Adrian walked toward the meeting point in front of the castle. He carried a knife and an axe in his right hand, while a wooden buckler with a small bit of iron Adrian flattened in the center hung at his hip. He wore no armor, not that he owned any, assuming the castle would provide for the task ahead.
"Hey Adrian, where are you going?"
"Adrian, are you joining the castle guards?"
Questions were shot toward him the moment he was spotted.
"No," he replied, keeping his pace steady. "I have orders from the Lord Baron to join a group."
"What group?"
"The group to kill the monster."
"What?!"
Adrian didn't entertain them any longer. He hurried toward the castle wall where Sir Cordell stood waiting alongside Colby, Devon, and two hunters he recognized.
"What is he doing here, sir?" Devon asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"The Lord asked him to join us," Sir Cordell said simply. Devon and the two hunters were taken aback.
"But no offense, sir... won't he just be a burden?"
"Are you questioning the Lord's decision?"
"Of course not, sir! My apologies..." Devon hurriedly bowed, seeking forgiveness.
Sir Cordell paid them no more attention as Adrian approached. "A buckler? And an axe? Not bad, though I thought you'd be more of a bow-and-arrow guy."
"I used to have a bow... but they aren't easy to make.." Adrian muttered.
"And your aim is terrible," Dudley, one of the hunters, added with a dry cough. Adrian rolled his eyes.
"Here... wear this. I tried to find something your size. It's a good thing you're big for your age… too big actually…" Sir Cordell said with a raised brow, looking at Adrian who stood almost the same heights as the others before gesturing to a rack. "And some leather armor to go over it."
Adrian's gaze swept quickly over the group. Aside from Colby and the knight, it seemed he would be the only one geared for the front line.
"Thank you, sir."
Adrian proceeded to don the gear, layering the leather over the hauberk. He looked down at himself, he looked like a soldier now.
"Good. Now, let's get into what we're heading toward," Sir Cordell began. "Through young Adrian's description, we know it is a wolf-like creature, fast and relentless. It can swim, but it appears rabid. Colby and I will face it head-on while Adrian supports us. You three will track and provide cover with arrows. Understand?"
The group responded with a chorus of agreement. The knight squinted at the sky. "Let us go, then. I hope we can kill it before the day ends."
They trudged through the village. The villagers cheered, though many eyes lingered on Adrian, wondering why the boy was among the warriors. Adrian could only smile wryly and nod. Bell gave him a wink, while Tatum shouted for him to be the one to land the killing blow.
Soon, they crossed the bridge. Adrian cast one last look back at the village and the waving people before following the group into the forest.
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Hunting the monster wasn't simple. Adrian had hoped it would be quick, but the beast was elusive. By midday, they set up camp to eat the dried rations they carried. Colby and the hunters discussed their next move while Sir Cordell polished his sword, the only one in the group.
Adrian listened from the side, keeping his thoughts to himself, until Sir Cordell turned to him.
"How is your arm?" he asked.
"Well enough, sir," Adrian said, touching the limb.
"Good." Sir Cordell stood up and brandished his blade. "Let us spar for a bit before we hunt the monster, shall we?"
Adrian was taken aback but eventually scrambled to his feet, grabbing his buckler and axe. The others sat back to observe.
Sir Cordell took a stance, both hands on his hilt. "Come at me whenever you are ready."
Adrian nodded, tightening his grip, and lunged. He swung the axe, though weak, but Sir Cordell deflected it with ease. Adrian tried to shove his buckler into the knight's shoulder, using it as both shield and weapon, but the knight's footwork was like a snake, smooth and slippery.
He dodged and swung the flat side of his blade at Adrian's ribs.
Adrian tried to block with the axe, but his injured arm buckled. The sword slapped against his side with a dull thud.
Adrian cursed as he retreated, circled, and tried again, swinging harder and moving faster. Finally, he managed to catch the knight's sword guard with the rim of his buckler. Sir Cordell's grip tighten and pulled, but before Adrian could react, the knight's other hand formed a fist and caught him square in the face.
"Ugh!"
Adrian stumbled back, his face scrunched in pain as he tried to steady himself. Sir Cordell lowered his sword.
"Good enough. You lack training and footwork, but you know how to adapt. You use your weapons to your advantage."
"Thank you," Adrian grunted, touching his nose. Luckily, it wasn't broken.
"And you're quite strong, strong enough to match those older than you. Is this the result of your woodworking?"
"It could only be, sir."
That, and Adrian really liked to work his body to the limits, it was one he could do because he could mend his body back, allowing him push himself much further without worry of straining or breaking his body and that allowed him to have strength above those of the same age.
Sir Cordell smiled. "Come now. If we can't find this creature, we'll let it come to us. Let's proceed with the hunters' plan."
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The most important part of hunting was patience, to be more patient than the prey. That's what the elders and hunters always said, and it was exactly why Adrian was a poor hunter.
He wasn't impatient by nature, he just preferred doing something over lying in the dirt for hours.
They were crouched behind a large stone, peeking at a trap made of hares and a wild hound. Sir Cordell had volunteered to be the second lure, a risky move, but this beast wasn't exactly normal.
An hour passed. Or was it three? Adrian couldn't tell. He began to worry the monster had circled them to attack the village when he finally heard a noise. Through the trees, he spied a familiar, quick movement.
Brown fur. The monster. And it lunged toward the knight.
"It is here!" Sir Cordell's voice rang out.
Adrian charged from his hiding place. The knight was already tangling with the creature. Its claws slipped past his defense, but the armor held. Still, the force made the knight stumble. Colby emerged from the other side, swinging his mace.
The monster growled and dodged, swiping its claws at Colby's leg and knocking the old man to his back. As the beast lunged to finish him, Adrian slammed into its side, sending it rolling across the clearing.
The beast was fast, and definitely more agile than a simple wolf. It scrambled up and growled just as arrows whistled through the air.
One hit its flank, the others missed. Realizing it was outnumbered, the beast turned to flee, but Sir Cordell hurled a dagger. It buried itself in the monster's side, slowing it down.
Adrian and Colby closed in. Colby's mace connected with a limb, the sound of breaking bone followed by a whimper. Adrian swung his axe at the creature's hind legs but missed. The monster kicked him squarely in the chest, knocking him to the ground. But during it, Adrian hurled his axe. It buried itself in the beast's back, eliciting a roar of agony.
As Adrian scrambled back to his feet, he noticed something. The beast was bleeding and dying, but its side was smooth. There should have been a wound there, the one he had inflicted with his knife not long ago.
A cry of pain suddenly erupted from the direction of the hunters. Adrian turned away from the dying beast and saw a second monster. In its mouth was a severed human arm.
Devon and Dudley scrambled toward them in terror, the second beast hot on their heels.
"There's more of them?" Adrian realized, chill creeping up his spine.
Sir Cordell, without fear, charged toward the new threat, and Adrian, pulling out his knife and shield, ran right beside him. Colby stayed to take care of the dying monster.
There was no time for shock. They had to kill the enemy, or it would kill them. As the monster lunged, Sir Cordell stepped into its path, slicing deep into the beast's foreleg. It tumbled forward, its momentum carrying it right past Adrian. Adrian didn't hesitate, he plunged his knife into its side, burying the blade deep.
The sheer force of the moving beast ripped the handle from his grip, leaving him with nothing but his shield.
Left with only his buckler, Adrian's jaw set in a hard line. His heart was racing, pounding in his ears. The monster, now missing the use of a limb and bleeding from the flank, writhed on the ground in a frantic rage.
Sir Cordell stepped forward to deliver the finishing blow, but the monster was faster than it looked, or maybe it was now fully rabid. It coiled and lunged straight for the knight's face.
"Argh!" Blood splattered as the beast and the knight collided, struggling together on the ground.
An arrow whistled through the air, sinking into the monster's side, but the creature ignored the pain, its claws raking at the knight's armor. Sir Cordell's sword was knocked loose, sliding across the dirt. Adrian dived for it.
He scooped up the blade, spun his body, and in one fluid motion, plunged the sword into the monster's back. The steel pierced through the creature's chest and the tip nearly touching the knight's chest plate.
The monster let out one final, gurgling growl before falling limp atop the knight.
Adrian pulled the sword free and stepped back, his breath coming in ragged gasps. For a terrifying second, he feared the knight was dead, until Sir Cordell groaned and shoved the heavy corpse aside.
"Sir!" Adrian tossed his shield away and helped the knight to his feet. Cordell's face was bloodied and scratched on his face, but he was alive.
Though Adrian suspected the blood was more from the beast.
Colby, Devon, and Dudley approached slowly, staring at the carnage.
"There can't be any more of them... right?" Dudley asked.
Adrian couldn't help but glare at him. He didn't know why, but the question felt like a curse, as if a taunt to fate.
They stood in silence, scanning the surrounding woods for any more flashes of brown fur.
After several long moments of nothing but the sound of the wind, the group finally exhaled a collective sigh of relief. The monsters were dead.
The village was safe.