With a powerful swing, Charles drove the pickaxe deep into the swine's bloated belly. The point sank in, its handle trembling with the force of the impact. A roar erupted from the creature, but it wasn't a cry of pain—it held something far more disturbing.
A torrent of blood gushed forth from the wound, its putrid stench fouling the air. Greyish ooze splattered onto the ground, mixing with the soil as the beast's snout contorted with an almost perverse joy.
Charles froze. The scent and texture of the blood triggered a horrifying memory that threatened to shatter his composure. It was just like the Reapers from Earth.
Shapes of the attacking swine dashed past, disregarding the small, huddled group by the stream. Their attention was fixated on larger prey beyond the hills. Arthur swung his weapon at one of the passing creatures, but his pickaxe only found empty air.
"Damn!" Arthur roared, his gaze shifting to the looming threat. Quickly realising that the bigger threat was here, and the other farmers would have to fend for themselves for the time being.
Charles attempted to retrieve his pickaxe, but the handle proved slippery and unyielding, coated with the oozing grey blood. It appeared the creature's body had been infected by the same ink-like substance he had seen in the event books.
“Shit!”
Regret coursed through him as he realised that in his haste, he had forgotten his book.
Arthur ran forwards and was about to deliver a powerful blow when the creature effortlessly seized the tool and ripped it from his grasp, flinging it into the distant grassy field and laughed.
As Ellie hurriedly retreated, seeking refuge behind Charles, she clutched the tiny crystal protectively, her expression both fearful and determined.
Charles' mind raced as he shouted, “let’s…”
Charles was interrupted when a massive, fleshy fist struck his side. The force of the blow sent him hurtling through the air only to crash down and skidding to a stop in the middle of the stream. His skin tore upon impact, staining his clothes with darkening blood. He fought to breathe as his chest felt like a giant hammer had just struck him.
The swine ignored Charles' crumpled form and lunged forward, its colossal hands snatching the large farmer before him. Lifting him up with massive arms, it was as if Arthur were a mere child.
Ignoring the embedded pickaxe in its belly, the swine regarded Arthur with a predatory curiosity. It sniffed at him, contemplating the kind of meal he would make. Wrinkling its snout, the creature casually discarded him aside with a heavy thud.
“Ahh,” Arthur managed to yell as he fell across a bed of rocks.
Struggling to his feet, Charles mustered his strength and charged at the advancing swine. Its attention fixated on Ellie, who desperately tried to escape. However, within just a couple of strides, the lumbering giant snatched her up, its meaty fingers clawing at her form.
Once more, the swine's snout pressed against its captive, Ellie. The swine’s repugnant excitement was unmistakable. With a guttural squeal of delight, it ravenously tore at her clothes, its massive snout snorting and twitching with vicious pleasure. The creature relished the intoxicating aroma that emanated from its prized meal.
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Groaning, Charles tensed and sprinted toward the beast. Using the pickaxe as leverage, he pulled himself up, propelling himself closer to the creature's face.
"Here!" Arthur's voice rang out.
In a split-second reaction, Charles twisted his body and caught the rock Arthur had thrown to him. Climbing the salivating boar, he smashed the rock directly into the swine's eye with a sickening pop. Ellie screamed as she plummeted from the creature's grip, landing in the stream with a resounding splash. Thick, grey blood surged from the wound, coating Charles in its vile, viscous essence.
Losing its grip, the swine flailed as Charles tumbled away, rolling to a safer distance. The creature clutched at its face, not in agonizing pain, but in annoyance that its sight had been impaired.
Charles scrambled desperately towards Ellie, his shins scraping against the rough rocks as he fought to position himself between her and the ravenous beast. The swine let out a thunderous roar of frustration, its massive frame striding menacingly towards its stolen meal. It growled at Charles with a guttural menace as an obvious message of frustration.
In a desperate attempt to distract the swine, Charles hurled the rock at its chest, only to see it bounce harmlessly off the beast's thick hide. Undeterred, the swine continued its advance, a long, glistening line of drool dangling from its menacing jaws. Its gaze fixated on the exposed skin of the struggling woman.
Just as the swine prepared to lunge, a sudden splash echoed from around them. Startled, he turned his gaze downward, just in time to witness clear water surge upward, forming a protective barrier between them and the charging beast. The water pooled around them like a shield, its power rippling through the liquid like a wave of raw energy.
The swine's meaty paws slammed against the surface of the water, its assault thwarted by the unexpected barrier. Taken aback, the swine recoiled and growled in frustration. It lunged forward, repeatedly smashing its weight against the water shield.
With each blow, the barrier seemed to diminish, its power fading as if drained by the forceful strikes. Ellie's voice pierced through the chaos, a desperate cry of "No!" as she clutched the clear stone tightly in her trembling hands.
After two more bone-rattling blows, the watery shield burst in a torrent, drenching them all in an instant. The power contained within the water had been spent, leaving them exposed and vulnerable once more.
The swine, its frustration replaced by a wicked expression of triumph, took another deliberate step forward. Its eyes gleamed with sinister hunger as it savoured the imminent capture of its prey.
The swine looked down jaws grinning down at Ellie's crumpled form.
“Stop!” Charles shouted. But the Wine ignored him. And loomed over her form.
In a sudden flurry of wings, a figure clad in black descended from the sky. The moon's ethereal glow illuminated his shimmering cobalt blade. With unmatched agility, he plummeted onto the Swine, plunging his slender blade into the creature's skull. The remaining eye of the Swine bulged for a fleeting moment before glazing over, its life extinguished. The weight of the creature teetered dangerously before being yanked backwards by the man's superhuman strength.
Charles stood in stunned silence, his gaze fixed on the spectacle unfolding before him. As the mass of flesh rolled away, revealing Ellie unharmed, relief flooded through him. He rushed to her side, enveloping her in a tight embrace as she sobbed with a mixture of fear and gratitude. Blinking back tears of his own, Charles turned to the stranger, expressing his heartfelt thanks. However, the man seemed indifferent to his words, his attention fixated on the lifeless corpse sprawled before him. With a swift flick, he retrieved his slender blade from the creature's skull and took a step back, his eyes fixed on the oozing blood pooling beneath the lifeless form.
The something strange happened. The swine's skin lost all semblance of colour, draining away into an eerie pallor. The pooled blood seemed to possess a life of its own, slithering towards the lifeless body. Sensing the impending danger, the man in black swiftly moved towards Charles and Ellie, pulling them to their feet with urgency.
His voice rang out, filled with urgency, "Get back!"
In a haunting transformation, the lifeless swine rose from the ground, its body now infused with a new and malevolent power. The once-living monster had metamorphosed into a nightmare.
As memories flooded into Charles and Ellie's minds, they knew exactly what this was.
It was a Reaper, a harbinger of death and despair. With a mixture of horror and determination, Charles seized Ellie's arm, guiding her away as he shouted to Arthur, "Run!"
The Reaper, now a vessel of darkness and ancient power, stood upright, devoid of life yet brimming with a menacing purpose. The battle was far from over.