Tales from the Wilds: III

What was meant to be a cohesive hunt had quickly become a scramble for out would-be heroes to get themselves in order, having been ambushed by the very beast that they were hunting. While the others were largely panicking, the Axol Varram did not for a second dally to consider his options and instead acted on instinct. That being to protect his allies by meeting the Cervidae’s charge with one of his own

“COME ‘ERE!” Just as the beast was beginning to gather momentum, it was nearly stopped in its tracks by Varram grabbing on to its horns and attempting to keep it grappled in place. Key words being nearly and attempt. For a moment it had seemed to work, but the wet ground left by last night’s rain had made the soil muddy and far from stable to stand on.

Varram slipped, a potentially deadly mistake. Failing to regain footing, the Furor's Crown continued its charge, dragging the Axol along with it into a nearby tree, slamming the young man’s back against it with a sickening crunch. The shock Varram to release his grip, falling down on his butt and barely able to keep himself seated against the bark behind him. The monster happily makes use of its newfound freedom, raising its front hooves to trample the weakened man…

Only to be interrupted by a burst of flames from its right flank, forcing it to back off.

“Yeah, that’s right! Keep your stinking feet off him!” Screamed Kern, expending his limited supply of liquid fire from his alchemist gauntlet. Before the beast could bring its rage down upon mud covered little Magllaecian man for getting in the way of its pray, it became the victim of a barrage of arrows from its left flank. Enraged, it turned to face the source of the less scary but much more prominent pain, only to be met with an arrow to the forehead. Unfortunately for the Veston archer, the skull of beast was a thick one, the arrow lodging itself without being able to pierce the cranium. Luth is left with no choice but to flee, using the trees around her as cover to prevent an all our charge from the antlered monster, starting a deadly game of cat and mouse as the two began circling around the flora surrounding them.

The distraction may have served to further anger her pursuer but bought her companions a sliver of much needed time to orient themselves. Kern crouched down next to Varram, practically throwing off his backpack to take out his medical supplies, running what little of a diagnosis as you can manage from a quick glance at the lack of external injuries and the context of the crunch from before whilst fishing out what remedies he has on hand.

Meanwhile, the horned Regius Mei had finally given up on her search for the buckler she usually used along her short sword, concluding that she must’ve accidentally placed it in someone else’s bag or something. Cursing at her mistake and her waste of time, she quickly drew her blade and rushed to aid their archer Luth who was beginning run out of breath.

The Cervidae grunted in pain, Mei proving to be incredibly quick on her feet and closing the distance between them and delivering a swift slash at the animal’s shoulder. Backing away, it was clear the cut had been deep enough to cause the creature to limp slightly. Unfortunately, it hadn’t managed to completely deabilitate it. Moving forward, it mimicked the swordswoman in swinging its broad antlers vertically at her which thankfully proved to be simple for her to duck under. Furious, it kept swinging its head around which Mei would happily allow, believing that it was not only exhausting itself but surely that it also had to be disorienting. She smirked, recognizing that the beast must surely be in its death throes to be lashing out so desperately. The smirk quickly faded when she felt her foot back into something as she backstepped from another sweep.

At her feet laid Luth, having apparently tripped up and was clutching her side. Now standing much closer, Mei could see that her pale companion had not managed to keep her distance as smoothly as Mei had. Luth’s clothes were in shreds, revealing several buises and cuts. Whatever had happened to her side was obscured by her hand, but it was clear by the crimson stains around it that it was far from good.

Facing back toward their pursuer, she froze up. She could hear shouting around herself, but it simply didn’t register. All she knew was that she was forced to make a choice. She could dodge to the side again, leaving Luth to be trampled by the beast. The pale woman was already practically out for the count unless she could receive immediate aid from Kern. The other choice would be to stand her ground, putting herself in harm’s way to face the creature head-on. A foolish decision really and she knew it. What could she do against the oversized deer in front of her, which she knew could spell her end with but one well-placed strike? Really, the choice was obvious.

She lowered her stance, raising her blade to ready herself to use the monster’s own strength against itself, hoping that by reaching out to meet its rush with a stab of her own would force it to impale itself… She knew it was suicidal to try something so risky, and hell she wasn’t sure it was even possible for it to go down as she hoped it would. Even so, she was determined. She didn’t sign up to become an adventurer just looking for fame and fortune. She was going to save people. She was going to save people damnit, and she wasn’t going to toss away her ideals for some fourfold curse big game!

All that determination blew away as she saw the creature rise on its hind legs to kick her. She knew she wouldn’t have the range to meet it with her stab. Her heart dropped, fear swelling like a clump in her stomach. Her legs shook, barely keeping her upright in face of her death. Flinching and shutting her eyes, memories of home flashes before her. The village she had long considered boring, where every day was the same. Where they fished and farmed by day, and shook in fear during night, praying that no savage from the wilds or monster would terrorize them. In that split moment, she wanted to go back. Back to her family and old friends. ‘Ancestors, please…’ she quietly prayed.

But it never came.

...

Her death, that is.

Confused by the lack of impact, she reopened her eyes to the sight of the Furor's Crown remaining on its hindlegs. It seemed just as confused as her, shaking to struggle something off… which Mei then spots to be a pair of large arms wrapped around where the upright animals equivalent of a waist. With a roar, the man she realizes is none other than Varram lifts the beast up off its legs, bending and bridging his back legs to slam the creature head first into the ground behind him, the force of which not merely snapping its antlers pushing the arrowhead that had remained embedded in its skull up until this point through the cranium, cracking it and finally piercing into its brain. It spasms at this, before falling limply as Varram pushes it aside.

After that, all is still for a moment. The previous tension slowly absolving as it sets in that the beast is dead and relief can finally wash over them-

“Varram you dipshit, I told you not to overexert yourself!” Shouted Kern, rushing past his muscle headed compatriot to aid the far more injured noblewoman. “When are you people going to learn that my potions aren’t freaking panacea-!”

The stunted man continued to ramble as he checked up on Luth, though his words went over Mei’s head. She could feel the adrenaline leave her body as she dropped to her knees, trying to subtly dry her watery eyes.

“Hey, at least I’m not the dumbest here!” Protested Varram to the choice words that Kern spewed, turning his head over to look to Mei from where he laid on the ground with a shit-eating grin. “If I didn’t know better, I’d wonder if you wanted to be stepped on~”

“Oh shut it!” She shouted, but much as she hated how unserious he was about it all, she couldn’t help but smile through her tears. By the ancestral heroes, they lived. They were all going to have to lick their wounds, but they lived! She couldn’t help but be overjoyed.

Didn’t stop her from picking up some mud off ground and throw at Varram for his comment. Pervert.