A Warning

Zodd roared in pain and leapt back. Kai charged at the same moment, thrusting his spear and aiming for the other red-eye. The monster was swift to react, bringing forth his hand to grab the spear, but Kai was swifter in pulling back before the monster could grab it.

"Zodddd!!!!"

Kai heard a scream from the side, it was from the swordsman who facing Zodd moments ago. The swordsman ran at Zodd, his upper body twisted carrying his large sword from a swinging position. The swordsman shouted and swung his large weapon in a full circle, Zodd tried to block with his cleaver, but when the swords collided, the cleaver broke in two. The swordsman spun his sword in his hands and slashed again, lodging the blade in Zodd's shoulder, only to be stopped by the bone and blocked by the monster's forearm but not before cutting deep into the flesh.

"What the surprise?" The monster didn't wail in pain as Kai had expected, instead, he grinned, sharp pointy teeth that tear metal armour made into a smile as the monster's hand grabbed the sword. "How long has been since I have been pushed back like this? I'd never expected the tables will turn like this. A human, first-ever in hundred years to drive a sword this deep into my flesh, in these past three centuries of carnage."

Just then Kai attacked, and stabbed down, cutting the right ankle ligament in two. Zodd nudged to his left as he lost balance, monster or not, one is restricted to their physiology. So Kai moved behind and stabbed behind the left knee, making Zodd fall on his knee.

Kai pulled back his spear and aimed for Zodd's neck this time. The monster didn't stay still for this, he waved his hand behind his back and thew his broken cleaver at Kai. The spearman leaned back, dodging the broken cleaver by a hair's breadth. In that moment of distraction, the swordsman pulled out his dagger with his other hand and plunged it into Zodd's neck.

"That's it!" Zodd growled and lifted the swordsman by grabbing his sword with his bare hand. His body started to contort, legs twisted backwards, toes joined together, the feet collapsed into themselves, turning into stone-like hooves while his blood-matted grey skin peeled like an orange, revealing brown fur underneath. "My blood is boiling!"

He then threw the swordsman towards Kai, but the spearman dodged leaning back, and the swordsman crashed hard onto the wall behind. Zodd's body continued to change, limbs elongating, flesh swelling, skin peeling only to be replaced by brown beast fur. A dark brown-furred tail jutted out of his tailbone, ripping the outer skin apart, long like that of a large beastly primate, his head started swell and the man-like face fell off, replaced by a snot-like that of a panther and large bull horns that jutted out of his forehead. Then the monster let out an animalistic roar revealing a long red tongue and metal-tearing sharp teeth, it shook the air inside the room.

'As I thought - he is an Apostle.' Kai thought seeing the transformation. 'Fuck my luck!'

"This is great! This feeling is why lived for all this time!" Zodd growled and slowly turned to Kai, "Now, don't disappoint-"

His words were cut short as Kai pulled out a handful of firebombs from a pouch hanging from his belt and threw it at Zodd. Multiple small explosions of flame enveloped Zodd, lighting his fur on fire.

"Oh, flame born anew, take this sacrifice and burn evermore." Kai chanted, the invisible surge of energy filled his body and the fire covering Zodd raged more.

Zodd growled and charged head first onto Kai like a bull. The spearman leapt to the side and the burning beast collided with a pillar, shattering a section of it.

Kai pushed his spear forward, cutting the ligament on Zodd's bull-like leg joint. The monster was off-balance, but only for a few moments as the cut started to heal and the fire on his fur was gradually diminishing. Kai took this chance and cast another spell.

"Four cardinal flames, come forth, consume this flesh and burn evermore."

The burning torches around the room raged and turned into streams of flames and crashed on Zodd. The flame-covered Zodd burned brighter, it alone illuminated the room, Zodd under the flame howled and screeched in pain. The flame burning his flesh faster than it could regenerate.

Then a crossbow bolt shot into the flame piercing into Zodd's flesh. Kai looked to the side as dozens of armoured men swarmed through the entrance into the room, armed with crossbows led by a man with white hair. The man shared a glance with Kai as a signal and it was clear.

Kai jumped behind a pillar to hide as the men started firing bolts into the burning screeching beast.

"Enough!" Zodd roared, his figure covered in flame began to swell further, it tore through the flame and reached the height of the stone ceiling and his horns started cracking it.

"No one will defile my battlefield!" Zodd roared.

"The hell is that thing!"

"Is this a fucking nightmare?"

"God save us!"

"Nosferatu Zodd?!"

A commotion rose through the crowd.

"Don't lose focus." The white-haired man said. "Second volley!"

The mercenaries and soldiers quickly loaded their crossbows and aimed.

"Fire!"

Bolts flew threw the air towards the gigantic monster, Zodd raised his hand to shield his eyes and rows of bolts were plunged into his flesh.

"This mustn't be," Zodd growled. "I won't have this, no one may defile this battlefield! I WON'T HAVE IT!"

Zodd roared, then charged towards the group of mercenaries, head first like a bull.

"FALL BACK! FALL BACK!" Someone shouted.

The mercenaries fled in different directions, but not everyone could make it in time as Zodd's horns rammed and squashed them into the wall like flies. The ones who were missed by his horns were mashed under the massive hooves.

"DIE YOU ALL!" Zodd roared, grabbing a nearby merc and tearing him half with his teeth.

While all this was happening; Kai hid behind a pillar, rummaging through his other pouch, pulling out a vial of crimson liquid.

'I should make my escape now, this is getting awfully dangerous now.' Kai thought, 'But then again, five hundred gold is five hundred gold.'

He dashed out of his hiding and he gulped in the liquid in one go.

Zodd moved to the corner where the white-haired man was supporting the injured swordsman to stand, it looked as though he had a sprained ankle and was profusely bleeding from the side of the head. The white-haired man brandished a silver scimitar as Zodd approached closer.

"Where are you going?" Zodd said. "Your heart's still beating. Fight! Fight until you are torn to pieces."

He swiped his claw at them, the white-haired man pushed the swordsman away and jumped to the side and sliced the monster's wrist from the joint. A feat of masterful sportsmanship.

"Come on, run." The white-haired man shouted toward the swordsman with his hand extended. But before he could do that Zodd waved his tail like a whip and slammed the white-haired man onto a pillar.

Then he turned his eyes back to the swordsman who was using his large sword like a walking stick.

"What a day it has been..." Zodd spoke. "Now I meet humans who could push me this far."

He picked up his chopped hand and slammed the swordsman with it. "And all of them would be lost at once."

The man was knocked away like a rag doll and Zodd grinned as he joined the decapitated hand with the bleeding wrist as though it was sliced cut off.

Zodd then turned to the white-haired man and froze as looked at some object laying on the floor. "I'll start with this man. Wha- What's this? The egg of the King!"

At that moment, Kai came dashing in, a red light exploded from him and enveloped the room. Kai crouched, glowing brightly in red, brightly as Zodd was before as he leapt high at the monster, twenty feet, Cursed Thorne spear first and he plunged it into the back of Zodd's neck. The monster screamed, Kai didn't stop at that, standing on Zodd's neck he pulled back the crimson spear and pulled out Mortal Thorne, plunging it into the beast's ear, tearing it through as he leapt to the ground with his weight. Zodd shook violently and wailed. His body convulsed again as his size only grew gigantic, bigger than the room could contain, so he slammed his fist up on the ceiling shattering it completely. Broken stone bricks came crashing down as Kai leapt back to dodge.

"This battle will have to continue some other day," Zodd said looking down at Kai as he grew to humongous proportions, and now Kai knew why some of the accounts of encounters with Nosferatu Zodd described him to be large as a castle.

Then he turned his gaze to the swordsman. "Here is a word of warning... No, a prophecy. If you believe this man to be a true friend and if you regard him as a brother..."

His crimson-slit beast eyes turned to the white-haired man who was slumped on a pillar.

"Then take heed, when his ambition collapses, death will pay you a visit, a death you can never escape."

With that large dragon-like wings jutted out of Zodd's back, they flapped pushing the air and everyone merc presents back. Then the monster leapt up, tearing through the wooden ceiling above and flew up beyond the castle into the sky.

"Did he just leave?" Someone spoke. For a moment there was silence then the mercs rushed to the swordsman who was trying to stand using his sword and the white-haired man who was slumped on a pillar.

The red glow around Kai faded away and he let out a harsh breath as he stood supporting his body on his spear. He gazed into the night sky from the shattered roof and concluded, "He is gone."

"Wait!" The swordsman shouted. "Who the hell are you? What the hell was that thing?"

"Easy there," Kai said. "You have an injured foot and broken ribs along with other injuries, take a rest."

"Captain he is with us." One of the mercenaries said.

Kai turned to him. "The name is Kai, also known as Crimsonthorne Kai, and that thing you saw is what is known as an apostle."

Then his eyes turned to the crimson egg-shaped small stone with the carving of a human face near the white-haired man. The Crimson Beherit.

'That thing is also here. That's why.'

"The wasn't a complete answer. What the fuck is that thing?" The swordsman shouted.

Kai blinked. "I think the injured need tending and the dead buried before any further discussion."

The swordsman looked around the room, filled with dead and injured members of his band.

"I agree." The white-haired man added meeting the swordsman's gaze, "we have lost many in this battle."

The swordsman scoffed looking back at Kai. "Tomorrow - tomorrow morning I need some answers."

"Tomorrow it is then."

***********

In that dead of night after the battle, before the morning sun came, Kai fled towards the royal capital.

.