"Twenty meters till it reaches me, fifteen till it reaches my stead. Huff, Ten meters now. Hang in there Thawne, you can do this."
Providing a decent amount of motivation, Thawne set his sights on the main task. It was simple, yet trifle and that was the hunting of a dreadlock.
From the records of knights, civilians without the blessing of the gods could never approach the dreadmourns, let alone defeat them. In addition to their keen sense of smell, these beasts had overwhelming strength.
Their staggering defenses aided in battle, and their fangs were too sharp to evade. In that saying, strength was little in comparison to the stacking power system they had, and agility was a plus.
Thawne held the axe firmly and reared his head to the side in wait for it. The dreadmourn approached calmly with precise steps, as its drooling mouth heaved to and fro.'
It felt the energy of a child in the woods, however pinpointing the exact location was somewhat difficult This was due to some poisonous plants that lay deep in the forest, and their smell exuded toxins.
Although the toxins were not that harmful to humans, they were highly active within the bodies of dreadmourns. Yet since this discovery was yet to be made in the future, none knew of its uses.
Thawne's loud breaths drew calm over time, and like a ghost, he hid himself. Infusing an ample amount of energy into his wrists, Thawne struck downwards firmly.
Clank!!!
"Clank!! Just how??"
Woodlock's hand shook upon impact, but in a swift motion, he drew back the axe and sped through the woods. The dreadmourn surprisingly allowed this pursuit, and with a senile smile, it drew close.
Rushing in toward the child would aid in his escape, so briefly analyzing the patterns of his footsteps and actions would increase the chances of survival.
As an entity that fed on the souls of humans, it stole as much information as it ate. The weight of its prey determined how strong it would be, and what Thawne faced needed a little more to breach its limits.
Growling in its search, it hastened in speed. Thawne felt his movements growing weaker since the monster was catching up faster than expected.
However, that was a slight misunderstanding he had in the first place. Thawne never stood a chance against a dreadmourn, much less one who was on the verge of an awakening.
Gliding his feet through the black sand, Woodlock fetched a sample of sand and sprayed it against the dreadmourn's eyes. In his plans, it was a diversion nonetheless, but that was certainly shabby for a beast of the dark.
Thawne sprang forth with a firm swing at the head to cleave it. Simply with the notion that hitting the same spot twice would deal enough damage.
However, his movement was too slow to catch up with the monster, and with a leap it struck through his torso. The lad was certainly quick when it came to surviving, and in an oblivious attempt, he drew back the axe to defend.
Wham!!
The sharp claws struck through the blade of the axe, and action he prevented a fatal wound. Yet that was simply the beginning of the short battle they delved in, and it was true the child was no match.
Undeterred by the efforts of Thawne, the attack threw him off in strength. Woodlock gasped for air as his eyes were drunk in confusion and disbelief.
He knew they held a staggering amount of strength, yet that was too much for a beast. One which could throw him off in a single blow was too formidable.
Ack!!
Thawne's back struck the bark of a nearby tree heavily, and as such he incurred internal injuries. A broken rib and some shattered bones were all there was to it.
His mouth flooded with blood and from the impact of the attack he puked. Thawne could no longer feel the strength in his limbs, and his eyes turned weary by the minute.
"I… still need to fight back.", he mumbled.
The child plunged all his strength to rise and defend, as a knight was always firm in battle. There was no time to tend to injuries, and since the opponent had a long way before backing down, it was too early to give up.
Thawne struggled in his actions, yet he drew his feeble body back up. Amazingly, his grip was still strong, and even within that attack, he held his weapon through the turmoil.
The dreadmourn grew tired of the long games and sprang forth to end what he started. In pace, it struck and ran to claim his soul, but the lad simply drew his axe forth for battle after seeing the impending danger.
"I will never fall at your feet, you vile beast!!"
Screaming with vigor and malice, Thawne wished for an end to the dreadmourn. That moment was a time he wished an angel to step in, and as it drew closer his fierce stature grew pale.
*Anyone, please…. Help!!*
Thwack!!
An arrow shot through the woods at absurd speed, plunging through the neck of the dreadmourn. It wavered for a second and sprang in the wrong direction.
The pressure of the arrow played a role, yet that was simply the effect of a strong wielder. Crashing through the ground, the dreadmourn fell at the feet of Thawne.
"Move!!! Thawne. Move your limbs even if they feel weak!"
"M-aster Shen??", Woodlock turned in thought.
At the far side of the forest, a knight who once stood as his teacher held a bow firm. Long and silver in appearance, it boasted of a noble figure and exasperating strength.
Seeing it a couple of times at the mansion, Thawne knew it was certainly his master's. However, Shen was injured and had blood splattered over his cheeks.
Thawne was filled with questions as he saw the injuries. What if he didn't have enough time to live, was he alight? Is it okay to run without help?
Certainly not, but interfering would only drag the fight and put them at a disadvantage. It had been evident from the start, and Thawne dragged his feeble body with all the strength he could gather.
The dreadmourn rose steadily and sneered its fangs toward the attacker. Yet as strong and noble as the knight was, he never wavered and simply dragged the string back for another shot.
Thwack!!