The air grew colder, and the shadows seemed to move on their own. Edylle's ears twitched, picking up every rustle, every snap of a twig. His hand gripped the hilt of his sword tighter.

Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the trees, sending a chill down Maeve's spine.

Edylle's eyes narrowed, and he drew his sword, the blade glinting faintly in the dim light.

"Stay behind me," he ordered, his voice a low growl of its own.

Before Maeve could respond, the ground beneath them trembled, and from the shadows, an enormous creature emerged. It was an eldritch abomination, its body a grotesque amalgamation of sinew and shadow, its limbs long and twisted. Its many eyes glowed with a sickly yellow light, and its maw opened to reveal rows of jagged teeth.

The creature let out a deafening roar, shaking the very trees around them. Edylle stood his ground, his sword held ready. The ground had hardened beneath his shoes, and implanted them into dashing position.

The beast lunged, its massive claw slashing through the air with terrifying speed. Edylle sidestepped just in time, the creature's claws slicing through the trunk of a tree instead.

Splinters flew, and the tree groaned before crashing to the ground.

Edylle moved like a blur, his sword flashing as he countered with a swift strike to the creature's side. The blade bit into the monster's flesh, but it was like cutting through stone. Sparks flew as steel met hide, the impact sending vibrations up Edylle's arm.

The creature roared in fury, its twisted form writhing as it turned on him. Edylle barely had time to dodge as it lashed out again, its claws tearing through the earth where he had stood moments before.

"Edylle!" Maeve cried out, fear gripping her as she watched the battle unfold.

"Stay back!" Edylle shouted, his voice tense but controlled. He leaped back, narrowly avoiding another deadly swipe.

The beast was relentless, each of its strikes sending shockwaves through the ground.

The forest around them was being torn apart, trees falling and the earth itself being scarred by the monster's rampage. Edylle's sharp eyes darted around, looking for an opening, any weakness he could exploit.

But the creature was powerful-more powerful than anything he had faced before.

Its very presence seemed to warp the air around it, the shadows bending and twisting at its command. Edylle gritted his teeth, feeling the pressure of the battle mounting.

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The beast charged again, its maw wide open, ready to devour him whole. Edylle's muscles tensed, and with a burst of speed, he dodged to the side, swinging his sword in a wide arc. The blade met the creature's limb with a resounding clang, sparks flying as the metal connected with the unnatural flesh.

The impact sent the creature reeling back, a deep gash oozing black ichor where Edylle's sword had struck. The beast let out a guttural howl, its many eyes flashing with rage. It lunged forward once more, its claws aimed at Edylle's head.

This time, Edylle was ready. He ducked low, his ears flattening against his head as the claw passed over him, slicing through the air with a deadly whoosh. In a fluid motion, he twisted his body and drove his sword upward, the blade plunging into the creature's chest.

“Raakashak..” He whispered.

A black fog had formed around the creature, as it stood still. It seemed as it time was frozen, as orange feathers fell.

[ Crack.. ]

The being instantly looked down to see multiple white skeletons, crawling up its body while ripping it apart.

Patters of light feet would circle around the being, but it couldn’t see from which direction. The sword was driven through it, so maybe they ran away in hopes of retreating from danger.

It smirked, until the sound of 2 feet, turned into 4. Then 8, then 16, then 32, then 64, then 128.

All of the sounds overlapped eachother, circled eachother, and overwhelmed the beast. The creature would flail its arms around them, expecting to hit something.

[ CRACK! ]

[ Woosh! ]

The fog was dispelled, with nobody in its line of sight. It turned its back to run away after looking around for a couple of seconds.

“KRAAAASHAAAAKK!!”

“Grkrrk?”

A black afterimage of a claw would speed down from the sky, as a bloodied Edylle would send it down at the monster. His eyes were rolled to the back of his head, yet he still held on , he was a symbol of hope for the village.

“KRAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” The creature had screamed, as its whole body was separated into 1/5th of what it was.

The creature's thrashing grew weaker, its movements slowing as the life drained from its twisted form. Finally, with a final, pitiful groan, the beast collapsed to the ground, the forest floor trembling beneath its weight.

Edylle stood over the fallen creature, his chest heaving with exertion. His sword was embedded deep in the monster's chest, and he had to brace his foot against the creature's body to pull it free. As he did, he noticed a sharp pain in his ear and reached up to find blood trickling down from a jagged tear in his left ear, courtesy of one of the creature's claws.

"Are you alright?"

Maeve's voice was trembling as she stepped forward, her eyes wide with fear and concern.

Edylle gave her a nod, though his expression was strained. "I'll be fine. It's just a scratch."

Although he said this to make sure Maeve wasn’t worried, he was missing a finger, a chunk of his ear, and a canine. It wasn’t very believable, and she found it ironic.

He sheathed his sword and turned to survey the area. The forest was a mess, with trees uprooted and the ground torn asunder. But the monster was dead, and the immediate danger had passed.

"Let's find the children," Edylle said, his voice firm despite the pain. "We need to make sure they're safe."

[…]