Chapter 16: 16. DEATH BLOWS
As Vikram limped forward, each step felt like a monumental effort, his body weighed down by pain and exhaustion. The gaze of the giant golem bore into him with an intensity that sent shivers down his spine, making him feel vulnerable and exposed, like a small prey animal in the presence of a predator.
Despite the overwhelming fear coursing through him, Vikram forced himself to maintain his composure. With each labored breath, he pushed himself forward, inching closer to the towering figure that stood before him like a sentinel of darkness.
The red, maddening gaze of the golem seemed to strip away Vikram's sanity. It was a weight that a teenager couldn't handle.
As the gaze shifted away from Vikram and settled upon the approaching figure of the Hulk and his minions, a wave of relief washed over him. But his momentary relaxation proved to be short-lived, as the sudden release of tension caused the pain that had been lurking beneath the surface to surge through his body once more.
With a grimace of agony, Vikram gritted his teeth and forced himself to continue moving forward.
As the sands stirred and rose around him, Vikram felt a strange sense of kinship with the elemental beings that surrounded him. They moved with purpose, their movements synchronized in a silent dance of ancient power, yet they paid him no heed, as though he were one of their own.
The Slave Head, his expression a mixture of fear and awe, spoke of the forbidden nature of the Land of Black Blood in the Blood Desert, 'A place where few dared to tread and even fewer returned from.' But Vikram was undeterred by the tales of doom and despair that surrounded this accursed land.
"There is always a first time for anything," Vikram replied, his voice filled with a quiet resolve that seemed to not have much weight behind. With a glance at the bright light of the sun shining down upon him, he took a deep breath, and smiled.
Turning to the Slave Head, Vikram stretched out his hands in a gesture of determination. "So we might as well go all in," he declared, a small grin tugging at the corners of his lips, though it was a stark contrast to the grim visage he now bore, obscured by the clinging black sands that covered his skin and limping with a battered body.
And it seemed that his first bet was on the correct side.
Vikram limped forward, his ears filled with crushing rocks and muffled impacts. But after some time, he even lost track of that.
He didn't remember how much he had walked and how many of those Black Golems had walked past him, but he was infinitely closer to the ominous cave, until he stopped about 10 meters away from it, and gazed into the ominous cavern of darkness.
"It's still not over?" Vikram weakly protested, his voice carrying a hint of defiance despite the exhaustion that weighed heavily upon him. The black sands fell away from his face, revealing a visage that sent shivers down anyone's spine.
His face was a patchwork of contradictions, with some areas resembling the smooth, unblemished skin of a newborn child, while others bore the ravages of time, marked by deep wrinkles and sagging flesh. It was a grotesque sight, one that spoke of the terror of the Lands of Black Blood.
As Vikram squinted his wrinkled eyebrows, straining to see through the darkness that enveloped the ominous cave, he heard the approaching footsteps drawing nearer. With each echoing thud, his heart quickened its pace.
As Vikram stood there, contemplating the ominous cave before him, he felt a sudden presence beside him, a towering figure that seemed to materialize out of thin air. The Hulk stood beside him, his massive form casting a shadow over Vikram as he gazed into the darkness ahead.
There was no sound, no warning of The Hulk's approach, only the sudden weight of his presence at Vikram's side. It was a stark reminder of the sheer power and unpredictability of the being that now stood beside him, a force of nature that could crush him with a single blow if he so desired.
Vikram couldn't help but feel a sense of awe mixed with apprehension as he looked up at The Hulk, realizing the sheer magnitude of luck that had been on his side when he attempted to toss him off the cliff. It was only because he had caught The Hulk by surprise that he had managed to escape with his life intact.
As he pondered the implications of The Hulk's sudden appearance, Vikram turned his gaze back to the ominous cave, his resolve steeling within him. "Are you prepared to face the wrath of an Aminite?" The Hulk bellowed, to which Vikram raised a baby skin eyebrow in mock amusement as he looked at The Hulk.
"Duck,"
Vikram said one word and fell headlong into the black sand, but The Hulk only ducked, which was a major mistake.
Vikram only felt wind stirring from his back and didn't actually see what had really happened. But when he looked at what had really happened, Vikram really cursed his rotten luck.
What was behind him was a behemoth of the Black Golem he had seen. It was a giant version of the previous Black Golem that he had seen.
Two furious golden flames were burning inside those hollow spaces that could be described as eye sockets, and it did not look like it was happy.
Vikram slowly stood him as he looked at the Giant Golem, its golden flames momentarily passing Vikram with disdain and contempt. It could not be bothered with him now.
That was its final mistake.
Vikram swore in his mind.
The Hulk rose up from all that sand with a loud roar that seemed inhuman which resounded throughout the Lands of Black Sands.
A mad grin seemed to adorn The Hulk's face as he laughed, "Ha! Good! Was this your plan all along? Well played, your Highness, but you also know that you need me more than before right now?"
Vikram sighed as he shook his head and looked at the battle raging among the giants. What The Hulk said was the absolute truth.
If The Hulk were to somehow die, then he would stand no chance against the big bad golem. But that would also go vice versa...
Vikram looked at the battle with rapt attention, like a hungry hyena looking at the battle of lions.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone