>> Chapter 04: Demonic Beasts
Radan walked through the twisted streets of the Frontier Village, with his bow hanging on his back. The bell still echoed strongly, and guards ran, shouting about demonic beasts. Residents locked doors, fear weighing in that freezing air.
Then he looked around, searching for the so-called recruitment barracks.
Where would be the place that the posters said for those interested in joining the militia to go. But after walking through several narrow streets, he never found such a recruitment barracks.
"Where the hell does someone enlist in the militia in this place?" He murmured, frustrated.
Meanwhile, the bell rang louder and louder, coming from the wall.
DONG! DONG!
Shouts from the militiamen echoed at every moment: "Hordes Of Beasts To The North."
"You know what? Enough searching for this barracks, better go straight to the problem." He thought, running through the snow-covered streets toward the wall.
After a few minutes, he arrived in front of the village wall... A structure of still recent but solid stone, built in haste to withstand the rigor of winter and the beasts that roamed the frontier. The marks of the rushed work were still visible in the stone joints, and the echo of the bells and shouts resounded from all sides.
A tall, dark-skinned man with hunter's clothes, and a huge scar on his face,
wielding a weapon that looked like an ancient musket, spotted him and shouted from atop the wall:
"Hey! You! What are you doing there?"
Radan stopped for an instant, catching his breath, and saying:
"I heard the bell. It seems like you need men... So I came to help."
The hunter observed him for a second. He had a stubbly beard and menacing eyes, and with a firm look he replied:
"Great... well, if you want to help. Just try not to die in the first minute." He gave a slight nod with his head and said:
"Climb up."
Radan climbed the stone steps and, upon reaching the top, the cold wind hit him full force. Up there, he saw dozens of militiamen lined up, some trembling, others with spears in hand.
Outside, in the distance, in the forest, several enormous shadows roared, and moved quickly between the trees.
By his calculations, there were at least twenty of them... maybe more.
"They're going to face these monsters just with spears?" he thought, looking around. "Why does only that guy have a musket and not everyone?"
ROAR!
A loud roar tore through the air.
A demonic beast emerged.
The first beast emerged from the woods:
A gigantic monster, with a bull's body and eyes red like embers.
It advanced quickly with its head down, like a living avalanche about to destroy everything in its path.
Radan stood still for an instant, observing the creature. He thought:
"So this is it... A demonic beast. It's really much bigger, fiercer, and more threatening than any animal I've ever seen."
Radan then reacted quickly. He drew an arrow, aimed, and shot... but missed.
The arrow ricocheted off the snow, and the creature collided with the wall with such force that the ground shook.
Some soldiers lost their balance and fell from above.
"Shit!" Murmured Radan, holding onto the stones.
Other beasts emerged right after, jumping and trying to climb the wall. The sound of claws scraping the stone was loud and irritating, like metal being scratched.
One of them managed to reach the top and snapped a man in the air, nearly splitting him in half. Making his stomach and guts fly out and blood splatter, staining the snow and Radan's face.
For an instant, he stood paralyzed. He saw the man beside him beg for help, hands extended, eyes wide — and then heard the scream break, as if torn from his throat. The silence that followed was heavy; the smell of burned iron invaded Radan's nostrils and a metallic taste filled his mouth.
It was in that second that one of the beasts, faster than it seemed, launched itself in a charge straight at him. The claw opened the air, ready to grab him — and then:
BOOM!
A dry shot cut through the chaos.
The hunter with the musket had fired. The creature fell, bleeding, and the sound of the weapon echoed among the screams.
"Wake up!" Shouted the man, with a hard voice, pulling Radan by the arm.
"Don't stand there, pull yourself together! Now!"
Radan breathed deeply, felt the blood pulse in his temples and adrenaline replacing the fear. His eyes focused again on the wall, and on the creatures that still came.
"Damn... If I don't do something, everyone will die."
Decided, he stared fixedly at one of the creatures climbing the wall. He then raised the bow again, but this time, while drawing the string, he concentrated his power in his mind.
Looking directly at the beast's head, as if aiming with a gun.
"Just a little push..."
The arrow flew... faster than before, cutting the wind like lightning. And hitting the beast's head squarely, which plummeted without making a sound.
The soldiers around shouted in surprise, but didn't notice what he had really done.
Radan just reloaded calmly, aiming at the next target and then shot.
The second arrow flew... And another monster fell, the sound of the impact muffled by the roars and screams around.
After that, he entered an almost automatic rhythm.
Draw. Aim. Release.
After a few minutes, he had already killed more than 15 demonic beasts, with each shot being more precise and lethal than the previous.
One of the militiamen beside him looked, in disbelief.
"How the hell is he hitting from so far?! He shouted, trying to keep the spear steady in his hand.
Radan ignored him. His mind was elsewhere. He felt the weight of the air, the spin of the wood, the impulse of the arrows... everything seemed part of the same flow that he controlled effortlessly. A light touch of his telekinesis guided each shot with deadly precision.
But, when he prepared to take another arrow, he heard someone shout from the other end of the wall:
"My God... what is that?!"
Everyone turned to the side. And Radan raised his gaze, and stood still for a few seconds seeing that thing.
A colossal creature emerged from the mist, running quickly in their direction. It
Had the massive body of a turtle, a thick and cracked shell on its back... but two wolf heads hung in front, howling in unison. With its eyes shining in scarlet red.
Radan held his breath for an instant.
"So this must be that shit that's a hybrid demonic beast... it's really terrible." He murmured, looking at such a creature, which biologically for him would simply be impossible to exist.
The hunter beside him spoke with his gaze fixed on the creature:
"I'm afraid we're going to have problems now."
Radan nodded, drawing the bow and firing his last arrows.
The roughly polished iron tips hit the creature's head, but the thick and dense fur cushioned the impact. The arrows got stuck, without penetrating deep enough to cause any real damage.
"Damn…" he thought, clenching his teeth. "This iron is crap. I'd have to push the arrows with enough telekinetic force to pierce steel… but that would be too strong and probably draw too much attention... And right now I'm already drawing enough attention..."
While thinking of a solution, a commotion arose behind them.
A man wearing a white coat with several gold details climbed the wall steps hurriedly.
The militiamen stepped aside quickly with reverent postures.
"Your Highness, it's dangerous to stay here!" Shouted one of the guards wearing iron armor beside him.
Radan blinked, surprised.
A prince? Here?
The man with a firm countenance and authoritative voice observed the approaching creature.
"Carter... Iron Axe, aim the flintlocks and wait until it gets within weapon range!" He ordered.
"Yes, Your Highness!" Replied the two men beside him. Radan recognized one of them as the fierce-looking hunter who had saved him minutes before.
When the monster got closer, Roland raised his hand.
"Fire!"
BOOM! BOOM
The shots echoed, raising smoke… but the bullets bounced off the creature's shell without causing any damage.
"Damn!" Shouted Roland.
"Everyone calm down and hold position! Van'er, take some men and bring the gunpowder box now!"
A group ran immediately after the order.
"Your Highness, get out of there!" shouted the knight beside him.
But it was too late.
The monster roared with both heads and collided against the wall. The impact was deafening... stones flew, the ground shook, and part of the structure collapsed.
Several men fell from the edge, rolling through the snow below.
Radan jumped to the ground, cushioning the impact lightly with his telekinesis. When he raised his head, he saw the creature unconscious, with half its body buried in the rubble.
It was then that he felt it. A presence in his telekinetic signal familiar.
"Missed me already, dear?" he murmured silently, smiling at nothing.
"Tch..." Nightingale's voice sounded, invisible, beside him. "I found the witch I was looking for. She's coming here... I didn't expect to find you in the middle of this chaos so soon."
Without waiting for him to respond, she
looked at the creature's body and asked: "So, are you going to take care of this big guy?"
Radan shook his head, observing the prince further ahead, shouting orders to the soldiers. "It won't be necessary..." he replied with a half-smile. "I think someone already has a plan."
"Quick, light it and put it under him!" shouted Roland, his voice firm even amid the chaos.
Van'er and the other militiamen came running back, dragging a heavy wooden box.
They pushed it under the unconscious beast and lit the fuse with trembling hands.
"Run!" Someone shouted at them.
"BOOOOM!"
The explosion shook the entire wall. A wave of heat and smoke filled the air, and pieces of the creature's shell were thrown like shrapnel in all directions.
When the dust settled, the ground was covered in soot and dark blood...
The militiamen began to shout and celebrate, exhausted but relieved.
Nightingale, still invisible beside Radan, observed the rising smoke and commented in a curious tone:
"What the hell was in that box?"
"Obviously gunpowder." Radan arched an eyebrow. "Huh… you don't know what that is?"
Before she could respond, a new shout echoed from the broken wall:
"A new group of demonic beasts! They're coming. Watch out!"
"What?! Again?!" Shouted one of the soldiers. "The wall has a huge hole! They're going to get in!"
Radan ran through the rubble, his heart racing, desperately searching for a new quiver of arrows.
But before he could find one, he heard another shout:
"A beast is coming! Watch out!"
A gigantic beast, with the body of a boar covered in spikes, advanced at full speed through the breach in the wall.
Nightingale frowned, focusing on something further ahead. "Wait... she's really going to..."
Radan followed her gaze and saw a young woman, with long red hair, walking and passing through the hole in the wall. And then stopping firmly, and without fear, facing the demonic beast.
She didn't back down. She just looked firmly and confidently, while the soldiers behind her shouted desperately for her to get out of there.
Radan narrowed his eyes. And with his telekinetic sense, he felt that strange energy. Called magical power, flowing inside her. In the same way that it happened in himself and in Nightingale.
That woman was also like them.
"She is..." murmured Radan, still surprised.
"Crazy." completed Nightingale, without hesitating.
The red-haired witch then raised the palm of her hand.
And in instants, a colossal jet of fire exploded from her palm, engulfing the boar in flames until it was completely carbonized. Falling to the ground.
"Anna?!" Shouted Prince Roland, with visible shock on his face.
A knight ran to him, kneeling. "Forgive me, Your Highness! She insisted on coming, I couldn't stop her!"
Roland breathed deeply, clenching his fists. "Don't worry about me. Go protect her. Now!"
Radan observed everything in silence, impressed with the courage and fire magic of that witch.
"You should go stand beside her." He murmured to Nightingale. "If you want to make sure she gets out of here alive."
Beside him, she sighed. "I was going anyway. But stay alert… I think soon I'll need your help." Said Nightingale going in mist form, invisible and staying beside her.
Anna raised her hand again and, in a fluid gesture, a wall of fire appeared, closing the hole in the wall and blocking the entry of the demonic beasts.
The heat reached where Radan was. And he smiled, admiring the control she apparently had over her powers.
But it wasn't time to admire anyone.
Breathing deeply, forcing his focus back to the battle. He found a new quiver of arrows among the rubble and quickly climbed back to the wall.
So then he raised the bow and resumed the rhythm.
Draw. Aim. Release.
The arrows cut through the air, fast and precise.
Each shot found a target, and each target fell without a chance to react.
The sound of the bowstrings and the beasts' roars mixed until they became a single deafening chaos.
But, little by little, the roars faded... one by one.
Until only one creature remained.
Giant, wounded, but still standing.
Radan held his breath. And drawing the bowstring for the last time, feeling the tension run through his fingers.
He Aimed and Released.
The arrow tore through the air with a sharp whistle. And silence came right after.
The last beast had fallen.
The shouts ceased.
For a moment, only the sound of the wind filled the cold air.
The soldiers began to raise their weapons and, little by little, shouts of victory echoed throughout the wall.
It's over!
They had won.
The demonic beasts were dead.
"Long live His Highness Roland!"
"Glory to the Prince!"
Roland breathed deeply, observing his men smiling and hugging. A genuine relief took over him... but also a different weight. His eyes turned to Anna.
She was still standing, her face illuminated by the faint light of the remaining flames.
Everyone looked at her... And, to his surprise, there was no fear in any gaze.
Just respect. Gratitude.
Roland stayed silent for an instant, thoughtful.
Even if her powers cause fear... when that power is on our side, fear gives way to trust.
He then approached quickly asking
"Anna… are you okay?"
She turned to him, her face covered in soot and her eyes tired.
"Yes, Your Highness… just a little... exhausted."
Roland frowned. "Wait... your face is pale..."
Before he could finish, Anna staggered and collapsed forward. Falling on top of him, fainted.
"Anna?"
"Anna!"
...