Its jaw snapped at his opponent. Not just with his raw strength but all of the rage trapped within. Its legs moved rhythmically, in flow with the body, with its opponent. A dance for them both, which would hurt one more than the other. With a lunge it leapt and a final snap broke it’s opponents neck. In that moment all its rage did not leave its body. All the anger within did not freeze over. Nothing changed, except for one thing. Another life had been taken. It snapped it’s giant jaw wildly. Pain remained within him. Its hide burned with a greater intensity. Not remotely close to the fire inside.
It closed its eyes and instantaneously the memories began to flow. The ones that were lived, the ones which could be never forgotten. The world was a happy place for it. Its clan of dung beetles would roam the world without fear. Its family was large. Its joy boundless. The world would spin and every day had only its tribulations to deal with. Yet, no matter what came upon it, the love of his clan, of his family would remain.
It wished the memories would stop there. Freeze in time. But they never did. They would lead to that one day. They heard words around them, chanted by as if God. The earth around them began to rumble, the stones shifted like the clouds and then came the fire. It scurried with all its might, deep inside it knew this was the end. Like everything in the world, It too wanted to be with all it loved before the end came. It watched magma flow through its home. Its family destroyed, any evidence of their existence gone from the world. Its clan shared the same fate. In a second all was lost.
Half crushed by a rock it waited for death to arrive. To take it to them all. For all the pain to end. The rock moved and its pain increased. Was this death toying before taking its soul? Its weak eyes saw a being of fire. In one hand it held a whip and in the other, the rock which was crushing it. The beetle tried to snap its almost lifeless jaw, move its broken legs. It wanted revenge.
The being watched for a moment and then the beetle felt strength surging within. Its body healed and grew in size. Its hide was lit on fire but it did not burn.
“What are you?” It jumped back hearing its own voice. A voice when it was not meant to have one. A strength more than any it ever knew. It no longer was its own self.
“Something more than you little one.”
“What happened. Who did this. My family is dead.”
The being lifted its hand and the beetle felt itself being lifted off the ground by something it could not see.
“Do not question me more little beetle. The breath in your body is my giving. I am not your enemy.”
It let go of the beetle. The magma at its feet did not hurt the being.
“You have to fight little beetle. Someone has summoned us. Find aggroed and isaria .“ Its mouth spewed fire and then the being vanished.