Terra 7: Edge of Change

Terra  7
Edge of Change

Two days would pass since Edda and Scold, and in those two days, everything felt wrong. Catherine was shaken to the core by the fact she was so close to dying. She did little since then, hardly eating and drinking only when the need caused her discomfort.

And Ak had made that feeling all the worse.

Iris never left her friends side after that. Whatever Catherine could feel, she could feel: and she felt utterly worthless. Ak’s action of betting her life made the girl wonder just how expendable she was in a pinch. “Trying to save her life indeed,” Iris bitterly thought to herself as she kept on a lookout. How dare he?! The action was so vile in the ghostly girl’s mind that she refused to believe that it did any good to anyone other than Ak himself. No person would do that! But he wasn’t a person, was? No, he was a Yonerra, like Scold, a monster like that Shifter and had no value for life.

The sound of some rocks shifting startled the two, making them focus on the disturbance. A few loose rocks and nothing more. Iris sighed to herself and put her hand to Catherine’s shoulder, making her jump again. “Ahh!”

“Easy! It’s just me.”

Catherine stared at Iris, eyes wide in fear.

“Calm down, it’s only me,” Iris assured her. At this point, she was wondering of Catherine was traumatized for life.

Catherine calmed herself. “I am sorry…”

“Don’t be. It isn’t your fault.”

“I forgot you were here, so sorry none the less.”

Iris just shook her head. Damn that Yonerra. Now Catherine was acting so submissive that it angered her. Soothingly she sat next to her, arms around the blonde girl. Catherine smiled, making Iris smile back that she was relaxed for the moment.

Ak was every bit as estranged the last two days. He would wander off more than usual, returning only if he had found something and then would leave immediately after. Other than that he would only return to sleep. Everything was on his mind, but he was notably bothered by Catherine and Iris.  

He had tried to kill a small bear earlier in the day, as it came too close to the rim as he liked. The beast, easily fourteen feet at the shoulder, was oddly undersized for bears found here. It was probably young and looking for food in the warm insides of the crater.

Irritation had driven him to chase it for a good distance before he gave up. Now he laid beneath a rock, now mauling over his thoughts.

The last few weeks had been nothing short of an uproar in his life. First the villagers offered him a slave, who then turned out to be some sort of witch who now was back to being an annoying burden in his eyes. She and that annoying thing that followed her were ungrateful. Then soon after, a Shifter of all things had appeared. It was a long way for a Shifter to come from where they supposedly were, and it wasn’t alone. Why were there two? Then to top off the strange events, the remainder had found another of his kind, which cooperated… That was the strangest turn of events of all. Yonerra didn’t just up and join armies for any reason, but this one did. Why?

Something was very, very wrong: Shifters, Yonerra, and an abnormal human who somehow ended up in a slave caravan. Lost on his thoughts, Ak found himself nodding off…

The smell of musty hay and wood dominated the air. There was dust in the air from creatures romping around. Many smells were in the air, all which Ak remembered. His gaze lifted up and then looked left to right. Now he could see the greener hills around the building he was just outside. It was a barn, a bit old, but sturdy as ever. It always kept the wet out and usually held temperature well.

“Ak!”

He looked around looking for the female voice that he heard. It made his spirits rise.

“Ak! Where are you?”

He stepped forward, ears perked. Where was she? He could see other things, like the chickens and a cow, but he also saw the other strange beasts that were in their pens, but not her.

“Ak! Come here!”

Then it was all gone… The peace, the green hills, all blacked out and replaced with darkness and fire. The barn was burning brightly. There were corpses all around. Familiar faces were among them, but not hers. Fear filled his heart as it beat rapidly. Armed men were before him, armed with weapons as they grinned with glee. The sight of these marauders and knowing they had done this filled him with hate and a lust to kill for what they did. A once peaceful life was taken from him. I was their fault!

It was HIS fault…

Now that man stood before him, tall and armored with a look of completed satisfaction on his face. Many were with him.

“Ak!” The fear filled voice called him from beyond the figures before him.  

He would not stop staining his claws with blood until he found her…

The blackness and fire overtook everything, now. Upward it surged, the darkness prevailing over the fiery gold color, the light only making out the serpentine shape high above him. Vaguely it looked like some serpentine thin… and it was staring right at him.

Ak jumped away. Despite his eyes wide open, his vision was blurred with tears. He had to blink a few times and wipe them away on his wrist before he could see clearly.

Trembling in anger still, Ak lashed out and struck the rock that he sheltered under, sending fractures through it to the point it crumbled around him. He hit the remainder of the stone several more times, more tears coming. He hated remembering! He roared and stomped around, wishing he could completely forget instead of them becoming foggy and returning when he slept!

The angry fit was not lost on either Catherine or Iris. Despite it being a fair enough distance away, the horrible noises terrified the girl.

“Let’s go for a walk,” Iris suggested, gently pushing the girl along in the opposite direction of the snarls and roars.

The more distance she put between herself and the angry Yonerra, the calmer Catherine became. The paths were a bit strange to her, but the newer sights were actually quite calming. A bird was perched on a rock and she saw one of the many lizards that lived in the numerous crags of this landscape. When she first saw a lizard here, she was surprised. Catherine had assumed the cold was too much for them, but it was notably warmer here. Now it was a common sight.

Catherine casually climbed up to a rock and sat down. This was a spot she fancied as it was easy to climb and had a good view. It was a high spot, and it looked down over a steep grade into a meadow, for all things. Not a green meadow full of flowers and birds and deer, however. It was full of darker plants, like brown bushes, and a few short trees with maroon-colored leaves. The few animals there were consisted of birds, insects, and the occasional rodent. Nothing else seemed to live there. There was no fish in the creek that ran through, either. It was still the nicest spot in the whole crater she found so far.

“So pretty,” she sighed.

In a way, it was very pretty, like tree leaves changing color in the fall. What was not to love about that? Oh, right, it was part of Ak's property. Suddenly her mood soured and Catherine felt upset again.

 Iris appeared on her shoulder, no bigger than mouse and sat there. “At least you smiled.”

“I wish we could go home,” Catherine lamented. “I was okay before, but now I really want to go home. I feel like I could try walking to the village, getting supplies, and risking it. It can’t be any more dangerous out there as it is in here.”

“At this point,” Iris added to that.

“Yes…”

A moment of silence… “Are you going to do it or what?” Iris asked.

Catherine shrugged and looked to the sky. “I’m afraid. I wish I could fly like you. Then I could just fly away and then go wherever I wanted. Maybe someplace that was like home and wouldn’t send me away just because I had an imaginary friend…”

Tiny hands touched her nose as Iris hovered in front of Catherine’s face. The tiny girl, like a perched little insect, stared her in the eye. “Know what’s funny?”

“What?”

“You want to fly, but I can fly. I would not exist because of you, quite literally. I want you to know that.”

A smile stretched across Catherine’s face. “You always say something nice to cheer me up. Thank you.” The bug-sized girl settled down in Catherine’s hands as they came up and there she sat.

The sound of scuffling made Catherine jump, and immediately Iris was full sized again and ready for a fight. A look of surprise was on both of their faces. The source of the noise was that from a dog, stone-grey fur, and it crouched in the shelter of the rocks almost perfectly. If not for the clear body shape and its somewhat messy coat of fur, it would be completely hidden on first glance.

A random dog was no coincidence, but the collar around its neck with a crystal was a dead giveaway. It carried an emblem as well on the collar. This was a trained animal, one sent in intentionally. Catherine remembered that the army of Grandelle, the massive city, had trained Seeker Dogs who went in and scouted while carrying crystals that could send images and voice messages over a distance.

That meant one thing…

“Iris?”

The specter nodded and vanished immediately. A few moments passed and she returned, flying over the landscape and landing in front of Catherine. “There are people here, Catherine!”

“People? Are you sure?”

“Very! It’s the knights from the city!”

“Knights of Grandelle?” So it was them. That Emblem was unmistakable, but she had to be sure. “I don’t understand. Why are they here?”

“Catherine, I think it’s more personal than you can guess. Ivan is with them! Your brother is with them!”
That explained everything. Catherine could feel her excitement building. “We’re saved…”

 Ak for once had no warning from his excellent hearing. It wasn’t until he heard the faint booming of cannon fire that he quickly lifted his head up to look around. By then he was engulfed in explosions. Smoke and debris clouded his vison. Quickly he stepped out of the clouds, teeth bared in a snarl. The smell of gunpowder was thick.

Turning his head toward the direction of the bombardment, he didn’t see anything. The ledges were clear, so it came from beyond. Another chorus of boom’s echoed out from over the rim, and quickly he moved as more explosives obliterated the ground.

Even as he ran, canons were being fired. This was a deliberate, calculated plan to keep him running. Wherever he was going to go, they were going to go and herd him to where they wanted. Since that was the case…

Ak changed his path, aiming straight up toward the sound of the attackers. Halfway up the slope the fire ceased, and when he got to the rim, he looked down to see several gropes of soldiers quickly packing up and retreating. They were carrying small, portable cannons with them. They wore shiny armor with that bore an emblem.

An army came to invade? A twinge of anger rose from deep inside nod escaped as a loud, hateful roar. A series of loud popping noises were followed by sparks as tiny metal pellets struck Ak’s scaly hide, making him cover his face with his arm out of instinct. More sparks flew, and soon enough, more cannons were firing. He had no choice but to retreat back into the rim of the Volcano.

Ak crept along the rocks, keeping low. Somehow they knew where he was last time, so it was a matter of time before he was going to be attacked again. Where did they come from? Who sent them? Whatever the reason, they were going to die!

His ears perked and rotated. Something was whistling through the air. For a split he didn’t know, but remembered that sound. He bounded from his spot as a massive boulder came raining down from the sky and crashed into the ground.

Catapults! They changed their tactics. Instead of giving away the sound of cannons firing, they used something more silent and unnoticed. This kind of dedication was strange to Ak, but he knew it all the same. He roared and ran down the slope, skidding to the bottom. He needed to keep moving to keep them guessing…

Quickly and quietly she ran, excited and happy. Catherine felt like she could jump through hoops. Home, she could go home! Iris went on ahead to look, leaving her alone, but that didn’t stop Catherine from going out on her own.

“Hello?” She looked around. “Hello! I’m here! Please, come find me!”

No answer came than the fighting that was going on between Ak and the Knights. Catherine knew first hand of how Ak can be, making her fear for the people come to save her. Most of all, she feared for her brother. If she could just get to them before he did any harm, they could leave and no one would be hurt.

Iris came soaring down to her. “It’s no good; they’re too busy fighting Ak. They’re all over the place trying to fight him, and I do mean all around! They have cannons, bombs, rifles and lots of soldiers. I don’t know who that monster angered, but they are not going to stop until he’s dead.”

Ak was still on his feet and avoiding to the best of his ability. The knights were quick to adapt, seeing that the Yonerra wasn’t going to be baited and so came right after him. Now they were all firing down at once, making sure that their quarry had no rest.

At the same time, Ak found it difficult to approach any of them to get a shot in. They would see him coming, and take direct aim at him. If he got too close, they would have shot him back down before he got within fifty feet of them.

Frustration made Ak irritable, and his anger was growing with each second. A thought occurred to him; as yet another giant rock came crashing down next to him: if they could throw rocks, so could he. Ak jabbed his front claws down into the stone ground and pulled with all of his strength, ripping out a massive slab of solid rock. Taking crude aim, he slung the rock mass at a group of riflemen. It soared through the air all the way up the slope, and crashed down. The humans scattered, and only three were crushed beneath the projectile.

Their brief screams were satisfying after all the trouble. Now he was getting somewhere, but in this moment of retaliation, Ak had left himself open. A cannonball struck him in the shoulder and he was flung to the ground. A lasting ring filled his ears, the skin on his shoulder split open and bleeding a river of amber-colored blood.

Just as he was getting up, another cannonball struck Ak in the back, but this time, he forced himself to stay on his feet, even when several more destroyed the ground around him. Once again he dug his fingers into the ground and began to dig, and dig; within a few seconds, Ak had vanished.

Watching from high above, several groups of warriors were positioned among the rocks. None of them stayed in place for too long. They would stop, survey the area and situation, then either move on or set up an attack.

They had been left clueless when the monster disappeared. All that was left behind was destroyed ground where he once stood. Word was quickly being passed around to all the parties to begin searching and stay alert. One group went down to the spot that they last saw the Yonerra; rubble, and nothing but the rubble remained.

Another group, a small platoon of cannons, was suddenly under attack. From beneath them ground heaved up, erupting like a volcanic eruption. The group had no chance. Several bodies were flung out and away, sent tumbling down the slope they were perched on. They all attempted to fight, but before they could set up a cannon and fire, they were already dead.

Ak casually walked away with a scowl. A few lead bullets struck him from the front. There, on yet another ledge. Without even thinking, he dug his claws into a massive boulder and tossed just beneath their positon, the rock shattering upon impact and causing the ledge to collapse. Now that he was taking care of the intruders, Ak planned on wiping them all out.

A young man stood just at the rim of the crater, a young looking man watching onward. He had brown hair and a handsome chiseled face. A great sword hung off his waist, a claymore, thick and heavy to split armor of all kinds. His armor bore the emblem, like the rest of the army.

It was a short walk from their tents several hundred feet away, where the rest of troops remained. A solider came running along from inside the crater. “The Yonerra,” he said, “it’s fighting back fiercely. We’ve lost men.”

He nodded. “I’ve see some of it from here. Thank you. Please commence the next phase, and I will follow in short.”

World quickly spread around of the new orders. Several squads of riflemen and portable cannon users that were spread out now were converging together. They fell back in rows of seven, the front rows setting up fire a suppressing fire while the others retreated.

The Yonerra had a difficult time getting anywhere near the groups. A never-ending barrage of iron pelted him, not even giving him time to attempt any long range combat of his own. Soon as a line of soldiers would fire, the next group behind them would take their place, and so forth. He was getting nowhere.

One part frustration, one part of impulsive on the spot idea, Ak threw all caution to the wind and charged the group, running straight through the hail of bullets. He barged right through the men who scrambled to get out of the way, a few getting trampled in the chaos. Grabbing one by the leg, he intended to send the solider flying through the air.

Suddenly his breath was forced out as a heavy weight struck the Yonerra in the gut.
A sudden blow sent Ak reeling back, dropping the fortunate soldier who quickly ran off after he picked himself up.

Ak regained himself and looked to the one that hit in. Standing there was a massive, hefty man who was taller than any human Ak had seen before. For a moment he thought it wasn’t a human at all since it was almost as big as he was, but it certainly was. He was thick bodied, barrel-chested and very muscular. In his hands was a great, massive mallet at the end of a long handle. It must have been several hundreds of pounds, as the chunk of metal was bigger than a human could fit their arms around.

This man got lucky once, but he would do it so easily again! He was still one human no matter how strong he was! Ak rushed forward, but to his surprise, the man pulled the hammer back with extraordinary speed and jabbed it upward. The punt to his chest stopped him mid stride, and was pushed back. In the moment of disorientation, he pulled the hammer back and swung with all his might.  

Ak felt the hammer smash right up across the face, sending him reeling far back. His jaw was sore, and felt his cheek. The pain was sharp. Blood dripped out of the corner of his mouth. No ordinary human could do that.

But he was no ordinary human, now was he? Ak stared that man right in the air and growled. The last time he saw human like this it was long ago. That thought made him remember his rage.

Ak felt his arm tense ad his fingers curled in a fist. With unnatural strength, he raised his fist eye and struck the ground. A fissure formed, racing toward the tall man. The man in turn quickly shuffled to the side, the crack snaking its way over the spot where his left foot was.

The quick side-stepping left him open. Again Ak lunged. No time to think, the hammer came up, catching the claws that came down. Ak tightened his grip, holding onto the weapon. “You can’t swing now,” he roared loudly.

“But I can,” he heard before the sound of gunfire was followed by a pain in his left eye. In a fit of pain, Ak fell backward and shrieked loudly as bright orange blood spilled freely down his face and to the ground. He held his claws up to his eye to hold it back.

A young woman stepped forward. She had brunette hair, heavily clothed and had a cloak coming off her shoulders. In both hands were weapons he never seen before, but clearly they were like the rifles only smaller. There was smoke coming from the flint of one, the gun that was used to put one of his eyes.

The woman kept the other gun aimed at the Yonerra. Again she shot, a precise hit just at the base of Ak’s ear. He recoiled, and she fired again, pulling another hand-held gun from her cloak. That was not the end, because she kept pulling one-shot hand-held guns from her cloak one after another. Each shot fired was aimed accurately at his head, something Ak caught onto quickly as he kept his good eye to the off side, but bullets still struck the vulnerable points of his head.

Finally it stopped, the girl stepping back as she pulled out a bag of iron pellets and a horn of gunpowder. The big man finally spoke. “I had this!”

“You did, and then you didn’t, Jasper.” She looked at him. “Are you going to cover me or just leave me hanging while I reload?” said the girl, gesturing with a head nod toward the injured Yonerra who was starting to regain his composure now that he sensed the pausing.

Jasper stepped forward, hammer in both hands. “Precise as always, you could have done better damage, Alesa.”

“It’s hard to aim when it’s moving around, you know. Keep it busy, I need to reload all my pistols.”

Catherine sat under a rock far away, waiting for the sounds of fighting to die down. Those screams and loud roars made her sick with worry. Iris sat with her, just barely visible, waiting out the sounds of battle. Until then, it wasn’t safe.

The sound of feet made her jump. Catherine backed up against the rock wall behind her as much as possible, with Iris readying herself for a fight.

A young man climbed down from the ledge nearby. He wore a cape, had dirty blonde hair, and carried a massive claymore in its scabbard. When Catherine saw his face, she gasped, “Ivan!” No mistaking it. Those blue eyes she couldn’t be mistake for anyone else's in the world.

Without even thinking about it, Catherine got to her feet and ran over to the man, hugging him as tight as she could. He in turn hugged back, holding her close.

“You’re safe,” Ivan said with relief, and went on to say, “I’m so happy you’re alright.”

“How did you get here?” she asked. “Why are you here?”

“To get you of course,” Ivan said while taking her hand and began to walk.

“You came all this way just for me?”

“Yes,” he answered, pulling her along and started explaining. “I heard that father sold you as a slave. I was furious and quickly rushed home to confront him. It was too late to stop what had been done, so I started to trail the caravan in hopes I would find out where you were. I finally did when I found the village to the south of here, and told me they sacrificed you to a Yonerra.”

“That’s right, they did… I have been living here ever since.” Catherine looked around briefly. As usual, Iris was nowhere to be seen. Why did she always vanish when others were around?

 “I was worried the monster may have eaten you. I was going to kill it anyway, but once I saw you were alive, I acted immediately.” Ivan stopped and crouched down in the shelter of some rocks. “Are you okay? You look okay…”

 “I am,” Catherine assured him. “The Yonerra took care of me, actually.”

  Though, she could not fully vouch for that. Last she checked her well-being seemed to be the last thing on Ak’s mind. Still, though, Ak did keep her around and protected her. Even now he didn’t try hurting her, or throwing her out.

“Took care of you?” He stopped, looking to her. “Yonerra don’t take care of girls, they eat them and anyone else they can catch. It’s already killed many of my men.”

“What?”

“The soldiers under my jurisdiction,” he told her. “Since I left to join the Corps, I have gained skill and with it rank. I am now an official knight. With my connections, I brought many of the best soldiers I could find in case of the worst case scenario. Given the situation, it was not overkill at all.”

Catherine stared at her brother, baffled. Her brother, a high respected Knight? “How did you do that?”
“No time for that. I’m gifted; keep it at that for now.” Ivan let go of her hand and looked around the corner in the direction of the fighting. “Right now your safety is my priority. Let’s go, once I have you out of here, I will take care of the Yonerra.”

Take care of the Yonerra?” What… do you mean?” She asked.

“I will kill it.”

Catherine held onto what she heard. After all she seen of Ak and heard about Yonerra, it seemed impossible that he could be killed. The thought came to her though… should Ak be killed? The battle raged on, she could hear it clearly. Maybe it was possible, but killing the other person… well, he wasn’t exactly a person, no was he. She was unsure how to feel about it.

Ivan led her along, stopping several times to look around. The fighting got louder, meaning they were closer to the battle; too close. The sounds of crashes and gunshots could be heard a short distance away. Catherine’s brother looked over the ledge of their hiding spot and sighed.

“The closest path to the camp is not an option,” Ivan said while watching the fight. “There are other paths, but they are too far away, and I am not entirely sure of their terrain. We chose this particular direction because it was obvious how stable it was.” Slowly he sat down and closed his eyes. “So the only way through here now is to stand and fight.”

“Do you have to,” she said and quickly added “I’ve seen what he can do.”

“There is no other option.” He looked at her. “No matter what, I want you to stay hidden and at a safe distance. Do you understand me?”

  Unsurely, Catherine nodded.

When it came right down to it, it was only two knights battling against the Yonerra. One was Alesa, a girl who grew to love projectiles and firearms. If it had an ammo count, she had used it at one point or another; slingshots, muzzle-loaders, bows and arrows, catapults, and cannons. Recently with the breakthrough of handheld firearms, she had no less than twenty one-shot pistols on her at one time. Stopping to reload with gunpowder was a hassle, but the lightweight weapon was effective.

Alongside her was her fellow knight, Jasper, a very big man with dark brown hair, and who taller than the average man by a few feet. Unlike Alesa, Jasper was like many of the other knights, and was more than the average human. Being bigger, he sported great muscular strength, stood stubborn like a mountain, and was just as difficult to budge. He could heal faster than a normal man and move faster as well, especially for his size. With him, he carried a massive, unbelievably huge hunk of iron on the end of a stick that worked as a crude hammer. In fact, this weapon was once a fine-looking hammer, but through the ages of being swung with great strength, it now looked more piece of junk. However, it worked every bit as fine as a weapon all the same. Jasper’s strategy was the most obvious: head on with brute force.

These two knights were the last ones fighting; the others had fled. Alesa's and Jasper's combined skill left this fight with the Yonerra to a stalemate. The Yonerra had a hard time focusing on one of them, especially with one eye. The damaged one had already healed over, but he still only had one working eye for now. Losing an eye would take weeks to fully come back.

Ak was frustrated, especially with those metal bullets pinging off his scales. Ak was very wary of that sharp-shooting annoyance at this point. Jumping around those rocks and keeping her distance, Alesa made it very hard for him to catch her. That big man needed to be focused on, too. Each time that hammer hit him, Ak found himself being flung around. Metal was no problem as flimsy shields or swords, but a thick mass of iron like that being swung so easily was the same as cannonball.

Keeping an eye on the girl, most of Ak's focus was on the man. The two circled each other, one ready to kill the other. Jasper was feeling the burn from swinging so much, and ached from being struck several times himself. His armor was dented, but it held for now.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ak saw the gunner make a move, and he quickly threw up his arm to protect his head. Bullets bounced from his scales. Just then, Jasper lunged, swinging up with the hammer. The Yonerra pulled back quickly, just narrowly avoiding being smashed in the chin. He threw himself back in, grabbing hold of the man’s arm and throwing him to the ground.

 Bullets hit Ak in the head before he could do any damage. Screaming pain made him to lower his head below his arms to protect himself with his natural armored hide. Jasper was just getting up, but he was in no position for a good swing. He did the only thing he could. He relieved one hand from his weapon, and threw the most forceful punch he could manage, and socked Ak right across his muzzle. The blow made Ak stumble back. Looking at his hand, Jasper saw blood well up from punching those rough, hard scales.

“Enough!”

This one word made the knights stop. They were quick to retreat, climbing up the rocks to safety. Ak stood up, looking to chase one of them, but didn't bother to when he saw a new figure. Up there, standing on a ledge, was a new man with one hand drawing his massive sword. He wasn’t heavily armored, only having what seemed to be thick leather covering with a light metal breastplate, a cape, light gloves, and boots. He was a knight, but the lack of a shield said he was a swordsman for sure.
Ak groaned irritably. “How many slayers am I to fight today?”

 The two stared at each other for a moment, and then the swordsman spoke.

 “I am Ivan, Knight of the capital city of Grandelle,” he said, pointing the long claymore at Ak. “I will be the one to slay you, Yonerra of The Caldera. No one else will interfere; this is one-on-one combat. You are my opponent now.”

 With his one good eye, Ak scowled. “What pointless nobility, attacking me with an army, taking out one of my eyes and waiting until I am beaten and battered around like sinewy meat.”

“My apologies, it must seem rude of me,” Ivan told the Yonerra as he took up a stance. “But my purpose here did not call for a polite challenge to some duel.”

Ak growled in distaste. Baring his teeth, he said, “cowardice is what this is. Leave it to a human to use sheer numbers at his filthy work, and then want the final blow so he can act mighty. How dare you try to justify this? I killed the men that you carelessly sent out to die, and I will kill the rest before I-“

Before he could say more, Ivan had already moved. He was so fast! Within a moment, Ivan was already swinging the sword up and bringing the end of the sword across Ak’s chest. A sea of sparks erupted forth, accompanied by the horrendous sound of metal and rock coming together.

Ivan followed and came around again, not losing any of the momentum in his speed. Ak, just barely able to react, rose up his hand, catching the hard edge of the sword just before it managed to come down on his neck. Ak’s arm was shaking in pain from his hand, amber-colored blood flowing down his arm.

  Ak stared at Ivan’s hard expression. “No normal human can move so fast, or use such power to cut me with a blade.”

Ivan yanked the sword from the Yonerra’s claw, drawing more blood, and swung again. Ak was big and slow, but he pulled back fast enough to avoid another swing at his face. The knight pulled back and swept low. A quick hop saved the Yonerra from losing his feet. What Ak would notice is just how easily Ivan wielded the claymore. He only used his right hand, leaving his left completely free, but there was still so much force behind that heavy blade.

But one hand was just that: one hand. If Ak could grab the sword again, he could probably take it from Ivan and leave him weaponless. Thinking about it made it seem easy, but Ak was actually having a hard time keeping up. If only he had both of his eyes. Perception was lacking, making him hesitate.

Ak’s wounded eye finally made him slip up. He lost his footing, slowing him down. The sword came from above and struck him across the shoulder and collar. Ak shrieked in pain and pulled back, a cascade of blood drenching the knight and the ground.

This spray of blood made Ivan halt, holding up his arm to protect his face. That was Ak’s chance. He turned and lunged like a panther. He pinned the human with ease, but before he could crush his head like a grape, Ivan put his sword up for the Yonerra to bite instead. Teeth scrapped against the blade as the Yonerra attempted to bend it beyond use. Ak underestimated the steel's strength, but he improvised before Ivan could turn it around. Grabbing hold of the sword with both claws, he used the leverage of his bite to pull back and try to rip the sword from the human's grasp as he planned.

Ivan was yanked off the ground, determined hold onto his sword. When it came down to who had weight advantage, Ivan was outclassed. The man gritted his teeth as he held on for dear life to the handle of his claymore. The Yonerra threw him around viciously. Stubbornly, he held on.

Catherine watched from a distance as her brother was being tossed around. “Oh no… no… no, no, no.” If anything happened to her brother, it would be her fault.

Seeing him refuse let go, the Yonerra took the liberty of using that against him, and Ak slammed the man against the ground as hard as he could. Ivan lay splayed out on the hard ground, but he retained his grip on the sword all the same. Ak lifted his head, letting go with his teeth and stared at the limp body. Was the man dead? The sound of him coughing told him no. Slowly Ivan began to push up as if greatly injured.

  Both hands now were on the sword, then the blade was suddenly pulled out from the Yonerra’s claws, cutting them, and he brought the sword around and struck Ak across the face all in one swift movement.

A massive cut now lay over Ak’s neck to his muzzle. It was deep, all to the bone. Before he could even rear back and shriek, the blade again cut through the Yonerra’s hard skin from his hip up to his armpit.

The sword came around again. In a desperate attempt, Ak threw his arm up and the sword went deep, cleaving just below his elbow and into the bone, stopping almost halfway through. Ak’s eyes were wide with pain and fear. That meant nothing thought right now… The memories were clear, now.

He fought hard and desperately. Nothing could stop him. The thrill of it, the satisfaction of crushing everything in hopes of making everything right again! It would not matter how many he had to kill or who... He would take his revenge!

His eyes were on the knight, a glowing orange hue that burned brightly with rage and determination. His wounds as well were alive with fiery light. “You think you won? You cannot win! I won’t let you have her! Do you hear me!? I will crush you! Even if you cut my head off, I will still return and I will find you! I will find you and I will kill you, but not before I take everything from you like you took everything from me!”

Staring into the demented gaze full of malice urge to murder, Ivan was afraid. His heart was racing faster than ever. He weighed those words despite keeping his guard up.

Catherine saw and heard it all. This was not the same Ak she was living with before; this was something else. There was a true monster right now fighting her brother, and yet despite that e, there was something else. Did Ak want to keep he that badly that he was reduced to the monster she actually heard about? What do I do? Can I do anything?

With a furious screech, Ak raised his claw swiped at Ivan. The man could not pull his sword free, and knowing this, released the hilt of the blade to duck to avoid the rending claws. Ak gave him no time to react and swung with the sword still imbedded in his arm.

Ivan was struck hard. He hit the ground hard, skidding to a stop forty feet away. He coughed up some blood.

The Yonerra closed in, ready to squash the pest once and for all. Alesa and Jasper came rushing in as fast as they could. The unwounded came up.

Ak was just about to swing when Catherine ran out onto the battlefield toward her brother and the Yonerra “Ak, stop! Stop it! Stop it!”

The swing stopped just as it began. Ak’s eyes were wide, staring at the man trying to push himself up.
“Please stop it! Don’t kill him, please!”

The urge to kill the Knight was strong. Kill him, damn it… Kill him, kill him now! Every part of him demanded the satisfaction of killing his enemies.

Ivan saw Catherine running toward them. Despite hurting, Iva didn’t bother thinking of anything else. He was on his feet and he reached out, grabbing the sword and pulling it free the Yonerra’s arm. He didn’t stop. Be brought the blade all the way around and swung upward, using the momentum to bring the end of the blade up through the front of the knee and partly up the leg, over the stomach, chest and all the way to the shoulder by several inches. Bone and flesh gave way to the sharp edge.

Ak stumbled back from the being struck. Slowly he stepped back, slouching over as he did. Too much was done. Strength gone, he fell forward, one arm just barely holding him up before it too gave way.

Catherine stood there, several feet away with an expression of shock. He was really down. Despite all that he could do, he was defeated. Gagging somewhat, she was having a hard time listening to the ragged breathing he was doing from choking some on his own blood. It was a pitiful sight, one Catherine wished didn’t come to be.

With some effort, Ivan stepped forward. Looming over the creature, he lifted the sword.

Catherine didn’t think. She just reacted; throwing herself forward and grabbing her brother’s arm.

“Ivan, no!” she screamed, half sobbed.

Her brother had to steady himself, unable to keep balance. “Let go!”

“No! No more! Please no more!”

“He’s still alive, Catherine! He’ll come back and kill us and anyone else he can!” He stared at her, unable to understand what she was doing.

What threats he may have made or actions he may have did, Ak did save her life in the end. If not for taking her in and giving her advice, she would be dead for sure.   “I owe him my life! Please, let him live.”

Ivan was at a loss for words. Was she demented from her time living with this thing? “He will torment the village if we just leave him here. Do you want them to keep suffering?”

Catherine didn’t want that, no. He didn’t torment them before, but after this… “There has to be another way. Please, Ivan, I can’t let you just kill him. He saved my life and helped me survive here. He’s not like the stories where they just eat people and destroy things. He saved the village, too!”

“Did he tell you that? He’s lying.” He lowered his sword. “I’ve seen these things since I became a Knight, and they are exactly as monstrous as heard about. If he kept you alive this long it was for some cruel and perverse game until he finally decided killed you.”

Tears streamed down her face. “Not him.”

Ivan loudly groaned and turned away to pace around. What was he going to do, he wondered? She had to be crazy if she really thought this to be true, but she seemed sincere in her claims. The Knight’s mind raced around for reason, and an ultimatum. If she wasn’t going to let him finish the job, then what else was there? He could do it anyway, but she was obviously delirious he decided. Anymore stress and who knows what. What could he do…

While he was busy in thought, Catherine kneeled down by Ak. His eyes were closed, but he was aware. Carefully she put her hands on his head, making him tense up. “It’s alright,” she assured him desperately. “I won’t let him hurt you anymore.”

Deeply Ak breathed. His pain made his mind blurry. A sense of peace came with the words, making him slightly more comfortable amongst all the pain.

Ivan put the sword away, one hand on its face and rubbing his eyes. He turned now to the fallen Yonerra. “Alright, here my words, monster.”

That sense of peace faded quickly, now, but he could only listen.

“My sister is alive, and seems well taken care of,” he reasoned to himself this, knowing it to be true enough. “So for keeping her alive, unharmed, I grant you your life. As an act of mercy, I will revoke my decision to kill you in the lighter sentence of incarceration.”

Catherine looked to her brother, eyes wide.

“As… As for as long as deemed safe to keep you alive,” he finished, forcing himself not to look at his sister. “You will be transported back to the city of Grandelle, kept restrained and imprisoned so you will feel the same as the sacrifices you have been given. It will be my responsibility for as long as I am alive.” Ivan turned himself away and stormed away.  

A prisoner, now… Catherine couldn’t believe he did that. Did he think it was some justifiable irony? Despite him changing his mind, Catherine felt there was nothing else that could be done. At least, maybe, now she could just go home. The idea of seeing her family and friends soothed her, numbing some of the strife…