Chapter 6: Dark Forest.
"Everyone, get up!" A scream rang through the forest.
...
"Hmmph, just give me another hour," Starlight mumbled. He slowly rolled over on his back and placed his hand over his ears.
Boom!
Starlight immediately sat up, blinking profusely, trying to adjust to the surrounding darkness. When his eyes finally adjusted, he saw the decapitated head of a monster lying right beside him.
Starlight flinched and frantically crawled backwards.
The monster's head was covered in blood-stained fur, its bloodshot eye eerily staring right at Starlight.
He stared into its eyes, his stomach turning before he took his eyes off the monster. Starlight scanned around the campsite, all five of the warriors were fending off beasts. His eyes locked onto Godric, and the spiked mace he swung around. Right before a four-legged, dog-like monster swiped its paw at Godric, the young man stepped back, raised his mace, and smashed it down against the creature's head.
Starlight shifted his head over to a taller and larger man, who was also fighting one of those furry monsters. Aster stood in a boxing stance, his hands held high around his face. Before Starlight could react, the creature fell unconscious with the swift strike of Aster's arm.
Beside him, Bram was slashing monsters with his whip, made from what seemed to be a spine, dodging attacks within a hair's breadth. His movements were like an intricate dance, mesmerizing Starlight.
Floating above him, a woman with silver armor hovered with outstretched feathered wings coming from her back. Starlight looked in amazement. It was Lyra. Her angelic white wings shone like stars had been draped across them. She held a long spear in her hand, its tip spiraled into a doubled-edged blade. Every so often, she plunged into the wild monsters, piercing them with a quick blow, then retreated to the safety of the sky.
Beside Starlight, a girl was fighting a swarm of beasts; she weaved around them with grace. With every swing, her sword pierced through the hides of the creatures. It was Liriel. He watched her for a moment, then attempted to stand up.
Growl!
Starlight flinched and turned his head. Right in front of him was a monster. Its long snout was clad in thick whiskers and sharp eyes that looked at him with murderous intent. Around its face was a mane of thick grey fur and two long black horns that curved like a mountain ram's, protruding from the back of its head. Behind the haunting head was a muscular figure covered in star-bristled fur, its four legs stepping closer towards him. Near its rear, a thin tail wagged, like a dog when it's about to eat dinner, but he was the dinner.
"Shit," Starlight scowled. The monster moved forward, growling and showing its teeth. Still on the ground, Starlight began slightly scooting back, attempting to get away from it.
The monster still pressed forward, becoming more aggressive. Starlight looked behind him, and he spotted a dagger held up against a rock. He changed his direction, trying to move closer towards it, making no sudden movements so as not to provoke the creature.
"Come on, just a couple more meters," Starlight muttered, looking back at the dagger. He turned his head, looking at the creature again. It wasn't there.
He felt time slowing down, accepting death. The monster was right above him, claws out and jaw wide open. All Starlight could do was stare into the throat of the creature, knowing he would soon be inside of it. Ultimately, he was completely helpless. What could he do? He was just a sheltered fourteen-year-old boy with no real combat experience.
Swoosh!
A sword pierced through the neck of the creature. The monster fell, skidding against the ground. Landing between Starlight's legs, its head rolled inches away from Starlight's body. The monsters' once murderous eyes fell blank.
Starlight looked up, horrified at the events that had just unfolded before him. Standing before him was Liriel.
"Get up," she yelled to Starlight. Her words jerked him back to reality, and he immediately stood up. When he got to his feet, Liriel was already clashing with another creature, blocking strikes of its paws with her sword.
"What's… what's going on?" He wanted to ask her, but didn't want to interfere with her fight, and it was pretty easy to guess, monsters were attacking them, or most likely, the forest.
Starlight glanced around, blazes of fire littered around the campsite, burning piles of wood and furry carcasses. Starlight's head spun as he took in the sight of blood; pools of blood covered the battlefield.
Splash!
Frozen in place, his gaze fell to the ground. Instantly, he held in the urge to puke; a stream of blood had formed in front of him, and he had just stepped in it.
Before Starlight could step out of the pool, Liriel pushed him away, taking his place just as a monster lunged towards where he was just standing. Its jaw met her blade, biting past it and into her armor.
She stepped back, dislodging the creature's teeth from her body. It growled and prepared to dash at her, but a powerful kick slammed into the side of its head, leaving it stunned. Taking advantage of her kick, Liriel raised her blade and pushed the tip down, straight into the monster's skull, killing it instantly.
Starlight took his gaze away from it and towards the girl.
Strands of silver hair hung down her face as she leaned against her sword, which was stabbed into the ground. Her once-majestic armor was cracked, and in several places, shattered. Crimson blood rolled down her muddy armor, mixing with dirt and saliva.
Starlight sprang to his feet, rushing over to her side. As he got closer, he saw the extent of her damage. Bite marks littered her armor, and blood splattered over her legs.
"Liriel, are you okay… Liriel?" Starlight asked, but she didn't answer.
After a few moments of silence, she whispered: "Mhm, I need to rest..."
Liriel slumped forward and collapsed into his arms. Starlight froze for a moment, then came to his senses. He wrapped his arms around her chest plate and dragged her closer to the fire.
Starlight looked around, trying to find help, but all the others were fighting their own battles.
"Damn it," Starlight groaned, still carrying the weakened body of Liriel. He looked up, trying to see Lyra.
'They were cousins; surely Lyra would come and help if she saw Liriel in this state, right?'
Eventually, he spotted her, hovering above a pack of corpses. Luckily, Lyra did meet his gaze, and taking advantage of the moment, he gestured for her to come over.
Lyra hesitated, then her eyes landed on the unconscious body in his arms. She flapped her wings and flew over to them with unfathomable speed, landing right beside the two.
"What happened to her?" Lyra coldly demanded, with eyes that looked like they could kill if given the wrong answer.
"I'm… I'm not sure, I only saw her about a minute ago." Starlight frantically explained. His heart was almost beating out of his chest.
'What if she blames me?' Starlight thought. 'I was the only one around her.'
She waited for a moment, then grabbed Liriel from his arms. Lyra cradled the unconscious girl in her arms.
Moments later, Aster ran over, his expression showing clear worry and concern for Liriel.
"We need to leave now! Bram and Godric will… huff… will follow behind shortly," Aster said, breathing heavily.
Aster bent over, motioning to Lyra to put Liriel on his back. Once she was secured, Aster looked over at Starlight and motioned with his eyes to follow.
Lyra grabbed a thick branch from a pile of wood and lit the tip on fire. When the four of them were ready, they rushed past the onslaught of monsters and right into the forest, with Lyra at the lead, Aster in the middle, and Starlight at the back.
Right before reaching the edge of the campsite, Starlight spotted the rising sun.
Hope swelled in his chest. 'If Godric was right... we might have a chance to escape this nightmare.'