The ranger, and the goblin quietly made their way in a single file line, closer to the decrepit wooden shack, careful not to accidentally alert their quarry by the crunching of grass. Vern took up the lead, knees bent in a half-crouch as he took each light step with bow in hand, the leather pouch used to hold its pieces was rolled up and tied to fashion a quiver strapped to his right hip, with a bundle of twenty silver arrows sticking out, fletching first. Zee was right behind him, clutching one of her tribal spears in hand as she matched his steps with simple cloth-wrapped feet.
Cathleen and the guards watched from a safe distance, awaiting the signal to approach. It was agreed to let the trackers scout ahead first. The guards’ armor, while protective, would be too noisy, possibly alerting the beast to their approach. Their equipment, consisting of almond-shaped kite shields bearing the Vickwood emblem, standard guardsmen spears, crossbows, and pouches full of silver crossbow bolts lay on the ground nearby next to the weighted net and a large bundle of rope, ready to be picked up in a moment’s notice.
As Vern and Zee inched closer to the building, he absorbed all the details he could note about it. The shack was small, about nine by nine feet wide and eight feet tall, made of rotted cedar wood with a simple triangular roof that extended slightly out in front of it creating a two foot deep overhang supported by simple beams on each side. The whole structure had an unnatural lean to its left side, as if a strong wind could topple it over. The shack was overgrown on all sides by bushes and grass, obscuring its foundations. A gaping hole where a door once stood faced the direction they were approaching.
The duo stopped a few paces away from the front of the shack. Vern peered into the empty entrance to see a few beams of light shining through the hole-ridden roof. The interior was mostly empty, save for a large hole in the center of the shack’s wooden floor, leading to the dirt basement, which was deep enough to where he couldn’t see the bottom from that angle. Smeared dried blood led to the hole. Zee knelt beside him, sticking her spear into the dirt and sniffing the air before hurriedly covering her nose in disgust. They exchanged glances before giving each other a nod in understanding.
On all fours, Zee crept silently closer to the shack with slow, deliberate movements, balancing most of her forward weight on her fingertips. Vern watched on in anticipation, observing the goblin’s practiced movements, like a predator stalking their prey. She was an expert huntress afterall he thought. She stuck her head inside the doorway, turning it to press her ear against the rotted wooden planks, holding her breath as she listened. After a moment she carefully backed away, rejoining Vern as they both quietly put some distance between them and the monster’s lair.
“I heard breathing. I think itsh ashleep.” Zee informed, a sly smile forming on her face. “We got it right’ere we want it!”
Vern turned back to look at the group of guards waiting for them. “Perfect, then let’s not waste anymore time.” He proclaimed before unsheathing his sword, raising it high above his head, slowly rotating it to reflect the sunlight off the blade towards the group. Cathleen responded with an open palm salute before the all began gathering up their equipment and starting toward Vern and Zee’s position.
He waited until they were within earshot, sheathing his sword before speaking. “Our target is definitely in there. We weren’t able to get a visual but all signs lead to here.”
Cathleen spoke up. “What’s our plan then Ranger? Ennie is right, we can’t engage it in such an enclosed space, we’ll have to draw it out somehow.”
“Could we set fire to the shack?” Garran asked inquisitively, stroking his mustache as he spoke.
“No.” Vern responded, turning back to look at the structurally unsound building. “We can’t risk setting a wildfire, with the grass being as dry as it is, we’d set the entire countryside ablaze.” He began rubbing his chin in contemplation. “We can’t wait for it to come out on its own either. It’s a nocturnal hunter, we’d be at a disadvantage fighting it even at dusk.”
“Even if we don’t burn it, there’s no point in leaving that dusty box intact anyways is there?” Ennie interjected.
“No there isn’t” He replied, whipping his head back around to face the others. His eyebrows furrowed as his lips pulled into a slick smile, giving off the impression of a conniving fox. “That’s why we’re gonna tear the whole thing down on top of it.”
***
The midday sun shone overhead as Vern finished tying the rope end to the left beam holding up the shack’s roof before quietly sneaking back to rejoin the others several paces away. Standing up straight and dusting his hands off as he got close. Everyone else was already holding onto the rope, in order of Cathleen, Jano, Garran, Ennie, and Zee, with Vern taking up the rear behind her, the net set on the ground beside them. The plan was simple: after pulling the shack down onto itself, the beast would emerge from the rubble, and likely charge towards them. The guards would set up a defensive line with their shields and spears, with Vern and Zee ready to heave the net from behind them. Once an opening was available, they would ensnare the monster and shoot until it is slain.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
“On the count of three!” Cathleen shouted over her shoulder. Everyone braced themselves in response.
“One…two…THREE!”
The group simultaneously pulled the rope taut, heaving with all their strength. The shack creaked and buckled, only for a moment. With a loud snap the beam gave way, with the rest of the building following thereafter. Crashing in on itself, from the roof, to the walls, all the way down to the wooden floor, cracking and splintering the wooden planks as they fell into the hole in the ground, burying the beast within. A large cloud of dust was kicked up obscuring the aftermath.
“Release!” Cathleen commanded the moment she saw the beam snap. All the guards obeyed, dropping the rope and lightly stumbling backwards but not falling over. Zee, pulling with all her might, accidentally flung herself back by the sudden stop of resistance, stumbling backwards into Vern, who reflexively bent down to catch her.
Swooping down with hands outstretched underneath him, he caught her by the shoulder blades, stabilizing her before she hit the ground. “Woah! Hey are you alright?” He asked concerningly.
Zee with her arms outstretched to catch herself craned her neck back to look up at him, eyes wide in surprise and mouth slightly agape as she tries to process what just happened. She didn’t respond as they held each other’s gazes for a moment, before her face began to flush, turning her cheeks and nose from a pale green to a light orange as her ears burned
She gulped in embarrassment before finally nodding her head in response. “Mmhmph…” she barely muttered through pursed lips.
“Everyone on your feet!” Cathleen barked, raising her shield and spear, and widening her stance into a defensive posture. The other guards followed suit, standing shoulder to shoulder forming a wall in front of the ranger and goblin. Vern gently pushed Zee back to her feet before they both took up opposite ends of the net, dragging it out and readying it for throwing.
Everything was quiet as the dust settled around what remained of the shack. Vern peered over Jano’s shoulder, who was furthest right in the formation, eyes trained on the pile of splintered wood and broken boards. A few seconds that felt like an eternity passed as everyone held still, anticipating the beast’s retaliation.
The wreckage began to shift and creak as muffled high-pitched growls rose in volume as the beast clawed its way through the collapse. The shuffling grew into a rumbling just as loud as when the building crumbled to the ground. Suddenly a massive feline paw shot out of the rubble, digging into the earth in front of the former shack’s entrance, immediately followed by another paw,as a mound of broken planks began to rise out of the pit.
A large pair of batlike wings forcefully flung out, flinging away several broken boards off of itself as the rest of the beast’s upper torso came into view, before pulling the rest of itself out of the wreckage. Even from a distance of about thirty feet, Vern could make out the monster’s several distinct characteristics.
It was big. On its four legs it would stand shoulder to shoulder with the largest brown bears. Unlike a bear however, its frame was lithe and slender. Its pelt was tawny and short furred with a lighter underbelly. A narrow head with a broad nose, lighter muzzle, and piercing yellow eyes ringed by dark circles that blinked agitatedly in the sunlight. It wasn’t the face of a savannah lion, but a mountain lion. It stretched and flexed its large wings, batlike in shape, covered in fur matching the rest of its coat on the overside, with their underside being a hellish maroon with black streaks striking across it like lightning. Sharp pale quills rippled down the beast's back, reaching the base of its thick black scorpion tail, which curled up over its body, solidifying its monstrous appearance.
The beast shook off the remaining dust and splinters before locking its attention onto the group, dropping low into an aggressive stance, flattening its ears back as it bared its fangs in a silent hiss. Tucking its wings to its flanks, it slowly began to stalk closer to the party, tail whipping from side to side.
“There it is!” Jano hoarsely whispered, tightening his grip on the spear’s shaft.
“Hold position.” Cathleen calmly ordered. Her voice was unwavering in the sight of approaching danger.
A bead of sweat was forming on Vern’s brow as he tugged on the net, testing its weight. The net was about twelve feet in diameter, with fist-sized iron balls ringed around its circumference. It was cumbersome to move, let alone throw. Which is why they needed to wait for the right moment to strike. He glanced across to Zee who gave a quick nod in acknowledgement before they both turned their attention back to the monster.
The manticore crept silently closer, its massive claws scraping the earth with every step. Until it stopped about fifteen feet away, eyes darting left and right to each figure in front of it. Its tail raised up, ready to strike.
But it didn’t move, it didn’t so much as budge an inch or flex a muscle. It just stared down the group of armed humans before it, studying them. None of the guards dared flinch or shift as they squared off against the monster. Vern could hear his heartbeat rise in tempo as he held his breath. Waiting for something, anything to happen.
Nothing but the gentle summer breeze, stirring up the grass could be heard as the tension in the air continued to stretch, about to snap like a rope.
Suddenly the Manticore reared back onto its hind legs, towering over the group at twice the height of an average man. Outstretching its wings even higher above itself as its chest expanded taking a deep breath. Before slamming its heavy forelimbs back onto the ground, whipping its head back as it let out an ear-splitting shriek into the air.
GGGRRROOOOOWWWWWOOOOWWWWWWW