Minutes before the clash.

. . . 

. . . 

“Liam! Liam! Where are you?!”

“Liam! Liam!”

Within the vicinity of the battle, a group of people were seen to be shouting aloud. One woman in particular, who wore a white wimple and long gown, appeared to be very anxious. Frantically going up to person to person and asking them if they had seen her son.

Dalis, having just arrived, was unaware of the ruckus. When he perked his ears to listen in on the noisy crowd, he heard not only the cheers and discussions of the battle, but also the name Liam being yelled out frequently as well. 

Approaching closer, he saw Melvin at the front of the spectating crowd of people focusing on the battle. While Stilla was seen eagerly moving about, calling out the name Liam.

Are they searching for someone named Liam? 

If so, he couldn’t help but feel a little speechless of Stilla. She did not appear to be treating it like a game, but her gestures gave the impression that she was too unnecessarily into it. 

“So a young boy named Liam had gone missing around the time we had fought the beast?”

Dalis stopped his movements and casually eavesdropped on the conversation between two Vanquishers.

“Yes leader. A few of us on standby had also helped in the search but . . . it's as you can see.” The Vanquisher turned to the direction of the search party.

“Do we know where he was last seen?”

“Around here, leader . . .” 

 

***

 

Meanwhile . . .

“Ara Ara Ara.” Walking to Melvin’s side, a girl, clad in a natty sky blue cloak, was seen gracefully waving an expensive-looking fan. Her long orange hair fluttered from the breeze. 

“It seems I have arrived a little late.” With an elegant flick of her wrist, the fan was shut. “Melvin, would you do the honors of furnishing a welcoming, and enlightening me of the details of what transpired here?”

Melvin did not react. 

He was too invested in the battle, and hence did not actually notice her. 

The lack of response caused her to let out an unladylike snort, but she let the rudeness slide after taking a brief glimpse of the face-off. However, she still needed to find out what was going. 

“Melvin.”

 . . .

“Melvin.”

 . . .

 . . .

Still no reply.

“You make this young great mistress repeat herself too much.” 

Melvin continued to watch. 

He saw General Zelgius leap into the air, ready to unleash his mighty flaming lance at the Jangero charging its lightning attack. 

They were just metres from colliding. 

The roars of the crowd were at their peak.

Immersed, his mouth reflexively went agape as he breathed in.

HYAAAAAAA!!!

BOOM!!

BLRRGHHHH!

Everyone’s eyes stared in anxious anticipation.  

They saw the space torn asunder as elements of fire and lightning violently boom. 

But what Melvin saw was an azure curtain as his vision suddenly turned to black. And at the same time, he let out a gurgling shout as liquid suddenly churned into his mouth. 

It wasn’t strong enough to make him fall over, but he lost his balance and stumbled backwards, bumping into the girl. 

Bump.

When his vision returned to him and his choking had settled down, he saw not the epic climax of the battle. 

Instead, he saw what looked to be the battle’s conclusion and his HP bar having taken damage. 

Reactively, he spun around, almost skidding from the water on the floor. 

His eyes widened a hundredfold. 

He saw a beautiful girl fanning herself, gracefully blowing off the water she had been partially soaked in from the bump. 

“I will be lenient and repeat it once more.”

Annoyed, with an elegant flick of her wrist, the fan was shut. “Melvin, would you do the honors of furnishing a welcoming, and enlightening me of the details of what transpired here?”

“YOOUUUU!!!”

 

***

 

“Sir!”

“My General are you alright?!” 

Vanquishers gathered around the fallen warrior. He was laid on his back from the collision and was doing his best to stand up. A pleasant sensation filled his body.

“I will have to trouble you Claudia.”

“No worries General. The Medi-Brigade will be in here just a moment. Don’t push yourself too hard.” 

General Zelgius, however, did not listen and continued to try and stand. With the assistance of his comrades, he was now on his two feet.

His eyes rested on the Jangero struggling on its four limp limbs. 

Yes.

The beast had yet to submit to defeat. 

Breathing haggardly through its jaws, it shakingly stood amidst the ruined house.  The residual scorching firelight popped and cracked the broken remainders of wood and rubble, charring.

It caught no sight of the surrounding vigilant, weapon raised, Vanquishers and the injured many, who were being supported by those not caught from the explosion. 

Fortunately for the Vanquishers, the layers of protection had greatly reduced the damages. Otherwise, the consequences wouldn’t be let off with just injuries. 

While this scene was shocking to the non-combatants, the scenery was not a worthy sight to behold. 

An aftermath like this was considered rather negligible. Vanquishers knew this firsthand. Such levels of destruction would be a baffling stain on a powerful evolved/mutated beast’s reputation. 

Perhaps that was the reason why . . .

The beast continued to hold onto its last breaths.

General Zelgius silently, comrades behind, trudged to the Jangero. Stopping until they were a couple of metres apart.

“Tenacious beast,” he mumbled, waving his lance to blow off the nearby flames. 

“Sir, your orders.” Commander Sonnia arrived to his side. 

General Zelgius scanned left and right. After five breaths of time he shouted,

“Attack!” 

In response, the troops of Vanquishers began their assault on the severely weakened Jangero. 

The Jangero ‘feebly’ fended off the attackers. But its feeble attacks were sufficient to toss most of the Vanquishers back in their place. Yet, it was unable to finish off any of them as the sheer quantity of Vanquishers and their storm of attacks disallowed it. 

Troops no longer able to continue fighting were swiftly replaced by the next set of troops which meant that momentum was perpetual and Vanquishers had no real casualties to speak of.

Under never-ending pressure, the Jangero’s fate was inevitable.

“The beast is in the red! Reduce the strengths of the attacks! Sixth and Ninth Squad, return to standby! I will be rejoining now! Remember, our goal is to recapture it. Do not kill it.”

General Zelgius rushed forward, passing the retreating members of the Sixth and Ninth Squad. The Fifth Squad’s leader promptly ordered a few of her Vanquishers to cast skills on their incoming General.

Stacks of bright glows shone onto General Zelgius. The limbs plagued with fatigue became rejuvenated as though he was reborn a newly-deployed warrior. 

ROARRR! 

“Distract the beast! Don’t give it time to prepare against our General!”

The Vanquishers complied with Commander Sonnia’s command. 

They returned to concentrating their attacks on the Jangero’s vital spots to force its attention. Two of the tanking Vanquishers attempted to hinder the beast’s line of sight to create an opening.

One of the tanking Vanquisher rotated his head to his behind. “Just a little longer!”

“Mason! The front!!”

Mason zipped his head and saw the flash cross the menacing, bestially eyes. 

However it was too late. 

What came to his side was not his General, but a pair of grooved, striped black horns, piercing into the Vanquish blessed armour. Sharp as a drill, blood spurted as the horns dug past the armour into the flesh. 

“GAAAAHHHH”

Bloodcurdling screams of Mason resounded; Vanquishers froze in horror. 

In between and lodged into the horns of the Jangero was Mason. 

One horn pierced below his neck, and the other pierced in the lower abdomen. Showers of blood rained down, dyeing the beast’s head into the face of bloody Satan. 

Not even General Zelgius could withstand the impact of such a horrific, gruesome scene. Like the rest, he dazingly watched as the Jangero erratically thrust its head around at the witless Vanquishers. 

Blood sprayed like a water fountain as critical blows were dealt left and right, spreading and seeding red sprinklers to help form the lake of blood. More miserable screams accompanied.

Critical blows were dealt physically and psychologically.

This wasn’t even a skill from the Jangero, yet its horror inducement was equivalent to a party-wide morale debuff. 

Was it fortunate that Mason was not dead? 

Mason was a body consolidator. While the other pathways would probably die in a matter of seconds from being pierced so grievously, that was not so for body consolidators. After all, their bodies were known to be very tough and durable.

Mason was a level 33 Vanquisher. He had committed his stat points and training to Def, meaning he had a high defence and large health pool. 

It also meant that he would not die so easily. 

Though he was more resistant to being wounded, it didn’t mean fucking shit when he had two large horns from a powerful beast impaled into him. 

“GAA . . . AAAH-HHHHHH”

No word can describe his acute pain better than excruciating.

Gulping the saliva stuck in his mouth, General Zelgius snapped back into facing reality. Grim look on his face, he decided to hold onto the glimmer of hope. He used his skill General War Cry, which was now off cooldown. 

“Everyone! Snap out of it!! Mason is still alive! Commander Sonnia and Nicola. Take the field with me to rescue him. Everyone else, cover us!”

The skill worked like a charm. Besides the party benefits it gave, the reverb in the call was a clap of thunder to all stunned Vanquishers.

“YES GENERAL!”

“YES SIR!”

Roaring and conquering their fears, the Vanquishers charged onwards. Many of the experienced ones were already back to their former selves, unleashing devastating, unwavering attacks. 

The Jangero’s HP was plummeting faster than ever before. It really was at risk of death, but General Zelgius did not seem to care at this point. He would not allow such a tragedy to come to pass again. 

 

***

 

Dalis was perched on a tree branch, but a scant away from the battlefield. From his position, his eyes functioned as if it was a pair of binoculars. Sweeping and zooming onto areas of interest like a scout investigating the topography of a land. 

When the sanguine event entered his vision, he held onto his collar and felt his heart palpitate to a crescendo. Yet, it wasn’t long at all before that settled down. And in the entire process . . .

—There were barely any changes in his expression. 

It was eerily indifferent.

An extremely stark contrast to the spectating crowd, who were either on the verge or have fallen down in utter fear and panic. 

The civilians, particularly, were screaming, jostling, and running away in alarm from the scene.

Melvin was trembling, clenching his fists tightly to white. Engrossed in the scene. Etching into his mind of what he may be forced to confront in the future. 

When he too, will become a Vanquisher.

Stilla was the same. But she appeared more traumatised in fear. Overwhelmed and unable to move. Then, her sense of touch took in the tender, small hands, much smaller than hers, squeezing, gripping, and shivering. Stilla was shaken back to her senses.

In a stifled, wobbly voice, Stilla did her best to ease their crying. “It’s g-going to be o-okay.” Her arms moved to embrace and shield them from the dreadful sight. “Let’s go with Big Sister to find your parents okay?”

The girl on Melvin’s side was much calmer. But the wobbling in her legs could not be concealed. And reflected in her teary eyes held a grim memory, akin to many of the individuals living here. 

Vanquishers garrisoned to blockade the people did not need to worry about them entering anymore. Instead, their worries were now focused on bringing the situation back to order and settling down the panicking people. Mother Michelle and other various authoritative names were naturally fulfilling this task too.

“Where are they . . .” Dalis muttered under his breath. 

Unaware of the lurking figures that stealthily watched him from the shadows. 

 

***

 

“Nicola!”

“On it.” As his wavy, dull, blonde hair danced in the air, he brought in his steel, enchanted shield together with Sonnia’s to block off the arching horned attack. 

Upon closing in upon Mason's position, their facial expressions turned grim. Resounding in their ears was Mason's groans, mixed with the horrifying noises caused by the gruesome scraping of the horns against their shields.

Without a moment to waste, General Zelgius leapt onto the beast’s back. Shoes hastily planted closely to the scaled, reptilian necks. He struggled to maintain his balance as the Jangero wildly moved, desperately attempting to shrug off the impudent human who dared tried to ride it. 

What came out as a surprise to many of the Vanquishers was that the movements of the Jangero’s heads were substantially slower. 

It was as though . . . it knew that it could use the human stuck to its horns as not only as a traumatising weapon but also as a hostage. 

Despite this, the slow movement meant the upper hand fell to General Zelgius. He didn’t expect this actually to work because of its nature. 

But now he knew that at the end of the day, a beast was a beast. 

Although he should be thankful as this meant Mason’s life could still be saved, it angered him for actually having respected it.

Running up on one of the beast’s necks, General Zelgius reached out his non-dominant hand to try and lift up Mason. 

Perhaps it was so set on not allowing its only safety net to be taken away, it swung its heads so hard that it actually ended up losing its balance.

“General!!”

“Sir!!”

It was too unexpected to respond to. 

The Vanquishers who had been endlessly striking and firing their attacks against the indomitable furred wall had finally managed to penetrate their attacks through. 

But as a result, the force of their combined power along with the fact that the beast was off-balance led it to be sent flying several metres away, carrying their General and the three reverberating screams to engulf the skies.

CRASH!!

General Zelgius, Mason, and the Jangero crashed into the wooden house opposite the ruined battlefield. 

“G-GENERAL!!” 

The anxious cry by Commander Nicola after the brief silence sent the Vanquishers packing.

. . .

. . .

Natalie was the first to arrive at the scene of the crash. 

She was one of the fastest Vanquishers under the head command of General Zelgius. Besides the fact she was close, her worry for the General had caused her mindlessly dive right into the pit of destruction.

Passing through the huge hole that had splintered wooden planks sticking out as though a wrecking ball had demolished through, her eyes were greeted to a sight that struck her silly.

Every Vanquisher that passed through that hole had the same exact gobsmacked reaction.

“Don’t . . . move . . .”

General Zelgius was seen leaning against a broken wooden table. Blood trickled down from his forehead and flowed down. Passing through his right eyebrow, eye, cheek, dripping to the floor. 

Disregarding his severely weakened state, he made no efforts to wipe off the blood that leaked into his eyes. 

Because cuddled in his arms, was a young boy that looked no older than seven years of age. He was dead silent, only occasionally whimpering. Eyes staring right at the huge brown back that belonged to the monster. 

The distance between the Jangero and General Zelgius and the child was roughly a metre in length. 

If the Vanquishers wanted to get through to their General . . .

They had to pass through the two headed, two horned ferocious beast, who stood on its four limped legs fearlessly and let out aggressive snarls. Snarls instilling frightening chills that numbed the skulls into obedience.   

Without question, the Jangero was absolutely incensed.

In their hearts they all had the same question: “Beast! How are you still alive?”

Forgotten, the Blazing Lance of Vanquish was on the crude floor. Somewhere away from everyone. 

As for where Mason was. 

He was seen about two metres away from General Zelgius, and three metres away from the Jangero. 

He was not a hostage however.

After all . . . 

What use did a dead hostage have?