Return to Carmek

Lucas collapsed against the side of the bridge. The energy he had began to die down. He could suddenly feel just how painful his wounds were. They seemed to burn as if touching a hot iron. Slowly Lucas sat up and tore off his mangled helm. 

He brought his head back, taking a moment to breathe. His throat was hoarse and his whole body ached. 

"I'm alive." Lucas croaked out. This was not a statement of surprise or even relief, but rather one of bewilderment. He fully expected to die, in fact he thought he still might. He looked down at the helmet in his hands. Large gashes had appeared where the monsters claws had cut straight through the steel. The same went for the rest of his armor, from his chest all the way down to his legs.  Slowly Lucas brought his hand up to his cheek. He touched the same spot where the helmet had given away.

"Huh...?" Expecting to feel the stinging pain of a deep wound, instead he was only met with the usual feeling of rough skin. He couldn't help but be surprised. He had clearly felt the pain of being slashed across the cheek. Did the claws miss somehow? Had he only imagined it?

Slowly Lucas began taking off his left gauntlet. His arms, and in fact his whole body felt like it was burning from the inside. His limbs had been injured the most, his shredded armor clearly reflecting that.

As Lucas examined his arm through the tears in his sleeves he was met with a gruesome yet impossible sight. Unlike with his face he could clearly see the wounds on his arms. That was not what shocked him however. What he saw was that some of the wounds on his arms had apparently already healed leaving only scar tissue behind. The ones that were still open seemed to be healing rapidly, layer by layer, fiber by fiber. 

He realized then why everything seemed to burn. The only possibility was that he must have awakened a mana ability during his battle. It was probably the only reason he didn't collapse after the first few injuries. The only reason he survived.

But that was strange. Only nobles ever awakened mana abilities. They were the only ones that ever had enough mana to do so. But still, now it was clear that Lucas had one. He closed his eyes and felt around for the mana in his body. He could feel it smoothly circulating throughout his body, around and towards his wounds. What surprised him was the sheer volume of mana circulating through his body. It was much more than he ever had before. Nearly three times the amount. It seemed to radiate off him naturally. How did all this all happen? How did he, a mere knight, awaken a mana ability in the first place? He let out a heavy sigh.

Lucas looked toward the sky again. He was tired of thinking. Despite the large amounts of mana energizing and healing him, his mind was too fatigued. He felt as his thoughts got foggier. He slowly closed his eyes with a smile on his face. 

A quaint breeze passed by swaying the long grass.

-Nudge-

Lucas opened his eyes. Right in front of his face was the nose of a horse. But not just any horse. It was his personal steed Arum. Suddenly his thoughts began to clear.

"Right," Lucas said as he patted Arum on his head. "I have to return to Carmek." He could not stop now. He'd barely taken the first step toward doing something. He began to focus on channeling his mana through his body. The wounds on his legs and body began to heal extremely quickly, letting off a little steam as they regenerated. Although it burned, Lucas could handle it. With a bit of effort he lifted himself up and jumped onto his horse.

"Lets go!" He shouted, cracking the reins. The horse took off speedily. Lucas headed east, back toward Carmek. Hopefully he could meet up with the lord before they left for Lienstone.

*****

"No." Lucas said in dismay. Just as neared closer to Carmek he saw something disastrous over the hill. In the land below he saw a gargantuan monster trudging across the grass. It was clear that the creature was heading in the same direction as Lucas. West, toward Carmek.

The beast was bipedal with a near human figure. It had oversized arms that swung as it walked. Its skin was brown and earthy. Lucas had never seen anything like it before. It lumbered awkwardly at what seemed to be a slow pace, but because of its large size it actually moved quite quickly. It wouldn't be long before it reached Carmek. Lucas deliberated what to do for a moment before making his decision.

"HYAA!" Lucas rode forward, toward the lumbering monster. He was stronger now, he could feel it. Mana surged throughout his body as he charged. He drew his sword, preparing to strike. If he could cut one of the creatures legs that would be enough. It would certainly stall it long enough so that the people of Carmek could escape.

The beast continued to walk forward unaware of Lucas approaching fast behind him. As he approached Lucas readied his blade. He channeled all his mana toward his arm and sword. Just as he was about to reach the leg, he swung with all his strength

-Swoosh-

The sword sliced through the monster's leg however the cut was rough, only managing to break through half of the leg. The creature was still standing. As Lucas circled back around on Arum he realized just how tough the monster was. Cutting into its body was like cutting stone. 

He charged forth on Arum, aiming for the same leg but this time the monster had noticed him. Before he could reach the leg, the monster's oversized arm swept out in front to intercept them. Arum reared back, narrowly avoiding the attack but throwing Lucas off in the process. 

As Lucas got up he was face to face with the monster. Arum had run off. Lucas looked up and saw the monster's giant hand, ready to smash him into the ground. In a panic he rolled off to the side, just barely dodging the fist that came crashing down. The slam shook the ground, slightly throwing him off balance. Lucas quickly adjusted, readying his sword and shield. He gained his footing and made a dash for the monster's weakened leg, boosting his speed with mana. But just as he was about to reach the leg the monster's other foot stomped down in front of him. Stopping mid-sprint, he jumped back, avoiding the foot. But just then Lucas looked left. Coming at him fast was the creature's other arm. This time there was no time to dodge. Lucas braced with his shield and prepared to take the hit.

-BAM!-

The monster hit Lucas with the strength of five battering rams sending him fly backward. He tumbled a few times through the grass before stopping.  He could feel the bones he just broke jostle around in his body. But just as soon they began to mend themselves at an extreme rate, draining Lucas's mana. He slowly stood up with some struggle. The monster was marching toward him quickly. He had to do something.

What should he do? He couldn't even get close. He couldn't outrun the monster. It seemed he was done for. 

Just then Lucas noticed Arum circling around behind him. The horse had stayed close. With zero hesitation Lucas ran for Arum. He quickly hopped on his steed and rode off creating distance between him and the monster. It was absurd just how weak he was against its overwhelming size.

The monster stopped chasing Lucas and resumed its course toward Carmek. It seemed the monster wouldn't chase A wild goose. 

He only managed to slow it by a few minutes. Lucas deliberated on what he should do. His thoughts raced.  If he kept charging the monster there was no doubt that he would actually die. There was nothing that could be done.

Lucas grimaced. Now wasn't the time to be stupid. He couldn't take on the monster, that much was clear. He would have to ride back to Carmek. Perhaps they had already evacuated. Still Lucas had a bad feeling.

"C,mon!" He ordered as he rode off toward Carmek.

*****

"Lucas!?" Matthias exclaimed. As he was guarding the gate to Brinton castle Matthias noticed his friend approaching. All the knights had already heard how he'd left and were unsure if he'd come back. Although surprised, Matthias was glad to see his friend in one piece.

Well, seemingly.

"What happened to you!?" Matthias asked. Plainly put, Lucas was in tatters. His metal armor had been ripped through like cloth. On top of that his face and hair were a mess, speckled with dirt and dried blood. 

"There is no time." Lucas said brashly. "I need to see the lord." 

"You know he's furious with you." Matthias told Lucas.

"It doesn't matter, I need to talk to him." Matthias paused for a moment, before signaling for the gate to open, no questions asked. Lucas gave him a quick nod as a thank you and quickly made his way to the lord's quarters and swung the doors open. Just like before the lord was hard at work, except this he looked up to see who barged in so suddenly. 

"Lucas!?" Lord Brinton exclaimed. "Coming back after leaving like that! Who do you think-"

"My lord." Lucas said, cutting him off. "There is no time. On my way back I saw it. A monster is approaching Carmek. 

"A monster?" The lord questioned, his anger being shelved.

"A huge beast." Lucas explained. "It must have been the size of three houses. Maybe three. We need to evacuate immediately.

"I see." The lord deliberated for a moment. "How much time do we have?"

"I can't be sure." Lucas told him. But before he could continue the sound of ringing bells interrupted him. Lucas turned around and the lord quickly stood. Unfortunately they both recognized the bell. Hastily they both ran outside, to the edge of the castle walls.

That bell was one used to signal an approaching enemy army. Just over the city walls the pair could see the monster. Its hulking body only seemed to get bigger and bigger as it got closer. The bell continued to ring out as soldiers moved in a frenzy. 

They were too late. It was already here.