INFINITES: Unchained Beasts

Monsters

    Reid ran amongst the chaos stricken streets trying to make his way to the flame engulfed tents. He knew that Kastril was had most likely beaten back any assailants, but he still needed to be there to help lead them out of Iron Bar.
    As he was running he noticed lines of more cages filled with shivering scared Tytenians. He stopped in his tracks and changed his arm to shift out a long blade made of bone. He slashed open the locks one by one.
    Some were still in a state of shock with what was happening. Reid barked orders over the sound of fire and screams.
    "Do you wanna spend the rest of your life in iron!? Move now!"
    Those who were afraid now moved with motivation. Reid's eyes darted around to account for everything happening. He made sure that all of the Tytenians were moving out of their cages.
    "Move to where the fire is! You'll find a tall demon girl, you'll be safe with her! Go now!"
    Reid continued to cut open locks and free Tytenians. Once all of the cages were opened he looked back to make sure that all of the freed slaves were making there way towards the tents.
    What he saw were more hunters closing in.
    "Dammit, the fire should've gotten their attention."
    He saw a young Tytenian woman trip on her way while running. A hunter saw this and was ready to drive his broadsword down on her. Reid kept in front of the attack and blocked it with an arm. The hunter continued to put force down on the blade, but  Reid's skin would not break.
    "Run!"
    He said to the woman. She picked herself up and continued following the others. More hunters took notice of Reid. They all joined in and brought their steel down upon him. Each blade hit, but none were able to pierce through.
    "You know with guys for the title hunter, I didn't think murdering women and children was part of the deal."
    Reid threw the blades off him and grabbed one of the hunters by the arm and began using him as a club to beat down the others. Bones cracked and crunched as he smacked the body around. Once all the hunters were down he threw the body at the side of a building were it slapped against the wall and slumped to the ground.
    "He walked over to one of the hunters who was trying to crawl away with one arm.
    "Oh I'm sorry did that hurt? Good. Think about that while you're on your way down to hell."
    Reid pressed his foot down on the hunters helmet and crushed it like a tin can. Blood spewed from the openings in the helmet as a new group of hunters ran up behind him.
    They all stopped in their tracks when they saw the bodies strewn all around. Reid picked up a sword from the ground. A black ink like substance ran down the sword making it larger and sharper than before. He pointed the tip of the weapon at them with fury in his eyes.
    "Any hunter that even thinks about trying to stop me will get to meet the end of this sword. The hunters scurried off in the other direction scared of him.
    Reid turned back to where the tents were. Ashes drifted through the air now.
    "Looks like she's doing a good job."
     He looked down at the bodies to realize that one had a decently large bag tied around their belt. He picked it up and unities the string that held it closed. It was filled with plenty of coins, Reid looked down at the body.
    "Well he won't be using it."
    Reid took the coins and continued towards the fire. As he drew closer he heard the sounds of conflict rise. When he finally reached Kastril with the others he saw that she was holding her own against entire teams of guards and slavehunters.
She roared like the inferno around her as her mace and flail smashed into bodies and crushed bones. The noise of battering steel echoed through the air as ashes fell like snow.
Reid noticed that one of the hunters was going to try and stab her in the back. He extended out his arm into a tentacles and ripped the sword from his hands. Then Reid threw it back at him where it impaled him with such force that it threw him to the ground.
Reid went back to back with Kastril to fight the remaining hunters. Although scared, the freed slaves looked on at them with amazement. They were not sure what was more strange, that a demon of this power was amongst them this whole time, or that there was somehow a stranger with such power on their side.
Reid swept through the hunters and cleaved through them with blades made from bone, while Kastril scorched them with white hot steel.
"What took you so long?"
"I think what you mean to say is thank you."
"I think what you mean to say is sorry."
"Heh, have it your way, I'm in a good mood right now anyways."
The last of the hunters was smashed down into the dirt by Reid's fist and Kastril's mace simultaneously. The end of her mace shattered into a shrapnel of metal. She cast aside the handle and motioned for the freed slaves to follow them.
"C'mon lets move, now!"
She turned over to Reid and began to follow his lead.
"So where are we heading out?"
"I've got a general idea."
"Wait you mean to say you haven't figured that out!?"
"And you thought I had a neat little path made for this?"
"I thought you'd at least have something."
"I haven't been here all that long so I didn't have much time to come up with a better plan."
"And you didn't think to wait and come up with a full plan."
"Did you wanna spend any more time in that cage?"
"...Fine, lead on."
Reid moved the group around the less human concentrated areas. It didn't take long for Kastril to realize where they were going.
"You're taking us to the front gates."
"Yeah, what about it."
"They have archers set up with bolos and poison shots they'll catch all of us, and that's if they don't just choose to kill us."
"You have wings don't you, fly up and take out the archers. Your fire should protect you from their bolts. I'll take on the ground forces."
"And what about getting the gates open?"
"I got it."
"You sure you can handle them all at once?"
"If you can handle the archers I'm pretty sure I'll be able to take on a few hunters."
"Ok, but that means I'm gonna have to take them all out before their able to fire a single shot on you and the others."
"You think it's a coincidence that I chose you to free first."
Kastril paused then gave a nod of determination. She extended her wings out and shot off the ground toward the archer towers in the distance. Reid locked his sights straight down the center of the town and to the large gates protected by barracks full of hunters.
    He saw hunters coming in large numbers brandishing weapons of all kinds and sizes. He drew a look back to the scared families behind him.
    "Stay behind me and I'll protect you."
    He saw a family of Tytenians. Before they were all in separate cages, but now they were able to feel the warmth of each other's arms. He looked to the children and gave a small smile.
"I promise."
Reid charged the hunter onslaught. He struck first by slashing both of his arms to the sides and clearing the front part of the assault in one move. He moved to the side and grabbed a pole arm and flung its user onto the roof of a building were they fell through the roof.
He stabbed the end of the weapon and drove it through one hunter. He pushed and began to run through more hunters until half the weapon was covered by impaled bodies. He stuck the polearm into a wall.
He whipped around just in time to block an incoming flu with his arms. His black muscle shifted around to grab the club with tendrils then grab the weapon, add more weight, then crush the hunter into the earth with one slam.
Meanwhile above the conflict Kastril beat her wings against the wind to reach the archer posts. As she neared her destination arrows and bolos began swishing past her ears. She switched to more of a hover and surveyed the towers. They all focused their attention on her. This was good because of how it would protect Reid and the others from ranged attacks, but it would also mean that she was now their prime target.
She sent of gusts of heat to blow the arrows and bolos away. She realized that there were plenty of archers and even if she took them all out, surely more would take their place.
This was when she realized she still clutched a flail. An idea came to light in her head. She had tried it only once and that was when she was very young. She was not sure if it would work now but she had to try.
She began to spin the flail around and charge the end with heat. Sparks flew and eventually a flame formed. The more she spun the more it burned. She was now practically moving it with the speed of the wind in a tornado.
"Your towers are already gone! Surging Ring!"
Kastril swung the flail over her head and down at the archers. A ring of fire blasted out and struck the towers hitting them with an incendiary explosion. The fires spread and washed over the top of the gates taking out the towers entirely. They collapsed down over the town like two stone titans.
While the towers crashed down Reid continued to thin the crowds of hunters. He tore through the enemies with ferocious power. Then it seemed that all the hunters simply ceased fighting and backed away. Reid looked over at them, breathing heavily like an animal.
"What's the matter, finally had enough?"
The hunters made way and a large armored figure stepped out. With the armor they were practically as tall as Reid. They carried with them a spiked rectangular shield made of steel. The armor had the color of purple imbued upon it. A voice came from deep in the purple metal.
"Creature, tell me your name if you bare one."
"What's it to you?"
"I simply wish to know the name of the Monsters I kill, makes for better storytelling in the drinking halls."
Reid just looked at him with animosity. They simply continued.
"Very well if you will not tell me your name then I will give you mine as the last thing you remember before you die. I am Rayjus of the Slayers Guild, or better known as the Citadel."
"You think I care who you are, if you get in my way you're gonna end up like those guys."
Reid motioned to the piles of bodies lining the streets. Citadel looked to the corpses then back to Reid.
"You monsters always do have a tendency for violence. Your kind disgust me. Monsters are single handedly the largest threat to humanity that there is. You mindlessly kill and burn with no purpose. Well let me tell you that i can at least give you purpose. Dying to ascend me higher in the ranks of the Guild!"
Citadel brought up his shield which extended out and shifted to form a barrier around him. The spikes pushed out further and he ran full force at Reid.
Reid braced for the impact and grabbed two of the spikes as handholds. He tried to push back, but the weight forced upon him was too much. The dirt broke and he was pushed back . Reid gritted his teeth but the shield only came closer and closer. Some of the spikes pierced his chest and caused him to bleed black.
He tried and tried but when it came to it he couldn't protect himself. That was when he saw the eyes of all the people behind him. All of the ones who were birthed and forced into subjugation. If he couldn't protect himself he could at least protect them.
He bared out fangs at Citadel.
"You called me what.
"What?"
"What did you call me earlier?"
"Monster, as you rightfully are."
"Heh, tell me you call me violent but I don't beat down others for kicks. You said that I burn without reason, but I don't brand others skin. You told me I was a threat to humanity, but I don't commit murder and enslave women and children. You're right I am a threat, but not to humanity. Just to the evil ones."
That was when Kastril came sweeping up from behind. She blew a blast of fire at Citadel's back.
"Get off him!"
Citadel had to turn his shield around to block the flame.
"Devil Woman!"
Reid got closer and grabbed the arm that held his shield before Citadel could turn around again.
"Forget about me?"
He tried to punch Reid with his other fist but Reid grabbed that one as well. Reid looked at the back of the shield to see complex gear work.
"So that's how you do it. Mind if I give it a try?"
Reid flooded the back of the shield with black liquid that turned to muscle and tore the shield apart. The steel was tossed everywhere and Citadel was thrown off balance.
"Wha- What are you!?"
Reid threw off his tattered and bloodied shirt.
"Like you said, just a monster."
Reid gathered power deep in his chest then unleashed an earthshaking roar.
"RRRRREEEEEEIIIIIIIIDDDD!!!!"
The air vibrated and dust was tossed everywhere. The impact struck citadel and sent him hurdling off his feet. His armor disassembled and he rocketed back. He went so far that he went all the way to the gates of town.
He crashed into the gates breaking the locks and splintering the wood. The grand doors collapsed and fell down opening up into the white covered wilds.
Reid felt his wounded shoulder and looked at the remaining hunters.
"So any of you still wanna see the monster?"
They all began dropping their weapons and sprinting away tripping over each other just to get away.
Kastril flapped down to Reid's side.
"You ok?"
"I'm fine."
"Good cuz we still need to make it through the neat little path you cleared for us."
"Then lets get moving."
The two looked back at the amazed crowds of former slaves. Kastril nodded her head back pointing to the shattered gates.
"Follow us."