Dachu and the Great Leech Hunt

Midday. It was midday, and the heat was still there, beating down as always. Dachu did not worry himself with such matters, however. He was on a hunt, and today was the day when he would finally bring down a leech. Such creatures had always roamed the Talyxian forests, and served as a great source of fear. With near impenetrable armor, massive size, paralyzing darts, and terrifying visages, these were the source of caution for any who roamed outside city walls. But Dachu was not like others. He was bolstered by sheer size, his bravery, and some weapons to match his physique as well. With his energized being, and confident mind, he believed there was not a force in the world that could stop him. If only if it was so simple.

Dachu had been lying down in the same spot for hours. This place was known for leeches, yet his luck seemed to have failed him. There had been absolutely nothing, not even a weasel.

> “So much for this being a hotspot for leeches. If I don’t get one in the next few minutes, I might as well pack up and leave. Maybe they’re so scared of me, they don’t even dare come close. Now that would be quite the title. Dachu, the leech terrifier. Wait no, that doesn’t sound right……”
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Dachu’s thoughts were not to last. Piercing through the forest haze, his target had finally appeared. Even with his rough eyes, Dachu could see it. A single leech, fully grown, uninjured and alone. But it wasn’t coming his way. Looking closely, Dachu could see its attention was focused somewhere else entirely. But that didn’t matter. A leech was a leech, and Dachu wanted the honour of finally killing one, single-handedly. He slowly rose, bracing his heavy halberd for a direct charge.

> “Maybe if I hit it hard enough, I can just take it out in one hit.”
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He snorted. Not a chance. Even Dachu realized how dangerous leeches were. If all they required was a single charge, they wouldn’t even be considered a threat. But either way, he was sure this charge would do some damage, perhaps leave an opening for his flanged mace. And so, he charged forward, his heart already beating and sweat forming on his hands. 40 feet. 30 feet. 20 feet. 10 feet. He was right there, yet the leech did not turn. But despite the strangeness of it all, Dachu did not cease his charge.

 The next half-second was a pained blur. Blood. Metal shards. His halberd had shattered instantly against the carapace, and metal shards had shaved through his skin, leaving him completely stunned.

> “No!” breathed Dachu.
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His beloved halberd had shattered, without leaving a single mark upon the leech. For a second, Dachu considered retreat. That was his most powerful weapon, yet it had done nothing except injure himself in its last moments. But it was too late to run. The leech stopped, then began to turn. Already, he could hear its breath, rasping out and the familiar schlick of its darts being readied. He was alone in this forest, and no one could save him now. He had to kill it himself, or he would never see the love of his life again. Even with pain pulsing in his body, Dachu pulled out his flanged mace, and jumped into motion, heading for the exposed mouth of the leech. This was his second mistake. Instantly, darts flew out, embedding themselves into Dachu. Even with his enormous physique, the venom immediately began to spread, and Dachu now realized he was on a timer. Left in, those darts would either make him fall paralyzed, or bleed out through the hollow openings. And so, he continued to swing, pushing his entire body forward into motion. The flanged mace moved powerfully through the air, smashing into the leech’s mouth. A rattling sound broke out from the thing’s mouth, but Dachu felt no pity. This thing had no doubt eaten Eltus, considering its size and power. There was no room for respite against such a terror, not even for one second. The mace tore back, shredding the opening of the mouth with blood spilling out onto the dirt. For a singular moment, Dachu thought he had won, before looking up. Even with all of his strength, the mouth was barely torn up, and already the leech was advancing forward.

> “Not yet. I’m not done yet, you freak of a creature.”
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With a swift jump to the side, Dachu cleared the leech’s mouth before it grabbed him. Swinging around, Dachu pulled his kukri out into his left hand, preparing himself to throw everything against it. As Dachu braced himself once more, the leech paused, as if it was confused why there was nothing in its mouth, before turning again to stare at Dachu. Its face was blank, menacing as always. Dachu brought himself forward, but this time something even more unexpected happen. The leech had fired its darts again, but this time not one had hit Dachu. But even without looking, Dachu knew what just had happened.
His mace. His second weapon was now broken as well. The spikes had fragmented the handle, and torn up the head. Even though it was still whole, Dachu knew one of his swings would break it and only cause him more pain. That could not be afforded.

> “At least you get a second chance to be useful.”
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Dachu sprung forth into action once more, but without his usual strength. Already, the venom had slowed him considerably, and he was barely able to manage to fling the mace into the leech’s mouth as hard as possible before swinging his kukri forward, intending to carve out the very innards of the leech if need be. The mace thankfully managed to solidly impact, with its handle shattering apart and the pieces embedding themselves into the moving flesh of the leech. Another dull rattle could be heard, but Dachu had already lost his hearing. His kukri slashed into the mouth of the leech, blood flying outwards, dampening the fur of Dachu. But the leech did not slow. Another volley of darts flew, smashing through even Dachu’s armor at such a range. Blood pumped out of Dachu’s body even more, and every muscle was screaming in agony. Pain was existence, and any other would have crumpled, consigning themselves to their fate. But Dachu had known this would be happening. Leeches were legendary, and pain was to be expected. And so, his kukri came slashing once more, flinging the meat of the leech’s mouth away. However, this time the leech was not so lenient. In an instant, the leech’s tail swung around, smashing into Dachu and shattering what was left of his armor. 10 feet. He was back 10 feet, and even through the numbing venom, Dachu could feel his bones, broken and touching the air. An environment they were never supposed to see, was what they were experiencing now. And how the bones screamed. Even the nerval shutdown of the venom could not inhibit this sheer, overwhelming pain. Dachu gasped once, before failing to breath again. His lungs could not even push anymore, and he could feel the blood flowing out of his body, as if it was running away from him.

> “Get up. Get up Dachu, you’ve faced worse than this!”
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This was a lie. Nothing he had faced before even compared to this leech. Dachu had taken on weasel venom, actinian tentacles, and more. Such dangers now seemed pathetic before this foe. But even with all of his efforts, Dachu had now seemingly reached his limit. His lungs had stopped working, and his bones had been broken out of his skin. His organs were askew, and only his legs and arms could even move anymore. Dachu surged forward one final time, bringing his kukri into the leech’s mouth. This time, it did not even pierce the skin before another volley of darts smashed into Dachu, knocking him into the ground.

> “Breath, breath! I can’t die now! I’ve done so…..”
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The venom had reached his brain. Dachu’s movements had ceased, and even his thoughts were slipping. The leech moved forward, with metal and wood burrowed in its mouth. A momentary pause, and then the leech moved downwards, with its stomach slowly pooling out to consume Dachu. He had lost. He, the great Dachu, had been brought down in less than a minute, by a single leech. He couldn’t even close his eyes, as his death flowed over him. However, it was the leech who had now made a mistake.

> “Zin. The children. They…..”
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Even as Dachu’s mind failed, his memories of those whom he loved pulsed. Zintarloc, the Sergal who had revealed his feelings despite all fear. The children, whom he cared for with all he had. Even the customers who came by every day, purchasing his food, cut their way into Dachu’s mind. It was too early to die now. He still had so much to do, and so many people to care for. It wouldn’t be right of him to die now. He did not have this privilege of simply abandoning them to fate. He would pay the cost to stay alive, no matter what. Adrenaline surged, and Dachu could feel again.

In a singular moment, Dachu rose once more, blind and deaf, screaming without breathe. His body crawled directly into the leech’s mouth, with his hands ripping indiscriminately. The acid burned into his lungs, and the leech’s insides tore apart every inch of Dachu’s skin. But there was no slowing Dachu. Blood surged forward, with Dachu now being indistinguishable from the inside. Organs were torn on both sides, and the leech could only screech as it was ripped apart from the inside. In desperation, it thrashed and thrashed, hoping to dislodge what had been about to be his food. But Dachu was already far too in, and soon the very heart of the creature was in Dachu’s hands, before being torn apart in less than a second. But even that victory did not slow Dachu. His intelligence was gone, and he could not see a thing, only feel. His hands tore apart the insides of the leech, and with every second the adrenaline pulsed through his body, Dachu lost another year of his life.

Thankfully, the rage soon left Dachu. As he burst out of the leech, armor cracked open from the inside, Dachu had become completely red. His fur was completely clotted with blood, and even his once white bones, shattered out his body, were completely crimson. Organs trailed from his chest, not all of them being his own. Dachu’s body was completely broken, but the leech was dead. And that was all that mattered to Dachu. He instantly collapsed, bleeding out, with his mind losing consciousness once more. This time however, Dachu knew he could allow himself to fall asleep. Already in the distance, he could hear the familiar cries of Zintarloc.

> “I’ve no idea how you managed to find me, but I suppose it’s for the be…..”
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Dachu could not even complete the thought. Darkness finally seized his mind, and Dachu lost his sense of the world. In his very final moments, he could see Zintarloc, running to help him with fear unlike anything he had seen before.
 Light. There was light, seeping through. As it poured across his body, Dachu woke up, surrounded by pillows and tables. Medicinal tools were scattered everywhere, and his entire body was wrapped in bandages. Before he could even look around, the familiar face of Zintarloc appeared above him, worry in his features.

> “Dachu, Dachu, you’re awake! Dachu how are you feeling? Dachu, please, why did you do that? Why would so something so risky, Dachu, please!”
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Dachu groaned. He could not feel a thing in his body, but for once he was glad. He had enough pain to last for a lifetime. There was no need to feel that again, not ever again.

> “Zintarloc, you knew I had to. I’ve beaten everything except for a leech. I had to take on something like that at least once!”
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“But you know how dangerous they are! You could have died, you could have left us all behind, you could have been simply not found ever again! Dachu why would you…”

> “Please, Zintarloc. The past is the past. I’m alive now, aren’t I? I would never die on you!”
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> “But you almost!”
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> “No buts! Almost doesn’t count, and you know it!”
>  “Just…...just promise, promise you’ll never do that again. Please. For me at least!”
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Dachu breathed out. The experience was burned into his memory, and he doubted it would ever leave his mind. And as thrilling as the victory may have been, Dachu knew such a thing could not be repeated. Even now, he could feel it. Years upon of years of his life had been lost to accomplish this feat. Doing it again could leave him with no time left in the world. He would have to accept it for what it was, and go back to hunting regular Talyxian creatures. But perhaps that was for the better. Even now, he could feel the memories of the anguish and pain which had overwhelmed him, coming not only from the breaking of his body but from the thought of leaving everyone behind after his death. This feat would be a one-time event. Never again would Dachu allow the possibility of his own untimely death in such an unwise manner.

> “It was selfish of me, wasn’t it. I just wanted a thrill, some glory, and praise. My pride, it nearly killed me that day didn’t it. I can’t let that happen again. As long as Zintarloc lives, as long as there are children to care for, I have to stay alive. For them.”
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> “Alright, Zin. I promise, no more leech hunting for me. It’ll only be weasels from now on my love.”
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> “Dachu…...I’m just glad to hear you’ve finally got some sense in you. Sorry for yelling at you. Just…..just don’t anything stupid like that again, all right? I was barely able to even find you, and when you were there….you looked…..you looked almost dea-”
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> “You heard me, Zin. No more dumb things. That’s a promise. Now you don’t mind if I rest for a bit do you?”
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Before Zintarloc could even reply, Dachu was already falling asleep. His body had been ravaged, inside and out. His mind had experienced a fear unlike ever before, and his entire body had been put through a stress that had burned away his years of life in exchange for the raw strength to kill the leech. He would never recover fully from such an event, not even with his capabilities. But as Dachu fell asleep, content that he would live and continue to stay with his love and care for the children, a single thought crossed his mind.

> “Where had the leech been going?”
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