Sofia let out a warcry and released all the energy she could muster. Her leg muscles grew wider, stronger. Her torso expanded, and her arms felt and looked bigger. She saw the beast approaching in slow motion. It tried to grip her with its talons, but she easily saw through the attack and dodged.
She gracefully slithered between the Griffin's extended claws and stood below its stomach. She looked up, and immediately knew what to do. She jumped and kicked the beast so hard in the stomach, she sent it flying upwards.
She jumped again, somersaulted mid air, then struck the Griffin in the back with all her might. Every fiber in her body pulsated with energy. The kick sent the beast toppling back on the ground, rolling on the dirt and whining.
She bounced on the balls of her feet as she landed, graceful, feline.
"Did it work?" Aaron asked in a faint voice.
Sofia turned and her eyes widened in horror. He lay on his stomach, in a pool of his own blood. She knelt beside him and lost balance. Her body slowly deflated, getting back to its original size.
"Aaron!" She screamed at him. "Hey, don't die on me, you hear?"
He groaned, his eyes completely shut.
"Oi, Aaron!" Sofia screamed then slapped him.
His eyes popped wide open. He took a deep inhale then looked at her, confused. "Is it dead?" he asked, then fell back on the floor, unconscious.
Her arms and legs shook heavily. Her heart felt like it was slowing to a stop. Her shoulders grew heavy, and her knees refused to support her weight. Her eyes were fixed on Aaron, who no longer moved.
She checked his pulse and barely felt anything.
She slapped him lightly on the cheek. "Aaron, stay with me! Stay with me, Aaron."
He groaned in response, so faint it was barely audible.
She tried to channel her energy into his wound, prayed to close it or at least to slow the bleeding, but nothing came to her.
"Aaron," she shook him. "Aaron!"
His chest moved slowly. His hands grew cold and his eyes wouldn't open anymore.
She roared and slammed her fist on the ground. "Wake up, Aaron, please!"
Instead of hearing the response she hoped for, a deafening roar split the sky behind her. She turned to see the Griffin, its right wing spread wide open. It roared with a voice unlike anything that should come out of an eagle's mouth.
A red aura coated it from snake tail to eagle beak. The ground shook as the beast's roar went on, horrible, terrifying. Then the ground cracked. Rifts as wide as one of the village's streets formed, swallowing crops and livestock.
The Griffin's midsection shook as it roared. The red aura surrounding it bulged and extended on its left flank, sprouting an artificial wing to replace the burnt one.
The same red aura exploded out of the cracks, reaching for the sky.
Then she heard them, wails and screams of tortured souls. Her hair stood on end.
The tortured wails intesified as shadows began emerging from the cracks, climbing on deformed limbs. They had a humanoid shape, but nothing about them was human.
Some had small triangular heads, a big contrast to their bulky physique. Others had one short arm, while the other extended to the ground. Shadows of all sizes and shapes came out from the cracks as the earth trembled and shook.
When the Griffin's roar ended, so did the rumbling. The cracks slowly mended, then the ground came back to its usual self, save for the destroyed crops and dead livestock.
The shadows groaned and wailed. They walked with awkward, mechanical motions, their legs too stiff, their arms flailing. They approached Sofia and Aaron, pointing their strange hands at them.
Sofia scrambled to her feet then began pulling the unconscious Aaron. She dragged him, blood trailing behind, toward the bridge.
"Help!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
The shadows groaned in response. They played around with their stiff legs, and they began bending at the knees. They started doing squats, their heads trained on the bridge all along.
Sofia raised an eyebrow. 'What the hell are they doing?'
Her arms already burned from pulling Aaron, and she just began crossing.
The Griffin roared once more.
Sofia let go of Aaron and clutched her chest. Her heart burned. It felt like it was going to tear to pieces.
She winced and fought the pain, then reached for Aaron to pull him again. She looked up to see the shadows doing squats and jumping.
She pulled Aaron further into the bridge, keeping a close eye on the strange shadows. They switched from jumping squats to lunges.
'They're either taunting us, or getting ready to run at us. Either way, they're not good news,' she thought as she grunted and pulled. Aaron's weight was bringing her down, but she refused to let go of him.
The shadows stopped. They all turned their deformed heads toward her, then started running, their arms still flailing around helplessly.
She pulled Aaron with all her might and tried to back up as fast as she could.
Aaron groaned, but didn't open his eyes.
"Where's help when you need it?" She said through gritted teeth.
She couldn't pull Aaron any faster. At that rate, she knew the shadows would reach them, and she doubted their intentions were any good.
The beast joined the shadows and ran toward them, its red eyes on Aaron.
Sofia roared at the sky, at how rotten their luck was.
A shadow covered her for a brief second, then a strong gale blew her hair forward. She saw a gigantic four legged creature land amidst the shadows then leap toward the Griffin. It bit it on the neck, and they both tumbled on the ground, growling and shrieking.
She heard a rumble behind her, and the bridge shook.
She turned to see a horde of soldiers running toward them, their spears aimed forward. Ana ran in front of the line, her trademark mask was easy to spot. Captain Bert ran beside her, barking orders and pointing with his fingers. The soldiers reached her and formed a protective line between them and the shadows.
Captain Bert stood behind them, tall and imposing. "Shield wall!" he screamed in a commanding voice.
The soldiers aimed their spears forward and brought their shields closer to their chests.
The creatures reached them, and collided with the soldiers. The spears hit the shadows and they screeched as smoke rose from their ethereal bodies. The spear tips shone a bright blue light as they hit the shadows, forcing them to retreat.
Ana knelt beside Sofia and shot a quick look at Aaron. "Medic! We need a medic here, now!"
A tall woman with brown curly hair hurried toward them. She knelt beside them and checked Aaron's pulse. She quickly turned and started screaming orders.
A few heartbeats later, four men made their way through the madness. They were carrying a stretcher. They gently placed Aaron on top of it then retreated.
Sofia jumped after them, but Ana stopped her. "There's nothing you can do for him now. He's in good hands. If Venn wills it, he shall live."
The soldiers were engaged in a fierce battle against the shadows, pushing them back, but never defeating any of them.
"How can I help?" Sofia asked.
Ana cocked her head. "I saw what you did to the Devil. You should be exhausted."
Sofia shook her head. "I can still help."
A soldier screamed as a shadow's arm went through his head. He thrashed about before he fell limply on the floor. His clothes flapped when they were tight around his body moments ago. His face had dried up. His eyes were but empty sockets.
Sofia's stomach turned. "What happened to him?"
Ana cursed under her breath.
Captain Bert pointed at a soldier who stood in the back and motioned to the fight ahead of them. He tapped his spear on the floor then ran to replace his fallen companion.
"Those are hell spawns," Ana said, observing the fight behind her mask. "They don't have a physical form. For those with a weak mind, they are their worst nightmare."
Ana pointed at the soldier. "He feared death more than he feared what these spawns would do to our home. They feed on your fears, make them nightmares, then suck the life out of you. You'll only see your worst fears come true for a second, and that second will feel like an eternity before you wither and die. We can't allow them to reach town."
Sofia took a loud gulp. The soldiers roared and stabbed at the spaws, pushing them away from the bridge. Another soldier fell, then Captain Bert ordered another to take his place. Her jaw clenched until her teeth started grinding each other.
All these people lost their lives because of them.
Aaron didn't second guess what he needed to do. He was willing to die to protect these people, not from the beast, but from them.
She gave Ana a defiant look. "I won't stand by and watch while others are dying because of us. This won't end until the Devil is down."
Ana pointed at the fight beyond the shadows. "You shouldn't bother yourself with that."
The Griffin was fighting a creature its own size. A wolf with burning blue eyes had its fearsome maw snapped around the creature's neck. The beast thrashed with its talons and clawed at the wolf.
The wolf groaned in response but didn't let go. It planted its feet on the ground and shook its head, trying to snap the Griffin's neck.
The Griffin roared and twisted, causing the wolf to tumble and fall beside it. They struggled on the floor, the wolf's jaw still tightly shut around the beast's neck. The griffin planted its talons deep within the wolf stomach and pulled, but the creature wouldn't let go.
The red aura suddenly flared around the Griffin's tails. The snakes hissed then grew in size and quickly bent, latching onto the wolf's head. Their fangs dug deep into its eyes, and the wolf howled.
As the wolf let go of its prey, the Griffin lurched with its beak forward. It pierced the wolf's heart, wiggled its head then threw its limp body on the floor, right next to its hindlegs. It slammed them on the wolf and protracted its lion claws. It pummeled the wolf, ripping its flesh from head to back legs.
Sofia and Ana gasped.
The masked lady rummaged in her pocket then threw Sofia a small bottle with a light blue liquid inside. "This will give you a short boost." She turned and waved at captain Bert.
He approached then saluted her. "The spawns are weak. Keep them away from the bridge at all costs, you hear?"
He nodded. "Yes, ma'am!"
She put a hand on his arm. "I'm leaving these men, their lives, under your protective watch. They're your responsibility, don't fail them."
He straightened up. "Yes, ma'am! You can count on me, ma'am!"
She nodded then turned to Sofia. "What are you waiting for? You wanted to help. Now drink that and follow me."