The crack of bone and wet tearing filled the air as the monster's jaws ripped into the lifeless body of their missing comrade.
"Dear God…" Jace whispered, backing up.
Next to him, Corwin clenched his blade. "That was Ferrin…"
The monster's eyes—wide, feral, and glowing faintly red—snapped toward them.
It roared.
"Positions!" Thierry barked, drawing his blade in one smooth motion.
The monster lunged like a beast unchained. Its claws sliced through the air with unholy speed. Jace and Corwin flanked it while Thierry stood at the center, leading the formation. Blades clanged. Sparks danced. The creature was fast and relentless, but their teamwork kept it from landing a clean hit.
Still, it wasn't going down.
Blood spattered. The monster's skin tore, its limbs bruised, but it fought with no sign of pain. Then, with a sharp hiss, it caught Thierry's sword mid-swing and slammed him into the muddy ground with terrifying force.
"Thierry!" Jace shouted.
The monster jumped back, crouching low—and then something changed.
Steam rose from its wounds. Flesh re-knit before their eyes.
"…It's healing," Corwin muttered grimly.
He then rushed to cover Thierry while Jace took the offensive, slashing with all his strength. Thierry rolled back to his feet, gritting his teeth through the ache in his ribs. His clothes were torn, face smudged with dirt, but he wasn't out of the fight yet.
He nodded at Corwin. "Let's finish it."
Together, they charged once more, steel flashing in the moonlight.
The same pattern repeated: the monster fought just enough to create an opening, then backed away to regenerate. This time, when it lunged forward again, the trio was breathing hard, sweat streaming down their faces, their bodies bruised and scraped.
The monster lashed out—fast and wild.
"Move!" Thierry shouted.
Jace's sword came down in a clean arc—only for the creature to lash at him with its right claw.
"NO—!" Corwin threw himself between them, activating his skill.
Parry.
There was a violent crack, then a thunderous boom as Corwin's blade met the strike head-on. The impact tore the monster's right arm clean off, blood spraying like a geyser.
Corwin groaned in agony, falling to one knee, his left arm now hanging limp and broken.
The monster screamed and stumbled back, blood pouring from the stump.
"Now!" Thierry bellowed. "Don't let it recover!"
He and Jace pressed forward, weapons striking faster than the monster could defend.
But it didn't retreat.
It went into a full defensive crouch, shielding its exposed side with what remained of its left arm.
Jace charged in for a finishing blow—but the monster twisted at the last second, its claw ready to impale him.
"Jace—!"
Without hesitation, Corwin, battered and bloodied, threw himself forward once again.
He activated Parry with his remaining hand.
The impact cracked his blade and his bones, but deflected the blow just enough. The monster's left arm shattered completely, reduced to splintered bone.
Thierry's eyes narrowed. He vanished in a flash.
He reappeared midair, just above the monster's head.
"It's over!"
With a clean, powerful slash, he decapitated the creature.
The monster dropped to its knees, head rolling across the dirt like a discarded mask, before the body finally collapsed.
Silence.
The men stood still, panting, the sounds of their own breathing the only thing left in the night.
Then something began to shift.
Steam hissed from the body. The monster's darkened, clawed form began to lose shape—deflating and receding.
Before their eyes, it transformed back into a humanoid form—a gaunt, pale man in tattered clothes. His face still bore a tortured expression, mouth frozen in a scream of pain.
Jace took a step back, stunned. "It was… human?"
"Not just that," Corwin muttered, grimacing through the pain. "It… was one of us."
Thierry stared at the corpse for a moment, his face unreadable. Then he turned to Jace.
"Get a vial. Take a blood sample. We'll burn the rest."
Jace nodded and went to work as Thierry limped over to Corwin, helping him up. Corwin tried to chuckle but winced in pain instead.
"I think I'm done swinging swords for the week," he muttered.
Thierry smirked. "You'll live. Barely."
Once the sample was secured, they doused the corpse in oil and set it ablaze. The flames danced against the night sky, casting flickering shadows on their worn faces.
The three men, bloodied but breathing, began the slow walk back to the stronghold.
End of chapter 20