Chapter 108: The Monster Unleashed (2)

The guards charged at the wolf-human hybrid with all the strength and speed they managed to muster up. Their loud battle cry echoed to all directions in the hallway disrupting the weeping of the slaves.

The call to arms reached further back, eventually reaching an open-space carved out area serving as a makeshift guard room. There, currently off duty, a group of 5 guards was playing some sort of card game around a round table. Copper and Silver coins, donning multiple insignias were piled up in front of each one in various sizes. 

The guy with the biggest stack in front of him raised his head as the muffled shout echoed through the halls eventually reaching their ears.

"Huh?" He exclaimed as he immediately became alert, jumping off from his chair. Looking at the direction of the sound. 

"Did you guys hear that?" He asked, keeping his gaze at the dark hallway. The rest of the group stopped their current game and looked at the direction their leader was looking at.

"What is it, Igor? Did you get so scared of losing your cheating money, that you had to find an excuse?!" One with a moderately sized stack of bronze coins resting in front of him spoke up with a smug look on his face.

"Shut up idiot, can't you hear it?!" Igor, their leader reprimanded. Walking closer to the entrance, he pricked his ears listening to the muffled noises carried by the thick walls. 

Soon, another set of sounds reached his ears, causing him to nervously jump, straightening his back. Looking back, he agitatedly shouted as he ran towards his bunk to grab his armor and weapon.

"Quickly! Armor up! There are sounds of battle up ahead! We are attacked!" 

However, by this point all 4 of them were standing and rushing towards their own bunks; they all heard the sound of battle and the bloody gurgle accompanied by a sinister howl...

***Back to the source of the sounds, just a few moments ago…

As the two guards closed in on the monstrous creature in front of them, they both swung from a right arch with their swords at the same time. The one on the left swung at a little above the waist area, hoping to slash into the creature's abdomen and rip some of its intestines. 

Meanwhile, the guard on the right seemed to be the one with more combat experience, as he intuitively swung from the left aimed at the wolf-like humanoid creature's neck. 

While both swings were pretty fast, to Aiden they felt like if it was in slow motion. His heightened senses, the huge difference in attributes made both threats negligible. Raising both of his hands, he parried both swings simultaneously. 

The sound of steel colliding with something even sturdier resonated around them. Deciding to use this opportunity to vent some of his accumulated frustrations more, Aiden decided to toy with his prey more.

Expecting a retaliation as both blades bounced off the black claws of the furred creature, they were quickly pulled in front of their owners in a nervous shaking defensive stance while they also jumped back.

However, contrary to their battle-hardened experience, the expected counter-attack never came. The creature lowered his arms to the same tensed state as it was before their attack. Looking at the duo, Aiden snickered contemptuously. 

"Come on, do your worst! This is pathetic! Is this all the might warriors such as yourselves have?!" 

Ashamed and humiliated as he trampled on their pride, both guards flew into a rage and rushed in for a second attempt. 

Charging for the second time, the left guard decided to thrust his sword this time, aiming at the creature's stomach once again. His partner next to him decided to try swinging his blade against the creature's neck one more time, using the same left-to-right arc.

Aiden's eyes flashed momentarily as he watched both incoming attacks with excitement. He felt euphoric, his blood was boiling with passion. He wanted more, he NEEDED more! 

As his excitement reached new heights, his rationality started to be clouded with hazy fog, letting his thirst come to the forefront of his mind. 

The eye sockets of his mask were no longer flashed for brief moments but remained a constant source of the ominous golden light. His zeal, his thirst took control of his sanity, he howled while raising both of his hands, effortlessly parrying the swing, while also grabbing hold of the tip of the lunged blade towards his abdomen. 

As the parried blade bounced off his right hand's claws, he immediately slashed down. 

The sound of bones breaking,meat and skin being torn to shreds could be heard. Soon after a painful cry echoed across the hallway, carrying the agonizing shriek in both directions.

As his partner looked at the guard on the left, his face contorted the horrified frown; the arm that was holding the blade was slashed in half, leaving only a bloody stump, while the lower half fell to the ground with a thump. 

The separated limb was still holding the hilt of the sword. As the blood continued to ooze out of his now mutilated limb, the guard fell on his knees as he continued to shout and wail uncontrollably.

Horrified by this unexpected outcome, the guard on the right jumped back a few steps and grabbed the hilt of his weapon with both hands, raising it in front of him. 

Ignoring him for now, Aiden looked at his kneeling partner, and he raised his right hand into the air. As the hand hung above the man like the mythical sword of Damocles, Aiden released another menacing howl. 

In the next moment, as the hand swung down, the crying and whimpering died down and was replaced by a bloodied gurgle. Desperately trying to clasp down on his torn windpipe with his remaining left hand, the guard soon fell down to the floor as the light left his eyes and he succumbed to his death seconds later.

Blood still dripping from his claws, Aiden now switched his attention to the remaining guard shaking a few steps further away, nervously holding the hilt of his sword with both hands.

The man watched with fear as the monster took its first step towards him. The eerie golden glow that shined through the tiny eye sockets of its mysterious mask only enhanced its horrifying visage. 

He wanted to react, he thought about turning around and escaping but as the fear settled in his heart, his legs did not respond to his mental command, they remained stiff, planted into the dusty underground floor.

"D-don't come any c-closer...you… you M-monster!" He stuttered due to the fear. His body shaking widely, even holding his sword started to prove a challenge.

"P-please… don't… please… let me go… I beg you…" he started begging as the tears smeared his once-proud face. 

As he arrived in front of him, Aiden leaned closer to the right ear and whispered as he breathed hot air into it.

"Did you listen to those words even once in your life? As the man and women cried the same, looking into your eyes, did you ever consider giving them the same courtesy?"

The next moment, the man felt an intense tingle, something similar to an electric shock from his abdomen. Looking down, and noticing the furred hand deeply buried inside his body he knew instantly what this feeling was; it was the moment when his nervous system went haywire as the thousands upon thousands of circuits were broken, ripped to shreds when the clawed hands gnashed into his insides.

Shortly after, the shock transformed into intense heat. Heat that he never felt before… This heat was the precursor to the pain that came shortly after. As the pain intensified, and his eyes went wide-eyed, he suddenly ignored the fact that his reaper was still in front of him, he grabbed his gushing wound with both hands, dropping his sword onto the ground. 

Aiden stretched his claws, tearing more and more of his intestines and ripping through his visceral fat. Exerting a bit more strength, he raised his arms, tearing through the man's insides all the way to his heart, stopping just before it. 

Grabbing the still-beating but rapidly waning organ, Aiden whispered the guard's last words in this life.

"No. There is no forgiveness. Maybe in your next life…" 

Then, with a decisive pull, he ripped the heart out from its socket, and crushed it, before the guards fading eyes. 

As life left his body and he fell sideways to the dust, the very last thing he saw in his life was his own heart being crushed in the hands of his murderer.

As the second thud signaled the end of the short bout, Aiden raised his head towards the ceiling and loudly howled, letting the sound of his victory be carried forward, warning the rest of their approaching doom.

Tonight, the monster was finally unleashed, and there's nobody that can quell its thirst for blood...