chapter three : The Beast Among us
Without a second thought, the wife grabbed Ela's hand, and they fled to the safety of the cabin.
Aero's eyes turned like a cat's, their color shifting to a bright red as he swung his sword at the monster's eyes, making it back away.
"It must be a wendigo—someone who sold their soul to the devil before dying in despair," Aero muttered to himself as the creature changed into its final form. Its face transformed into a snout, with large fangs hanging from its mouth. Animal-like in its brutality, it glared at Aero with glowing red eyes.
The two opponents stared intently at each other as snowflakes danced around them in the air.
Aero charged the beast, his eyes blazing. He swung his sword powerfully, bopping it in the chest. The monster reeled back, screaming in pain.
With its red eyes seething with wrath, it retaliated by spewing out a jet of flames that licked Aero's face as he darted aside. Sparks flew and forces clashed as they fought fiercely in the heat of the moment.
Aero was fast. Dodging each swipe of its paws, he struck the creature's side with a series of slashes. Blood flowed freely as he continued to rain blows down on the monster.
"Damn, you're ugly," Aero muttered through gritted teeth. His voice was cold and void of humanity. The wendigo snarled, then roared. As Aero was violently thrashed about, he was forcefully propelled through the air, hurtling towards the ground.
Upon impact, he crashed face-first into the soft, pillowy snow, leaving behind a distinct impression in the shape of a small crater.
The wendigo glared menacingly at Aerovind, who lay sprawled on the ground. The creature then sprinted towards him, but he was undeterred. "I'm not going down like that!" he yelled as he sprang to his feet and dusted himself off. His lips pulled up into an evil grin as his obsidian sword lit up with a blue flame.
"I'm feeling high right now HAHAHAHA! Thanks for keeping me amused; now you're going to get the only thing I know and love pain!" Aerovind's arms ached from clutching the flaming black blade, and a maniacal laugh echoed from him as he lunged at the creature.
Just as he neared, the wendigo rushed him, but Aerovind flipped backward, narrowly avoiding its attack. He landed, then halted abruptly.
Aerovind pushed his sword forward, and the metal clashed against the wendigo's razor-sharp claws. His blade pressed quickly into the creature, but it was slow to back away from the attack. In a lightning flash of motion, Aerovind slashed diagonally, creating a huge gash in the creature's throat.
A torrent of blood spilled from the wounds of the wendigo as it crashed to the ground. Aerovind's expression was maniacal; a broad smile was plastered across his face, and his eyes were wild with pleasure. His gaze upon the fallen body of the wendigo was a true terror.
His grin faded away within seconds before he turned around, and his eyes returned to their normal state. The flames on the sword flickered out of existence, and Aerovind said, "I think I should burn the body." With a newfound sense of purpose.
Aerovind retrieved some wood and other combustible materials. He piled them up on top of the wendigo's body, then sprinkled the blood of the beast on top of the wood. The flames rapidly licked up the blood, spreading rapidly until the entire pile was engulfed in flames.
Aerovind walked away from the blaze, pleased with his work. to the cabin where Ela was waiting When she saw him coming down from the hill, Ela ran out of the cabin with tears streaming down her face and clung tightly to Aero's leg in relief.
She was crying all the way, and Aero could not say anything; he just had to pat her back as she said through sobs, "You hurt bad. I am sorry; I shouldn't bother you. I shouldn't ask you to buy wood. I just am… Sorry."
"Hey, hey, shh," Aero said as he gently stroked the back of his hand down Ela's cheek. "Your crying is far sharper than any claw." Aero looked down at the tear-stained face of the little girl. "OK, I won't cry I promise you Aerovind."
Aerovind rubbed his chin and considered Ela's words. "You promise me, huh," he murmured before lifting her. "Come on, let's get you inside. It's freezing out here."
Ela smiled at him through her tears as he carried her into the cabin. Upon entering the door, Graham's wife was shocked to see him alive after all he had been through.
"How in the world did you make it?" she asked, adding with a slight sneer. Aero replied, "Weren't you just five minutes ago swearing about Graham's death?"
The woman questioned further. "What happened to him? Why did he become like that?" He answered her with a grumpy tone, "bitch you living with him how you didn't know."
"Graham was always a devil worshiper and cannibal. He never changed; he had always been a monster since the beginning. He wanted to be invincible with enough sacrifices but didn't expect Wendigo to take control of him instead. Now, it's dead, and everyone can find peace now."
With that said he softly suggested, "If you would excuse me, please go check on your kid; they seem traumatized by what is going on here. I need some rest now."
The woman silently bowed her head in agreement and then said, "If he had been that way from the start, he deserved to die. I'm sorry for your troubles, and I hope you get better soon."
Aero watched her as she walked away, muttering to Ela, "Wow. That was nice. What was her name again?"
"Clara," Ela whispered in reply. "The whip hurt my back a lot." Aero nodded and put her down gently. "I have a healing potion made with magic dust. Let me give it to you and it will instantly heal you," Ela's eyes widened with happiness.
"The scars will go away too, yay! But what about you? You're injured too and your hand looks burned." Aero smiled "Don't worry about me my injuries will heal over time I just need to rest a little" Ela nodded and held out her hand eagerly.
Aero retrieved the vial containing the healing potion and carefully poured a few drops into her palm. She rubbed the potion into her back, and within seconds, the pain disappeared.
The scars that covered her back from the whip also began to fade away. "Thank you so much, Uncle Aero," Ela said, her voice filled with gratitude, "you have no idea how much this means to me."
Aero smiled when his gaze met Ela's. "I'm glad I could assist you," he said, before examining the burnt skin on his hand.
"I'd like to rest now, and in the morning we can see about finding a new house if that's alright with you." Ela nodded before Aerovind closed his eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep.
She watched him for a few moments before wandering around the cabin. On an old table, she saw a book with a "notebook" written on it. She grabbed it and opened it, revealing countless illustrations of magical creatures accompanied by detailed descriptions.