General Content Rating: 18+

Story Content Warnings: Heavy Swearing, Blood and Gore, Death, Racism, Sexism, Ableism, Homophobia, Transphobia, Exorsexism, Child Abuse, Underage Shenanigans (Drinking, Smoking, etc.), Suicide

Current Chapter Content Warnings: Heavy Swearing

Viewer Discretion is Advised

#14: A Night Filled with Terror

Notes: A sentence written in English that is italicized in dialogue means that a language other than English is being spoken, and has been 'translated' by the omnipotent narrator for your convenience.

“…Alva…Get Gonzalo at once.” Dr. Elfrida urged, her eyes wide and filled with horror. Alva, shaking almost like a leaf, vigorously nodded her head and twirled on her heel; she sprinted away from Dr. Elfrida and the three teens.

The monstrous roars only grew louder and louder, sending Noriko, Aden, and even Brian into further terror. Whatever that roar came from was something that was coming closer by each second.

“Hide!” Dr. Elfrida shouted a command at the three teens, her usual coldness having disappeared. “Children you must hide at once! Go!”

Brian took this advice to heart and sprinted away from the direction of the screeches. He dragged Noriko and Aden with him.

Where could they hide?! As Brian rushed through the camp; the world was a frozen blur.

And then he saw it: a recently built bridge by the river. It was certainly better than nothing. Hopefully the water would mask their smell.

He rushed under this bridge, and once his back was by the bottom of the bridge floor, he focused his attention on Noriko and Aden-

…Only to find just Aden, and no Noriko.

Fuck!

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck-

“B-Brian?” Aden cautiously called out, hugging the confused tiger cub for comfort. “W-where Noriko-“

“Her hand must have slipped from my grasp!” Brian seethed out. Shit! She’s so small, and she only has one arm! She wouldn’t be able to defend herself! He needs to go back out there and find her-

And then another roar filled Brian’s ears. This time it was so loud that Brian knew. He knew the beast had made it to the camp.

He couldn’t do anything now; he could only hope to a god he didn’t believe in!

God, it made him mad!

He let out a grunt of frustration and punched the bridge ceiling, the gem on his right hand glowing a faint blue. Immediately he regretted it, not just because the sound of the cracking stone could have been heard by the beast, but he bloodied his knuckles a bit in the process. The pain made him even more mad!

“Stop!” Aden urged. He set the fearful tiger cub to the ground. As the cub squeezed itself between Aden’s rubber boots; Aden frantically grabbed Brian’s roughened and pricked hand. “You…you are hurting…”

Brian opened his mouth, but upon realization that he didn’t really know what to say, he closed it. Instead, he watched as Aden pulled up one their sleeves with their mouth, spat in the covered hand, and gently wiped his injuries of the blood that had poured out. “This is best I can do now…Perdón.” Aden muttered his apology while tending to Brian’s wounds.

Brian hissed and winced as Aden rubbed his cuts; filling his hand with a light, burning pain…but didn’t stop Aden. He simply rested his head against the bridge, and bit his lip to silence himself.

Noriko you better be alright…

***

Noriko was sent into a spiraling panic when Brian’s grip on her wrist broke, and she fell to the ground with a thud.

She winced as her knees were scabbed, despite the minor protection from her tights. Having a face full of dirt wasn’t a pleasant experience.

She tried to lift herself back up, she tried so hard! But she lost her balance and fell back down every time.

She could hear the roars grow louder and louder. The monster would be upon her soon-

“Noriko!”

Noriko jumped at the voice to the left of her. She saw Prince Elric crouched down to the ground behind a tent. He offered his hand to the one-armed girl, who gratefully took it. She was pulled next to him.

“By the six goddesses! You were lucky I was so close by!” Prince Elric whispered, quickly yet silently crawling away from the back of the tent, and leading Noriko with him. Noriko swore she saw the elf prince’s ears twitch, as he listened to the closing roars. “Thank fate you’re mostly unharmed!’

“Yes.” Noriko quietly agreed as Prince Elric and Noriko passed by another tent. “I would not want to find out what would have happened if you hadn’t found me.”

They entered the picnic area, where Noriko and her two companions previously ate dinner. Some of the tables had clothes draped over them; a perfect hiding spot. Prince Elric and Noriko slid under one of these tables with ease, and sighed in relief at their momentary safety.

“What are you doing anyways? Shouldn’t you be surrounded by guards right now?” Noriko inquired.

Prince Elric bit his lip, and nodded a yes, or more like a ‘yes, technically.’ “I should, But I saw a local elf in a panic, unsure of where to go. I snuck away and helped them to a hiding spot…then I found another…and another…and another-“

“Elric you’re far too nice for your own good.” Noriko sighed, shaking her head. This prince was going to get himself killed for his recklessness! Then what would happen to his country?!

A low snarl, dangerously nearby, silenced both Noriko and Prince Elric. The prince, in a moment of startlement, clung onto Noriko, much to her discomfort. She did not protest, however, upon seeing the shadow of a huge monstrous figure sniffing the parameter of the camp from under the table cloth. Noriko was thankful she couldn’t see all the details.

Now she wanted to cling onto Prince Elric for comfort, but her pride wouldn’t allow such a weakly action. Stay strong! Stay strong and don’t make a single sound!

The beast made its way towards the table Noriko and Prince Elric were underneath, its grunts and sniffles made the human and the elf’s hearts beat faster and faster.

…And then it perked its ears, and sniffed the air. It quickly sprinted away from the picnic area; following whatever it sensed with its ears and nose.

When the beast was at a reasonable distance, Prince Elric and Noriko peaked their heads out from under the table. Prince Elric sighed greatly in relief. “…Looks like it’s heading towards the bridge.”

***

Brian’s skin paled when he heard a thunderous roar seemingly less than a mile away. Interrupting Aden’s caretaking, he pulled them into a tight embrace and slowly crawled away from the center of the bridge.

What Brian saw emerge from the opposite side nearly made him piss himself.

It was a feline shaped being, completely encased in a strange, shadowy smoke. Larger than a Rhinoceros; it sniffed the ground and turned its head towards Brian, Aden, and the tiger cub’s direction. It’s glowing red eyes hauntingly pierced Brian’s soul, and the strong scent of blood sent shivers down his spine.

Aden, upon seeing the beast, nearly erupted into tears right then and there. Brian had to bury Aden’s head further into his chest to stifle the whines. He hoped to god the shadows of the bridge hid them all.

And then something happened that plummeted Brian’s soul to limbo and back.

The tiger cub waddled out of the safety of the bridge, right towards the monster.

Aden panicked upon seeing this, and tried to call for the cub, but Brian covered Aden’s mouth and held him back. No! It’s too late now! They go out there too and they’re as good as dead!

“Mama?” Aden heard the cub mewl out to the monster, which stared at it with eager eyes and a drooling mouth. “You look different mama! Did you get to eat lots and lots?”

'Mama' growled in response, and the cub flattened his ears in fear. “M…mama? I don’t understand…Y-you’re scaring me.”

The monster raised his paw, and unleashed its long, sharp, blood dripping claws, prepared at any moment to strike.

Aden was overcome with tears, and jerked himself out of Brian’s grip; his gem glowed a bright red. “¡No!” The red-head roared at the top of his lungs.

The cub flinched at the red walker’s shout; and tightly shut his eyes.

…And when he opened them, he was met with prickly, thick vines that somehow grew in front of him. They were a barrier that protected him from his…his own mama. What happened mama?! Why are you trying to hurt him?!

The next thing the cub knew, he was being carried by the red walker; who quickly sprinted back towards the completely horrified Brian. A few slashes and a monstrous, frustrated roar, and the beast had torn down the vine wall that magically protected the cub.

And then Aden and Brian ran. They ran as fast as they could from the beast that hounded after them at an alarming speed.

The beast crashed and tore down the tents in its way, revealing various elf civilians that now had nowhere to hide, and sprinted away in terror. Wherever Aden and Brian went, the monster followed.

“Why is it chasing us?!” Brian shouted his rhetorical question. “It just passed way easier game!”

“This is monster’s cub!” Aden answered, showcasing the shaken-up cub to Brian as he led Aden away from the monster.

Brian gawked at this info. “Nigga What?!” The monster following them crashed into another tent harboring innocent civilians. “Why does it want to kill its own cub?! What the fuck!?”

Brian’s question wouldn’t be answered. Instead, Brian and Aden would reach a dead end. Their feet were submerged in the shallow waters of the beach; and the monster was gaining up on them…fast!

“Aden! Do you know how to swim?!” Brian hoped his question was answered with a yes. He was met with pure silence from Aden, who shifted his eyes back and forth between Brian and the ocean, as if unsure what to say.

Brian felt his soul plummet once more to limbo. “Fuck! You’re hopeless!” He snarled, and pulled the small boy behind himself.

A day ago, Brian didn’t think he was going to risk his life to protect a guy he basically just met. Then again, he didn’t expect a lot of things; like waking up in an ancient temple, or discovering his miraculous super strength he wanted nothing to do with despite how cool it sounded in superhero movies…

…Or facing a black beast that was just about to pounce on him.

And then Brian saw arrows fly and stab themselves into the monster’s skin, temporarily immobilizing and earning a screech of pure anger from the beast.

Cheers and shouts of war were heard all around the beast, and various soldiers gathered with their crossbows and their swords and shields. Some of them rode atop deer; Not horses, like you would expect, but deer of various breeds. Moose seemed to be the most common breed for war.

At the center of this army was Gonzalo, all suited up with Elric and, much to Brian’s relief, Noriko right by him.

The soldiers came piling on the monster; overwhelming it in the span of minutes. Despite the beast’s strength, and the swipes it gave to chunks of the army, it was no match for the sheer volume of enemies that had gathered around it. Steel clashing against skin filled the sky, and soon the beast was down for good.

When the commotion died down, and the soldiers rested their bodies and tended to their wounded; Brian and Aden, cautiously walked towards the giant corpse that was now the beast. Relief filled their hearts.

…It…it was over.

“Aden! Brian!”

The boys turned their heads to see Noriko, running up to them with a small smile of joy. They’d never seen Noriko this happy before.

Noriko’s smile was contagious. Aden beamed widely in response, running up to Noriko and enveloping her in a warm hug. This time Noriko wasn’t too stressed from the affection, and slowly reciprocated with a few pats on the back. The tiger cub mewled between the two humans he found himself almost squished against.

The scene was cute enough for a small smirk to form on Brian’s lips. He sauntered towards the two. “Good to see you’re still alive. Had Aden worried to hell.”

“Brian also was of the worrying!” Aden alerted with a smile.

Brian, embarrassed at having been called out, tried to deny the accurate accusation. “I wasn’t! I knew you’d be fine!” Brian rolled his eyes, hoping the sweat from his brow didn’t give away is lie. “You’re not much of a pansy despite how fragile-looking you are.”

Noriko knew at this point to take the somewhat rude comment from Brian as a compliment. In the end, she was simply relieved that the two boys were safe and sound. “I…thank you Brian. I’m glad you both are alright. Me and Prince Elric managed to get to Captain Gonzalo and gathered the army to take down the monster, as you just saw.” Noriko turned her attention to the corpse of the beast; now being inspected by Napoleon, the elf Aden met at Prince Elric and Gonzalo’s duel.

“What is that thing?” Brian muttered, shivering as the creature’s red eyes, now devoid of life, continued to psyche him out. “It looks like the boogeyman’s housecat.”

“Whatever it is, it’s dead now.” Remarked Captain Gonzalo, who slowed to a stop in front of the three kids, a content smile of his face. “Glad to see you three are safe.”

“Did…any of the soldiers…?” Noriko couldn’t bring herself to ask.

Luckily, Captain Gonzalo read her mind easily. “No one died, yet. But plenty are severely injured. Poor Elfrida has her hands full.” Saying this, Captain Gonzalo glanced at the busy doctor from afar; stitching up wounds with a dazed, yet focused look in her eyes. “She could use some help but we don’t have anyone else in this camp that knows more than basic medical aid.” Captain Gonzalo concluded, shrugging his shoulders in defeat.

“Diantha?” Aden suddenly exclaimed; bringing her existence to Noriko and Brian’s attention. “Diantha safe?”

“Don’t worry.” Alva’s voice spoke up from behind the three teens. The historian carried the blonde, unconscious girl in her arms. “I carried Diantha out of Elfrida’s tent right after I went to Gonzalo. She’s perfectly safe.”

Brian, Noriko, and Aden sighed in relief, glad to see Diantha in the flesh again, and seemingly healthier too. Her skin was no longer as pale.

…And then, all of a sudden, the corpse of the monster began to shrink in size. Much to everyone’s shock and confusion.

The shadows surrounding the monster puffed into the air and dispersed into nothing, eventually revealing nothing more than a normal, average sized tiger. The revelation left everyone surrounding the corpse in shock. Including the human teenagers and Gonzalo.

“…It…it was a just a tiger?” Brian remarked with disbelief. How on earth…?!

“What happened to it?” Noriko questioned. Narrowing her eyes and focusing on the tiger’s pattern and size, it seemed oddly similar to the tiger her, Aden, Brian, and Diantha encountered only the night before.

Frantic mewls and whimpers were suddenly heard; coming from the tiger cub in Aden’s arms. Aden let the cub down after a few seconds of listening to its cries, and everyone watched as the little tiger sloppily pranced to the body of what used to be a monster, nuzzling its face and climbing on top of its body.

“Oh my god…” Whispered Noriko, heartbroken at the scene. Brian couldn’t bear to watch it. He hid his face away and tried to ignore the heart wrenching chuffs that graced his ears. Aden watched on, tears threatening to spill out of his eyes at any moment.

“…The three of you have a lot to explain.” Captain Gonzalo muttered his warning; watching the cub’s actions with a somber frown. “A lot of the civilians in this camp think you have something to do with the beast’s appearance, and I don’t think this helps your case with what I heard about Aden and the cub.”

Noriko and Brian nodded in understanding; noticing some of the aggressive glares they were given by passersby.

Aden took a few steps towards the tiger cub and their mother. He sat himself down to the ground and beckoned to the cub with a few friendly, urging chuffs; which the cub eventually answered to when his mourning ceased.

“…Who are you?” The cub asked hesitantly.

“My name’s Aden. I saved you from your mother.” The red walker before Blanco answered. “She was trying to kill you.”

“…No. No, that black beast wasn’t my mother.” The cub shook his head, and flattened his ears. That beast from before smelled and sounded like his mother at first, and he felt her presence in it, but his mother would never try to hurt him. “The corpse behind me is. Whatever attacked me was a monster.”

Aden extended his hand, and waited for the tiger’s permission. After a chuff of agreement from the cub, Aden scratched the small tiger’s chin, giving them a hopeful smile.

That smile reassured the cub of his trust in the red walker, and he nuzzled the warm hand that gave him such blissful pets. “I like you. Can I stay with you? I don’t have anywhere to go now that my mother and my siblings are dead.”

“How do you know your siblings are dead?” Aden countered hopefully.

“I smelled their blood on the monster. They’re gone.”

“…Of course! I like you too!” Aden pulled the tiger cub onto his lap, and beamed excitedly. “We’ll be the best of friends!”

The gem on the red walker’s hand caught the tiger’s attention; upon noticing it out of the corner of his eye. It glowed a comforting red.

…The Red Star?