The Beast

I was surprised however, when her tear streaked face turned to face me. The pure raw determination mixed with anger was all I got, before she wiped away her tears. In a flash, she reached up and tore the cleavage of her gown slightly. Her ample bust threatening to spill out into the night. Being momentarily distracted by the sight of her flesh, I completely missed the small smile she gave me. But just as quickly, she darted back around the corner.

"Help!" She cried, sounding convincingly distressed, "Some drunken bastard is trying to hurt me, I just got away."

"Go take a look," one of the guards said, "I'll escort her to the servants quarters when you get back."

I didn't bother hiding my grin as the guard walked around the corner... Straight into my arms. My plan worked perfectly. By wrapping him in a bear hug and crushing him in my grip, the guard was unable to cry out, but was able to struggle in his last moments. The dull thump of his lifeless body hitting the floor was the last straw for the second guard. The sound of steel being drawn was all the warning I got before the second elf tore around the corner. His eyes were immediately drawn to his partner's corpse, following immediately to the sight of my hand slamming into his face. Spinning around, I simply cracked his skull on the stone wall and dropped him. He may have survived, but I doubt it.

Stepping around the corner, Ally was waiting for me at the door. "It's locked, one of the guards should have the key," she hissed.

I just smiled... And planted my heel into the door, shattering the fragile wood. What I saw before me made my blood boil... There was Eila, stripped naked, face up on the bed. Red lines and welts covered her entire body from her orb-like breasts to her thighs. But what really set me off, was the equally naked Darjl squatting above her, poised to drive himself between her legs. Quicker than the elf could react, I charged. Tackling him to the floor, I pinned him with a knee, and went to town on his upper body. The first few hits sounded like hard slaps. The next few sounded like the crunch of breaking bone. But I completely avoided his face... I wanted him to be conscious of what came next.

A quick check behind me showed Ally had already freed Eila and was helping her dress. She met my eyes for a split second, and she nodded her consent, before turning herself away and taking Ally with her. Turning back to Darjl, I could practically smell the fear pouring out of him. The expression on his face was somewhere between agony and hysterics.

"I warned you it would come to this," I growled.

Clamping my jaw over his left shoulder, I tore a mouthful free. Sitting up, I made sure to slowly chew and swallow while staring directly into Darjl's eyes. He just lay still gasping in agony, unable to struggle or scream in any meaningful way. Unfortunately however, I knew I didn't have the time to savour my meal, so after a few more chunks from his upper arms, I simply tore out a mouthful of his neck. Climbing to my feet, I watched as the light slowly went out from the bastards eyes, while his lifeblood pooled around him. I quickly wiped myself down on the sheets from his bed and turned to leave.

Eila and Ally were waiting just outside the room. Ally was staring at me wearily, but Eila managed a quick smile.

"Earning your name already, you great brute," she smiled, hiding her pain behind humour.

I couldn't help but chuckle in response. But I quickly sobered to the fact she was injured, and we were trying to escape. "Where to Eila?"

"Darjl's personal armoury. It should be unguarded right now," Eila grinned.

Before I could ask why we were making a stop, she sauntered away, arm in arm with Ally. I still had it in my head to argue with her, but I figured, there was probably a war hammer or something in there I could use. I just wished I still had my armour.

Along the way, we avoided two more sets of guards, and I killed a further lone wanderer. But soon enough, Eila led us to an unguarded reinforced door. I was about to ask if it were locked, but Eila quickly produced a key and opened the door with a quiet 'click'. The ladies slipped quickly into the room, and I had to duck through the doorway. What lay before me just about made my heart stop. The room was filled with every weapon and piece of armour you could imagine. But right there... At the forefront, like it hadn't been placed in its final position... Was my armour.

I couldn't stop a laugh escaping as I strolled up. It was the full set. Even my shield. The only thing missing was my club. With the ladys' help, I was dressed far quicker than I could manage on my own. As I thanked them and turned to decide on a weapon, I was immediately assaulted by the sight of more womanly flesh. Eila immediately stripped to her undergarments, before flashing me a grin.

"Nothing you haven't seen before you great brute," she smirked.

A moment later, Ally appeared in my vision holding a breastplate. It immediately dawned on me, when I first met Eila, she attacked me... She was probably better trained than I was. Shaking my head, I turned and started examining weapons. The first stop was the axes. Most were small, designed for elfin warriors, but there were a couple larger two-handed varieties that could serve my purpose. I had the same issue with the war-hammers and maces. Doubling back to grab the largest of the maces, Eila coughed to catch my attention.

She stood, wearing a full set of plate armour. Beside her stood Ally, wearing a mix of leather and chain. Strapped to Eila's hip was a short, slender sword, but on Ally's, was to my great surprise, a pair of long daggers. What caught my attention, however, was the massive greatsword they held between them.

"My people have a long history of reneging on their deals. Doing the absolute bare minimum to prevent breaking them outright. But leaving the opposing party short in some way. Darjl's father tried it on a dwarven smith. Why he decided to pay a dwarf of all things, with hollow gold coins, I have no idea. But dwarven pride had them follow through with this.

"This sword was forged in the heart of a volcano, from a rare metal collected from a fallen star. It should have been a gift for Darjl when he married..." Eila gagged slightly, "me... But the Dwarves twisted the meaning of their own contract, by making a weapon too large and heavy for any Elf to consider using." She smiled, a satisfied grin plastered across her face. "I personally think it would be perfect for you, considering the circumstances of my late husbands demise." Those last words came out like venom, and I couldn't help but agree.

I simply stepped forward, and took the proffered hilt. Lifting the sword from their hands, I drew the blade in one motion. Marvelling in it's perfect sheen, and it's heft. While it may have been too heavy for an Elf, it was a toothpick in comparison to my old club.

"Are you sure Eila?" I asked, just confirming she wanted me to take what was obviously a priceless, albeit useless, artefact.

"I'm sure, Frelser, maybe just grab something smaller to use indoors." She smiled.

It took me another few minutes to locate a large enough sword belt. I ended up using two smaller ones and attaching them to one another. This gave the added advantage of having a second placement for the mace now swinging on the opposite hip. Together with the ladies, we set off from the armoury. Eila leading the way, with Ally close behind me, while I held my shield at the ready.

It was a complete surprise when we met our first set of three guards. It was over in a blur of motion. Eila lifted her hand and fired a solid slug of ice into the face of the first guard. But It was Ally who really took me by surprise. This humble woman, who looked soft and plush, like a handmaiden should, simply... Reacted... Before the first guard hit the ground, Ally slipped past me like a wraith. In the blink of an eye, she sidestepped a hasty punch, before driving one of her, apparently glass, daggers, under the guards chin. In the same motion, she flicked out a wide kick, driving the final guard to the ground with a thump. Extracting her dagger from her first victim, she simply drove it into the base of the skull of the final guard.

Pulling the blade free, she wiped the blood on the guards tunic before finally looking up and meeting my gaze. She looked almost embarrassed, like I'd caught her in the nude, as she slipped her daggers back home.

She let out a small cough, collecting herself, "well... Let's go," she said nervously.

I had questions... Hell, at this point, I had a LOT of questions. But now wasn't the time, and we had to get out. Jogging down the corridors, I was now in the rear position. Eila was leading with Ally just behind and to her right. I couldn't help but admire their... Physique... As we went. Which as entertaining as it was... That kiss they shared reminded me firmly which way they both batted. My thoughts were interrupted as we came into a familiar looking courtyard. Lo and behold, before us was the gate, and beyond I could see trees. It would be a fair run to make it to the forest, but if we could get out undetected, it wouldn't be an issue.

That's when a shrill whistle let out...

... Chapter Five...

The reaction was immediate. Dozens of guards suddenly swarmed out of a nearby barracks. They were heading for the gate, either to block it or close it.

"Follow me, NOW!" I snarled.

Charging past the ladies, I levelled my shield. I kept my pace even. I knew over open ground I was almost as fast as a horse. Then the spells started... Typical... The spells that hit the shield detonated as expected, but didn't really do anything once the power washed over me. The spells that hit me directly did a fat lot of nothing. From the sounds of it, Eila and Ally were both behind me taking cover. Drawing my sword, I twisted my shield out of the way to give more cover to the left. To my right, I made it a very bad place to stand. Those delicate looking glass swords were barely half the length of my own. It was no effort at all to cleave large groups of elves in half as I ran.

That's when it went to shit. The portcullis was dropped... Putting on a burst of speed, I managed to get under it just before it slammed home. Instead it slammed into my shield, dropping me to my knees. Unfortunately, I wasn't quite underneath it, the weight of the cold iron was causing me to slide back, and the portcullis was slowly slipping free of my shield. Eila and Ally caught up a moment later, ducking under it and into freedom.

"Come on, quickly!" Eila cried, stopping to wait.

I was straining to even breathe with all this weight pressing down on me. But I managed to wheeze, "Can't... Get.. To forest..."

At that point, my footing slipped from under me and the portcullis slammed home into the ground.

"Frelser!" Eila cried.

I just smiled sadly at her, "You have your freedom princess."

Turning away from the ladies, something caught on my arm. Turning back, I was surprised to see both of them were pressed hard against the bars. "We'll meet you in the forest... Okay?"

The looks in both their eyes, gave me pause, "okay."

Ally let go first, Eila gave me a small smile, before she let go. Turning back to the guards, they were forming up. I took a measured breath, before bellowing my war cry. At this point, I was done. I'd enjoyed my solitary existence. And now that was stripped away, I found myself for whatever reason, drawn to the ladies now fleeing across the fields denied to me. If I wanted out... First I had to get through this...

The spells started just as my war cry fell silent. I still couldn't believe nobody could comprehend that their magic simply didn't work. Still, it's hard to judge the distance to your enemy when all you can see is flames. All the more satisfying when from those flames, leaps a massive greatsword that cleaves you and two others in half. Yeah... I wasn't stuck in here with them... They were stuck in here with me... I was a whirlwind of death, for every elf that stepped up, I cut two down. The spells soon stopped, either due to lack of stamina, or they realised their error. Either way, without the flames and other distractions, I could see a lot better.

It wasn't all going my way however. Elves were fast, as I hacked and slashed through dozens of guards, some slipped past. First a scratch or two. Then as the fighting drew on, a legless torso managed to slip his sword into a gap and spear into my lower stomach. An arrow grazed my cheek just below my eye. And more were coming. I had to make a decision and make it quickly. Spinning about, I quickly cleared the area immediately surrounding me. As expected, beside the gatehouse, was a door.

Lowering my shield again, I ploughed through dozens of elves. Several cries went out, all directing the elves to stop my advance. That just spurned me on. I didn't even stop for the door, a shoulder check and it simply shattered. Sliding my sword back into its sheath, I drew my mace. It was a dark, brutal thing with metal spikes poking out around the top. I located a set of stairs, just as the first elves entered behind me. I didn't spare them a second and simply ran, leaving them behind.

On the second floor, I found some guards. These must have been asleep when the call went out, as only a few of them were fully armoured.

"Where's the stairs!" I roared.

The nearest elf drew his sword. My mace slammed into his chest so hard he flew and hit the opposite wall. The second elf lamely pointed to a corridor to his left. I charged through it without a second thought. Sure enough, stairs... The third floor was basically empty. It looked like a staging area, and on the far side, I could see another set of stairs. These thankfully lead me to the top of the wall. Unfortunately, there was a squad of guards waiting for me. One managed to bash me on the back of the head as I appeared. I swept him clean off the wall with a shield bash. The next few met similar fates to the guard downstairs. Crushed bodies sent flying on contact with my mace.

Just as I pulled my mace free of the last elf's crushed skull, I heard the others rushing the stairs. With a silent prayer to whatever gods were currently listening, I hoisted myself over the wall into the darkness. I managed the count of three before I hit the ground. It hurt... It really... Really hurt. But I don't think anything was broken. At least not badly. It was a struggle to climb back to my feet, but every step I took felt better. Soon I was jogging. That's also when I heard the cranking of the portcullis being raised, and the twang of multiple bows.

I managed to throw my shield over my head a split second before impact. Dozens of arrows landed all around me, while dozens more bounced off the reinforced wood of my shield. I gritted my teeth and slowly picked up the pace. Ahead, I could see Eila and Ally still running across the field ahead of me. They really weren't all that fast, probably worse while wearing all that armour. Then I heard a familiar rumble... Cavalry...

There wasn't any time for weakness any more. Slipping my arm out of my shield, I slung it over my back, and picked up the pace. I spared a quick glimpse behind me, the cavalry were only just mustering outside the gate... It would be close, but I could probably make the trees before they caught up. That was however, without the ladies... I didn't give them the chance to react, merely scooping them into my arms as I overtook them. Eila shot me a dirty look, but Ally couldn't help but scream in surprise.

Ally noticed the sound first... The thundering of hooves approaching. She twisted around to check, and my glimpse in her direction told me everything I needed to know. Putting on a surge of speed, I accelerated towards the approaching trees. Eila twisted around to check herself, looking somewhat nonplussed.

"It's a small detachment, the main force is lagging behind," she called out with a grin.

I continued to run, only barely aware of either of the ladies doing anything. But in the final moments before I imagine being run down with horses, I heard the whoosh of a fireball. Moments later, the screams of dying horses filled the air and we finally reached the trees. I kept running, carrying my precious cargo... Shit... Did I really just call them precious? I digress... I kept running until the trees were thick enough for me to believe we weren't going to be immediately followed.

Sliding to a stop, I placed the ladies back on solid ground. "Let's go," I said with a grin.

The three of us didn't waste any time, turning and sprinting through the trees away from the fort. We didn't stop until sunrise, and even then, it was Eila that forced us too. She stood, leaning against a tree, puffing and exhausted. Honestly, Ally didn't look much better. Armour was armour, and unlike me, they just weren't built to run for long periods with such weight.

"I'm sorry," she gasped, between breaths. "Maybe we should ditch the armour?"

I thought about it a moment, it was time for a few answers, after all. "Where are we going?"

Eila practically flinched, "I have no idea... Anywhere that isn't friends with my father."

"Actually, about that," I started, "why would someone like you be so casual as to kill your own people?"

Ally turned to me in a huff, before Eila hushed her. "He deserves an honest answer, Dear. Frelser, as I mentioned earlier, elves are notorious for their deals. In short, I'm a political bargaining tool. I was born for the sole purpose of opening my legs to the next king. Unfortunately, my father didn't count on one thing." She stared lovingly towards Ally. "Love trumps loyalty..."

I felt a small spark of jealousy rush through me hearing her words. These were the first women I'd had real contact with in decades. They were both drop dead gorgeous in their own ways... And completely unobtainable...

"So what... Was Ally supposed to keep you in line or something?" I asked, sarcastically.

"... Yes..." Ally sighed. "I was trained from childhood in espionage and assassination, long before I was trained as a handmaiden. I was given to Eila as an 'indentured servant'. What I was really doing was keeping an eye on her... Making sure she never tried to cause trouble or escape. I was to... in her father's words... Put her down, at the first sight of betrayal.

"Days turned into weeks, weeks became months, and during Eila's birthday celebration, she asked me when mine was. That was the first time I'd ever received a present," Ally undid part of her armour. Pulling it aside, I could see a silver brooch in the shape of a lily. Eila moved up, wrapping her arms around her 'keeper'. "Yes, dearest, I still have it after all this time," she said, pressing her lips to Eila's. "First was the gift, then the talks, then games. The day Darjl made it known he wanted Eila's hand, she tried to escape. She made it as far as the stable when a horse panicked and kicked her.

"I walked in just as she was knocked unconscious... And I stood above her holding this knife," She patted one of her daggers. "I... I couldn't do it... My orders were to kill her if she so much as tried... And I couldn't..."

"I woke up, staring at her, while she was crouched above me," Eila continued. "She had the knife to my throat but was crying her pretty little eyes out. That's when she told me what she really was. We've been together ever since. She's the only person I've been able to trust until I met you."

"Well..." I really wasn't sure what to say. "That certainly answered most of my questions. I'm glad you found one another. Everyone needs someone special, I guess."

Eila gave me a strange look for a moment, "Frelser, I-"

I quickly interrupted her before she could continue, "no, no, it's fine, I get it, really."