The Battle Of Beasts. Men And Monster's

Two fingers were being forced into the mouth of the bleeding young guard on the mud-soaked ground, prying his jaw open for the coming of the red liquid that would hopefully save his life.

The words of the healer were now ringing in Yurn's head: "It won't bring back the dead, but it will be a life saver."

-Yurn wasn't a believer; in this moment, something in him wanted to be, for the sake of Uill.

Yurn: Please. Let this work! (praying in his thoughts.)

Holding the neck of the bottle with his left hand, guiding the tip of the glass to his rear teeth. He pulled against the cork, a bark-like taste slithering onto the tip of his tongue. He spat the oak-tasting stopper into the dirt below, back to where it was born, into the earth once more.

Pouring the thick red liquid down the back of his mouth, gurgling and coughing came for the young man. Almost resembling a light syrup as it fell out of its prison, dragging the rest of it behind into the organic chasm below.

Pulling his fingers away, the mouth slammed shut, and the grinding of teeth could be heard. He held Uill's mouth shut, in fear that Uill would vomit the elixir all over the ground, making him swallow the concoction that would save his life.

Yurn: Drink it! Don't fight it. Drink... (demanding voice fading to softness.)

He watched as he saw a large gulp from the throat of the body on his lap. Uill was still breathing. Yurn moved to check on the man's right leg. He watched something he had never seen before. As the viscera began to knit and pull itself together,

Some part of him wanted to see it until the end, but the horror of the bone closing over the open split marrow, muscles and skin bubbling, and cauterising the wound to a stump made his stomach churn. His imagination would have to fill in the blanks in his nightmares. For now, the scent of cooking meat was latching to his nostrils. The boy convulsed for a moment, then stopped.

The amber liquid he drank before started to bubble in the back of Yurn's throat, nearly regurgitating it. He closed his eyes and turned away; luckily, it was only the taste of bile in his mouth.

At least Uill would live; sadly, he would have to learn to live without his right leg. This thought shot into the mind of Uill's saviour.

Voices broke from the war raging on behind Uill and Yurn. Several metres away, Vayreban, Robert, and Alvin were in a battle of their own, resembling Yurn's battle of life and death.

Vayreban: Alvin I can't get close enough; it's using Carl as a shield. (shouting.)

The beast was holding its own, slapping away the swords, at the cost of its legs being nicked with every parry. Mixed into it all, the flapping of Carl's corpse inadvertently made the men recoil, not wanting to harm the body of their friend.

An answer shot back, gasping for a breath in between.

Alvin: Robert! Get behind it, aim for the legs... (breathing.) When it attacks again, one of us will follow up! (Swinging his sword, forcing the beast to move forward at him, allowing the men to move to its open sides.)

Vayreban: Very well! (moving to the left)

Robert: Already on it! (moving to the right, closing in on the beast; in a triangular formation.)

Sadly, the black eyes of the white mound had plans of its own; it was looking at the wide gap. A fight was on its mind a moment ago. Now, with a meal clamped in the jaws of the rows of gleaming teeth, slathered in red drool, it had its fill, but the fires raging in the men didn't have theirs.

It moved quicker than anyone could anticipate, rushing for the closing gap between Vayreban and Alvin before the net could be cast. Then the hidden weapon that was behind the red cloak came into sight, now in the hands of the lord. A sword unlike any other, as black as the armour that the lord was wearing. It almost melded into one being. The pommel and handle met the hilt, almost fusing into the hand, with only the Velarium trim silhouetting his form.

The blade, outstretching further than the guard's sword, by an extra twelve inches. The only thing that gleamed off it was the silver edge, not that of Velarium but of something entirely different. A glow of red came from the centre of the cross guard, raging to life.

What could have been the place for a jewel, a crimson shard took its place, looking unifished with chunks broken away from its edges. It burned to life.

Vayreban: Not so fast... (smirking.)

Flame roared from the rain guard, skirting along the silver edge and shooting from the point, striking the ground where the beast was aiming to run off to. The lord had missed his mark, but the fiery wall would still come in handy.

This was no ordinary wall of fire; it only burned the ground, leaving everything else around it untouched. It was focused, being controlled by its master; curving around the back of the beast.

Vayreban: SHIT! I can't control it for long. ALVIN! ROBERT! It's up to you now! (concerned.)

Alvin: I have an idea! (controlling the battle once more, taking another swing, making the opening for Robert.)

As the monster recoiled from the flame, the embers singeing the fur as it turned away to face Alvin once more, it clawed back at the swing from the man in front. Now it was cornered, embers behind, three men in front, no, two. In a blur, the third reappeared.

Robert's blade plunged deep into the side of the beast's back left leg, pinning it in place as the sword went through the gap in the bone.

Robert: No moving now... (He went silent.)

The huge mass slammed into the man who plunged his sword into its leg, sending Robert sliding along the mud-soaked forest, face first.

Alvin: It's still moving! Vayreban, block Robert's side! (shocked.) 

The flame wall curled, shielding Robert from the beast moving in his direction.

Vayreban: If you have that idea, do it now. I can't hold it for long! (Blood is running from his nose.)

Alvin's eyes went wide, moving forward with the intention of striking the animal across the face.

Somehow, this beast saw what was coming next, and in doing so, it rushed Alvin into its own charge.

The shocked face of the hunter not long ago turned into a grin.

Alvin: Gotcha! NOW! (shouting.)

Behind the bawling man was the figure of a guard, who was the nursemaid to Uill.

Yurn: MY PLEASURE!

As the body of Alvin fell to the ground, almost sliding underneath the beast, still clipping its front legs, he was pushed aside.

The beast pounced into the spot where Alvin should have been; instead of finding flesh and bone, it only found the point of a blade being pushed through its eye, bursting it and passing into its skull. A final plunge from Yurn ended the battle of beasts, ending the brain that motivated this nightmare that has now passed.

The body caught in the grip of the monster's teeth slumped to the mud, then the now-white and red beast followed, twitching as it writhed on the ground.

A large thud hit the forest floor, and the wall of flames disappeared.

Yurn's arm fell limp, nearly dislocated from the mass pushing back on the sword, pushing the pommel into his shoulder joint.

All of the men were reeling from what just happened.

Now questions were about to be flung.

Vayreban was wiping his nose from the pouring blood, exerting too much magic in one go.

Robert was holding his side; he was alive, but a few ribs were surely broken.

Yurn was supporting his loose arm, feeling the writhing pain coming to a boil.

Alvin was holding his bleeding arm, which caught the claws of the beast as he slid down and under, being batted away like a ball.

As for Uill, the only thing he could do was breathe; he was far away in the land of sleep.

Carl's body lay slumped in the dirt, twisted and mangled. Torn and slashed from the indirect cuts from the swords of the three men. He was the beast's food and the beast's shield.

One man broke the rapid pants of the four men still standing.

Robert: Alvin… What the fuck was that thing? (out of breath, wiping the mounds of mud that clung to his face.)

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As the guard, who was waiting by the broken wall, made his way to the front doors of the manor, rushing to get the doors open, he turned, making his way into the main hall and running full sprint towards the barracks, shouting at the top of his lungs.

Guard: EMERGENCY! There's screaming coming from the forest!

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