Deathmatch

The rustling of leaves and the rhythmic beat of pantings reverberating throughout the forest alerted me to his presence. A dark-clothed figure, easily mistaken for a wild malnourished beast if not for the horrible humanoid silhouette, cut through the thick undergrowth of the forest while simultaneously scanning the area around him for any traps I may have put while he was gone.

"So you didn't run," he sneered, pacing about the meadow, twitching at the sudden sounds of the many birds chirping and soaring around him, seeking a spot to rest at the moss-filled branches like mighty gods prepared to contemplate themselves with puny mortal problems.

As I tried to balance the spear in my hands, a gentle sigh escaped my lips. Cold metal touched blood-searing flesh, responding to its cry for murder, imploring me to wield it in its misguided way, encouraging me to use its body for carnage.

My breath was speeding as I stared down at this monster in front of me.

The impulsive whistling of leaves functioned as an unofficial judge, igniting the terrible aroma of shredded flesh and blood, signalling our macabre dance of death between this crooked-looking man and me, knowing that only one of us would walk away alive from this woodland.

Nathan gripped his spear firmly, concentrating all of his strength in his hands and feet, his spear icy and quick like a metallic serpent, echoing with his determination to puncture the heart of anybody who dared to stand in his path. He propelled on the chest of this tomb-looking murderer with a rapid leap, intending to finish this fight as soon as possible, thinking that this enemy of his was most likely a practitioner of the black arts. The cloak-hooded figure deflected it with his dagger in a hail of sparks and advanced on Nathan's head. To obtain a little reprieve, he hurled one of the remaining arrowheads towards Nathan's left eye, diverting him long enough to drive one of his daggers into his leg.

Nathan parried in vain but was struck twice in one rapid strike. Knowing his rival was injured, the rot-filled figure skilfully spun his dagger as he rushed Nathan. Ignoring his exposed back, he failed to see the monstrous bear creeping from behind. He held his knife in both hands, but before he could strike, the colossal beast sprang over him.

As the massive bear buried its teeth into his shoulder blades and swung him several times against the blood-soaked branches, he struggled like a landed fish. The bear pounced on Nathan with a terrible snarl after dropping the now-dead carcass of this decaying man.

The beast's huge claw snapped out venomously at Nathan's face. He parried quickly with his spear as its blood-soaked metallic claws clanged harmlessly off it. The beast attempted again, this time flicking its tail at his damaged, exposed legs. Nathan jumped to one side and stabbed the spear in a dazzling arc. The enormous bear yelled in agony as it amputated part of his tail. The bleeding tail rested on the mossy leaves, its energy still coursing through it. The bear took the opportunity, hurling the decaying body at his attacker, and struck with its claws once again. Metal slammed against metal as Nathan desperately dodged the monstrous bear's barrages.

They fought their way across the meadow, right through the blood pool and the torn-apart body of the lady who couldn't find peace even in death. Ignoring the gruesome surroundings, they aimed to kill each other, hacking, stabbing, lunging, and swinging in the ultimate dance of death, Monster versus human.

Meanwhile, groups of Northmill warriors worked together to erase any evidence of their young master's wrongdoings from the forest. With Master Mudlark in charge of the out-of-control meadow scenario, their mission was nearly complete; all that remained was to carefully transport their young Lord, back to the castle.

They made a risky bet, and if they were discovered, losing their lives would be the least of their worries.

Nathan stood in the centre of the clearing, one eye straining to see the beast hiding near a fallen tree. Blood poured from the numerous wounds Nathan had inflicted on it during their combat. But now he knew he'd won; his intuition had been correct, and this deathmatch would soon be over. "Let us finish this, monster," he yelled, lunging for the deathly pale creature.

Nathan rose to his feet on the wooden log. With one mighty thrust from the spear that claimed so much blood under its tip, he severed the head from its shoulders. It looked to float in space for a split second before dropping like a gigantic stone.

Nathan remained glued to the location, his gaze fixed downward.

CLANG!!!

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