Chương 75: Fire and Frenzy

The massive hound and the two hunters clashed in the light of dawn. Wretch was the quickest of the three, dashing forward as his flesh changed eagerly, twisting out his back into a dozen arms. A claw slammed downwards, narrowly missing him as the fur-pelted hand ripped the metal rails to shreds. He spun, dragging the spike of the cross against the creature's hide. It bit deep enough to draw blood in the thick skin, which his claws could only scrape. It's sharp. Another clawed hand whistled towards him.

He dodged low, crouching against the ground as the razor-like claws passed inches over his head. His transformation finished, twelve human-like arms reaching for purchase against the gravel and stone. A thud rang, and Vishnii shuddered. Elenya had driven the Blinking Blade through its side. She drew it back, spurting blood as a roar shook the frigid morning air. Wretch didn't hesitate. He shot forward from a crouch, hands ripping against the ground, propelling him forward like a many-legged insect.

Vishnii lunged for Elenya, unleashing a brutal storm of swipes and slams. Wretch scrambled up a hairy leg, continuing up Vishnii's back as a handful of fiery eyes stared at him from the fur. He ripped at them with claws and nails, but this time they snapped shut. It learned to close them. Below him, Elenya backpedaled, red shades dancing across her skin. She dodged strike after strike as Vishnii kept up a brutal string of attacks. The beast gave a wild laugh, snickering through jagged teeth.

She was fast, every move ingrained through unrivaled talent, blessed power, and training. Still, it wasn't enough. With the slick sound of cut flesh, the tip of two claws glanced past her torso. The claw cut through her skin like paper, blood seeping down the front of her stained clothes. She grit her teeth and sidestepped another slam that would have turned her into red mist. A shape clung to Vishnii's neck. Wretch was a knot of limbs, gripping fur with half his arms while the others pried two eyelids open.

Two of his many hands lifted the black cross, and its edges burned as it elongated to a spear. The eye quivered, rolling around in its socket. The hound twisted as Wretch strained his muscles, driving the weapon deep, rupturing the orb with a wet pop. The beast shuddered in pain, half the glowing eyes on its front looking at Elenya and the rest trained on Wretch. I'm not done. He urged flame into the weapon as a claw shot towards him, but Longing for Penance was no longer devoid of charges.

He had killed plenty of birds and critters in anticipation of a moment like this one. Skulls of birds and rats pulsed around the black metal. Wretch let them loose with a single thought. A moment before razor-sharp claws would shred him. A string of bursts rocked the creature from within. The force sent him flying, twisting in the air. That's more like— his glee was cut short, he'd anticipated the beast to be stunned for longer. He'd been wrong. A blurred shape came crashing towards him.

He realized what it was, a claw. He didn't have time to think, wrapping his limbs around his core out of instinct. Pain erupted to the chorus of breaking bones as he was hurled through the brush and trees like a projectile. Vishnii turned, stitched eye-sockets fixed on Elenya. Blood poured from a torn chunk of its neck, icy and dark. Its grin stretched wide, gums exposed, a growl rattling from its throat.

"Ratty?" Elenya called, not looking away from Vishnii. No answer came, and she took a step towards the place where Wretch had crashed into the wall of leaves and thin stems. The creature read her intentions, sliding sideways on all four to block her path.

"Bastard," Elenya growled under her breath, beads of sweat leaving trails in the dirt of her skin.

"He better be alive." It lunged into a wild swipe, forcing her back. A groan came from the broken greenery.

"The cleaver!" Wretch's voice called, wet as if he was choking on water. Elenya leapt back, snatched the massive blade from the ground, and spun, hurling it in one fluid motion. Vishnii ducked beneath it and charged. Wretch came catapulting out of the undergrowth, soaring through the air. Blood gushed from his nose, and one of his regular hands was gone, two black, bone pipes sticking out of the mangled limb.

But two half-formed, massive ashen arms extended from his back, one of them was holding an oversized cross the size of a small tree, and the other snatched the cleaver out of the air, feeding it flame. The hound's many eyes left no blind spots, and it spun towards him. Wretch met it head-on. The air shook. Vishnii's claws crumbled his newborn flesh like paper. The cleaver, severing a finger in return. The cross came down next. A shout escaped him as he brought it down with every ounce of will, hatred, and fury.

With a sickening crunch, its spiked arm buried into Vishnii's shoulder. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The howl that followed shook the tracks. He pivoted in the air and slammed what was left of his other mangled arm against the creature's skull. With a crack, the massive creature flew backwards, crashing across the rails. Wretch hit the ground just as hard, the newly conjured limbs shattered, and the cross too large for him to bear.

For the first time, the creature whimpered. Elenya pulled him up to his feet as what remained of the conjured arms plunged into his back, steadying his swaying frame. Vishnii slowly dissolved into mist, and they let it. Neither having the strength to interrupt.

"Nice one," Elenya gasped between heavy breaths, blood still dripping down her side. The mist churned like an indecisive cloud of angry insects, and Wretch took the opportunity to whisper flame into his flesh, stitching ligaments back together, but left the missing hand, that expense would be too much. If it hadn't been for his strengthened bones and tendons. He'd likely be dead already.

"How much flame you got?" Wretch asked, his throat filled with fresh blood whose source he didn't know.

"Half. It's not bleeding enough," Elenya answered.

"I only have a third, the cross took a lot," he answered as he spat a mouthful of blood to the ground. The mist quivered, and the beast took form from the coalescing haze. With a roar, it slammed a fist into the ground in rage, whipping its long, bloodied fur. One of its arms hung limply by its side.

"Looks like it hasn't given up just yet." It dragged a claw across its stitched eyes. All the other eyes covering its body snapped shut, and its long fur gave a quiver as if alive.

"Not good," Wretch said between raspy breaths. Its regular eyes shoot open, revealing two bloodshot vertical pupils dancing with fire. It gave a howl, and a shockwave shook the air, its fur twitching and reaching outwards.

"It wasn't a tracking Blessing" Elenya said solemnly, knuckles whitening around the grip of her weapon.

"I got a good hit in, its left arm is crippled," Wretch said, stepping to the side as his flesh quivered and another pair of dark arms plunged out of his back to grab the oversized cross.

"We can still kill it." Vishnii charged, sending gravel and earth shooting in every direction. It was faster than before, but Elenya had time, spinning the cleaver once more to launch it at the creature. It slammed it aside with the only claw that wasn't limp, the long, flowing fur reaching for her as if possessed. Wretch was already in the air, one massive hand planted in the ground while the other struck downwards with the oversized cross.

He struck towards the top of its skull, but the creature caught it inches from its head. The long fur of its body reached towards him, snaking around his ashen arms. But he wasn't done, he released the cross, clutching his oversized arm into a fist. The hook slammed against its snout with a crack. Its head whiplashed to the side, and Wretch flashed a grin.

"RATTY!" Elenya shouted from behind him. Claws crushed his legs. Vishnii snickered. What? He had seen the creature's remaining arm and its toothy maw. But its other arm he had thought was unusable. It had faked it, the left claw sinking deep into his flesh, quivering but far from unusable. Elenya attacked the creature with a howl of her own, but it slammed her to the side, sending her tumbling along the tracks. Wretch forced his flame into two blades along his forearms and hacked into its palm. It didn't let go.

A sense of dread grew in him, and he let him fuel him, flailing and biting down on the fur-covered hand, his teeth barely piercing the thick skin. With a gasp, his pelvis cracked. He forced out the last words from his throat.

"Sorry, Elenya!" Its maw closed over his midsection, tearing his body in twain with a wet crunch. It chewed to the cracks of strengthened bones and swallowed what remained. Throwing his limp lower body into the underbrush. It gave a gulp followed by a smile of bloodied teeth. Elenya's scream was guttural and raw. She struggled to her feet, drenched in red. Vishnii's laugh was cut short, and a hint of surprise flashed in its eyes— Elenya was rushing it. It shot out a claw.

Elenya, still crying for blood, pivoted around it and struck with the Blinking Blade, slamming it into its knee. She dodged and weaved as the beast struck out against her. A blow caught her side. It sent her flying. She rolled to a standing position but couldn't find her balance. Her left foot was gone. She stared at it for a moment, then slammed the stump into the gravel and limped forward. Her two fiery eyes were opened unnaturally wide and her lips were pressed tightly together.

"I'm going to rip out every eye you have." The beast licked its snout and crawled forward to meet her.

"Every hair." Vishnii planted both feet into the ground and stood up on its hind legs, towering over her.

"Every tooth." It swiped.

"Even if it kills me." She dodged and drove the blade into its wrist. The creature launched a barrage of swipes and slams against her. She took several glancing blows that drew gashes on her neck and arms but she didn't seem to care. The maw shot out towards her, she didn't have time to dodge, not while missing a foot. It froze, stumbling backwards from an attack that would have ended it. Elenya raised the Blinking Blade. The weapon's edge was burning away in front of her eyes. Like paper over a candle light.

The creature bent over in a violent cough that sent a burst of blood spewing onto the ground. Elenya blinked and with a look of understanding she tilted her head.

"Did the little dog swallow something it shouldn't have?"