Chương 3: A Berry Bad Day 🐹

Blackberry stood tall, his daggers slick with the giant's blood. The midnight black hamster panted, his chest heaving. The shadow of the titan loomed, but Blackberry didn't turn. The surging anger in his heart, at seeing Blueberry's punctured fate, slowed as a familiar light built behind him. He knew Goldenberry wouldn't miss. It was over. Goldenberry and his axe's blinding smite would fell the titan. Their land — the Hamsterdom of Sellar — brightened as a shockwave of radiance erupted, shaking the heavens.

A confident smirk lifted his chubby cheeks. Vengeance was assured.

"Well done, show off," squeaked Blackberry, spinning his dual daggers before sheathing them. The hamsters of Sellar would endure for another day as the light dimmed. He turned to speak to his fellow guardian.

"Now let's get a strawberry daiquiri in Blueberry's memo-" His sable fur bristled. The giant was still standing. Blackberry jumped back, doing consecutive back handsprings, redrawing his weapons on the last flip. He instantly locked into his low fighting stance, holding the two daggers out at paw's length. How did it survive? What was this monster? Goldenberry's axe was embedded deep into the giant's shoulder. The beautiful idiot was trying his best to dislodge it, not noticing that he had caught the enemy's eye.

A massive hand was darted down, threatening to squish the pretty hamster. Suddenly, materializing from shadowy tendrils, Cranberry appeared. The speckle-furred hamster reached out to Goldenberry, placing her paw upon his shoulder. She lifted her amethyst staff to a circular purple portal. The gateway passed through them, narrowly avoiding a flattening. They reappeared to Blackberry's side, blinking there.

"What's the plan?" Blackberry yelled as his eyes zeroed on the behemoth. It lurched over to pick up the pillar that took his friend's life. The bastard didn't even look fazed.

"I swear… by the Prime Strawberry, I struck him clean!" Goldenberry exclaimed, his whiskers twitching.

"It must have some regeneration ability."

"We overwhelm it then," Cranberry stated, stoic as ever. Her staff hummed, purple light crackling from it.

"I can cast an amplified Thunderbolt. But I'll need a minute to channel the amplification." Blackberry nodded.

"Raspberry, stall the giant! Pineberry, give him some protective magic." Leaping bellybin to bellybin — the majestic food towers of Sellar — was Raspberry, the greatsword wielding berserker. Every jump made by the half-naked hamster was accompanied by a roared profanity. The mad hamster made a final lunge, off a bellybin, right for the giant's nose.

"For Sellar!" A jab, too quick for a colossus that size, shot out. In an instant, Raspberry was caught within its grasp. The monster squeezed tight, making Raspberry cough blood. Blackberry had never seen the frenzied hamster make such a pained expression. Divine pink light surrounded Raspberry, soothing his pain. Pineberry — praying on his knees — had cast holy magic to protect the held hamster. Invigorated, Raspberry yelled a defiant roar, flexing against the vice-like grasp.

The giant's hand strained against him.

"Go!" squeaked Blackberry, darting forward, his dark cloak billowing behind him. He heard the rattle of Goldenberry's armor following behind him. Raspberry, strong as he was, wasn't going to last long against the titan's monstrous might. A lazy flick of the wrist sent Raspberry careening into the stone floor, forming a crater. The giant raised a foot to crush him. Instead, it abruptly spun its pillarstaff in a wide arc, tapping into an unseen velocity that threatened to splatter the sprinting Blackberry.

Wind blew up Blackberry's fur as he barely dodged the tower of a staff. Still not fast enough to hit him. Then he heard the crack behind him, a sharp squeak of pain. The blow hadn't been truly aimed at him. He froze in his tracks. Blackberry trembled. He didn't want to look, but he had to confirm what Pineberry's sorrowful squeaks already foretold. His friend looked… wrong. The crumbled form of Goldenberry laid slumped, several paces away. The shining breastplate was caved in.

His handsome, flaxen furred head was fully twisted the other direction. Blackberry felt sick. The wails behind him recovered back to sonorous chants. A rosy glow enveloped Blackberry, infusing him with brilliant light. He didn't recognize the protective spell but he felt its power coursing. With a howl, Blackberry charged the giant, his pace light. He skipped a half step back, the giant's weapon slamming down where he had stood. The earth shook with such force that he had to do everything to avoid stumbling.

It was his chance. Blackberry jumped onto the staff, running up its length. He slashed the giant's fingers, forcing the titan to release one hand on the staff. Refusing to relent, Blackberry kept running on the staff, eyeing the true prize — the giant's open neck. Bolting like a flash of black-pink light, he struck at the titan's throat. Blood splattered across his furry face as the hamster tumbled, landing on top of a barrel. It was too shallow. The giant had jerked his neck away from his slash.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. A deep breath to embody the holy blessing, draw on the instilled power. Just like how Pineberry had taught him. The humming magic concentrated itself on his hands and feet. He glanced over at Cranberry, still muttering incantations. The pudgy sorcerer still needed more time. The speed that Blackberry erupted with felt more like teleporting than sprinting.

He became an obsidian whirlwind of daggers, one swift attack after another. The dashing strikes he'd trained all his life for, bolstered by magic, were relentless. Yet, it was not enough. If anything, his blades were falling shorter of their mark with each successive attempt. At first, Blackberry thought he had begun to slow, perhaps even tire. His eyes widened in horror as he realized the truth. The giant was getting faster, adapting in the moment.

In a desperate effort to gain any semblance of an advantage, Blackberry pushed his body — and the magic empowering it — to its limits. His chubby legs tensed. He'd catch the monster with this attack, no one left in Sellar could match this speed. He shot forward, a rocket in flight. It was felt before it was seen. Blackberry's entire skeleton shifted like it was trying to escape his body, as the rest of his body was merely trying to catch up. The force of the giant's casual backfist ripped violently through him.

Hitting the far wall was equally painful. He catapulted into the stone, falling on top of a bellybin's lid. The impact of both should have popped him like a bubble. But, other than the mind-numbing pain, he was alright. Pineberry's faithful magic had done its duty. As he stood, Blackberry saw the titan smash its heel down upon the same spot, again and again. Underneath, Raspberry endured the barrage of stomps, a defiant shout his only counter attack.

The bloodied berserker sunk deeper into the cracking floor like a nail being hammered into stone.

"Hold on!" yelled Blackberry, leaping down to the floor. He wobbled as he landed. His world was still spinning as he stumbled, trying to spur himself on. He watched another stomp crash down upon his friend. This time a nauseating crack accompanied it.

"No…" The despair in his voice betrayed him. Another stomp, another crack. Stomp, crack.

"No!" screamed Blackberry, frustration warping into fury. He charged, rage blinding his common sense. A colossal axe kick dropped, a boot-shaped meteor crashing down upon Blackberry. It pulverized him into the ground, his magical protections barely withstanding the blow. The force threw him next to Raspberry's mangled form. He sprung to his feet as a large shadow formed overhead. Looking above, Blackberry saw a massive, upside down bellybin — held in the giant's grasp.

The empty tower's open top crashed down upon him, like a gaping maw. Before he could react, he was entombed. Blackberry pounded the pommel of his daggers on the wooden barrier. Flickers of magical glow lit his body. Even now, Pineberry was energizing him with some juice, still surviving out there. Dropping his daggers, he consolidated the magical energy on his paws and arms. It might have been enough to lift the storage bin, enough to escape and help.

The hamster gritted his teeth, straining to pull with all his might. He heard the muted clash of battle and spellcraft as he lifted. Then the magic — and his strength — faded, the weight of the bellybin slipping out of his grasp.

"Run, Pineberry!" he cried out, slamming his fist against the bellybin's wall. If his magic faded, it meant… No. The cloaked hamster shook his head. He refused to lose heart.

"Blackberry…" A broken voice croaked out. Raspberry's. He rushed over, following his nose in the complete darkness. He knelt as close as he could, scared to reach out and touch Raspberry. He remembered how crooked Raspberry's maimed body was, how fragile it appeared. A paw reached out to clasp his own. Blackberry could barely recognize a hint of his friend's familiar strength. He tightened his two paws around Raspberry's feeble one.

"Don't talk, old friend," Blackberry whispered, struggling to contain his trembling voice.

"Save that strength."

"Don't thi-think it's gonna matter much," said Raspberry hoarsely. His breathing was getting shallow.

"Yo-You remember that walnut we shared? That was a yummy walnut…" The sob caught in Blackberry's throat.

"The yummiest. Now you have to stay awake. So we can have those walnuts again." He felt his friend's paw go limp.

"We'll have to share with the others this time," he choked out, teardrops landing on his paws, still clutching the feeble paw.

"You know how they get when we don't. Us hogging all the food." It was all so stupid. As if continuing to talk meant that Raspberry wasn't gone. Why was this happening? Why did Raspberry have to die? Or Goldie or Blue? If only the other six hadn't abandoned our home and forsaken Sellar. Pineberry had always preached that the Prime Strawberry blessed them with intelligence, the ability to learn and grow. It was so that they could guide their people. To protect the fuzzy masses. To prepare their ascension.

A deafening boom snapped Blackberry out of his thoughts. He raised his paws to his ears, flinching at the dizzying volume. A faint ring remained, a muffling hum that hung in the air. An abrupt, unsettling silence followed, though it was difficult for Blackberry to tell through the buzzing in his ears. Was it done? Had Cranberry finished their channeling? The massive bin of a prison trembled as it was lifted. Blackberry's eyes scanned the horizon, searching — hoping — to see his companions. Cranberry's wry smile.

Pineberry's reassuring prayer. Anything. His heart sank. Instead, he saw the streak of blood that splattered across the walls, evidence of a hamster dragged. He saw a paw sticking out from the bottom of a bellybin, blood pooled underneath. A shattered periwinkle staff laid nearby. Above him, the giant stood dauntless, tossing the held storage bin aside. Its neck and lower cheek were seared, flesh twisted and steaming. The titan fixed its hard gaze down upon him. Blackberry fell back to his knees and paws.

The pounding sound of his heart overcame the buzz in his ears. Whether out of chilling fear or pure hatred, he couldn't stop shaking. He returned the titan's gaze, the last bit of his defiance remaining in his own stare.

"Do it!" screamed out Blackberry, still slumped over his dead friend. He couldn't stop the tears from streaming.

"Finish it, you monster!" Something flashed in the giant's eyes, something soft. Pity? It was enough to stay the giant's blow. Enough to reignite the fury in Blackberry's blood. The giant had invaded their land. Killed their kin. Slaughtered his friends. And it dared to act as if it had a heart now? Blackberry hurtled forward, picking up his dropped daggers. His hind legs felt heavy, no longer blessed by magic. It didn't matter, nothing did. He'd take this giant's life yet, avenge everything.

Pulling the daggers back, he leapt for a strike. With a resounding crack, he was sent flying back, smashing into a bellybin. The last thing he saw was the titan walking away as his world dimmed into the black.