I stared down at my hand. It was soaked red in blood. My ears rang as the roars of the mathears all died out, the two behind me locked in battle with each other while the one in front recovered from the blow by the broken wall. I looked over to the woman whose leg was trapped under a piece of rubble. Because of the way she was trapped, she was forced to stare at the solo mathear, her hands clasped over her mouth and tears streaming down her face. I turned back over to Hector, my body seeming to move in slow motion. He looked horrified, but he still held out his sword in front of him, towards the dueling mathears. I looked back down at my hand, still drenched, and wiped it on the front of my jacket. It didn’t come off.
The only thing running through my mind was the words, “What would he do?” There was only one answer, and I knew it, but fear kept having me ask the question again and again, perhaps a hundred times every second. No matter what I did, we were all probably going to die, but if I did things like him we might have a chance. That seemed to calm me, excepting that death was likely. With no other options, what was the point of being afraid?
I took a deep breath, staring at the staggering mathear in front of us. “Hector, use your sword as a lever to get the rocks off her leg. When she’s free, help her get out of here. I’ll hold the mathear off.”
“But– but what about them,” Hector stammered, pointing at the two dueling giants behind us.
I turned to him, staring right in his eyes. “I need you two to get out of here, safe and sound. Those two haven’t noticed us yet, but when me and that one,” I pointed in front of us at the mathear who was almost recovered, “start fighting, they will. I’ll protect you while you run away.”
“But Sean, I can–”
I didn’t let him finish his words, walking away and towards the dazed beast. Hector would listen. He had to.
The mathear roared as it set its eyes on me, then sped towards me so fast that its body seemed to blur. The beast was known for being strong, fast, and deadly, but its speed was the least remarkable thing about it. It could run twice as fast as a human, and react about the same as well, but it was nowhere near the speed of a small rabbit-like creature that no one was able to catch. The Snow Skip Spell was completely untested while I also had my ice prosthetic, so I had no idea if my artificial leg would crack, or if both spells would fail completely. It didn’t matter though. I had to use it, or I was dead.
A lightning quick paw twice the size of me blurred into my periphery, and I connected myself to the Nex all around. It flooded into my Soul like a raging river, allowing me to feel all the water around me, including the snow and ice. I could feel the two powerful Souls behind me still fighting, and the two dull ones that were limping away. Winter was flying above, her Soul calm and tranquil, even in the presence of danger. Most importantly of all, I felt the terrifying Soul in front of me, as well as the snow just under my feet.
With a small, but powerful, flex of my Soul, I pushed the snow against my heels, directing it to send me forward and to the right, dodging the mathear’s paw and getting behind it. I watched its claws slice through the air and stone I was just standing on as I flew away. I landed against the stone ground, my right leg hitting first and sending shockwaves of pain through my body, but I was able to keep my balance. The ice prosthetic had cracked slightly, but I didn’t bother fixing it. I had a chance to end this beast now, and I wasn't wasting a single moment.
I pulled out my bow and knocked an arrow, aiming it for the back of the mathear’s head. Directing water with your Soul was difficult without also moving your physical body, but I pushed water out of one of the sacs at my side and onto my arrow anyways, coating the arrowhead and solidifying it into ice. It was a similar spell to the ice prosthetic, enforcing the stone arrow and making it stronger. I could only hope that it was enough to pierce the mathear’s hide. A proper archer could kill any beast with one shot.
I had spent months learning how to aim, how to properly wield, and how to properly use a bow. My father drilled it into me, reminding me of the importance of not relying solely on one weapon. I had taken it seriously. Magic was my primary focus, but spending time and learning from him was just as important to me. I let out a breath as I loosed the arrow, just like how my father had taught me.
It flew towards the beast and shot into its neck, the shaft of the arrow sticking out. Blood spurted out from the wound, but the mathear didn’t fall. Instead, it roared, louder than I had ever heard one of the beasts before. The sound caused me to shake, and I struggled to knock another arrow. I took in my surroundings with my sixth sense, the only thing I could use with my ears ringing and eyes blurry. I felt one of the other mathear’s Soul flex, like it was about to use it, and the third’s Soul seemed dim. Hector and the woman were no further away than they’d just been earlier.
A raging spirit filled with power lunged for me just as I recovered from the mathear’s roar. I pushed myself backwards with the Snow Skip Spell, feeling more cracks develop in my leg and more of the pain seep through. As I flew through the air, I knocked another arrow, coating it with ice as I did so. In front me, lunging through the air, was the mathear’s face. Its jaws were gaped open, wide enough that my whole head could fit, and two black beady eyes stared directly into mine.
This was it. The beast had lunged before I got the spell off, and If I didn't kill it now, I would be torn to shreds. Not only that, but one of the other mathears had noticed us, and would be on Hector and the woman in a flash. I had to kill it with this shot, or it was all over. I aimed my bow, staring directly into one of the beast’s eyes, and loosed the arrow. It shot straight into its eye and the mathear’s head jerked backwards, blood trickling out from the new hole in its head.
I slammed to the ground on my back, the mathear’s body following soon after and pinning me to the ground with its limp paw. A claw fell right onto my upper right arm, sliding clean through flesh and bone and out the other side. I screamed in pain, but still pushed with all my might against the beast's paw, trying to free myself. The claw slid out of my arm, but I couldn’t get free in time. Two roars erupted from the other mathears, and I could feel their Souls surging with power.
“Hector, run!” I yelled, helplessly pushing against the dead beast as I felt one of the mathears charge. He didn’t run. I couldn’t see him, my vision blocked by a giant white mass, but I felt him hold still. He was standing his ground, ready to take on two mathear’s by himself. “Idiot,” I choked out as I kept trying to get free, tears forming in the corners of my eyes.
As Hector prepared himself to die fighting, something I never wanted him to do, I felt another dull Soul run near. It jumped in front of Hector, taking the attack of the mathear from him. I heard a sound of metal clanging, and a familiar voice yell loudly. “What the hell are you doing out here!”
I freed myself from under the mathear’s lifeless body, finally able to see what was happening. Morrison stood in front of a cautious mathear, whose arm was bleeding. Behind him was Hector, who still had his sword raised, and the woman, whose leg was mangled beyond recognition. I ran towards them, my arm hanging limp at my side, as the mathear swept at Morrison again. He readied his sword to block the strike, and I sent a scythe of water towards it. The scythe dug into its fur, but it was barely wounded. Ignoring the paper cut I gave it, the mathear’s paw swept down at Morrison. He rolled to the side, keeping his blade between him and the beast, and dodged the attack.
Another roar came, but it wasn’t from the beast Morrison was fighting. The wounded mathear, the one that lost the fight with its brother, stood to my right, its back against a stone wall. I wanted to scream with it, the pain in my arm and leg desperately trying to overwhelm me as my ears rang. I had already killed one, and I barely had anything left, but here was another one ready to fight.
The roar died down, and I watched as the beast limped towards me, its eyes filled with hate and hunger. Hector came up to my side. “We can do it. Morrison can handle that one, and we can kill this one together.”
“No. Do as you're told and take that woman to safety already,” I said, walking towards the mathear.
Its leg was bleeding, and it didn’t lunge for me like the other had. It seemed to study me, instead, its eyes glaring as it tried to walk. We remained fixated on each other, waiting for the other to make a move. It was just like a duel, the two opponents preparing themselves to fight. I took a heavy breath, trying to ignore the blood running down from the hole in my arm, as well as the pain. “Just one more,” I said.
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I took the first move. Launching myself forward with the Snow Skip Spell, I closed the distance between us in an instant. The mathear was surprised, but it reacted quickly. Its paw came down on me, but I already had an arrow in my hand. I had left my bow on the ground by the first mathear, accidentally dropping it when I was tackled by the giant beast, but I wouldn't have been able to use it with my injured arm anyway. Instead, I simply plunged the arrow into the beast’s stomach like a spear, using the speed from my spell to pierce its hide. Then, a second before the beast’s claws dug into me, I snow skipped away, dodging it. Using the spell twice in a row like that nearly shattered my prosthetic, especially with how much focus I was putting into other spells, but it was still barely managing to stay stable.
The stab to the mathear’s stomach seemed to wake the beast up, the pain I'd given it reinvigorating it. Its Soul surged with power and, even with its wounded leg, the giant lunged for me. I used Snow Skip once again, dodging to the right, causing the mathear to pounce onto the stone ground, staggering it. I wanted to capitalize on its sudden disorientation, but tearing pain shot up my leg. It was like the muscles were ripping away from my bone, and it caused me to miss the landing of my Snow Skip.
I landed on my back, knocking the wind out of me, and I was left stunned in pain. I layed there, gasping for air and trying to sit up, hoping that I wasn’t killed while I tried to regain myself. I looked over to the mathear, only to find it still on the ground. It was trying to force itself up, but it was struggling. I turned down to my leg. The spell had fissures all throughout it. Pieces of it were missing, and only about half my leg was covered by it now. I hurried to reform it, my breath still missing from my lungs.
The mathear growled as it stood, a more sinister noise compared to its terrifying roar. The beast’s head turned, its eyes filled with fury, just as I managed to fill my lungs again. Then, it lunged. It roared in pain as it leaped, blood gushing from its leg, but that didn’t stop it. It was coming straight for me, and I hadn’t managed to repair the prosthetic yet. With no other option, I Snow Skipped again.
The world went white. I couldn’t even remember what direction I’d launched myself in, nor did I feel when I was on the ground again. I was just suddenly somewhere else, drowning in a sea of pain. I could barely think, every impression I tried to get of my surroundings distorted and distant. My leg was like a hot fire, blazing brighter than the sun in my mind. I knew the prosthetic had completely shattered. It was the only reason I could be in so much pain. My leg was left completely defenseless from the force of the Snow Skip Spell.
I stared up at the sky, seeing the stars that were just emerging as the sun retreated below the horizon. It was so beautiful. Everything out here was beautiful, even the giant monster that was preparing for another attack. I searched around with my sixth sense. It was difficult with the pain, but I did it anyway. Hector and the woman were gone. Morrison was still fighting the other mathear, but I breathed a sigh of relief for the others. They were safe. I’d done it. He would be proud.
A warm wet sensation on my hand broke through the blindness of pain. It was faint, barely there through everything else, but it reminded me. This wasn’t enough. It wasn’t even what I originally set out to do. Sean had to do more. This wasn’t over yet. It would never be over.
Another growl rumbled to my right, and I finally turned towards my opponent again. It was just as hurt as I was. The beast was still struggling to stand, trying to push itself up with one of its paws. A looked a little pathetic, barely able to stand with the wound in its leg. It reminded me too much of myself. I mimicked its movements, pushing myself onto my feet while favoring my good leg. There was only so much pain a person could feel at one time, and I was sure I was already at my limit, so it wasn’t that difficult to bring myself to my full height in front of the mathear. I was a third of its total height.
The beast lunged again, putting everything it had into this final attack. It didn’t even care if it lived long enough to eat me anymore. It just wanted me to die alongside it. I wouldn’t give it the satisfaction. I Snow Skipped, putting all of the pressure on my good leg, but the force of the movement still hurt worse than anything I felt before. I didn’t let it blind me this time, and arrived at my destination.
I landed atop the mathear’s back, wrapping my good arm around its neck. It roared again, and I could feel the vibrations with my hand on its throat. It sent chills down my spine. I reached for an arrow with my injured arm, searing pain shooting through me, but I ignored it. The second my hand was on the arrows shaft, I started reinforcing it. By the time I readied myself to plunge it into the beast's neck, the arrowhead was twice its normal size. I stabbed, and the arrow sunk into flesh easily. Not even a second later blood spewed out of the wound, and the mathear’s roar went quiet.
As the lifeless beast fell to the ground, taking me with it, I glanced back towards Morrison. He was directly in front of his mathear, sword plunging deep into the beast's chest, but its arm’s still swung at him. I conjured another scythe of ice, using up the last of the water in the sacs at my sides. Restivus had done this exact spell before and was able to completely sever a mathear’s arm before. If he could do it, I can. The scythe launched towards Morrison’s foe. It landed, forming a deep cut on one of its arms, but it wasn’t enough.
The mathear’s claws dug into Morrison’s back, who let out a scream. It clung to him as it fell onto its back, finally dying from the sword in its heart. Both of the giants hit the ground at the same time, kicking up snow and dust all around the area. I slipped off my beast, landing on my side to try and avoid hitting my injuries, and used the dead mathear to lift myself up. I stood there for a moment, trying to decide whether reforging my ice prosthetic or walking with my cane would get me to Morrison faster. I decided to reforge my leg, using the nearby snow to fill my waterskins as well.
It took about a minute, since my body and Soul were exhausted, but when I was done I ran over to Morrison. The tip of his sword was poking out of the mathear’s back, but the rest of him was completely covered by the giant beast.”Morrison! Morrison!” I yelled, but only heard muffles back. I manipulated a large mound of snow to lift the beast upward, pushing it off of Morrison. He coughed up blood as he struggled to breathe, and was laying in a pool of more of it. I was at his side in an instant.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked through bloody coughs.
“Doesn’t matter. I need to get you bandaged up and out of here.”
He grabbed my arm, “Won’t– Won’t do anything. The poison.”
“I can take care of the poison.”
I lifted him onto his side, revealing his wounds. Several deep gashes in his back were pouring out blood, and white crystalline structures were spreading all over his skin. I pulled at the mathear’s poison with my Soul, but stopped when Morrison began screaming,
“Stop! Stop! There’s too much!”
He was right. I could feel it spreading through his body, turning his skin to ice. “I can at least try to stop the bleeding,” I said, lifting him up into a sitting position and reaching into my pack.
Morrison looked over to the other two mathear’s, “I knew you’d piss them off.”
“Not by choice,” I said, wrapping the bandages from my pack around him. “I thought you left with Blair.”
Morrison coughed up more blood, then responded, “Cade went with him, but he’ll be back by the end of the year. That school he went to has their own guards, which means my duty is finally over.”
The blood kept coming, soaking through them and forcing me to wrap more around him. When it finally stopped I’d used all of the bandages up, leaving none for myself. I stared down at the hole in my arm, which was still bleeding. I grabbed a handful of snow and used it to cover the wound, then froze it with my Soul. I let out a groan of pain as I did so.
“You need to get out of here,” Morrison said.
“I– I can’t. I need to find someone to help you get back then I–”
“No! Damn it Sean, just get somewhere safe! You don’t need to be out here, and I… I’m not going to make it back.”
“Yes, you will. I’ll make sure you will. I’ll make sure you both will.”
Morrison turned back to me, a frown and scowl on his face. “Who else are you trying to save?”
I stared at him, unable to answer. I didn’t want to answer. Morrison shifted and layed down on his back, staring up at the darkening sky. “Morrison,” I tried to say, “I–”
“I’m from outside of Dousin,” he cut me off. “It was a small village a bit farther down the mountain. It was just a small community of farms, similar to the ones that provide food for the Frost Feast each year. I hated it there. I wanted to be more than a farmer. I wanted to be a soldier. A hero.”
“Why–”
“Mathear’s are a threat to everyone in the north, but they rarely enter human settlements. When we spotted one outside the village, we were wrong to ignore it. I lost people. I lost so many things. People die, Sean. I know you know that, but sometimes it takes too long for it to kick in. It took way too long for me. I came to Dousin, still chasing that dream to be a hero. Chasing revenge. I wanted to kill every last one of those damn beasts for her, but then I learned I couldn’t. Even with all of my effort, I was never able to amount to anything except being a babysitter. There’s no such thing as a hero Sean.”
“I can’t just… She’s going to…” I trailed off, unsure of what to say.
“I’m sorry about your father,” he said, surprising me, “He seemed like a good man, but that doesn’t give you the right to run into danger. People die, and you could die too. Stop getting yourself into trouble, and stop trying to be a hero. I don't want you to die too.”
I stayed silent for too long, thinking. He was right. I was in a lot of pain, and if I didn’t get my arm looked at soon, it could be damaged forever, just like my leg, but I couldn’t bring myself to give up. My hand was covered in too much blood.
“She’s out there, alone and scared. She has no idea what’s happening, and it’s causing her to harm others. I know you're out here to go find her, which means there are other guards already ahead of me, but I still have to try. I know I’m not a hero, but my father wanted to be, so I want to be,” I said. Sean had to be a hero. “Come on, I have some catching up to do, and I still have to get you back into the walls.”
I looked down at Morrison, but he wasn’t moving, nor did he respond. Blood trickled out of his mouth, and his eyes were glossed over. He was dead.