- The Battle of Seven, The Death of One [pt.2]

The air was filled with screams both shrilling and deep as they bellowed across the open farmland. The barn exploded into a hundred thousand bits and pieces, wood, metal, iron and steel all flew through the air like arrows piercing the skin and souls of soldiers.

The monster, a great and mighty beast the size of which rivaled the barn itself - many would wonder how it had fit inside it of course - tore through the ground, its large and steady feet shaking the ground with its thundering scream.

The shrilling sound sent all animals in the forest and surrounding areas into a roar of fear, running from the sound that thundered through the air, like the shrill of a baby.

Lia had just cleared the forest and was running full speed across the farm's open pasture when the beast broke through the barn, covering her ears at the sound of the shrilling scream. It rang and echoed inside her head, a feeling Lia hated deep within, as she silently begged for the beast to stop.

However, when it did, the good did not follow suit of the beast as it began stomping its feet across the ground, heading straight for Lia, its chosen target.

Doing her best to regain herself, Lia began running full sprint across the mangled remains of the chicken coop, past wagons and silos. She even passed the farmhouse where an angry farmer and his wife existed complaining about the sound that had woken them from their peaceful lunch only to throw themselves back inside as the beast smashed against the porch, crushing the roof of the patio in on itself.

The monster opened its wide and round mouth, the gaping hole offering only fear to Lia as she quickly changed directions, causing the beast to smash into a horse's cart, before charging her full speed.

'What the hell is that?!'

'It's a salamander. They live in the water and can hunt on land. How one got this big - don't ask me! Just run!'

'No sh*t!'

Quickie changing directions once again, the salamander slipped on its own mucus, causing it to crash into the ground on its side.

"Lukali! Rian! I need some help!"

Lukali was the fire to regain himself, his hood thrown back but his mask remained as he grabbed his bow from his back, loaded an arrow or two, and launched them across the field, straight into the salamander's back.

The salamander however, did not like this new change, now having two arrows filled with a sharpening pan in its back, it screamed out, regained its footing, and launched itself towards Lukali who continued firing three more arrows into the beast's shoulders.

"Lukali, run."

Just in the nick of time, Lukali dove to the side, avoiding the monster's open maw as it snapped shut over the air he once stood in. The salamander turned its head to face Lukali, prepared to attack again, only this time a different feeling of pain slammed into him.

Rian had regained himself whilst the beast was busy, taking up a large and blunt beam from the barn, he rammed the side of it into the monster's head, causing it to double over and spin around, slapping him with its tail as it sent him flying across the field.

"Rian!"

Lukali jumped up and began chasing after his friend, the beast hot on his tail until Lia appeared jumping over a broken cart before stabbing her sword deep within the monster's side.

The monster roared in fury as Lukali continued firing more arrows at the monster, making sure to be careful each and every time he turned around so as to not run into something.

The salamander spun around, slapping its large and mighty tail against the ground, sending vibrations out each and every time it made contact, a vibration that forced Lia to her knees being so close to the monster. Sadly, this left her wide open for the salamander as it open its maw wide, attempting to swallow her whole.

Lia bit hard against her own teeth, clenching her fists, ready for what was going to come next as she could feel the rune circle on her hand warm her skin as mana began to flow out of it from within.

"Florence!"

In a flash a cloaked man appeared before Lia, blue tattoos of swirls and clouds decorating his face as he knelt to the ground, raising his hands up toward the open maw of the salamander. A large and expansive glass like surface expanded from his hands, like a large and shimmering shield the salamander crashed face first into.

Like a snake, the salamander folded in on itself, placing its hands on top of the glass shield, biting down hard as it struggled to get its teeth around the round shield, failing over and over again as its frustration growed.

Florence looked to Lia, his eyes filled with pain as he struggled to keep the shield up against such a large foe. Lia confided within herself, battling her own heart and mind, wondering if she should call out Cain or Kal to help deal with this monster. But knowing that the other party would see it, Lia couldn't risk something like that.

'Wait…'

Lia turned around, her eyes panning over the open field, searching for something that refused to show itself.

'The other party…where are they?'

As if summoned by her thoughts, a large arrow flew across the air, splitting the wind apart with its speed as it embedded itself within the salamander side. Catching the beast off guard it turned to face the new attacker, a lone archer standing among the ruins of the barn, his face bloodied and scared.

However, this appeared to be yet another mistake for the monster for as it turned to face the lone archer, its mouth hungry for flesh, a large and furious bear slammed into its side, the animal's claws slicing apart the smooth and wet skin, revealing the pink flesh underneath.

Florence let go of the shield, collapsing to the ground in exhaustion as Lia summoned him back to his place at her side within her rune circle. The bear roared out loud, charging hard against the salamander who had little patience to deal with both the archer and this animal.

At once, Abigail joined Lia at her side, reaching for her arm as she helped pull her to her feet, regaining a steady stance.

Lia looked between the bear, roaring and chomping down on the salamander's flesh, and Abigail, who began looking over Lia for any scars or bruises.

"Is that yours?"

"Huh? Oh, yes! Yes, that's Bluey!"

"...Bluey the bear?"

Abigail chuckled at Lia's dull tone, her expression proving that she really was unimpressed.

"Yeah, he's my summons-"

Abigail was interrupted by the sound of the bear's roar as it screamed in pain. The salamander had regained itself, realizing that there were two enemies to fight off at the moment, so in response the beast opened its maw wide and chomped down on the bear when the animal revealed an opening.

"Bluey!"

Lia rushed forward as Abigail collapsed to the ground, stuck in fear at the sight of her animal being attacked. However, Lia was more quick witted and immediately activated [Flames], pushing off of a broken cart, launching herself in the air.

The fire roared from her hands, spreading fast over the salamander's back as it roared out in pain, releasing the Bluey the Bear from its grasp.

But even as the fire spread quickly over the monster's back and Lia landed perfectly on her feet, rolling to a stop, the fire doused out in seconds as the monster looked to Lia with anger raging in its eyes.

'The fire did nothing?!'

'Its covered in mucus, the fire won't light on such wet skin.'

They stood there like that, watching each other with wide eyes as neither of them dared to move, afraid the other would charge them.

The lone archer held an arrow strung against his bow, ready to fire at any given chance as was Abigail, who readied herself to send Bluey back into the fray. But at one glance, they could see how tense the situation was, and held their ground.

Time slowed for them all as they watched each other, waiting for monster or man to make a move.

Waiting for the battle to begin again.

***

While the battle was raging behind him, Lukali threw down his bow, removing his mask as he dug through the remains of the barn - or what little of it remained. A large section of the building had remained standing, only the framework still holding strong.

It was this that Rian had been flung back again, the force of the blow knocking the air from his lungs as he coughed up blood, buried deep underneath the crumbling barn structure.

It was this broken pile of wood and iron shards that Lukali was forced to dig through, cutting and scaring his hands in the process, as he desperately searched for his friend.

Finally, after pulling a large portion of the woodpile off of him, Rian burst from the pile covered in dust and wood chips.

"Plegh!"

Rian began spitting out the dust and dirt that had found its way into his mouth, wiping his eyes from the dust that singed his bare flesh.

"Here, use this! Stop wiping it, you'll only make it worse!"

Lukali grabbed his canteen from his side pouch, opening the cap and pouring the contents of the container onto Rian's face, the cool and clean water washing away the dust and dirt that stung his eyes.

"Are you alright?"

"Plegh!...yeah I'm fine. This dust tastes disgusting though - did that farmer never clean his barn?"

Lukali chuckled, a smile returning to his face as he found himself happy that his friend was alright and still making jokes.

"Glad to see you still have your humor friend."

"Yeah, that and what feels like a broken back."

Lukali stopped laughing, brushing his hands across Rian's back as he sucked in air from the pain.

"Can you walk?"

"Yeah…I can walk. We still have a fight to finish with that damn monster."

"No. This is our faith now, you need to stay here and rest."

Rian grabbed Lukali by his shirt, pulling him in close so that he could see his angry eyes.

"Like hell I'm going to let that beast have the last hit!"

Lukali knew he would do best not to argue against Rian, so he simply offered the man and hand to help stand him up, and they both headed out of the barn. One grabbed his bow, the other grabbing a pitchfork and they set off towards the beast.

They watched the stand still between Lia and the salamander, giving each other a slight glance, smiling as Lukali knocked an arrow against his bow.

"You ready?"

Rian asked, smiling, raising the tip of his pitchfork as he looked to the monster before him.

Lukali aimed true, took a deep breath, and spoke as the arrow flew.

"I was born ready."

He let go.

***

'They're ready.'

Lia could feel two sets of eyes on her back, as she looked at the salamander, his own eyes distracted by something far behind her.

She griped hard against the hilt of her sword, ready to fight till the end if need be.

The air split apart by her side as she felt the arrow fly by her head, embedding itself within the salamander's left eye, the beast roaring to the skies above in pain as the attack came unexpectedly.

The archer - Shawl - at her left jolted in surprise seeing an arrow fly in such a tense atmosphere and his own arrow flew from his bow before he could stop it.

The second arrow flew and slammed into the side of the salamander's head, the beast now enraged as it set off charging towards Lia with an open maw filled with teeth. The bottom of the mouth nearly touched the ground, but Lia could see a small gap between it and the dirt beneath the monster.

Using [Drifting Winds] she sped up her own speed, throwing herself underneath the monster mouth, spinning around with her blade outstretched from her chest, cutting deeply into the salamander's exposed neck as its long and fat feet slammed into the ground beside her.

The wound exposed the pink flesh beneath the skin as red blood oozed onto Lia's face, the monster rearing back in pain as it roared to the sky.

It was then that Rian, who had rushed the salamander in the moment Lukali's arrow flew, now approaching it head on by only a few feet, stabbed the pitchfork deep within its neck, straight into the exposed wound.

The monster barely had time to react, too much pain in too many places as both shawl and Lukali continuously fired upon the monster from its broad sides. Arrows stuck out from its legs and back like quills on a porcupine, decorating it in splotches of blood and scars.

"Did you really think I wouldn't have the last hit you bastard!"

Rian dug the pitchfork in deeper, exposing more blood and flesh as the beast connected to raise its head high, unable to bring it down lest it stabbed the bald in further.

But it had little choice in the end as Lia cleared herself from underneath the monster, she caught a sight of shimmering plates of steel, the knight - Lance - having finally shown himself from over the monster head. His feet dug deep against the salamander's back, using the arrows as footholders, he flung himself over the beast's head, wrapping his arms around its neck.

The monster could do little to stop him, or even reach him for that matter, as Lance raised his sword above his head, stabbing deep within the monster's forehead.

Yet, despite the two weapons embedding itself deep within the monster, despite all Lia's beliefs, the creature did not die. Instead, it flung its head from side to side, ripping Rian and Lance from their weapons as they were both flung to the side away from the monster.

The beast roared to the sky, still breathing, still alive and still ready to fight till its last breath.

'Cain! I could really use some help here!'

'What do you need?'

Lia jumped just in time for the salamander's large and fat tail to swipe underneath her, Rian and Lance not being so lucky as they both fell on their backs at the unexpected attack.

'A skill? Spell? Something!'

'There's only one I can give you.'

'Then give it to me!'

Lia jumped out of the way as the salamander's large foot slammed into the ground, its shrilling screams piercing the air, ringing inside her head like gongs.

'For you it can only be used during thunderstorms! It would be useless!'

Taking a breath, Lia watched as Shawl and Lukali threw a flurry of arrows into the beast's side, Bluey reengaged in the fight as it pushed the salamander to the side, biting hard into its back as the monster screamed in pain.

In that same breath, Lia was able to see past the monster's head, past the forest behind it and towards the sky above, where dark clouds gathered from the mountain, passing overhead.

'...will that work?'

'...I can make it work.'

Lia ran around the beast as its tail crashed into the ground around her, dodging both the bear and the salamander's attacks as she moved to get into position.

'Repeat after me. Shockti!'

Lia held out her hand, her rune circle growing with that as the runes glowed, the images slowly changing into a falcon with its wings spread wide.

'Hey Cain?'

'What?'

Lia took one last look at the salamander, the sword and pitchfork still embedded deep within the monster's flesh on the opposite side of its head.

'Salamanders are covered in mucus right?'

'....Do it.'

He knew what she was getting at, even without her saying it fully. Lia reached out her hand, the clouds above her circling into a great swirl as thunder boomed and cracked through the air.

"All of you get out of there!!"

Abigail and the others heard her call, seeing what she was about to do, they all rushed to make clear of the salamander who appeared surprised that the fight had ended just like that.

Then its eyes landed on Lia, and all its hope was lost.

"Shockti!"

A bright flash of light pierced the sky, dying the farm in a blinding white ray of sunlight, as thunder roared around them all.

Like drums answering to a war call.