- Endless At It's Finest [2]

They pushed off, fast and stead, arrows flying above their heads, as Rian and Lia barreled down the street towards the flaming monster.

Blood was pouring from charred flesh and sliced wounds, as the monster flailed around trying to stand up without its one leg, using its wings as some support.

Dust and debris flew around them, caused by the monster's flailing wings, as one after another, arrows embedded themselves into the creature's side.

It wasn't enough to harm the beast, as its body was far too large to do much, however it served as the perfect way to draw its attention.

The flames were eating away at the monster's face, as well as its eyes, causing blood to spill down the sides of its cheeks like tears, blinding the monster.

They appeared from either side of the creature, as Lia ducked underneath the monster flailing wings, running along the edge of the creature's chest, she sliced through the burnt skin with ease like cutting into a roasted chicken. The monster flailed in pain, beating its wings harder, trying to find the person who caused it such pain.

This was the moment Rian had been looking for, when its head would be closer to the ground, as the monster searched for Lia. He rushed it, slamming his fist into the creature's cheek, breaking bone underneath his knuckles.

The monster's head was thrown back against the cold stone ground, its own body following the momentum, crushing one of its own wings underneath its huge body.

This action left the other wing high up in the air, leaving the stomach of the creature exposed and without protection.

Lia took this chance to stab deep into the flesh, hoping to hit any vital organs. However, with the creature's large size and thick skin, Lia's small and puny sword did nothing against it. In fact, if it hadn't been for the use of her magic, as well as the long and deep gashes she left, she doubts her sword stabbing would be any different than a small pin prick to this beast.

And she was right. The monster didn't even howl in pain as it had done many times before. Instead, it rotated its body across the street, rolling over, avoiding any further damage Lia could have dealt it.

"Craw!"

The beast roared and rushed again, snapping its jaws at them. Lia and Rian each leapt to either side of the creature, moving farther and farther away from it, trying to create distance between them and the beast.

However, the monster wasn't about to let them go, as it turned immediately to Rian and bolted after him.

"Rian, look out!"

Lia called to Rian, rushing after the monster in an attempt to catch up. The beast snapped its beak at her comrade, who was only able to avoid the attacks because of the rubble surrounding them.

A ploy.

In war, generals and kings would plan against an enemy, as strength and power were often the leading contributors to these types of battles. And in more than one case, it was always the one with more power and strength that won these battles.

A fight where pure power and military might determined the outcome. These battles were never good for the underdogs.

So how did they win?

Simple. They learned.

Those drawing the short stick in a test of strength and power, would have to find other ways to gain the upper hand against a foe. Even more so when they were pushed into a corner.

These underdogs had to either be cheeking, smart, or overall cunning in order to win these battles.

A ploy.

A cunning action or plan that fakes the opponent into a battle gaining confidence and superiority, allowing for rash and foolish actions to take the place of wise ones.

It was then, from the shadow of deceit, lies, and false plays, did the underdogs true strength get shown, and utterly destroy the foolish and arrogant.

Why was this the first thing that entered Lia's mind?

Because as she narrowly ducked under the monster's swinging tail, she came face to face with the creature she thought she had it easy against.

Clearly it had seen her as the bigger threat, and was now attempting to remove her at all costs, knowing it would lose in a battle of pure power and strength.

Strange to think the giant monster would be the underdog. Strange to think that Lia wouldn't see such an obvious play, blinded by her feelings for her friends.

Strange how she found herself back here all over again.

Standing before a large and gaping wide mouth, barreling towards her with darkness behind it.

Strange to find she was staring down death all over again.

Strange, that she wasn't afraid.

***

Kara watched from the window as the bird-like monster destroyed a large portion of her street and city. She had settled in the top floor of this tavern, as it was the farthest thing away from the city, along the very edge of the walls.

However, for protection, she had the four glowing eyed men keep one of the monsters they freed close by, the collar to control it around her wrist.

'Never did I think something like this was still possible.'

She thought to herself as she glanced down at her wrist, where a small black leather and iron bracelet sat, a red gem embedded into the iron.

'Monsters have long since evolved ten fold over the course of the last few decades. Controlling them like this felt like mere fantasy for me. I'm shocked that it was so easy.'

Red eyes - or Ren for short - saw her relaxed expression and scoffed.

"Don't get comfortable now. If they've lasted this long against the monster, there's a good chance they will survive."

In response, Kara scoffed, her arrogance seething from her figure.

"I have confidence and for good reason. These three are just rookies. They won't survive long against this creature."

Ren was silent for a moment, before turning back to the window to watch the fight take place, mumbling to himself.

"If you say so."

The battle outside was raging, the feeling of victory overtaking Kara's sense of judgment, as the scene before her changed. She watched as the monster overtook Lia's stance, using its paralysis effect on her.

The end seemed near, and Kara knew that this would all be over soon.

Next I'll head for the Post. Randolph will feel my wrath.'

Turning to Ren and his other three brothers, Kara spoke with confidence over her victory.

"Perhaps we should go watch from the street. Get a better view of her death."

Ren shook his head, his face twisting in a sinister glance.

"Why put ourselves at risk? Let the beast kill her and then we'll be done."

Kara waved him off, not wanting to ruin her good mood.

"Yes, yes. I know what your goal is, I'm just saying we could be ready for ourselves to move onto the next step. Why wait up here?"

Ren continued to shake his head, but was overruled.

"Why not?"

Purple - Ben - raised his hand, smiling underneath his mask.

"What's the worst they could do, die slower?"

He chuckled to himself as he stood up to follow Kara out the door, tailed by Sphen who sided with them, his yellow eyes full of greed.

Red turned to White, looking him deep in the eyes.

"You haven't said much of anything since we got here. Why?"

White said nothing and just looked out the window in silence, followed soon by Red who joined him.

The scene from the outside was changing rapidly, and if they didn't soon follow their two brothers, they might miss the end of this little pest of theirs.

"When this is all over, we'll have to head back. I know it isn't in your nature to do things like this, but it has to be done."

Red glanced at his brother from the side, the latter not showing any signs of change to his words.

"Ken. If this ends wrong, and things go south, don't interfere."

Nothing. No sound, no words, no change in appearance. White stayed silent watching the scene before him, specifically, a young man firing arrows at the beast from afar.

"I know who Lukali means to you, and I know why you care for him."

Ren continued, his eyes narrowing as he spoke, betraying the growing sense of distrust.

"But if he dies, he dies. If he lives, we take him back. No questions, no worries."

As he turned to leave, he patted his brother on the shoulder, as if to show a loving gesture to him. However, anyone who knew these brothers would know that secretly, Ren was squeezing with all his strength.

"Don't get in the way."

He mumbled to his brother, following after Kara and the rest.

White eyes stood there for several moments, his eyes following the three Hunters out on the street, his face betraying nothing short of emptiness.

After some time, he followed his brothers out the door, tailing some distance behind them. His steps were like a silent snowfall, his voice was mere nothingness, as he watched his brothers chat and talk about how much fun it would be to watch the girl die a pitiless death.

From behind him, his shadow followed, morphing and dancing to the light of the torches, unlike the shadows of his brothers.

When they reached the door, Kara turned to face them, her smile and empty eyes showing just how deeply her arrogance ran in her bones and blood.

"Well gentlemen, I do appreciate our partnership these past few days. When I open this door, and the battle is seen to be all over, I do wish you all the best in your futures."

The four didn't seem to care much about Kara's words, but she still made it a point to act proper. In her eyes this was just one of the many things she triumphed over them. Manners made people of power, distinct from that of mere folly and pleasantries.

However, despite her hidden joy at seeing these four had no manners, nor any signs of education, one of them stepped forward.

His white eyes pierced into Kara's, causing her to double back, a bit taken by surprise.

"You…Your Ken aren't you. Apologies, I haven't heard you speak much if at all, so I haven't gotten the time to familiarize myself with you. I hope that's all right?"

Ken said nothing, his brother's eyes narrowing behind him, as if to wonder what he was planning.

Ken was much different from his brothers. He was always silent, always warry, always like a ghost in the back of the group. This made it harder for his brothers to understand what he was thinking, or what his next actions would be.

With Ren, it was simple. Whenever his face contorted in anger, or he decided to showcase that anger outright, his brothers knew he was going to act up.

The same went for Sphen and Ben, whose arrogance and greed defined all their characteristics, as well as their traits.

However, none of them expected what their brother would do next.

Bowing slightly, Ken spoke for the first time in days, his voice a melody to Kara's ears. Unlike the raw and deep voice of Ren's or the scratchy Sphen's and pompous Ben's, his was like an angel's voice in her ears, calm and steady.

"Thank you for your time, as well as your patients. I know me and my brothers may not be the best of company, however, nonetheless I thank you."

Kara blushed. His voice was truly like an angels, and to her it seemed like he knew more about manners and being proper than all three of his brothers combined.

No, even if there were six more of them, they still wouldn't be able to match up to Ken's politeness.

However, his next words caught her by surprise.

"It is my hope that Lady Kara, the town speaker, does not faint upon the scene she witnesses when you open that door."

At first Kara thought this was a threat, as she had heard many of the same tone and tune to his voice. However, his politeness got the better of her, and she wrote it off as him being worried about her.

'He's probably worried about my stomach when I see all the blood and gore. How kind.'

She cleared her voice, and watched as his brother's faces contorted to the sound of her king and cheerful voice, as if the woman who once yelled at them about time was the same person as the one before them.

"You need not worry Sir Ken, my stomach is stronger than you may think."

With that, she opened the tavern's doors, the sounds of fighting and battle flooding the inside, and echoing around the open room.

At first, Kara could see nothing. The change in lighting temporarily blinded her, however, when the light refused to fade, and her eyes didn't adjust, she grew worried.

"What is this?"

She called out, raising a hand to block out the light from her eyes.

It was then, as she laid her eyes on the scene before her, feeling the bodies of three men rush past her, the sounds of steel being drawn, did she finally realize what the man had meant.

The bright light wasn't the cause of a change in lightning for her eyes, nor was it due to their sensitivity. Instead, it was caused by the sheer brightness and brilliance of what lied before her.

A crested purple bolt of lightning, pure and white, hued by the color of the dark night sky, tripling the brightness effects on her eyes, as the bolt smashed into the figure of a large bird-like monster.

Its head was raised to the sky above, screaming to the stars in pain, but no words could be heard above the sounds of pure thunder that shook even the ground beneath them.

From the tips of its wings sprouted shoots of electricity, zipping and zapping around the air, looking for the ground to nullify its own power.

The scene could be painted on a canvas, hung on a wall, and the likes of which would never grow old.

As Kara looked on in shock, her eyes widening with every second the scene before her continued, one feeling flooded her stomach, her head, dulling her senses and causing nausea to run down her spine, deep into her stomach.

One feeling that over took everything else she felt.

Anger.

Fear.

Worry.

Confusion.

All of those feelings were null in her heart, as the world around her was brightened in a spire of purple lightning.

She felt one thing.

She felt like she was about to faint.