Tomas sprinted as fast as his legs could manage as the monster grabbed Rilan in its mouth, thrashing him around. Its jagged teeth dug themselves into his side, tearing out flesh as Rilan screamed for help.
Tomas put aside all his fear, all his pain, sprinting straight for the abomination that was mauling his friend without an ounce of doubt. He raised his sword arm and struck the beast in the side, slicing a deep gash down its body. The wound forced the beast to drop Rilan, before launching itself at Tomas.
Tomas leapt to his side to dodge the attack, landing prone in the bloody snow. He got himself up to his feet, clutching his sword desperately as the beast swung back around for a second assault.
Hemish had been right- in the heat of battle, the sword felt so heavy. He had not yet gotten his muscles strong enough. Tomas wished he had practiced more.
He sliced again as hard as he could, bringing the sword down on the creature’s forehead. It was like striking solid rock- the sword sliced the creature’s mangled ear clean off and buried itself deep in its scalp, but not deep enough to kill.
The beast howled, swiping at its face to try and remove the embedded sword.
Landry suddenly appeared from out of nowhere, sword and shield in hand. He shielded Tomas from the menacing beast as it wildly spun around.
What do I do?
Tomas looked around for something, anything, to help.
Behind him, the first beast leapt onto Ref like a pouncing cat. Styna charged the creature, smashing it in the face with a rock so hard that it knocked it over.
Landry held his shield up, bracing against the second beast’s crazed movements, and stabbing at every chance he got.
Tomas’s eyes scoured the campsite. Bedrolls, rocks, waterskins, firepit.
Firepit!
Without hesitating, Tomas leapt for the nearest campfire. He stuck his hand into the smouldering pit, grabbing a burning log. The fiery coals seared the skin on his hand, but he pushed through the hot pain before rushing the beast that was attacking Landry.
Tomas aimed and struck the fiery hot log directly into the eye of the creature, pushing as deep as he possibly could. The eye simply popped as a hideous hiss of steam puffed from the beast’s burning socket. It shrieked and wailed in agony, before backing away from Tomas and Landry, defeated.
“Fire!” Tomas called to the rest of the soldiers, still battling the second monster. “Use fire! They don’t like fire!”
Gharland, who had been pulled to safety due to his injury, shouted from where he lay. “Grab some fire, men! Kill these fuckers!”
The men clambered to the campfires, taking burning logs, torches, and sticks. They mobbed around the remaining beast, sticking its hide with their red-hot weapons. Its skin seared and burned as it howled like a hurt animal, striking back and forth in a fit of rage.
Tomas and Landry joined the mob, cursing at the creature to back off as they continually stabbed and prodded.
The stench of burning flesh spread through the air.
Eventually, the creature gave up, cowering back and whimpering away into the dark woods with burns adorning its pale skin.
Tomas waited until he was certain it was gone before dropping the smouldering log from his aching hand. His fingers spasmed, his nerves screamed. Much of the skin on his palm was glowing bright pink.
Landry took a waterskin on the ground and poured its liquid contents onto Tomas’s hand. It stung like mad but felt so refreshing. He grimaced in unbelievable pain, feeling his heartbeat pumping through the burns.
The men fell quiet, crashing hard from the adrenaline coursing through their veins. A few dropped to the ground in exhaustion, some screamed in pain, others rushed to help those who were injured.
Tomas took a deep breath of the cool air- he needed every ounce of strength he could get.
Rilan.
He needed to help Rilan, realising he had left him while trying to help Landry. He turned back to where Rilan had been attacked by the second creature.
What he saw made him erupt.
He wailed, sprinting.
Kneeling over Rilan was a hooded figure, wielding a bloody hunting knife in his bony hand. The figure stuck Rilan straight in the side of the throat with the knife, pushing all the way down to the hilt.
Rilan coughed up blood and spasmed, too weak to fight back after being mauled by the beast. The figure ripped the knife out, a line of arterial spray following in a brilliant arc.
Rilan’s pale body fell motionless in the muck and blood-stained snow.
“No!”
Tomas tackled the hooded figure, throwing him off of Rilan. The hunting knife went flying away into the dark. Tomas pinned the man down on the ground and turned him over.
Eyes, hollow and empty.
Dirt-smeared skin and unkempt facial hair.
A wicked smile, revealing black, chipped teeth.
The man spoke with a cold, rough voice. “Told him he’d regret it!”
It was Ref.
“NO!”
Tomas lost all control.
He punched the brute square in the jaw with all his might, so hard it felt as though it broke his knuckle. He hit him again, and again. Harder, and harder.
Ref chuckled to himself as he coughed up blood and broken teeth. Each strike threw his head back and forth viciously, the back of his head slamming against the ground.
His skin broke, bled and puffed up.
Everything felt like it was in slow motion.
Tomas kept beating Ref. He heard his comrades shouting for him to stop. But he didn’t. He couldn’t.
He hit Ref in the cheek with his right fist, splitting his skin open. He struck him again with the left, shattering his nose in
