He opened his eyes, clawing at his ragged clothes. The melted flax fused to his skin in a gruesome cauterization. Fires raged across the village; one house splintered and exploded, then another collapsed. Fluttering embers danced around a robed figure, their icy blue eyes piercing the darkness. From their outstretched hand, a blazing inferno erupted, devouring everything in its path. As his festering skin was consumed by the fire, the man screamed.
The massive creature hurled itself towards Kai. Outstretched claws met empty air as Kai dove to the side, dodging the attack. The beast growled in annoyance. Its provocation was met with a steely gaze from the dark-haired boy. The knife in his hand was pointed towards it. At about 8 inches in length the blade most definitely was a lethal weapon; but in the hands of an amateur like Kai, it wasn't ideal. He swung wildly as it tried to approach, snapping its jaws. Its lithe and powerful body drew back from the weapon. It was ferocious, but Kai never wavered.
Its second attack was met with the cavern wall as the young man clumsily avoided death yet again. His knife caught the pelt of the beast but failed to cut through the matted fur. Rearing its head, and bellowing with an earth-shaking roar, it turned around once more, confused. Kai silently slipped behind the beast and hopped on its back, like one would to a raging bull, driving the knife into its shoulder blade.
With a howl of pain, it bucked him off which sent him crashing against the wall. Thus knocking the air from his lungs. The blade in its shoulder joint drove deeper in the monster's flesh, severing the joint from within, its right foreleg going limp. Kai gripped the base of a shard of bone he picked up from the floor. It wasn't much, but, it would have to do.
A veiled woman walked briskly down a hallway, dark and grungy; the walls covered in grey paper. A single light hung from the ceiling. Her green eyes behind the veil were filled with unbridled fury. Bursting through the door, her heated voice echoed out. "Sorin. What in Zephyrus' name have you been doing all day? We're swamped with the recent attacks and our resident swordmaster is doing nothing but sitting in his room moping."
The man looked up, his dark brown eyes meeting hers. Then, with a shake of his arm he got to his feet,
"Evocum Gladium De Saxo" his hand glowed a deep black, then his forearm, a straight double edged sword burst from the ground, made of a lusterless grey steel. He caught it with his outstretched hand.
"I guess it's high time I got to work then, your holiness."
His eyes lost their deep brown color, replaced by a shining grey.
"Penetra Terram."
Long jaws of earth rose from the ground and swallowed him. The room shook, and the blonde woman was left alone.
"Pfft, showoff. At least that lummox finally got off his haunches."
She shook her head and silently left the room, rushing back to the medical ward.
The fiend struck out once more, Kai gripped the bone and whipped it out towards the monster. It whistled through the air and struck true, right into the eye of the beast. Taking the chance while it was temporarily stunned he ripped at the blade inside of the creature's shoulder, unfortunately it shattered a few inches from the hilt, leading to a jagged end. The rest of the shattered weapon sunk further into the struggling creature. Without missing a beat he gripped the creature around its neck and quickly drove the broken edge into the struggling creature's open eye. It howled, losing its balance as it flinched onto its lame leg. It hit the ground with a loud crash as Kai began to run.
He had won, he didn't know how; but he had won. A euphoric sense of accomplishment filled him as he ran. Not daring to slow down, he continued to run until his breath was ragged and his muscles ached. He had made sure to run along the stream, in the case that any small settlements were nearby. He had discarded the broken weapon back in the cave, leaving it impaled in the beast.
Kai felt like he had the whole world in his hands, a creature he had never even heard about, was subdued under his hands. The very moment he thought this, sharp claws dug into his back, ripping through his shirt and piercing his flesh easily. The joint of a leg folded against his body, its structure failing. The back of his shirt was stained with blood, and his eyes slowly closed, feeling the crushing weight of the beast on his back.
He had lost, he didn't know how; but he had lost.
He was such a fool, a prideful fool, for stopping to rest before reaching safety, and now, that arrogance would be his downfall.
A low hum sounded from the beast's maw as it leaned over, jaws slowly closing over his head.
"Arcus Ferrum"
The beast keeled off his back, its claws ripping out of his skin as it fell. He vaguely sensed a figure above him before a warm glow enveloped his body.
His eyes closed.
The priestess was a spirited woman, unfazed by much; but she frowned, her hands pressing into the back of a wounded boy. It wasn't the wounds that gave her pause but the state of the now dead beast. She shook her head, it was a tier zero, a monster equal to an awakened human but the fact that this boy had stalled it without immediately succumbing…
He had potential.
The shredded skin slowly reached out, ethereal strands connecting jagged pieces, stretching them, muscle rippled over bone, then skin over muscle. The transformation was quick and silent, golden light fusing mutilated flesh. Waving her hands once, the blood coating him disintegrated. The boy had been healed.