Chapter 16: Survive

         The double doors close behind the group with an audible latching sound signaling that the door will be locked in place. The specimen roars a primal scream that echoes in the chamber, it then starts running towards the group of prisoners. The panicked crowd parts, trying to dodge the rampaging specimen. The deer antlered beast collides with the double doors, almost causing it to budge but the doors bare the full weight of the specimen. Most of the prisoners scatter and spreading to different corners of the chamber, Igan running to the center of the room he begins goading the beast.

"If you, not sound of mind, then come!" Igan takes a practiced stance, legs bent and spread, left fist facing the specimen, right hand clinched to his waist. The specimen roars and charges the muscled gentle giant, right as it reaches within arms reach, Igan throws a hard straight palm thrust into the specimen's face. Igan's arm almost buckles to the force of this beast, he then manages to grab one of the antlers and twist it to gain control of it's head.

While it is disorientated Igan lands a series of straight punches with his left fist, until the specimen rears it's head to bite Igan's right arm. He screams as the beast then uses all its weight to run forward trying to take Igan with him through his arm. Other people screaming, Eribella runs behind the beast and shoulder checks it in the spine, causing the specimen to let go and tumble on the ground. Igan grabbing his wounded arm, Rowan tries to help Eribella up, one of the other prisoners run towards the tumbled beast to kick it while its down.

The specimen bucks it's head to catch the poor soul with it's antlers, the person caught get his rags stuck on the antlers. Being tossed around, other continue to scream and run in the other direction as they witness their friend being mutilated and impaled by the beast's antlers. Rowan cries out to Igan, "Are you alright? that guy bit you!?" Igan uncovers the fresh wound to show that it bit through some muscle. Igan yells through gritted teeth, eyes not prying away from his target, "Doesn't matter, move!"

Igan rushes the specimen while trying to give the flailing antlered man a wide berth, he reaches the rear end and low kicks the back of it's kneecap. The beast buckles down on one knee, head flung back with the weight of a person riding it's antlers. Igan grabs the impaled guy by the rags and yanks him off, the specimen being temporarily yanked with him. The guy is set free and crawling for his dear life, Igan regains his balance and steps back. The beast stands back up and turns to face the rest of the room and roars. Muscles bulging and growing, it's arms enlarge as it quickly grows more animalistic.

With arms the size of a gorilla it now stands on all four, Igan, Eribella, and Rowan prep themselves to dodge on to either side as it charges the group. The prisoners dive out of the beast's rampaging sprint as it reaches the other end of the chamber. One woman too scared to move her legs while hiding in the corner gets impaled. Antlers piercing through the torso, the specimen lifts it's head as blood crowns the beast, it wears its prize in horrid glory. Another roar sounds the beast as it lifts it's arms to grab the woman and slams her to the ground, followed with a fierce pounding into tenderized meat.

Rowan desperate for any kind of plan, tries to analyze the beast's runes from afar. Panicked he can't make them out while the specimen is flailing, eyes focused on the beast. Rowan at least tries to emulate Fion in trying to summon a flame in his palm. Nothing, no flame is felt nor shown, Rowan desperately tries again, and again. The specimen roars and rushes to find another victim in the crowd once more, it starts chasing the already injured man who runs with the other prisoners. Eribella, Igan, and Rowan huddle side by side stepping away as the beast chases the other group lining the walls. The injured man trips on a loose chain near one of the cages, then gets scooped up once again by the beast.

Crying for any kind of aid, the man screams a blood curdling scream as he starts to go limp. Rowan looks to one of the open cages, and another loose chain, he gets the worse idea possible. While running around with Igan and Eribella, Rowan tries to explain his plan, "I have an idea but you all have to trust me!" Eribella looks in horror of the specimen maiming it's prey, "Anything is better than feeding its blood lust!" Rowan begins, "Alright I need you two to grab the chain on the ground from both ends but keep it low." Another prisoner is gored screaming for mercy, Igan maintaining eye contact with the beast, "We hold chain, then what?" Rowan continues, "I will lure it into the cage, where then you guys will trip it and hopefully, strangle it while its bound in the cage."

The three with no time or any better ideas nod in agreement as they scatter to positions, the specimen grabbing another victim by the ankle and slamming him down like a toddler to a toy. Rowan now at the center of the room, "You, yeah screw you!" He yells to get the beast's attention. The specimen turns it's head towards Rowan and roars back, Rowan yelling to match the volume but is a decibel short, legs shaking but holding in place. It charges Rowan, Igan and Eribella are in position hands grasping the chains, Rowan runs for the cage. Leaping over the chain Rowan reaches the mouth of the cage then turns to greet the beast. "Now!" all together the chain rises as it catches the specimen by the neck but still lunges forward.

The beast's antlers impale Rowan through the torso and shoulders as it collides with him into the cage with enough force to loosely shut it. With a bloody scream Rowan yells, "Close the cage! Keep it closed! Don't let it open the cage!" The remaining survivors witnessing Rowan's sacrifice, rush to hold the cage door closed till they can latch it closed. Once closed Eribella and Igan yank on the chain as tight as they can to try and suffocate the beast in its cage. Rowan still impaled with the choking specimen, is getting tossed and slammed by the ceiling of the cage. He hedging a bet with himself still tries to reenact Fion's palm flame.

Rowan is starting to lose too much blood, he is feeling his body going limp beside the still trying right arm. The beast is choking but it is hellbent on taking Rowan with him, Rowan's vision is starting to black out. "Oh right it needs a spell slot" Rowan realizes his mistake, "3rd level..." Rowan through the jostling presents his right hand to the face of the specimen and whispers, "Fireball". He snaps his fingers and ignites the cage and its contents in an explosion of force and flame.

The chain stops struggling and goes slack.