"See it?" Connor whispered.
"Yeah it clearly hates wendigo." I said.
The creature had just annihilated an entire pack and was now feasting on them. We called it the Manticore. It looked a lot like a mammoth, but bigger than a t-rex with razor sharp teeth. It also had a spiked tail and tusks long and thick like a school bus that were constantly scraping the ground and scaring its prey. The nose was sniffing the air for more food. When the creature found it, it would lower its tusks to the ground and herded the target into a makeshift corner. Then it would open its mouth and suck the poor demon off the ground and chew it between its teeth. Hestia and I pointed out that Manticore didn't look so much like that, but we really couldn't come up with something better. Hestia was still not so sure, so we decided to officially call it the Mammuthus Manticore.
{_That thing has some skills._} Monti said.
Yah think! Hess said.
Connor and I exchanged a look. We wouldn't be dealing with the beast if not for humans. Their effort to take back land has been a success so far, yet it has caused us a lot of trouble by forcing monsters to go our way. Everyday it seems there's another demon to close for comfort.
"Good thing you two joined us before they pushed through." Connor murmured.
He meant the humans, they already set up a small outpost where Hess and I stayed. That was the real fear, how long we had before they eventually found us. Leo and Ethan had been taking off early in the morning inorder to look for new land to settle, sometime they wouldn't come back for days.
It had been three weeks since the battle, three week since my last conversation with Averia. While I still haven't said anything about our meeting, we have had more monster encounters and fights that have rendered us in desperate need of a new home.
"How should we do this?" I asked, trying not think about the reason we were here.
{_It's hide is thick, so I say we each attack it from all sides and get rid of the tusks._} Monti suggested. {_When it opens its mouth to bite, Hess and I blow fire and burn it from the inside._}
{_That's a good plan, but we should try to doge the tusks. It would take too much to shear those off._} Hestia said.
"I'm down with that." Connor said. "As for the tusks, one dragon can pin them to the ground we'll the other does the same with the tail."
"Now that's a good plan." I said.
After a little more planning, it was decided that Hestia and I would been in charge of pinning down the tusk since Hestia was bigger than Monti. Connor even gave me a flare gun to use to distract the beast.
So Hestia and I crept towards it's front, while Connor and Monti snuck behind. After lining up my shot, I waited for the nose to get close to the ground, before...
BOOM!
I shot the flare up the manticore's left nostril. It took all but three seconds before it roared in pain, but that was exactly what Hestia was waiting for. She used her front claws to grab onto the tusk, then forced them down to the ground and anchored herself with her back claws. She then bit the trunk to keep it from wrapping around her and throwing her off. The Manticore tried to stomp its feet inorder to shock Hess, but at that moment, Monti leaped onto its tail.
BUMP, BUMP, BUMP
The creature lost its footing and now was becoming frantic. I loaded another flare inorder to get it to open its mouth, while Connor used his enhanced strength and speed to tie its legs with downed power cables. Once I had the gun loaded, I shot another flare right into its eye. With that, the Manticore roared, but that was its first and last mistake. Hestia fired a strong line of flames into the beasts mouth, and didn't stop until it had smoke coming out of it mouth and nose.
"Hell Yeah! it didn't even see us coming." Connor shouted, glad to be done with the mission.
"That was actually easier than I thought." I said, "Hey Hestia are you alright?"
{_Fine as can be._} She said with delight.
{_Didn't even put up much of a fight._} Monti said in confusion. {_What's the deal?_}
Connor patted his snout.
"Maybe it was worn out," he said.
{_By what?_} Hestia asked.
By the military division it was avoiding. If Kyle and Darnadle hadn't shown up and saw them advancing, we'd have been ambushed. They were readying the tanks when we started to run.
"They're making a run for it." one of them said. "Go go go go go!"
"Yes sir" the ground unit started to shoot.
ROOOOOOOAR!
Hestia was tensed up, ready to spew fire. She clearly remembers the last encounter, and was still pissed about it. We didn't have time for her grudge though. If they fired, it would be game over for us.
"In the air now!" Connor said as bullets started flying.
We rushed as best we could, but a bullet went through my leg and I disappeared into the rubble. Hestia was hurried in the air by Monti and she didn't notice that I wasn't with her. I had to lay low or be shot to death.
"Sir, they're getting away," one soldier said.
"Let them." a man said, probably the one in charge.
The soldiers were wandering around, ready to shoot. I stayed absolutely still, hoping they wouldn't find me. If they did, it means a fight, one I would go to the death for, and I'm not going out that way. It was hard to concentrate with my leg searing with pain. It shouldn't hurt this bad as I have enhanced healing and pain tolerance, but we've long suspected they were using monsters to make weapons.
As I bit my tongue to not scream, the unit was fanning out around the area. One got close to where I was hiding. He was looking at the blood spot from my wound. His black hair curled under his helmet as he got down on one knee to examine the splatter. Then he started to move pieces of rubble. I tried to shift deeper but it only got his attention. He lifted the sheet of metal before noticing me, his green eyes went wide before I knocked him clean out.
"What's going on there?" someone shouted.
I was trying to drag him with me when I heard Hestia roaring. Uh Oh, she's pissed off when she roars. But she wasn't the only dragon coming though.
"Holy crap! There's more of them." the soldier shouted.
ROAR!
"Fall back, fall back!" The commander shouted
I saw Draco blow fire, but heard Leo telling him to not aim for the soldiers. To make a barrier not a barbecue. Using the light I had, I signaled Hestia and she dropped down beside me.
{_Oh thank god. I'm so sorry Anna._} She said.
"It's ok, now hold still we're taking him with us." I gasped.
{_ARE YOU SERIOUS, HE COULD KILL US!_} She yelled. Hestia always went from zero to a hundred real quick.
"He won't, now hold still." I said.
I latched him to the back of my saddle and covered the man with blankets. Then just as the tanks were getting in place, we took off and didn't look back.
{_You're insane, we're going to get killed because of him._} She said.
But I didn't care. There was no mistaking it. I would recognize that face anywhere. His black hair was longer, but those green eyes gleaming in the sunlight, I would never forget them. Never.
'Oh god, what am I supposed to do now?' I thought, hoping Hestia wouldn't catch on. She always kept an eye on my thoughts and feeling, just incase I ever did something like this. Whatever, it's not my fault I didn't care about the consequences of my action. No it wasn't, because I just found him again and I wasnt going to lose him a second time. Tyler never chose to leave me behind, so I'll be damned if I do.
'But god, if fate isn't a bitch sometimes.'