LU 84 - Tori 11

After flying for some time, wings sore and tired, a lone soul condor spots a fortress in the distance. Landing softly at the entrance, Tori drags his sword along the walls of the place that once almost took his life- or one of them, at least, his blade making a harsh screeching sound as it ignites into flames. Striking down wither skeletons one after another, soon breathless and bloody, until one drops their skull. The bird picks it up, studying it for a moment before tucking it away and continuing to fight. It isn't long before Tori finds himself overwhelmed, wither skeletons coming from all directions and beginning to overpower him. Darkness creeps from the edge of his vision as an invisible hand wraps around Tori's throat, his whole body shuddering with each desperate breath he steals. Metal clatters against the ground as the dying bird drops his sword, falling against the wall of the fortress. Unable to fight and mere seconds away from his final death, a low rumble disrupts Tori's final moments, his homeland trembling, distracting the hoard of wither skeletons and allowing the soul condor to slip away. Diving into a pool of lava as the shaking stops, Tori stops to recover for a few moments before flying up to the fortress, determined to finish his mission. Obtaining two more skulls in quick succession, Tori pauses to catch his breath, piles of bones covered in his blood at the bird's feet, before taking off. Landing next to a portal lost in the soul sand of this realm, Tori takes a deep breath, announcing, "Next time I'm here, it will be with my family. For better or for worse," and steps through the portal.3/3 Wither Skulls