We land in the middle of chaos. People are screaming and running in all directions. I slide off Zeno's back, "You okay?" I ask.
He nods and tilts his nose to the sky, sniffing. Then turns to me, nodding in the direction that leads back towards the road we came in on.
"That way?" I ask
He nods again, but doesn't wait for me, taking off in that direction with Michelle still on his back. I roll my eyes and take off after him. I stop along the way and redirect confused people away from the direction Zeno took off and tell them to head toward the hospital entrance. Even if they couldn't make it through the doors, it was away from where Zeno had said the disturbance was.
After a moment, I catch up as the parking lot clears of the last innocent bystanders, Michelle helping an older gentleman to the sidelines. Our eyes meet as she passes the man off to what looks like a relative. I start to run to her when my eyes catch Zeno and what he's facing and suck in a breath of surprise, stopping dead in my tracks. It was an enormous monster with the body of a lion and the wings and face of an eagle with a long, curved beak. A long main mixing with the feathers of its head. Its two front legs were that of an eagle with long, sharp talons.
Zeno already looked like he was terribly injured, with blood running through his golden fur and five deep gashes on his right side. His back leg on the same side was lifted slightly off the pavement as if it hurt too much to put pressure on.
I reach for my blade, but pause, my hands shaking with fear. The largest thing I've ever fought was a werewolf and this thing was easily twice the size of Zeno and as far as werewolves go, Zeno was slightly larger than average. My breath catches as my chest tightens, my body going strangely cold. I was scared. Terrified, even. This was all new and I didn't like it one bit. How could I possibly stand against something as big as this?
Zeno jumps forward, biting deep into the creacher's front left shoulder, but he's swatted away by the creature's talloned leg, a gash opening on Zeno's muzzle with a yelp. My heart skips a beat at the sound and I pull free my sword, my hands still shaking. I take in a steadying breath and take a step forward. Werewolf or not, Zeno's been nothing but kind to me. He's shown compassion and he's been patient with me and my mistrust. I would even almost call him a friend. Scared or not, I would never allow a friend to face something like this alone.
I cry out and charge forward, only to be grabbed by Michelle, "What the hell are you thinking?" She snaps, "You're going to get yourself killed if you go in there. Your arm is still broken."
"I know, but I can't leave him to fight that thing by himself, it's going to kill him then what are we going to do?" I demand.
She hesitates, "You and your fucking death wish." She says with a sigh. "I dont have my bow, I can't back you up."
"Just make sure no innocent civilians get pulled into this."
She nods and I turn back to Zeno and his opponent, only to be grabbed again, "What?" I snap.
"I just…" She clenches her teeth, "Just don't get yourself killed, Quinn. Please, we still need you."
I shoot her a smile, "When have I ever?"
She glares at me, but I ignore her. I run toward the two beasts snapping at each other with my heart slamming in my chest. 'Fear is a passing emotion. It comes and it goes, do not allow it to control you.' My father's word's echo in my head as years of training flash before me. Nothing that could help in a fight like this one besides reflexes and years of practice. I was good at fighting. I had been trained to fight. I can do this.
I slide in from the creature's left side, slicing my sword into its ribs. I suck in a hiss of surprise as I realize my sword barely broke skin. I quickly roll out from under the creature and jump to my feet. My broken arm throbbing in protest of its rough treatment. I grumble to myself. I had already used the fire enchantment on my sword. I cant use it again, but I still have others. "Duratus!" I call out, as my sword begins to crystalize in ice, a cold fog enveloping around it.
The beast's long, sharp beak digs deep into Zeno's front left shoulder and I lunge forward swinging my swords up under its neck and up its right shoulder, away from Zeno. The blade itself barely breaks skin, but thick ice crystallizes over its right shoulder into its neck and it drops Zeno trying to shake loose the ice.
Blood gushes from Zeno's shoulder but he stands back up and lunges at its throat. The creature throws its head back and thrashes, throwing Zeno off. I hear a god awful crunch as Zeno slams into the concrete of the parking lot, rolling to a stop. "Zeno!" I call out, but the creature was already turning its attention towards me, "Shit!" I cry out, lifting my sword up again.
Panic washes over me as the monster comes right for me. "No, no!" Its beak is big enough to tear me in half! "NO!" I swing my sword up to it, aiming right for its face. My sword cracks off it's beak, with no visual damage. I'm dead. I think to myself as its beak begins to close around me. My blood turning to ice.
Holly fuck, I'm going to die here...
Then, its head is thrown to the side with an arrow jammed in its eye. It cries out in pain as it uses its front left leg, the unfrozen one, to claw out the arrow.
I look to the side and see Michelle there with a bow and a quiver of arrows, Isaiah at her side. Tears burn my eyes. He came. Despite everything, he came to help! He rushes to my side. "How are you doing?"
"Zeno's taken all the hits so far, but I'm down to only one enchantment." I say as he glances at my sword.
"What do you have left?"
"Lightning."
He bites his lip in thought as he looks back at the creature that had already managed to pull out the arrow. But, blood was pouring from its face and it was handicapped on its left side where I froze its shoulder. Not to mention however many times Zeno had managed to bite it, although I wasn't entirely sure how much damage his bites were actually doing on the beast. But, at the very least, the ice seems to have slowed it down quite a bit and Michelle's arrow had blinded it on the left side.
I was already aware that Isaiah came from a relatively normal family. There was no way he could afford anything with enchantments. As far as magical help goes, I was the only one who could help and even then, lightning was the last enchantment. Unfortunately, lightning was a bit of a wild card when fighting with multiple people, the electricity could travel and strike a companion. Especially if they're touching the creature when the enchantment goes off. The enchantment itself protected the user, but beyond that the electricity could travel anywhere nearby.
I would need to do it at the right time, when no one was in range of the lightning. But there wasn't any time. The creature had already regained its since and was coming right for us. Isaiah turns to meet the beast with his sword and another arrow lands with a this into the beast's neck with a thud. This time, it doesn't seem to do much damage and it ignores it as its beak grabs isaiah. "No!" I scream, swinging my sword once again for its face and once again it uselessly cracks off the beak. I'm slammed to the side with its free front leg, its claws cutting deep into the skin over my left ribs. I hit the pavement and roll before jumping back to my feet. I rush forward, "Isaiah!" I scream, panicked. I've never lost a hunter on a hunt. Not one. I've always made sure they got home!
But then Zeno appears and latches onto the beast's lower beak and begins thrashing. There's a loud pop followed by a crunch and the entire lower jaw is ripped off, Isaiah flopping out of its mouth and onto the pavement. Zeno stands over him protectively, blood pouring out of him and staining there with his blood stained golden fur. A grumbling growl rumbling from his chest that I can feel vibrate the very ground I stand on.
My breath catches at the sight. A werewolf standing protectively above a hurt hunter, fighting to do whatever he can to make sure he doesn't die.
Zeno leaps at the beast again, shoving it away from Isaiah and once again getting hit by a clawed leg. Another arrow strikes the beast, but it barely seems to notice. I rush forward, "Zeno, grab Isiah and get out of my way!"
Zeno shoves the creature off and grabs Isaiah in his mouth leaping out of my way, toward Michelle. "Fulgur!" I shout, throwing my arms above my head with my sword held high. Lightning lights up the sky and gathers for a second before striking down into my blade. The beast turns to follow Zeno and Isaiah. With a cry, I jump forward and jam my sword as hard as I can into its throat where Zeno had previously left a gash. Electricity explodes from the wound, crackling and sparking across the pavement before fizzling out and disappearing. The beast roars in agony and falls on top of me, my sword stabbing deeper into its neck. But its movements stop, even as I push myself out from under it.
Panting I stumble to my feet, looking down at the beast. Then turn to Michelle and the others. Zeno was laying on the ground, as Isaiah was pushing himself up to his feet. "Quinn!' Michelle screams from Zeno's side, "He's not moving!"