13 Yargoth, pt. 2

The yargoth's claw prepared to descend on Viscerin's head as Jin watched. What had just happened? Many questions circled inside his mind, but for a moment, he forced himself to set them aside.

Just before the yargoth could effectively end the young girl's life, if it hadn't already, Jin's sword found its back. The yargoth screeched a terrifying sound, and spun, thrashing as it tried to locate its agressor.

Jin moved between the beast's legs, and slashed at what he assumed was its knee. As it did not know where Jin was, the yargoth didn't know what area of its body to harden, and so, Jin's attack cut through its skin like a knife through butter.

Again, the yargoth let out a sound that would have terrified Jin, if he weren't overcome with fury at the moment. He tried to continue, but his head injury caught up to him, and he suddenly felt dizzy. He was still bleeding. He was far from being at his best.

Just then, he looked behind the yargoth and saw Thompson approaching. After making a quick decision, Jin whistled at the beast. It turned, and its red eyes fell on Jin. Jin took off instantly, running as far away from Viscerin as he could.

He wanted to help her, but right now, he was the only thing keeping the yargoth from making sure it killed Viscerin. Thompson was a healer, it fell on him to help her.

The yargoth was moving faster, and more unpredictably. Jin's attacks, Viscerin's arrows, one by one, they had been whittling away at it. The beast leapt into the air, and with a single flap of its large wings, it drew close to Jin. He hadn't even realized it was almost on top of him until he saw one of its claws reach vertically for his head.

He ducked, and as the yargoth fell behind him, he spun and stepped back, trying to put some distance between himself and this beast.

He didn't know how much longer he'd hold out, how much more blood he could lose before going unconscious. He had to make the best out of every second he had left in this fight.

The yargoth turned as it landed, once again, making eye contact with Jin. However, just as soon as it found Jin, flame engulfed its head. Jin had cast a [Fireball] as soon as it landed. He knew his spell wasn't powerful enough to injure the beast, but it did blind it, albeit temporarily.

It didn't matter though, that was all Jin needed, just a moment where the yargoth wasn't moving. Instinctively, the yargoth hardened its front, and Jin, seeing this happen, went behind it. As harshly, as fiercely as he could, he stabbed through the back of the yargoth's knee.

Of all the roars and screeches the yargoth had let loose so far, this was the first that truly sounded pained. It swiped back instantly, but Jin had already rolled backwards. He wasn't going to take any chances.

However, once again, his vision went blurry. He could feel himself losing balance, getting slower. He didn't have much left in him. He looked deep inside himself, trying to pull at whatever willpower he had left to keep himself moving.

By now, the flames the yargoth released earlier had engulfed the plains in flame. Everywhere Jin looked, there was fire. It was spreading slowly, but surely. The smoke emerging from the burning grass was rising, covering the battlefield in a shallow darkness.

This was like something out of a nightmare. But Jin hadn't woken up just yet.

He gripped his sword tighter, and ran forwards. The yargoth wasn't thinking anymore, assuming it was capable of thought to begin with. Instead, incapable of standing, it was flying towards Jin as fast as it could. Again, it striked with a vertical claw swipe. Just the wind that brushed past Jin's head as he avoided the blow let him know that a single hit from this enraged version of the yargoth likely meant death.

The yargoth landed, and stumbled onto its injured knee. It could reach great heights, but it seemed like it wasn't capable of flying for a long stretch of time, only in short bursts.

Jin risked a glance at Thompson and Viscerin. Thompson's hands were glowing yellow, hovering over Viscerin's body, but she still wasn't moving. However, rather than be worried, Jin found relief in this.

If Thompson was casting his strange magic, it must have meant Viscerin was still alive. Even if things looked dire for her, he could at least take comfort in this for now.

Suddenly, the yargoth let out a different cry this time. As it went on, its voice grew deeper. As if his internal organs were adjusting while it roared. Then, it began changing externally as well.

The yargoth began to grow spikes around its shoulders, and its neck extended, with its mouth becoming bigger and new teeth, just as sharp as the last but longer, came out. The most terrifying change however, was that its wings had turned into flames!

What kind of a beast was this!?

It was at this moment Jin understood just how out of his depths he was in this fight. It was a miracle he was even still alive. As his hand twitched, he noticed his own changes upon seeing this evolution.

However, instead of growing arms of flame or something, his blood ran cold. His face was pale. His hands were shaking. This was fear. And, well, could anyone blame him? He was seeing the stuff of nightmares!

With a speed Jin didn't think possible, the yargoth erupted from where it stood, and lunged forth. It was the distance between them that saved Jin, he figured. If he were anywhere closer, he'd have been decapitated by a flaming wing. Instead of that though, the new threat passed over him. This time, the beast didn't stumble. Jin noticed that some of its wounds, not all of them, had healed.

The back of its knee had healed, but none of the spots hit by Viscerin's arrows had. Did it purposefully choose which areas to heal?

Jin learned the hard way that sometimes, its better to focus on the thing you're fighting rather than analyze it in an internal monologue, as before he knew it, the beast was flying towards him, and this time, he didn't have the distance to his advantage. Instead of killing him instantly, the beast must have chosen to toy with Jin, as it simply blasted him back with a strike to his gut that sent Jin flying through the air.

He fell back, and coughed as he landed. The attack had knocked the wind right out of him. He was happy though, as if the yargoth had wanted to, it could have killed Jin right then and there.

As he sat up, his eyes widened at the sight in front of him. The beast looked a lot less like a beast now. It was standing upright on both legs, its winged arms were hanging by its waist, and it appeared to be very pleased with itself at having hit Jin.

Was this its true form? Not a beast but, a nightmarish humanoid?

Jin decided that right now wasn't the time to speculate on complex philosophical questions, and drew his blade. He was going to die. At this point, he had accepted it. Or rather, he was forced to accept it. There wasn't really another option when you were staring at a red-eyed monster, on fire.

Apathetically, he put his sword in front of his body, as Theresa had taught him to. What happened next, shocked him.

The monster laughed. It was actually laughing! More incredibly still, it was clearly laughing at Jin!

Jin didn't know whether to be offended or amazed by this act. The yargoth, seemingly applauding Jin, decided that now was the time to end this pointless battle, as it reared its winged arms back, clearly preparing itself for a final lunge.

It sprang forwards, much faster than Jin could telegraph. Luckily for him, he had begun to move before the yargoth even attacked, precisely for that reason. And, yet again, he took a step forwards, and imagined Theresa beside him.

For all the slack Elizabeth gave him for being terrible at learning certain things, she never once doubted his ability to learn combat skills.

And right now, he could almost see Theresa next to him, tangibly. And with this vision to rely on, he followed her instruction. He imagined the yargoth's flaming arm was a blade like any other, and he knocked it aside. It took far more strength then it would have to knock an actual blade away, but he managed it nonetheless.

Finally, he spun in place, and without seeing the yargoth, he slashed into its head.

Again, the yargoth laughed. Jin opened his eyes, and looked at the beast. Of course, it had hardened the part of its head Jin had aimed at. Jin scolded himself internally. In his fear, in his desperation-inspired act, he had forgotten this one essential ability the yargoth possessed.

Slowly, the yargoth lifted its arm up, about to send it crashing down on Jin's head. Jin saw this, and closed his eyes. He need not see how he was going to die, as he was certain that it would happen.

Suddenly, the yargoth screeched. It wasn't a roar of victory, like some creatures Jin had seen over the years tended to release when they killed their opponents. This was another pained screech. He opened his eyes, and saw the yargoth hunched over, clutching the back of its head. He looked over to it, and saw an arrow sticking out of the yargoth's skull.

What?

Jin looked behind the yargoth, through all of the fog caused by the burning grass, and saw Viscerin, in a sitting position, with Thompson by her side, with her bow outstretched, and her right arm reared back, having just let an arrow fly.

Jin wanted to cry, but he needed to remain focused. The yargoth's entire back was hardened, as it expected there to be some opponent there. The arrow had struck the yargoth in the back of its head, it was as weak as it would ever be. It had its eyes closed, and was moaning in pain.

Jin grabbed his sword, and almost ferally, ran forwards. He closed in, inch by inch, until finally, he plunged his sword into the front of the yargoth's head.

Instantly, its red eyes stopped glowing.

Jin couldn't handle the weight, and the yargoth simply fell back, sliding right off Jin's sword.

Just like that, this battle was over.

For a moment, Jin stared at the yargoth's corpse. He half-expected it to come back to life. If nightmares existed, they could surely do that much. But no, the yargoth did not move. He felt nervous to even go near it, but as he walked by it, on his way towards Viscerin, the yargoth did not follow.

He arrived, and immediately held her by her back.

"Are you alright!?" Jin asked, wanting to know the extent of the damage.

"She'll live." Thompson replied for the girl. "The attack caught her back, but it wasn't that deep. I think she was running away from it when the thing got her. That's probably why."

Jin was worried. Why didn't Viscerin say this?

He placed a hand gently on the side of her head, and her eyes went up to meet his. There was a blankness to them he couldn't describe.

"I can't feel my legs." She said.