13

“Agghhhhh!” The monster roared from inside the circle.

“W-what are you doing to him?!” The guild master frantically shouted at the inquisitor. “You’re hurting him!” He tried approaching the pained monster.

“Him? Can’t you see, he isn’t what he says he is!” The inquisitor said. “Open your eyes, Coytel! This is not Jonah of Bottom-trodden.” He pointed at the miserable creature.

“Let him go!” The guild master’s voice suddenly turned shrill and sinister. “Let him go or I kill all of you!” He snarled at them and revealed his inhumanly fangs.

Ghwyr froze in shock and terror. Who would have thought that kind of monster could mimic itself into a human? He certainly didn’t know until that point.

The guild master’s face started to contort as a portion of his face protruded grotesquely. His cheeks tore from his skin, revealing a woody and mossy bone. His upper body grew and hunched, revealing his pulsating muscles on his back. His veins grew big and protruded from his face down his neck but that was just the start of something even more horrific. He tore his face and revealed the mossy deformed face of the monster. His bloodshot eyes and lack of nose gave him a hybrid look of a snake riddled with moss and muck.  

Guild Master Coytel was no more. There wasn’t even a hint of humanity left in him. He staggered towards Ghwyr, lifting his oversized left arm over his head and was about to squish the halfling with it, when Arenviel pulled him away just in the nick of time.

The monster made a hole on the floor and stuck its enormous arm into it. It growled at them as it tried to yank its arm off the floor. Bjorn immediately charged towards it and with his powerful legs he kicked the monster in the face and sent in flying to the wall.

Just as he did, the monster’s arm was yanked out of the floor causing it to collapse. A huge part of the floor fell to the lower floor. Bjorn was quick enough to jump away from it while grabbing the inquisitor along with him.

“You idiot!” Narjuna shouted at the berseker.

“What?” Bjorn turned to her with a confused look on his face. “What did I do wrong?!”

“The circle!” The inquisitor pointed at nonexistent floor. “The circle is broken!” He said to him.

The other city guards entered the room and was shocked to see the gaping hole on the floor.

“Nobody moves!” Tersextes said as he pulled out his daggers from the hidden pockets in his boots.

Everyone stood still. There was no movement in either of the monsters, and yet there was a strong eerie presence lingering in the air.

Tersextes signaled to Arenviel and Narjuna to defend the others, while he and Bjorn deal with the abominations. The elf looked to Bjorn and pointed at the hole in the wall. The berserker knew what he meant and immediately nodded.

Bjorn moved. He tiptoed towards the hole, sneaking at the edges and trying his hardest not to make the slightest sound. However, just as he reached the hole, something suddenly wrapped around his right ankle. He looked down and saw a thorny vine squeezy it from below. He tried turning around to warn them, but it was far too late.

The monster pulled him below. The berserker didn’t even have a time to shout. He fell into the second floor, just as the other monster emerged from the wall and rammed itself against the elf. Narjuna was able to act quickly and created a barrier just in time for the monster to hit him. Tersextes still flew across the room and landed on the next room.

“Lady of Ice and snow show them your power!” She stretched out her hands in front of the hulking beast. “Third form, ice spears!” A barrage of spear-like icicles flew into the air and pierced the monster in several parts of his body.

The monster wailed in agony and immediately turned towards the sorceress. Narjuna didn’t flinch. She pointed her finger at the monster and began casting another spell. However, the monster below surprised her by wrapping a vine on her ankle and dragged her down the next floor.

Only Arenviel, Ghwyr, the inquisitor, and some capital guards were left. The swordsman didn’t waste his time and charged towards the monster, unsheathing his sword by his waist. He dodged the aggressive monster’s attack and used its gigantic arm as a path heading towards its neck.

“Guards, protect that halfling as well.” He shouted without looking back.

As he got closer to the monster’s neck, Arenviel raised his sword and with one leap, descended his blade into the abomination’s thick neck. The floor broke below them in the impact and they both fell into the next floor along with his comrades.

Tersextes emerged from the wall, cracking his neck.

“That monster really did a number on me.” He clicked his tongue.

“Tersextes!” Bjorn’s voice echoed from the floor beneath. “Got yer ass in here!” The berserker shouted.

“Coming, boss!” He shouted back while unsheathing a dagger from his back. “Why don’t this monster just keel over and die?!” He shook his head and sighed as he plunges down the lower floor.

After that, all they heard were violent sounds of audible grunts from the party and horrific shrieks monster. There were a variety of lights glowing down below. If it weren’t for his condition, he would’ve peeked in curiously from the hole.

The entire building shook as the fight continued. Ghwyr could hear Narjuna chanting her spells while metals clanged against something too hard for it to penetrate.

“Narjuna, use a freakin’ firebolt!” Bjorn’s voice echoed again.

“Idiot! You want me to burn the place down?!” Narjuna spoke back. “Just do your thing… I’ll do mine!” She answered.

“Incoming!” Tersextes shouted.

A huge spiky root skewered the upper floor, missing the inquisitor by an inch.

“By the gods!” The inquisitor exclaimed.

The monster shrieked sharply once again.

“Good one! Arenviel!” Bjorn laughed in glee. “Let’s finish the bastard!” He roared.

The building shook once again. The wooden beams sounded like it was about to give way to the pressure, but thankfully it didn’t. The monster’s voice slowly died down. Ghwyr imagined it succumbing to the Iron Bears’ relentless attacks.

The shriek and growls turned into a pathetic whimper and heaving, then it finally died down. Hopefully along with the monster.