Besieged and relieved

Things…may not be going well.

Quite an euphemism.

If I was with an ownerI would say “I do not think that keeping the animal with three cancers at late stage alive until the end would be good for his pain.”

That is, if I was in front of someone distraught, but I am rambling right now.

Something completely understandable, considering the enormous blob of ink and dirt and eyes trying to break through a barrier somehow raised by…something, which started to show cracks at each hit of its mouthed tentacles.

Good thing is that this beast was quite stupid, because Ingrid was able to enter the golden barrier somewhat easily.

Bad thing is that, when Lucrezia did try to move for the other edge, from which Ingrid had passed through, the beast had run on its now stubby legs, using the many, many appendages it had to move faster, and had been attacking that side ever since.

“It’s…stronger but somewhat less dangerous.” Lucrezia suddenly spoke, having retaken her breath and having dragged the injured queen closer to the altar, while the light had started to heal her injuries.

Another strange phenomena, possibly caused by the blessing themselves, because the queen’s blood was still somewhat flowing, even if I had put the gauzes I always took with me on her.

That is to say, that I was really quite surprised when she said that the mage had become weaker.

That was yet another euphemism, if it wasn’t clear, and maybe my own “surprise”, if the true fear of death could be called that, had gone on my face, because she continued, her tone calm and analytical in front of the cacophony of roars and grinding of teeth and cracking of stone and glass: “It has more physical strength, along with more ferocity and less care for its health. But it’s also…more feral, less cunning.”

“It’s also breaking down fast.” Ingrid spoke up, her tone uncharacteristically serious, but if it wasn’t in this situation, it would never be.

Her green eyes were glaring at the beast, black smoke rising from it, her fingers twitching on the trigger of the gun, avoiding shooting at where the cracks were forming due to the lack of surety if a weapon being shot, instead of a being entering, would break the barrier itself.

“It’s like a bucket with a big hole in it, the magic it has it’s breaking up its own body. I think it will last twenty minutes at most.” She continued, loading the rifle in the meanwhile.

“And how much will the barrier last?” I asked, watching as the cracks on it got bigger, and picking up a stone.

I didn’t have time to etch runes on it, and the helplessness…made me feel angry at myself.

“Two minutes.” The reply was curt, and to the point, while she got on the stone and laid the barrel on a rock, putting herself behind it in a prone position, cocking the gun and readying herself.

“Splendid.” In the meanwhile, Lucrezia’s blessing lighted up like a christmas’ tree, gold and blue prominent, with smidges of purple and green in the many tattoos, a savage smile coming to her lips: “This beast has offended me one too many times, I will not let such an insult stand more.”

This bravado almost made me laugh, but I could see in her blue eyes, in how her fists trembled, in how her knees couldn’t stop completely, that she was scared herself.

So I did laugh, a somewhat fake, somewhat real, and more than somewhat hysterical laugh, but a laugh nonetheless.

Done that, I sat down behind a near rock and waited, gathering supplies for the injured while making sure the Queen was comfortable, the pain having made her fall unconscious.

Only for Hunin, the white crow, to enter the barrier and land on my shoulder, the cracks widening and widening.

“Help is coming, listener.” it cawed, and then it took flight again.

“Oi Vic, what did your friend say? Are we going to have deers and eagles join in to the fun too? Or some wolves? Maybe you can ask for donkeys, those buggers are very mean.” Ingrid asked, her rifle still trained on the beast, a smile coming to her face at the gallow humour she used.

Which is why hope came to her eyes, and to Lucrezia’s eyes, when I answered with a simple: “Yes, we are getting someone.”

Another twenty seconds and the cracks were viciously present, and the hearts of the two able to fight ready.

Mine less so but, in this situation, it was far less about me and far more about their own spirits, so I tried to remain calm, and continue to hope that the help we were getting was coming soon.

Now, if only the help came before the barrier fell, it would be less…worrisome.

But when the barrier fell, when the beasts growls became more vicious and even victorious, a series of things happened, one after the other in a very close timing.

Right after the barrier broke frmo the continued onslaught, a shot rung out, right a the center of mass, the equivalent of a calibre fifty hitting the unholy monster at its center of mass, making it stagger back.

Secondly, after the monster staggered, Lucrezia charged it, punching it clear towards the forest, and the “towards” was launching it with a punch like I would throw a ball, her strength somehow reaching greater height despite having just some minutes of rest.

Thirdly, the monster, still having some bearing, was able to whip her away behind us and, unfortunately for us more squishy people, it was also able to remain mostly upright, and decided, or whatever it had as a mind came to the conclusion to, charge us to reach the elf.

Fourthly, right when the monster started its charge, a veritable column of light hit it, and made it fly away for a hundred metres.

And its source was Grandma.

“Stay away from them, heretic!” She shouted, furious, her cane ready in her right hand with a ball of light in front of it, and a bundle in her left hand with a sword's handle poking out.

Never have I been happier to see a furious dyrgia, let me tell you that, and the freezing glare of Grandma, a sword stripped on her back, and a squirrel on her shoulder while Mugin was flying above, reuniting with Hunin, filled my heart.

So I kept back and watched, preparing as I did before for my duty.