The Last Legendary System

The screen came up again. Two words only.

[Good Luck.]

Benign stared at the screen. The vibrations got even closer. "I hate you."

[Again, Performance Review seems premature.]

He planted his feet on the ground, gripping his revolver. A war cry left the creature as it dropped its front legs over Benign.

To avoid the attack, Benign shifted his weight to the right and twisted away from the attack. He lost his footing against the soft sand and rolled twice on the ground before rising to his feet.

He searched for the elf men. ’They should be far off.’ He swerved back to the creature and aimed at the legs.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The bullets bounced against the creature’s armored body. The hind legs moved before Benign could fire again.

The creature rushed him in a blur of armored chitin, and a single leg struck Benign’s side with enough force to throw him through the air.

Sand exploded beneath his back when he hit the ground. A sharp pain coursed through his spine to his legs. Breath rushed out of his lungs.

[-10 HP]

[-10 HP]

The notifications flickered across Benign’s face. He waved them off with his grip firm on his weapon. The creature crept closer.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Nothing. Each bullet bounced off. By Lego’s calculation, there was one bullet left. "Let’s make it count."

Benign tried to rise, but his knees buckled. He waited. When he raised his head, the creature loomed over him.

"You fell for it."

Bang.

The shot struck true. A bullseye at the flesh between the armored plates for eyes on its head.

The soldier twisted his way out of the creature’s tantrum. The ground was less lucky, being stabbed all over by six legs.

Bang.

[20 MP]

A chunk of mana consumed as ammunition was fed into his revolver. Benign stared at the weapon. Nothing changed. It only defied the laws of physics by creating its own bullets.

His attention returned to the Desert Crane. His expression paled. The armored plates had connected, hiding all parts of flesh that could serve as a weakness.

Benign ran this time. Dodging wouldn’t help.

An arrow whistled from a distance, but it bounced from the armor with a dull knock. The distraction made the creature shift its attention from Benign.

Benign slid towards a rock formation, panting. Escape was the clearest solution. Hiding behind the Desert Crane, his eyes locked onto a pale strip of flesh near one of the joints.

’Of course. The joints. Their Achilles heels.’

He fired from his position. The bullet missed the opening, grazing the soft flesh instead. The Desert Crane shrieked. Its body swerved in Benign’s direction in one move.

’Fuck.’

It closed in at the moment Benign left the rock formation. A jagged leg punched into his stomach. Pain tore through him as the creature lifted him and flung him at a rock.

"Argh!"

His back slammed against the stone, then against the rough sand. Warm blood spread beneath him, soaking into his clothes.

Somewhere beyond the ringing in his ears, Vergil screamed his name.

"Sir Benign!"

Benign heard his name, but the world was tilting fast. Sand stuck to his face while his revolver slipped in his weakening grip.

"Sir Benign!" The voice sounded distant. The taste of iron made him grimace. His vision narrowed, and a familiar feeling washed over him.

It felt as fresh as yesterday. It was yesterday. The peace of ending it all.

Then he heard Vergil again, louder this time, but calling for Stun. The creature’s war cry came again.

Benign remembered. ’It is still alive.’ His finger tightened around the gun.

He lifted his head and saw Stun sprinting toward him, shooting and dodging at the same time as the Desert Crane chased him.

The sight dragged another battlefield into his mind. A memory of his old squad shouting his name over gunfire while he stayed behind to cover their retreat. He had saved them then. He had succeeded and died with no regrets.

[-15 HP]

[-20 HP]

[-20 HP]

If he died now, the elves would die with him.

That thought alone pulled him back from the edge. He crawled through the sand, leaving a trail of red behind him.

The creature turned toward Stun, exposing the injured joint. Benign struggled to an upright position and kept a handful of clothes pressed against his stomach.

"I have survived worse." He convinced himself. No one else dies. This was his punishment.

Planting an elbow into the ground and steadying the revolver with both hands, Bengin focused through the blur warping his vision. One eye closed, narrowing his path. Stun slipped to the ground at the right moment.

Bang. Bang.

The bullets punched into the exposed flesh. The Desert Crane screamed and stumbled. Benign shifted the muzzle to the other hind leg and fired twice more.

Both shots struck true, but the recoil rattled through his wounded body and drained what little strength remained. A faint smile grew on his face. He slumped against the sand. "Those two can run away now..."

Stun seized the opening. In a matter of seconds, he came in front of Benign and hauled the injured soldiers onto his shoulder.

"No, no, you should run—"

"Stay alive," Stun begged through clenched teeth. He pressed the clothes hard against the wound in Bneign’s stomach, causing the soldier to wince. "You have to live too, Sir Benign."

Behind them, the Desert Crane pushed itself upright again on its remaining four legs.

Stun ran off with the soldier. The creature lurched after them, dragging the ruined hind legs through the sand.

"Vergil!" Stun shouted over his shoulder.

Vergil stood several paces behind them. His face was red, and his eyes were puffy. His brows knitted together, feigning focus to hide his worry. His hands clapped together.

Wind gathered between his palms, swelling into a massive sphere that made his fingers redden.

Stun crossed in front of him with Benign. "Do it."

Vergil held his ground, trembling.

Behind him, Benign fired toward the approaching beast. "Run, Vergil..."

Vergil kept his concentration. The Desert Crane closed the final distance, and its mouth got closer to his head.

Then Vergil thrust both hands forward. The wind sphere erupted. A blast slammed into the creature and hurled it six meters across the desert. It crashed against a rock formation hard enough to crack stone.

Vergil stared for a heartbeat, then bolted after Stun and Benign with a shaky laugh.

"I did it! I did it! Did you see—"

The domineering screech of the Desert Crane drained his words, bolstering his legs to run faster.