Chapter 3

For what feels like hours we stare at each other, I’m too scared to honestly move. And IT like a deer in head lights is seemingly shocked with emotions to have been seen by me. The golden streetlights allow me to see it, I can’t describe it in a reasonable sense. It is a hairless and bulky thing. Its muscles are twisted around its body like thick curtains wrapped over its torso. It had human eyes facing forward on the skull, but its head is an odd bear head shape, instead of a human or bear nose it had a pig’s snot. Am I actually looking at this thing? Am I really going to die by some man-fucking-bear-pig?

My hands tremble. but God damn it, get a hold of yourself! My name is Janus not Kenny from Colorado and I refuse to die a third time!

My survival instincts finally kick in as the creature begins a sudden charge forward, and so it begins. My body grabs my head and pulls it down under my left armpit ready to hold tight. As quickly as I can, I sidestep then roll, it looked as though removing my head threw the creature in a loop of confusion as it crashed head long into the wall. The loud bang and roof tiles clutter, some shake loose and fall. I dash around the corner of the home and run as fast as I can. My body rotates my head under my arm and see what’s back behind me. The ManBearPig comes round the corner looking forward rather than to its left towards me. It was as if I had just vanished before its eyes. Then its head turned in my direction so fast I could hear a loud snap of its bones in its neck.

It charged again fast on my heels, closing the distance very easily. Only one thing for it, I’ll actually have to fight it. Unlike before when the creature moved hunched over on its knuckles, it is now running upright but still slightly sideways with a limp. As I draw my two handed sword and turn to face it I notice the animal has two left feet. I am now positive this thing is a relic left behind by the Lich King four hundred years ago.

I said earlier I pulled my two handed great sword out to fight. I really should have gotten a single grip short sword, yet my past training stopped me. I can only hold it with one hand and my head in the other! Why am I so reluctant to change and adapt?

I’ll have to fight as best I can with what I’ve got. Fortunately, it doesn’t jump or dive at me like it did at the horse, with its speed I doubt I could roll out of the way a second time. Now in front of me it reaches out to grab me. I duck under its palm and thrust at its belly. No good my right arm is strong, yet I only seem to pierce a half fingers length into its fat stomach. Then without thinking my body does a low backwards jump and roll just as it’s left claw swipes down at me. All the while we are engaged the creature is bellowing out its ungodly sounds. Its roar starts as a loud fast whistle it then gurgles into a bear scream that switch to a high pitched pigs squeal.

I then take notice of another deformity, it has two right arms. The left limb seems to be double jointed to compensate for its oddity, twisting its bones backwards to strike at me.

I try to stay out of its arms reach, first figuring out its movements. I’m ultimately terrified of its strength that is equal to its speed, it’s just monstrous. The only thing that’s keeping me alive right now is that it’s movements seem drunk. Wildly fast yet clumsy however I’ll take what I can get. I duck again with sidestep followed with a slash to its throat, it felt like smacking a wooden stick on leather.

Despite my handicap of holding my head, I think I can win. I just have to fight smarter and save my energy. We go back and forth, it swiping and punching like a drunk. Me dodging the blows then following with a slash at the joints or a stab to the vital organs.

Even though I cannot feel my body getting tired I’m sure it still has limits. I’m sure the growing exhaustion should make me nervous however the monster seems to be losing energy much faster than me. It is breathing much faster and sweating like a fountain across its hairless body.

Then the unthinkable happened, my great sword threw me off balance while I was in a bad swing. I lost my footing and to avoid a hard strike by the bear thing my body lost its grip around my head. My eyes go wide as I roll forward with no control, the world spins for a second then it stopped. I land the right way up and before my eyes I see two oddly shaped left feet. To my surprise I look up and see the monster looking down even more surprised than me.

The fight stopped for a second and the monster unexpectedly doesn’t strike at first but casually bends down to try and pick my head up. The monster seemed to forget about the fight and my body. Quickly I gave a hard slash at its out reached hand on the back of the wrist, drawing blood. as the shock of pain made it recoil back with a snarl. My body takes a low defensive stance gripping the great sword finally in two hands in a menacing posture. “Now you’re in trouble!” I yell to the creature.

I want to say I made a quick strike as the monster stood back from the pain of the cut. But something happened, before my body would go on the offensive it did something I did not imagine. I felt a hard boot strike atop my head, my body then kicked my head back like a football. The creature launched forward to attack with a wide swing. My body made a wide step back and swung a counter as my head rolled. The sword strikes the creatures hand, splitting it down the middle between the ring and middle fingers, all the way to the wrist. The monster stopped and looked at its split hand in silence like a broken toy, with a complete look of human horror it screamed at the top of its likely twisted lungs.

All the while my head rolling back hard, I close my eyes and lock my jaw tight at the pain. The feeling of no control is a terrible feeling words could not describe.

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I didn’t choose to do that, but my body made the decision maybe to better protect me. Can it really do that? I know I’ve been saying that it feels conscious yet to actually do something without my say. Has it really just been agreeing with its head this whole time? Does my head or me agree with the body? More importantly can it ever refuse?

I break away from my questions and return to the battle. Even with both hands on my weapon my body still seems to be struggling to hold his… No, my own! against the monster. The body dodges then jumps up sword held high for a downward strike. The sword gave a loud swish sound as the cut went from neck to groin. Blood gushed out like a fountain, its shoulders relax and the arms slump to both sides. For one moment I figured I had killed it finally, then quickly its arms shoot up in a double uppercut. My body flies back with such force that I actually felt it.

I feel pain from my body, I gasp as my eyes shut tight. I didn’t think this could happen, every time I believe I’ve worked out how things work I am then proven wrong.

My body smacks the ground hard, rolling with sound of my armour rattling. I could see the shine of my sword spin in the air and fall as the point tilts towards me. The blade point pierces the ground a mere fingers length away from my face. I can, for the first time in a year feel my heartbeat with fear as I look up the length of my weapon. It’s been a while since I felt that… Why? How do I feel that?

My attention goes back to the monster with my heart still racing. The creature saw my near miss with death and giggled a little. A giggle that turned into a burp. Unsurprising, however I find myself asking how intelligent is this thing to have a sense of humour?

Questions upon questions I did not even notice my body quickly takes hold of the sword in the centre of the blade and scoops up my head in its arms then began to run.

Running was again pointless as the creature sprints somehow faster than before, arms swinging like and athlete. I could feel it’s foul breath on the back of my head. Immediately I swing my sword up as I turn and try to deliver a hard overhead swing down to split its skull in two. The thing dodges by rotating its upper half to the right while leaning back to its left. For its drunk, clumsy and disfigured form plus movement up to now that was very acrobatic move. It then swings its left arm to smack me, I easily dart under and raise myself to attack again but it was a faint. As it swings its left arm over my head it swings its right spinning like a helicopter. I didn’t expect such a clever attack as the thing grabbed hold of my chest in its bloody mangled hand. Then before I even know it, threw me into the air.

The shock stunned me so much I didn’t notice my body curled up into a ball to protect my head. To top it all off I landed in the most likely yet worst place to be in this entire damned village. A beehive, it shattered with the sound of splitting wood and a storm of bee’s rushing all around. “No, No not the bee’s, God no not the bee’s!” I yell as my body rolls away as much as it can as I focus a small special spell to kill the bee’s that land on my skin with a slight static shock. Handy spell, common for advanced adventurers to use and protect from bug bites. Didn’t stop the first Twenty stings but at least it’s not a hundred.

Bee’s strike then fall dead as they make contact with my skin and armour as my body rises to its feet. Panicking I didn’t think to start running again for all the good it’s done me so far.

Looking back under my arm I saw the monster run up to where I fell, fascinated by the bee’s, waving its arms around ignoring the stings seemingly amused like a child catching bubbles. It then remembered me, turning my way with a look of embarrassment.

I managed to get a good distance to calm myself down as I run across the road then back into the village. Quickly I place my head back atop my body and hold my chin to keep it steady. I could see people sticking their heads through doors and windows asking what all the noise was. People began to exit the tavern. I wave my hand yelling “Get back inside! Get inside!”

Thankfully they complied without argument as I ran past. I slowed down, got my breath back and turned. Gripping both hands on my weapon in a guard position then I waited… and waited.

Some minutes passed with me looking at nothing, I got suspicious thinking it was sneaking up on me behind or above on the tavern roof. Sure, enough it finally appeared directly ahead of me, it looked at me with a smile. I felt my heart racing while looking at the thing as I expect it to charge. However, it just begins to calmly walk towards me. A simple walk like nothing had happened, swinging it’s arms back and forth wide like a child going to his favourite park.

I tense up as it gets closer and closer then stopped seven feet away. It’s just so random how everything just calmed down so fast. I half expected it to speak and say apologies in a posh English

accent or grunt a gurgling bark You are the Chosen One. But no it stopped and gave me a disgusting human smile while drooling and as the wounds I gave it still gush with blood. I expect it believes I can’t win and it’s looking forward to eating me.

“Janus?” My heart leaps, that voice broke the silence between me and my foe. The creature jumps with a little scare itself as it drunkenly turned towards the tavern with steps rotating. We both see Louis, he exited the tavern and was looking at us with shock, still with fear.

No, No, No, No. Louis stepped outdoors and is now in danger, he is frozen at the sight of the monster. While the Pig thing seems all too pleased for a smaller target it gave a wet smile and a casual wave with its bloody split hand. I have to hurry, I must think of something or young Louis is going to die again!

In desperation I yell “Louis, Louis, Louis!” Both of them, confused look my way as I do the one thing I swore never to do. I grab my head off its shoulders and call out, “Catch!” And I throw my head up and across to him about two heads higher than BearPig. The monster was distracted looking at my flying head. I could see its dumbfounded expression as I fly and our eyes meet, his head following mine. Louis the good boy catches me as I ordered like a ball. As the monster’s gaze was focused on my head, my body lunged forward with both hands still gripped tight on my sword. The moment I was close enough I fell to one knee and stabbed it above the monster’s hipbone angled up. I then lifted with all my fury and strength, the sword went from its right hip to left shoulder. Passing through blood, organs, bones and other things too twisted I could not describe.

I was awestruck and panting with fright, Louis caught me with both hands and I was still facing the direction of the creature and a good view of what my body did. “Wow! I can’t believe that worked.” I call out in triumph.

Well given what I’ve seen of this thing I shouldn’t totally be surprised yet a burst of pride struck me. I then realised Louis was still here, he heard me say that… I was heard and he was holding my severed head in his hands. I do not blame him for this as he began to scream and dropped my head like a hot plate as he ran fast back into the tavern.

As for the monster it lived for a short moment, my sword blade buried with its full length into the body like a scabbard. For good measure my left hand grabbed the right side of the cross guard of the sword and pulled with full strength, twisting the blade length inside the body. The monster gave no groan of pain. No scream of agony but what was I going to expect? Unsurprisingly, true to its nature and appearance it began to defecate. Loudly and very violently. As it died, I felt something strange yet familiar, I notice a flash of green in my eyes and black smoke puff out my stump of a neck. It was a kind of power. It was magic…

Finally, It and my body then fell to the ground like puppets cut free from strings. My head and body just laid there in stunned silence exhausted, I could not believe this fight happened. And what was that energy?

The still silence was broken with a voice, “Bloody Hell what is that smell!” I begin to sneer at the sound of the town’s people finally began to exit and gather. They were hesitant to approach the odd figures on the ground or the smell was keeping them away.

I can feel several people stand over my head and I believe I hear Louis’s mother. She gasped, “Goodness no. No that poor boy Janus got killed by the forest monster.” There was genuine sorrow in her voice, and I believe by the sound of it, tears too.

Now this is a problem, do I say something or play dead? Given the situation with Louis now knowing I opted for the latter. I so wish I could see the look on their faces, as the crowd suddenly gasped in fright as my headless body sat itself upright.