Shadows moved like sharks in the fog came out from the forest edge. Tim watched in fascinated horror as the backs of massive beasts crested above the layer of mist. Huge brindle bodies rose into view, lined with barbs and bristles large enough to spear a body clean though. Their faces had four beady eyes filled with mindless malcontent. Massive tusks jutted up in painful directions from warthog-like snouts. Every snort caused a breeze and every step a tremor. They surveyed the area like apex predators who knew no fear.
Then one looked at Tim.
“Akuma Sow – Level 17” Analysis quickly flashed.
Five of the massive beasts approached the wreck for a second helping, but Tim could only see one. He became locked into the creature’s four swine eyes, like a mouse in the shadow of a cat. His knuckles went white and his sword shook in his hand as the beast casually approached. Instinctual terror clawed at his parched throat. His knees shook as he felt his own mortality thrown upon him. The Akuma Sow took another step forward and Tim’s mind went blank. The sword fell limply from his hand.
Somewhere behind Tim, the others were shouting. Emi had climbed up on top of the carriage with McKenzie. After a brief round of unpleasantries, they drew their bowstrings. Carnage ensued.
Tim slumped onto ground unable to resist. The pressure of death glowered down upon him. A bolt of brilliant light streaked from McKenzie’s bow. It flew through Tim’s vision, but he only saw the reaper. The arrow punched through the sow’s loin and out the rump. The beast yelped and jerked its head towards the carriage like it had been struck by an angry wasp. Tim could finally breathe again.
The five beasts charged. Tim picked up his sword and scuttled backward. The thunder of their hooves shook the ground so violently he couldn’t stand. Two more shimmering arrows pierced the crazed hog before it crashed into the carriage. Tim sucked in a breath as McKenzie grabbed onto Emi and leaped from their perch, just as it rolled out from under them. The black carriage tumbled end over end and landed on its side deep in the fog. Emi pushed McKenzie off after landing. They spent a moment to curse at each other before darting off in opposite directions. The sow stood and tried to shake free the wheel stuck on its tusk.
Tim watched frozen as Ikko approached the Sow as if he was waiting for this moment. A flash of light burned from Ikko’s short sword a moment before it was jabbed into the monster's side. He held the blade up as he ran under the beast. Sliced open from breast to belly foul viscera rained upon the ground. Ikko popped out the other side and headed to where Emi landed.
To Tim’s left Katsuki yelled something and a two-foot slab of rock rose violently out of the ground. One charging sow caught its foot and tumbled at full speed, its face plowing into the earth. It skidded to a stop a few feet from Katsuki, tusks sticking up from the soil like fossilized trees.
Katsuki ran from the creature, but Randal dashed to it. Tim wanted to scream but his throat wouldn’t let him. He felt the shadow of death over his friend as he felt it upon himself. The sow stirred and Randal would die, but he couldn’t look away. Demise came as a glowing blue blade that schnicked though the air. It passed effortlessly through a leg massive enough to overwhelm any normal sword. A rainbow of blood rose as the leg fell. Randal cleaved a second leg from the beast before it noticed the loss of the first. Never to stand again the creature sucked air in violently. Tim clawed his ears as the sow’s squeal ripped into him like rusty nails.
An earthshaking thud jerked Tim’s attention away. Behind him Genzo stood on a collapsed sow, driving his sword into its skull like a jackhammer. Tim jumped when he felt something on his arm. It was the calm hand of Yuma. He could see worry reflected in her sleepy eyes. He thought she was about to say something when he heard a scream.
Hayata had followed the traditional technique and planted his spear against the charge. The beast impaled itself. But Tim had made the spear too sharp. Instead of stopping or even slowing the monster the spear had slid effortlessly through its shoulder. With a flick of the snout and Hayata was gored by a tusk.
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Genzo roared with bloodlust. He flung himself from the head of one monster and charged at the other. The hind legs were clipped off with two quick slashes. The sow tossed Hayata aside as it collapsed onto the spear. It bucked with death throws as Genzo leaped on the monster’s flailing back. Oblivious to the barbs and spines tearing into his skin he carved into the creature. Blood poured from him and sprayed from the sow. With a madman’s howl and bloodshot eyes, Genzo hacked away long after the beast stopped moving.
Yuma ran over to Hayata and Tim followed. Poor Hayata gargled blood that spurted up his throat. His chest blew blood bubbles from a punctured lung. Tim wanted to look away. He knew that he couldn’t save Hayata any more than he could save himself. This world would claim his life, all of their lives. They were all but was moments away from passing on. But Yuma knelt down beside him and started to pour in the miracle of magic. Before his eyes, the wounds closed up and the pained look on Hayata was washed away with drowsiness. Then Genzo screamed again, and Tim saw him leap from the mutilated beast and run off towards the last, his wounds already closing up.
Tim held his sword unsteadily as he offered what little protection he could to Yuma and Hayata. Around him, the anarchy of battle; blood, screams and animal noises shook the air. Arrows pelted into the last sow. There was a flash of fire from Katsuki. The sound of metal scraping bone as Ikko deflected with his shield. The smell of burnt flesh and fresh blood saturated everything.
With the creatures slain the atmosphere grew quiet. The lull brought renewed courage to Tim, but it was a false sensation. Above the mist, a trumpeting roar echoed like thunder. The buck of the pack arrived in its full majesty. He stood tall enough to nibble at the trees and towered above all like a king among beasts. Its thick muscles were bound like ropes and rippled under the skin with every earthshaking step. Its tusks were swords and its blackened horns were spears.
“Akuma Boar – Level 32” announced Analysis despondently.
The creature brought four beady eyes to bear on Yuma, who was awash in regenerative magic. Tim held his sword valiantly as he shook under the creature’s presence. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flicker of movement. Crouched in the fog was McKenzie who once again started things with a bang. Her bow glowed for a moment before a streak of light traced out and pierced through the monster’s pride.
All four of its eyes went wide as it screeched a few octaves higher than before. Enveloped in furry it shook, stamped and kicked over trees. It spun around and dragged its tusks in the ground ripping great furrows in the earth. More arrows pricked it as the boar thrashed about. The air ruptured under its screams. And then it bore down upon Yuma and Hayata. Every step gouged out great divots as it charged.
The tremors knocked Tim to the ground beside the injured Hayata. He looked up just as the sight of the beast grew to fill his vision. The monster’s spread maw reeked of death and threatened to swallow him whole. Tim held out his hand as if block the view from his eyes. He was going to die. Devoured, trampled or gouged this was his end. He felt death on every level. Neurochemicals flooded his brain and he no longer felt pain. With his senses deadened and his mind calm Tim was ready to transition to the next life.
Tim closed his eyes peacefully and at that moment felt all of reality flowing through him. Vast amounts of magical energy poured out from Tim’s core. It found its way through his arm and to the ring on his outstretched hand. The mana overwhelmed the ring’s circuit and blew out the capacitors to the sigil network. Tim’s mana drained instantly as the monstrous beast’s mouth collided with the barrier.
Tons of enraged beast crumpled at full speed against an unseen wall. Its tusks cracked and shattered. Its jaw twisted sharply and nearly snapped off under the pressure. Under the immense flow of mana, the sigil divided like a self-reproducing cell. The new equations stacked and divided again. A fractal-like design of interlinked networks grew in metaphysical space. The monster’s neck twisted and splintered as it pushed forward, but the barrier did not budge. Instead, it divided again. Inertia spent, the monster fell in torpor at Tim’s feet.
Broken and fractured the behemoth labored for breath. It stared down its long snout at Tim with four pathetic eyes. Tim returned the gaze. He saw the same look of sad acceptance returned to him. They both recognized that this was the end. Tim felt the end of his old life and the end of this old creature in the same moment. Swords pierced its armored hide. A part of Tim died along with the beast.
The pain slowly brought Tim back to himself, as if it was the feeling he was most familiar with. With the last of his strength, he shrieked in uncontrollable agony. He gripped his left hand tight and finally pulled his view down enough to see the copper ring partially melted onto his finger.