Idubor and his group, had been taking calculated step towards a bush-cover.
He brought out a short knife and unsheathed it, as he got closer to the brake.
"Okay everybody, we're going to fan-out and caught off it's escape.
You three, go around the back. You three go that way. The rest of you come with me." directing with his hands, the prince set the team into formation.
As a prince, he had already been given tactical and military training since he was five. Thus even though he was so young, he was also quite capable.
The other team members, drew out their weapons and spread out, when they heard prince Idubor, whisper those commands.
They had been observing the bush for a while, and were anticipating his command.
In the thick of the dark, a group of about fifteen junior warriors surrounded a thick brush.
Each junior warrior was holding a weapon of either a blade, a spear, arrows or knife.
They kept staring at the bush with cautious attention.
Sweat had gathered on the brow and faces of the lots, while sweaty palms tightened their hold, on weapons.
Everyone was in a state of nervous-unease, as they waited the expose, of the unknown creature cloaked by the thick brush.
A chokening suspense ensued when the nearby, whistler-owls began hooting, to exaggerate the deigning fear.
"My prince what do we do?" A young boy of about thirteen years old whispered to the prince Idubor.
He had been the prince's right hand man ever since they started the competition.
"Ehimen—"
However, before the prince could even reply the question from the former, a pair of huge, bright-red eyes blinked and shone from the cover of the bush—snarling
Rargh! Rargh!
Then without warning, Bang!
A black four limbed creature rushed out from the bush and pounced on a member of the group.
Voom! Sizzle! Crack!
Several sound of blast resonated as the young warriors activated their ancestral spirit powers which ignited their weapons—making ready, to defend themselves.
The place quickly became lit up as several weapons caught aflame, with different types of fire burning, to expose the creatures true form.
Splash!
In less than an instant, Using it's powerful paw, the creature jumped forward and slashed at the body of a young male warrior.
Just as quickly as it paw reached it's target, it tore open the young warriors stomach, and sent pieces of fresh, bloody meat scattering away—to expose the bloody red intestines and mangled guts. Which rolled over to the ground like a heap of freshly cooked spiced noodles.
Rargh!
Even then, without taking the slightest pause, the creature agilely sprang, to another victim. Stretching out its right paw, it aimed for the head of the boy.
Puff!
In an instant, the boys head exploded and caved in as wormy-brains and white matter, slid out of his remnant broken skull. However,
Puff!
In another swift move, but slightly different from the first, blood gushed out and sprayed over the air profusely. When the creature's powerful paw came in contact with another head.
Rargh! The creature, ferocious as it was, roared again, and rushed ahead, for more visious savagery.
In the next four breaths, another three broken bodies, were lying motionless atop pools of their own blood.
Seamingly satisfied with it's brutal and horrifying provoke, The creature stoped. And bared it's teeth.
Grrrrrr! It snarled, as it fixed its terrific bloodshot eyes on the nine remaining members.
However, the light created by the several flaming weapons, rested on the creature, when it halted its bloodlust.
The creature had been so fast that the group of young warriors had been unable to tab it with their naked eyes.
However, now that the creature had suspended its assualt, and the team could see it, in all it charges, they shivered with reverential fear and dreadful apprehension at sight of the abysmal agent of death.
It was a bizarre creature, covered with thick black fur, and eyes that glinted a glow of red, in the dark. And a mouth holding two long dagger-like canine ushered by tough jagged teeth.
Its bloodless mouth slabbered carelessly with sticky saliva, that produced an enormous filthiness and a stinking foul smell.
The hairs on skin was black, smooth and full, stretching along its body, even to its tail. Once it stood on all four limbs, it appeared to be a panther—Only that, it had the teeth of a wolf, and the limbs and tail of a rat.
"My prince what do we do?" It was the right hand man, Ehimen who spoke.
'Did the king send us here to get all of us killed?
Why did he do that?
If I were the only one sent here I would understand why, he might want to kill me. However, the other princes are here too, does he plan to kill all of us at once? Is he intending to sit on the throne forever?'
"My prince! What do we do!?" Ehimen was trembling uncontrollably. He shouted again.
Taken aback by the sudden roar, The prince, Idubor, snapped out of his train of thoughts.
To witness the figure of the strange creature again, as it fixed it bloody claws into the earth, preparing for another swift jolt.
"We have no choice but to fight!" Eleven year old Idubor, roared and charged forwards, with his knife.
He had witnessed the gruesome massacre of his people by this strange creature, and was already enraged by this time.
The others, although panick stricken, rushed forward, behind him when they saw his bravado—all except one.
Rargh!!
However as if on cue, the creature took one powerful spring and leapt away, swiftly avoiding the super charged, on‐rushing Idubor.
Bang! A shadow of a knife flew out, from Idubor's hand and stabbed into the dodging beast.
However, In the next moment, the beast made another jump and reached another youth holding a spear.
It's body, while still air bound, soared, then twisted wierdly, to position its mouth above the youths head. Then for the first time during this encounter, the beast employed it's teeth and gobbled off, the head of the wide-open‐eyes boy—Eliminating the target, even before the latter could react.
Then there was a headless body spewing blood uncontrollably. thud! the body collapsed helplessly on the ground.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
When the creature landed again, however, it's body was injured as several blows of spears and arrows had landed and penetrated it, and left numerous gaping holes in it's body—as thick red blood flowed.
"Hmm..
I will kill you!" Roaring, Idubor recalled his knife back and charged at the malicious beast again.
There was a trace of excitement amidst his anger. almost as if he was enjoying the showdown.
His knife had pierced through the beast stomach, when he flung it at the beast earlier. However, his ancestral spirit performed the function of conjuring his knife back to his hands; So no matter where it went to he could always summon back the knife. In fact it was the only known function of his ancestral spirit, that was why the young prince dubbed such a talent as 'useless', earlier when he was talking to his mother .
Argh!!!
His comrades, charged along with the prince and unleashed several brutal attacks on the creature.
Sizzle!!!
One young warrior, threw his burning spear vertically in the air in front of him. The spear, while still burning suspended in the air, started into a raging temperature and burst out an explosive flame. Then in a split second, an ephemeral image of a man, rushed out of the warrior's body and gripped the spear.
The ephemeral body, which was the image of a man with long flying dreadlocks and an empty face, was the warrior's ancestral spirit.
Just as quickly as the spirit got out, it started mimicking the movement of the young warrior. It, wielded the spear, and rushed ahead to collide with the beast.
Bang!
With one swift woosh the spirit stabbed the beast in it stomach—instantly injuring it.
Rargh!!!
The beast, which had been engaged in neck-deep battle with the other young warriors, roared ferociously as it was caught unawares, by the sudden attack.
Almost instantaneously it turned around, and hastily lunged at the spirit that had pierced it, with a voracious and greedy Intent, it chopped at the transparent body. However, it ended up biting on empty air, In the place where the spirit was suppose to be.
Rargh!
Confused, by it's inability to pierce the spirit man, the beast roared madly before landing with a careless thud. Thus, it broke it's hind limb. Rargh!! it shook it's head crazily; vexed, it charged forward again.
Stirring thick dust in it's wake, the beast kept running round in circles, as it received heavy blows and struggled to make out a particular target.
This was exactly the power of ancestral spirit—the warrior could use the spirit they communicated with to fight in battle. Thus surpassing all physical limitations.
Worst thing was, that ancestral spirit were not totally visible—as they were actually just made of light, and could receive mental command from the warriors, who committed them, and go ahead to fight on their behalf.
This method of fighting left the creature totally powerless against it's enemies. Since it couldn't harm them.