A Shadow Encounter - Elswyth

Ren flailed his arms around trying to grab on to something, frantically screaming for help. Tears are welling up in his eyes.

Elswyth, hands still stained with her mother’s blood, felt as if she was on fire.

The ground trembled underneath her. A low rumble echoed through the dead trees of the forest. Not far from where they were, a murder of crows flew away from the danger.

She drew her blade, but a strong grip on her shoulder made her stop.

“Elswyth!” Rahil pulled her back.

“The forest is waking up,” she reasoned with him. “We have to stop it now.”

Rahil glared back at her, knowing saving the forest was not her intention.

She held his gaze, eyes aflame with determination. “I’ll cut the branch,” she said, her voice commanding. “Make sure you catch him.”

Rahil scowled in defeat and drew his sword. “At your signal,” he said.

She readied her own weapon “Now!”

They dashed towards the raging demon, carelessly lashing its woven branches. Its body was leaking with dark fluid, growling angrily as it coiled around Ren’s body tighter with each second.

She easily avoided its attacks. She jumped, grabbed one of its limbs, and used it to boost herself up in the air. With one swift motion, she cut the branch holding Ren and freed him. Rahil caught him just in time before he hit the ground.

But the demon was keen on his dinner. Its glowing red eyes followed Ren as Rahil carried him out of its range. Five more branches sprung out of its body, heading directly at the two men.

Roukan drew his own sword and parried the attack. He dodged the attacks left and right, cutting the branches spearing towards him.

A thick branch burst from the demon’s body, lancing toward Rahil like a spear. He barely twisted out of the way in time, the wind of its passing brushing against his skin. The branch slammed into the ground with a forceful crack, burying itself deep into the earth, trapping itself.

Elswyth used this to climb up and ran up to the face of the beast. She picked up her speed and lunged with all her might, plunged her sword deep into its body. A blood curling scream echoed through the forest.

The demon grabbed her by the ankle and threw her hard against the nearby tree. She felt the wind knocked out of her. Her vision got blurry.

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‘Keep your eyes on the enemy’ she reminded herself as she did her best to get back up as fast as she could. But her knees shook, and her legs gave away. The demon’s branches coiled together and created a massive weapon that speared towards her. She knew she must evade it, but her body is not listening.

“Elswyth!” she heard Rahil yell.

She held her sword tight and braced for the attack. Then suddenly, a sharp whistle cut through the air followed by a loud thud. An arrow hit the demon between its eyes. It didn’t go deep enough to kill it, but it staggered the demon enough to miss her.

Two more came flying hitting its target. It screeched and growled so loud, it hurt her ear. But the situation is getting worse. The attacks are not killing the demon. It’s only aggravating it more. It was mindlessly whipping around its branches, destroying everything it hits. The ground began to shake and more low growls came from the forest.

“Bring it down!” she heard someone yell. Her head snapped to where the voice came from. A man with a raven hair and dark grey eyes stood with his sword drawn. “It’s waking up the forest!”

“Fenris!” the dark-haired man screamed. “Rain down on this bastard.”

More arrows came shooting down from a nearby tree. Elswyth looked up and the one he called Fenris perched up in one of the tree branches, drawing and releasing one arrow after another. Not even taking the time to aim and yet each attack hit the demon.

The man giving command drew his own sword and charged forward, cutting one branch after another. He was followed by a woman with a blonde hair wielding a long sword. When she was close enough, she jumped on the back of the man in front of her, and in perfect sync, she was boosted up in the air. From above, she raised her sword and with one swift strike, she cut it in half.

But it seemed unharmed, and soon it began reattaching itself, locking the woman’s blade in place. She pulled as hard as she could, but it wouldn’t budge. She planted her right foot against its rough bark and leaned back, using her weight to release her weapon.

Just then, Elswyth saw a coiled branch above the woman.

“Watch out!” she yelled. She pushed herself up, but she knew she wouldn’t make it in time. The demon speared its branch down with great speed—and a man with dark skin and braided brown hair barreled in, shoving the woman aside with his broad shoulder. His dual broadswords already drawn, blocking and slashing each attack with dangerous precision.

Perhaps he’d pushed his companion too hard. She lay on the ground, clutching her sides and gasping for air.

“Sorry!” he said between attacks.

“Don’t worry about it, Conri!” she dusted herself off and drew a dagger, readying herself to charge.

“Elswyth!” Rahil shouted at her. He was crouching down next to an unconscious Ren. “You’ve got to help them now.”

The demon roared angrily at its attackers, sending tremors on the ground a gush of foul-smelling wind. But it didn’t bother her. She took a deep breath in, fixed her grip on her sword and dashed forward.

Mimicking the moves of the woman with the golden hair, she jumped onto one of the whipping branches and sent herself up towards the body. Arching her back she held her sword above her head. With all her might, she swung her blade, cutting the demon down.

The demon froze. It growled lowly, taking a final breath and then it fell on the ground. After a few seconds, it turned into ash disintegrated and with it, the foul smell of sulfur. The long sword fell on the ground and the forest fell in complete silence, as if a battle never happened.

But her guards are still up as she looked at the strange faces staring at her.