet breath, he turned away and set his gaze on the distant plaza. The grand staircase descended below, waiting.

With slow, painful steps, Tobi moved forward. Each step was agony, but he did not stop. He limped, and then walked as he got into a nice rhythm and readjusted his mask.

I... Want water...