Fear is a feeling that paralyzes even the bravest warrior. There are many forms of fear; some people fear the ocean, others arachnids, but there is one type of fear that affects almost all mortals: death.
The fear of death can manifest itself at any time, such as being bitten by a poisonous creature, being caught in an unseen trap, coming across something you fear that will hurt you, or the most common way to manifest the fear of death is when you encounter a creature or being that exudes bloodshed and violence.
At that moment, upon seeing that woman who was on the verge of death get up, the fear of death manifested itself in Gargolak, with his tongue bleeding, he watched in panic as she lifted the battle ax that was on the ground. The maniacal smile she showed, her dull and focused gaze on him, made him feel a cold shiver run down his spine.
In a quick movement, she throws a blow that he manages to block, but it makes him lose balance. She wasn't so strong before, confused, he tries to counterattack, but it is too late. He falls to the ground, feeling intense pain in his left leg. When he looks, half of it no longer exists, and only blood runs across the floor.
A scream of agony is heard by all those in the stronghold's central house, which immediately causes a patrol of eight armed bandits to rush into the entrance hall. When they arrived at the location, a terrifying scene awaited them. An unknown woman lifted Gargolak's body by the neck, he was no longer alive. She then threw his body to the ground with all her strength and struck him again, decapitating him.
"Y-you bastard! You will pay for this!" One of the men shouts.
She quickly turns and faces them with a blank glare. At that moment, they felt like prey, their hearts started beating fast, and just one thought crossed their minds: they needed to run away, but it was too late for them. With an abnormal speed, she runs towards the group. Two in front of the group were cut in half before they could even wield their swords, three in a valiant effort raised their weapons in an attempt to hit her, while the rest ran away in despair.
The weapons hit her for their surprise, two swords pierce her belly, while a dagger is stuck in her shoulder. Without even showing any reaction, her axe makes a diagonal cut, taking swiftly the lives of her attackers.
"The captain is dead! The captain is dead!" Shouted one of the bandits, running in despair.
"A monster! Run, it's a monster!"
They are stopped by another group led by a man wearing heavy plate armor and a long mace with an iron ball covered in spikes at the end.
"Stop running, you cowards! What's going on out there?!"
"Boss! We have to escape! T-there's a monster in the entrance hall! That thing killed Captain Gargolak!"
"Monster? We are under attack, and you make up this story!?"
"We didn't invent it, boss! It's true! That thing killed five of us in one hit, we would be next if we stayed there!"
"You cowards! Get out of the way! When this battle is over, you will clean the stables with your lying tongues!" The boss then pushes the frightened men aside and heads towards the entrance hall.
He only took a few steps before stopping completely. The group looked confused in the same direction, then pure terror struck them. At the end of the corridor and slowly walking towards the group was a person with blood covering many parts of her body, a battle ax resting on their left shoulder, an unfocused gaze, and a creepy smile.
"By Kylasys...what is this?" Said the boss in a trembling voice.
"I-I s-s-said it, boss! It was t-t-this m-monster that killed the c-captain."
"G-get ready! We will avenge Gargolak now! This monster won't be able to kill us all! Drawing their weapons in despair and prepared for combat, they were not ready for what was going to happen.
The distance between the creature and the bandits was shortened in the blink of an eye. Again with quick and precise movements, a real bloodbath began. One by one, the bandits fell lifelessly, not even the heavy armor was able to protect the boss from the creature's precise blows; those who tried to run in panic barely managed to take four steps before they were struck dead.
With each step taken, the sound of blood and flesh being trampled echoes through the now completely silent hallway. She continues until the end of the hallway, where a double wooden door blocks the path. A single punch on the door was enough to open it; the sound of breaking bones didn't bother her. She entered the room, and six bandits aimed their bows at her. In a second, they shot their arrows, hitting her several times, without showing any pain, she fell back. Nervous smiles appear on the bandit's face, celebrating their survival.
The smiles and laughter quickly disappear when the creature gets up again and charges at them, three fall with a single blow, while the others try to draw their weapons, and another body falls to the ground, cut in half.
"You damned monster! May Kylasys destroy your essence!" Shouted one of the bandits before having his neck broken by a heavy punch.
The last bandit's legs fail him, dropping to the ground, and he looks at the terrifying creature.
"Raianna forgives me for my mistakes, Kylasys has mercy on my essence, Thorann offers me justice, and Belfronti guides me to eternity."
Another quick movement and his life was claimed. She looks around the room and sees collective cells on each side. On the left side, there are seven women, two of whom are children, and on the right side, four men. All the prisoners bear signs of ill-treatment and are covered in torn and ragged clothes.
There is blood smeared on the floor, walls, and in the cells; none of the hostages could make a sound, and everyone was overwhelmed by the terror of the scene they witnessed. The creature, as they identified it, had been standing in the same place since it struck the last blow against one of the bandits. She stared blankly in a single direction with her terrifying, unfocused gaze.
An involuntary cough from one of the children in the woman's cell causes the creature to turn towards it and slowly approach. With each step, the terror increases, and some of the hostages scream in horror, trying to get as far away from that sinister figure as possible. The creature grabs the bars with superhuman strength, causing them to shake and slowly bend. The screams increase in volume and frequency, and some hostages in the men's cell begin to shout, trying to get the creature's attention, but to no avail. The back wall of the prison opens with a slow, rocky sound, revealing a passage from which a group of twenty armed men comes out.
"You filthy people, why are you making so much noise?!" Said one of the men.
Without noticing his surroundings, he trips over one of the bodies on the floor and falls. Scared, his last vision was a creature jumping on him with a battle ax; the previous scene was repeated. There was no chance that the group would survive; some managed to escape the initial attack were followed in their escape route, where others were waiting for them, slave traders. A caravan was preparing to flee the battle with the merchandise, the prisoners in the stronghold.
The massacre came to an end when everyone present in the warehouse, which was connected by the secret tunnel, was killed with the same efficiency and cruelty as those who encountered it before.
With her body bathed in blood and the sound audible was her heavy breathing, the smile on the creature's face slowly returned to normal, the previously unfocused eyes regained their shine, exhausted, Manila went back to normal, and she knelt on the damp ground, the aura of terror she emanated had disappeared.
No one who could see her at that moment would mistake her for a monster, but even though she was confused by what happened, the memories of everything that had happened before hit her like a rock.
A visceral feeling of heartbreak, panic, terror, and pure despair took over. Seeing all the damage, the lives she cruelly took, she stayed paralyzed, looking at her bloody hands while the sounds of the battle outside slowly faded away.