Competition 2 (IX): The Monster

Alex made his way towards the forest, choosing to instead to stay at edge rather than going straight into the forest. Moving without any sort of plans was rounds for suicide, and he would prefer to be alive for as long as possible.

He was keeping to the edge of the forest, observing and looking for a part of it that has the least amount of disturbance from either a beast of a human.. After about an hour of travel, and when the sun was hanging at the peak in the sky, Alex came across what he could only describe as a hidden grotto.

It was just like the grove where he had arrived at when he went through the spatial gate. He was standing at the entrance with absolutely no plans of going through, after all, a place like his was sure to be a den for monsters, as it seems to be the ideal place. So Alex was just going to walk past it when he heard the sound of s pained scream chat me from within the grotto.

He couldn't be sure whether it sounded human or not, but he was not really willing to find out, even if someone might be in trouble, it was imperative that he kept his distance and kept on moving. But as he was about to move on, he heard the scream again, this time it was even more intense, he halted his steps, he really wanted to go see if someone needed help, but he was not sure things would go his way.

Alex would lend a helping hand if he could, but in a place like this were life and death could be decided at the drop of a hat, he did not what to take any unnecessary risks. So event though his conscience was bothering him, Alex felt that he had to steel his heart and move forward. It was safer and it was a better bet for him, he was going to live when a scream came, this time it was a name, and it was a call he could no longer ignore.

"Alex!"

He didn't think, he just ran straight towards Anya's voice, completely worried about his childhood friend/girlfriend. Alex put his hands on his swords and pulled them out with a whoosh, gripping the sibling blades with both hands, tighter than was normal. As he ran through a well kept path, his body smashed through hanging cobwebs, and he even tripped over bleached white bones of both humans and beasts.

As he ran Alex wondered what would have possessed Anya to come into a place like this, it looked like a scene out of a horror movie, and apart from her screams and the pounding of his feet across the forest floor, this grotto was entirely silent.

Eventually Alex came out into a clearing, surrounded by trees and cocoons. He saw Anya wrapped by webs and stuck to a tree that was covered by more webs that ended up making the tree and those around it look like a wall of webs.

Her entire body was covered by the web, leaving only her face exposed. Alex felt his heart jump to his throat at her pitiful sight. He had never seen Anya like this before, tears ran down her face as she writhe in pain within the cocoon leaving Alex with an ache deep within his chest.

"Alex! Help me! Help me please! Help...."

Her last word was spoken in whisper as her head dropped. Alex hoped to God that she had only just passed out as he made his way towards her simultaneously sheathing his swords. He got close enough and began calling her name in worry, but no matter what he said or how he moved her there was no response. He began pulling at the web holding her bound, and then she woke up suddenly.

"Are you going to help me Alex! Help me please!" She begged with a manic look on her face.

"Don't worry Anya! I help you okay! Please hold on, please!"

Alex was frantic and his face was covered with tears and snot. He was so afraid, so scared. He could not imagine a life without Anya, she was as much a part of him as his arms and legs, he has known her since a child, and a life without her seemed unbearable to even think about. As he frantically pulled the webs off her body, he felt his finger scrap against a shell like material, the feeling gave him pause as he looked up to see Anya staring at him with blood red eyes.

"Anya? Are you okay?" Alex asked as he took a few steps back.

"Would you help me Hahahaha kekekekekeke rarrrrrrrrrrr!"

Anya, or as Alex quickly realized the thing that looked like Anya began to shake and vibrate, as it struggled free of the cocoon. Alex took a few steps back completely horrified as the face of his best friend began to morph and contort into a horrifying shape. Her eyes spilt in multiple parts as they became eight, mandibles grew from h the side of her face and her teeth turned into razor sharp fangs, glistening and dripping with a green acidic like saliva that sizzler as it dropped down to the floor.

There was a large snapping sound as a giant spider seven foot tall and ten foot long seemed to burst out of Anya's cocooned body, and headed straight for Alex. Alex did not even dare spend one second there as he turned around and took to his heels running as if he was being chased by a nightmare, which he actually was. Alex ran as fast as his legs could carry him, but no matter how fast he moved, it seemed as if the monster was keeping pace with him.

In no time at all, the entrance to the grotto showed up in front of him, past that was the edge of the forest, but even with his terrified state of mind, Alex knew that if he left the protection, covering, and obstruction of the forest, he would be out in the open, and would make it extremely easier for the monster to pick him apart piece by piece.

To avoid such a scenario, Alex ducked left, choosing to go into the forest instead. The giant monster screeched in anger behind him as it gave chase, slamming through and crashing through trees in its attempt to catch Alex. Alex did not even dare look back, not once, right now his life was hanging by a thread, and any wasted movements could be the difference between certain death and...well and uncertain death.

He was running as fast as he could, when he suddenly tripped and fell, there was barely enough time to get back on his feet, and the monster was already upon him. The spider raised it's head to screech to the sky, almost as if it was celebrating it's catch, only for Alex to hear a familiar voice and see a flash of fire as a hammer dropped on the head of the spider.

"Mammoth Eats The Sun!"

BOOOM!

Anya appeared, her dark brown skin glistening with sweat as the spider monster crashed to the ground, a massive dent on it's head. But it did not even seem to be enough, as the Spider was back on it's feet seconds later.

It looked injured no doubt, as there was green blood leaking from it's head. However it looked like nothing more but a simple head wound, it only amounts to nothing more than a simple headache, and for a monster at the open meridian realm, that wound was totally negligible.

Alex scramble to his feet and hastily pulled out his swords. They were heavy, and longer than normal for him, so it was a little awkward pulling them from his back and waist. But there was a balance in them no less, after all they had already acknowledged Alex as their owner.

"We can't run from this monster Alex, we have to fight it! It's too fast, and showing it our backs is not a good idea. Let's just use it to practice our weapon skills." Anya said as she looked back at Alex with an infectious grin.

Alex was scared enough as it is, but with Anya standing there, looking at the giant spider like it posed absolutely no threat, gave him the confidence to stand his ground. There was something different about facing a monster, than a human.

They were stronger, yes! Their looks more often than not was hideous, but the true terror comes from their eyes. There was no reason within them, only a primal need for chaos and destruction, something that was totally not human or normal. It was terrifying.

Alex moved forward until he was standing beside Anya, and raised both his swords, and left them hanging on his shoulder pointing backwards. He bent his knees a bit, as words from his sword skill martial arts manual flew through his mind.

[The South represents fire, anger, rage, drought, heat and destruction. It's more than just the cardinal direction of an element, it is an idea, a concept. To call forth the first move of the south style, you must believe you're a flame of the south, alone, fighting struggling to become great, to he accepted, respected. To grow. You must believe that there's fire in your soul!]

"Flame Born In The South!"