“Here it comes, BRACE!!” The men in front stiffed for the impact as the force equalled to a strike of several bears rammed toward the barricade formed by three large shields. Normally speaking, the reckless tactic would be broke by the onslaught due to insufficient hands. “You are unlucky today, beast.” The shield formation held without a flinch with the line of shields flared with intense bluish light. The light formed a thick barrier with an insignia of the head of a roaring lion sat on the centre of the perfect square, layered on the middle of the cross. The beast hissed with resentment as the formation stayed intact, obstructing its way to a great feast. Undaunted, the beast charged again.
The charging beast has gone unchallenged in this part of the region as it ravaged the walks and creeps of the forest, and attacked the farmland and plantation nearby. The locals seemed to be unable to deal with its threat. Unhindered to feed and grow, the beast matured to more than six flings tall and eight flings in length as its twin heads bore vicious and menacing teeth, and powerful ripping claw, capable of biting through steel. Coated in thick warm fur that dismissed arrows and spears with ease, it also sharpened its tails into three piercing beasts of its own, ready to spike into its enemy. However, it could be meeting its match today.
It jumped to more than two flings in height to leap across the shields, but they saw it coming and the shields were raised. A Maeist stood behind the formation and touched the shield knights while chanting. His short neat hair of myriad mix of black-white ruffled slightly on the wind as the thick barrier of the line of shields instantly transformed into a semi-circular barrier bearing the enlarged insignia of the Centalion squad. Together with the Maeist, the shield knights moved as the formation took one step forward. The sudden development threw the beast off its guard as the shield formation rammed into his exposed belly on the mid-air of the jump and bunted it rolling across the narrow opening. A slender figure slithered from the side of the formation and dashed across the distance between the beast and the formation. A rapier appeared out of nowhere from the dashing warrior and grazed across the cheek of the right head of the beast before it could recover from its daze.
As sudden, a pair of cursive spearhead-like tails circled and thrust to the warrior. With fast reflex, the warrior evaded the left spike and parried the right one. A gleam of slicking spear circled over the blind spot and struck down when the knight was parrying the second tail. Detected the ruse, the warrior quickly repelled the second tail and turned and shifted to the left as the hidden third tail narrowly missed the head, grazing the helmet on the right, and knocked it off the warrior. Realising the danger of prolonging the deadlock, the warrior jumped lightly backwards and avoided a swinging left from the beast while locking the beast at the sight.
During the brief deadlock between the warrior and the beast, the shield was dispelled and returned to the line of shield barriers as the shield knights moved their formation toward the beast. They stopped and braced as the rapier warrior retreated from the beast and retired behind the shields. Brushing her right cheek where the impact was felt, Cassia reached and released her blond hair from the chignon while taking a deep breath when a voice came from the front, among the shields. “Reckless. Don’t underestimate a Vorgion just because we have slew something stronger.” “I did not. I saw a chance and took it.” “And?” “See for yourself.” Smiling proudly, Cassia looked to her handiwork as the beast approached the formation once again. The cheek which Cassia slashed across reached to its eye as the left eye of the right head flowing in a crimson stain.
“My, my, you gave it a scar and a reason to see to us dead or die trying.” “Shut up, Julian. What don’t you go and face that thing instead of holing up in here?” “That is your job, Cassy. A Maeist doesn’t go gaga with a sword.” “You... Hey, say something back to him, Pop.” Cassia motioned to another member behind the shields. With his baldness and beards covering the side of his face, the man called Pop was also cladded in the light armour which bore the Centalion insignia as Cassia was. A long and intricate spear was held firmly on his hands as he eyed the beast with intense focus. “...One more time calling me Pop and you are dead, girl.” “...Sorry, but I don’t remember that ridiculously long name.” Pop flared out at the mention of his name. “Silence, Clypeus chump, as if you can appreciate the fabled history and honour bestowed on the name...” The shield knights on the front row sighed. “Here they go again...”
A sharp and resounding cough cut through the bickering from the back precisely as the shield knight at the middle of the formation interrupted the heating argument. “Ladies, don’t make me turn sideways and let the beast have you.” “...Sorry, Cassian.” “Hmm...!” Pop turned his eyes away in contempt as Cassia and Julian apologised to the shield knight. Again, the shields received another swing without recoiling. “The beast is observing us, don’t shame yourselves and get us killed. It is time to finish it.” “Saying that with such ease, you are not too shabby yourself...” Cassia muttered silently as she retying her hair into a simple knot. She knew that Cassian knew it as a matter of fact. They had gone through Vorgions for countless time. They could do it; it was a fact.
Strategically speaking, the engagement with the beast was calculated from the start. First, Cassia and Pop scouted and sought out the beast. They knew the nocturnal nature of the beast and purposely angered it by making loud noises. Awakened abruptly by the disturbance, the beast was also hungry. They lured it to a narrow riverbank with a small river on the right and a steep stony high ground on the left where the rest of the team waited with the hilly slope at their back to limit its flexible movement and give it an impression of weakness. Of course, there were more surprises installed for the beast, but it would be more effective by saving them for the last.
Enraged by the wound but wary of the tenacity of the barrier, the Vorgion started to observe its enemies with swings of claws. Ineffective, the beast took some steps backwards and charged once again. This time, it planned to pound the barrier with the power of its front paws combined with the sheer weight of its body mass which amounted to half a ton. The barrier might not be able to endure the deadly pressure. The shield knights anticipated the move. The frontline proceeded to dispel the combined thick barrier and changed to individual shields of barriers. They opened the formation with gaps between each shield and retreated by two steps as the Vorgion leapt toward the barrier.
Hitting nothing but air, the surprising development confused the Vorgion as it landed on its front paws, with its full body weight on the ground. Unable to offset the burden, the soft soil of the river bank sank as the Vorgion’s posture crumbled and tilted toward the sinking dirt. With its front paws suffered from the strain of its body weight, the beast could not regain its ground. Seizing this opening, Pop darted toward the beast with his spear aiming at his front as the beast was bathed in a splash of water flushed from the high ground on the left. A figure wielding a large halberd stood on the high ground, observing his handiwork as Cassia joined Pop in the all-out attack as they charged at the dazzled beast.
Pop incapacitated the right head of the Vorgion as he impaled the surviving right eye deep into the skull. The force stunned the Vorgion as the beast roared with pain and fear. The tails sliced at Pop but he released his grip on the spear and retreated backwards as Cassia deflected and parried the tails. The formation of shields had already reached within two steps from the beast by the time Cassia fended off the tails and regrouped with the formation.
Driven by its instinct to escape, the Vorgion turned and ran from the formation. However, another team was waiting for its retreat as the flare of a fire orb flashed directly on the surviving head, stunning the beast still on its paws. A shield knight stood with his shield ready in front of the new team, flanked by two rangers with throwing knives and bows with another Maeist standing behind, outstretching her hand as she cast the fire orb toward the beast. The rangers quickly drew their arrows and aimed for the eyes. An excruciated roar was heard as the beast lost its vision from the precise shots.
Sensing the end, the man on the high ground quickly descended from the height with a jump, aimed at the spine of the Vorgion. He channelled his weight to his halberd which smouldered with an intense crimson tip as he landed on the beast and crushed its spine in one thrust. The rest of the shield knights rushed and plunged their weapons imbued with their Breath to the beast. A dying roar spread across the forest near the river bank, sending birds and creeps to flight. The Vorgion fell to its side, blood oozed from several vital points as it bulged slightly from quivers of blood loss. The teams quickly regrouped and checked on the dying beast. “Whew, that’s that.” “....Quingon...” Cassian glared at the reckless but light-spirited heavy lancer who grinned fiercely with his oriental bisque feature and long dark hair tied into a ponytail. “Use your head before jumping off to the thrust...” “Hmm, hmm, right...” “Listen, you fool...”
As if it was the normal scene, the rest of the members went about their business. Olwen and Lowen, the twin brothers of shield knights who were with Cassian’s team, busied themselves cleaning and checking their shields. Julian was bringing out some provisions. Pop was wiping his spear off from blood and fluid. Cassia was cutting the loots from the Vorgion. Teeth, tails, hide, scale, claw, and some fine meats. It was lucky that the Vorgion did not consume any human yet. There was no residue of human bone in the belly and the flesh did not smell the way it did for some beasts which had tasted human flesh. “...Shouldn’t you regroup with your team before you think of jumping? Do not forget you are the team leader...” “By the Seer’s bosom, will you get off my back? I was trying to DO my job now...” “Your vulgar disrespect towards Mistress Seer...” The bickering of the leaders of both teams continued.
“Stupid Quingon, of all spots, why do you have to choose the spine? Now it’s all broken. The lovely meat tore into a bloody mess!!” “WHAT?! Are both of you have any decency? Ganging up on me. It is done. Did you get me? DONE!!” The broad and towering Quingon with almost seven flings jabbed his fingers at the man with his equal size on the chest and walked off to his team. “HEY, STOP!! QUINGON, I HAVEN’T...” “Brother, it is useless to argue with Quingon. Bring your complaint to Merri.” “...Yeah, she should have reached Tressmoor by now. If everything’s good, she will bring some hands to get this beast away from the forest by late afternoon.” “At last, a night in a bed.” “Make sure everything is prepared when they arrived.” “Yes, sir.” Cassia began to walk away before she turned back, remembering something. “By the way, do you know how is old Floki doing?” “...From the last letter, he seemed to be very busy, taking on the mess left by old Grawy...” “...Grawy...” “Alright, we will know more of the incident once we reached Tressmoor. Now, get on your feet.”
Leaving Cassia to her task, Cassian went to tend to his equipment and let out a sigh. It was unexpected that an entrance to the accursed Abyss could appear at the south-eastern of Thamathus. According to the record gathered by the sources of Jercflosey, these entrances, often appeared, in the form of caves and mazes, away from Jercflosey, some as far as the end of the continent. It was unknown of the cause of the distance but was largely attributed to the presence of the city which expanded the art of Maeism and the Union system to the whole continent. The sudden appearance of the entrance did not pose an immediate threat as the entrance did not unleash monsters and harmful miasmas yet. However, its presence would draw large and ferocious beasts such as the Vorgion, and it presented long term perils on the surrounding woods and creatures by gradual mutation. These entrances also found to be driving people to madness and hallucination in some cases. In normal circumstance, a notification will be received and an expedition will be arranged to seal the entrance in two months’ time.
The reckless campaign of Knights of Sheldon changed the situation. “Old man Grawy, what are you thinking?” A man of Grawyrad’s calibre would not risk such a careless decision. Probably, something to do with the Tress family. Perhaps, Grawyrad was drawn into an unfavourable position and forced to comply with the suicidal act. He had heard about the internal dispute that could have crippled the whole city had Grawyrad did not act. Either way, the city’s only Union was left in tatters and Grawyrad was dead. How many have died inside that cave? His hands tightened at the grim thought of the casualties. Daelous. He had known the young and promising man with a clean and gentle face for some years. Introduced by Grawyrad, he noticed the underlying strength beneath the calm demeanour as the young man was smiling sheepishly at Grawyrad’s old jokes. He instantly felt something akin to the slightly younger man. Every time he passed by or came to visit, they always went for a drink at the Union bar, enjoying the rowdy roughness of Tressmoor. He even thought of recommending Daelous to take the Trials of Worth to join the ranks of Jercflosey. Those Tress bunches would have a lot to answer. His lips pursed in a hint of rage and bitterness as he finished with the shield and gazed toward the direction of Tressmoor.
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