For the past 4 days, Socrates had been chased by the Vulture, as the journey that shouldn't take him an hour was taking him days, stretching endlessly beneath a harsh sky that never seemed to grant mercy..
He had been killed countless times by the Vulture to the extent that when his death points reached the 100 mark... He was sent back to the very starting point..
Socrates body was respawned at the edge of the forest... The cold earth beneath his feet felt hauntingly familiar, like a place he could never truly escape.
Before, if he was killed, his body would be revived at the end of the forest but after getting killed 100 times by the Vulture.. He was sent to the edge of the forest where he started again..
He got past the forest with ease and this time around didn't wait as he got to the end of the forest but ran with all his might....
There's no dodging the Vulture, no tweaking or random movement..
If there's something Socrates is now aware of, it is the fact that he has to run...
Run with all his might..
Run as if his life depended on it because it actually depends on it..
There's no magic.. No trickery.. No calculations..
Just pure running...
The only way he can get past this Vulture is through speed..
After a 100 deaths, Socrates speed had increased significantly but it was still far cry from that of the Vulture who caught up with him halfway from the basement and granted him a swift death.
...
[Total death — 269/1000]
Socrates eyes snapped open as he began running instantly.. He didn't hesitate, he didn't look back...
He just began running.. Socrates was mentally exhausted.. All his bones were crying..
Although after dying he still came back alive... All the pressure he had accumulated from before was wearing him down...
His body was not in peak condition anymore... He was battered, bruised... Every death worsened his condition..
But Socrates has no choice.... He has to continue forward or he'll die..
He pushed his body to the extreme limit as he traveled with the speed of sound, his distance from the Vulture getting farther with each death...
Every death that Socrates died caused a great magnitude of pain to him as he watched his life go down the drain..
The burning wind clawed against his skin as he forced his legs forward again and again.
[299/1000]
Socrates tore through the wind without hesitation, aware that if he died again, he would have to start from the edge of the forest which would cause a great strain to his mentality..
"I don't have the power to run anymore.. I can't afford to go back to the forest.." Socrates ran with all his might as he was being pursued relentlessly by the Vulture, its massive wings beating against the air with terrifying force..
The red-headed Vulture stabbed out with its talon, heading straight towards Socrates neck when the teenager sidestepped instantly without halting his movements..
The wind from the swipe brushed past his skin like a blade.
The Vulture swiped out with its claws but Socrates dodged over them without hesitation and without decrease in his movements...
"Move.. move.. Move..." He cried to his legs as he ran with all the force he could muster but Socrates didn't stop...
His lungs burned violently, each breath feeling like hot needles stabbing into his chest.
"Now.. Now..." He screamed to his mind as he jumped with great precision, shifting his weight to a side as the Vulture talon, instead of striking his neck, stabbed through his rib instantly.
40% of his HP was shoved away at that instant but Socrates didn't stop... He continued running..
Warm blood streamed down his side, soaking into his clothing as pain thundered through his nerves.
Running as if his life depended on it... Every step, the pain hit harder and it was as if his soul was trying to rip out of his body..
The ground beneath him blurred as his vision wavered from exhaustion.
"I'll die.. I'll die.. I can't die.." Socrates speed dropped significantly but at that moment, the Vulture swiped down with its claws..
Tearing into his back, swooping clean another 40% HP..
The force pushed him forward as all his limbs went numb due to the intensity of the strike..
Dust exploded beneath his feet as he stumbled yet refused to collapse.
But Socrates didn't stop...
"I can see the basement.. I can see it.. I can't die again.." He cried in his mind as he willed his mind to push his almost dead body forward...
The dark entrance of the mountain basement stood ahead like the mouth of survival itself.
The Vulture circulated in the air, wondering how the same human that couldn't withstand one of her strike could withstand two of her deadly strikes and still be able to move.
It swooped down instantly and slashed down with great precision.. Her sharp talons digging into the back of Socrates ripping out all of his Health point..
Socrates fell unconscious instantly.... His mind shut down without hesitation but his body did not fall...
His vision went black, yet his legs continued moving.
In every game setting, if one's HP has reached the 0 mark, one is considered dead and has to be logged out or respawned in a checkpoint..
The same applied to Socrates here... He's supposed to be dead with his body unmoving..
In every of his 299 death count... This is what has been happening..
But this one is different...
Socrates was already dead but his body refused to fall...
His body refused to succumb to the setting...
His body defied all logic by continuing running...
No control.. Nothing... Just running..
It was as if the bones and everything had already understood that Socrates needs to reach the basement..
The body of Socrates ran with full speed and intensity... Without control till it finally reached the basement of the mountain... Then and there it collapsed...
Dust rose heavily around his fallen body as silence swallowed the battlefield.
The Vulture watched the scene with keen interest but didn't say anything, turned around and disappeared back into the forest, its wings fading into the distance like a shadow returning to darkness.
Although, Socrates was already dead.. His body had managed to reach the basement of the mountain which served as a checkpoint and a place where he'll be respawned.
..
(60 nights later)
Socrates finally woke up from the basement of the mountain... His eyes snapped open as he jumped up...
He looked at his body to discover that he's completely fine... He's no more mentally exhausted like before...
His limbs felt strangely refreshed, as if time itself had repaired the damage of countless deaths.
"I feel I slept for a very long time.." Socrates said to himself as he raised his gaze up..
It was then he found out that the mountain was incredibly tall spanning over 10,000 meters tall, its peak disappearing into thick clouds swirling like a barrier between earth and sky.
"Am I supposed to climb here to the summit?" Socrates asked himself but he sure knew the answer..
"Yes.. I've to climb it. I've to save Senior..." Socrates believed that Mr. Jaggers is still alive and his 1000 lives means he has 1000 chances to save Mr. Jaggers..
He looked at his system screen as he wondered how he even managed to get to the basement.
[300/1000]
"Well... Let's move forward."
Socrates searched around for any pathway but he couldn't see any, so he had no other choice than to climb the mountain.
"I've never climbed a mountain before.." He muttered as he grabbed on the edges as he pulled himself up, advancing further in slow, precise movements..
The rough rocks scraped against his fingers as cold wind swept across the mountain wall.
"I'M COMING TO SAVE YOU SENIOR."