In The Depths | A Darkest Dungeon Fanfiction

The Skirmish

"The task ahead is terrible, and weakness cannot be tolerated."

The shrill cry of steel on steel rang in the air as Jeremiah swung his blade, colliding with the swine's cleaver mere inches from Damien's skull. Immediately Jeremiah could feel the tension in his arm as he resisted the swine's strength, and found himself surprised by its power. Despite holding the cleaver in a single hand, it's force was akin to that of man swinging a bastard sword with two hands. Just how powerful were these horrid creatures, he wondered?

The beast turned its snout towards the knight and shrieked, saliva and other bits of perspiration flying from its maw as Jeremiah grimaced. His head ringing, he forced himself to fight against the cleaver, pushing forcefully as he swung the thing away from his companion. Though his arms burned at the strength required, his efforts rewarded him as the swine backpedaled and withdrew the weapon, just barely avoiding an angry snap of Iris' jaws.

"On your feet, hound master, on your feet!" Jeremiah said as he knelt, taking hold of Damien's arm. Damien mumbled something under his breath as he shook his head, grasping at Jeremiah's hand as he shakily rose, Iris growling as she stood protectively in front of both men.

"The acolyte!" Cried the Heir once more, her voice nearly drowned out amongst the sheer chaos of battle.

"She cannot be allowed to cast her dark magic, bring down the acolyte!" This was twice now she had declared her adamancy that the cultist must be struck down, and immediately Jeremiah recalled her attack only moments ago. Backing away with Damien in tow, he forced his attention away from the brutish swine, focusing once more on the scantily clad magician behind it. The magician shook her head as she cast off the shock of Naomi's attack, and began scouring the field in a fevered pitch. Her gaze eventually fell upon the hellion, her battle with the brawler still ongoing.

With haste Jeremiah moved to intercept, initially intending to shoulder past the behemoth before him while it reeled from it's failed strike. The swine, however, was not as off balance as he had hoped, and moved with an alarming responsiveness as it nearly bashed into the lone knight, swinging its weapon in tow. Jeremiah only had just enough time to raise his sword, the metal instrument resonating more with loud thud than a shrill cry. Jeremiah could feel himself being dragged by the power of the blow, and cried out in alarm as he struggled to regain his footing, his feet nearly sliding across the slick bricks below him.

Forcing the blade up, he managed to divert the cleaver away from him before bringing his own sword upon the beast. The sword connected with the fiend, striking into the flesh before being pulled through, creating a sizable gash across it's stomach. Jeremiah was familiar with this type of wound, having given it to many foes in his career. The cut was deep, a painful looking evisceration that should have forced his foe to the ground in agony, or at least to backpedal and fall back in shock and distress. This boar did no such thing, barely sparing the injury a glance before turning back to Jeremiah, snorting angrily as it spun the chains and flail around its wrist.

This was impossible, Jeremiah thought, clutching his weapon tightly. How had this thing not only responded so quickly to his tactic, but withstood what should have been a strike to end his involvement in this fight? What vile magic had this Ancestor indulged in to create such implacable monstrosities? There was, of course, no time to ponder this query, as the fiend took a step forward, it's arm swinging violently as it brought the flail around its head, straight towards Jeremiah.

With a grunt of surprise, Jeremiah quickly back stepped, the hiss of air blasting in his mind as the spiked weapon just failed to connect, instead imbedding itself into the thick stone wall with a powerful cracking sound. The stone splintered as a sickly moisture spewed from the blow, denting the wall with an imprint of the weapon. Taking a breath, Jeremiah readied his blade once more as he realized this thing had just made a critical error. The attack had left the swine vulnerable, its abdomen exposed, ripe for a killing blow. Wasting no time, Jeremiah thrust his blade forward, the steel sinking several inches deep before meeting resistance as he struck for the heart.