Blood and Tears - Grumbo Vampire AU

Chapter 30: Beast

Grian rode on the back of Donk, rushing towards the commotion in the center of the kingdom. People were screaming as Mumbo rampaged through the village, the demonic bat-like creature destroying pretty much anything that stood in his path.

The streets were flooded with people pushing against one another, running in the opposite direction to escape from the beast. It was hard to navigate through the sea of people, especially while riding Donk through the streets. Chaos filled the air through the sound of screams and the faint smell of smoke.

Behind him, Stress and the others were also trying to head towards the castle, though Grian had lost sight of them a while ago. With the evacuating villagers and townsfolk, it was hard to spot their faces through the crowd. It was possible they had slipped into one of the alleyways between buildings to try and take a shortcut, though Grian wasn't sure.

The closer he got to Mumbo, the clearer the streets were becoming. Less and less people were nearby the rampaging beast, other than the occasional knight or guard who watched in horror, unable to fight back against the gigantic demon. The clear path made it easier for Donk to rush, his hooves clopping against the cobblestone street.

As soon as he was dangerously close to the beast, Grian pulled against the reins of his donkey, causing his steed to come to a halt. Grian hopped off of Donk's back, removing his saddle and dropping it carelessly onto the road. "It's not safe, get out of here." He said to his steed, placing a hand on the side of the animal's head.

Donk let out a sad bray, huffing while shaking his head. Though he seemed to understand the danger of a rampaging vampire, quickly turning the other way to rush out of the street. He was out of sight in just a few moments, leaving the streets abandoned and clear.

Even though it was the middle of the night, the commotion and chaos caused by Mumbo seemed to have woken the entire village up, and those who weren't awoken by the vampire were now being awakened by the royal guard in order to evacuate.

Grian didn't exactly have a plan to calm Mumbo. He was just hoping that the vampire still recognizes him. If not, then...Well..well then Grian would probably die, to be honest. But he needed to do something, anything, in order to help Mumbo.

He stepped forward, staring up at the beast. "MUMBO!" Grian called out, his voice echoing through the distant sounds of chaos and panic. There was no response from the vampiric demon. "MUMBO, I KNOW THAT'S YOU! PLEASE, CALM DOWN!"

Mumbo didn't seem to hear him. He was massive, a gigantic beast of mismatched features. His ears and wings were very similar to a bat, other than their massive size, of course. He was covered in fur, with sharp claws that looked like that of a predatory cat. He had massive tusks like a wild boar, along with long spikes that ran down his spine.

Standing on his hind legs, the beast was tall and slim. He had a long tail that he swung around, destroying buildings along the way. His black fur blended in with the dark sky, though you could spot his crimson eyes, boiling over with uncontrollable rage. And the reason Grian knew it was Mumbo; the beast had a mustache.

It was sort of hard to make out, between the dark night sky and his wild fur, but Mumbo's mustache was still there, although very unkempt and wild. Grian was already rather certain that the rampaging beast was Mumbo, but this solidified his belief.

Grian stepped forward, watching in horror as the vampire abomination continued his destructive rage. "MUMBO, PLEASE!" He could feel tears beginning to pour out of his eyes, rolling down his cheeks and down his chin. "MUMBO, IT'S ME! PLEASE, JUST CALM DOWN!"

The beast turned its head slightly, its glowing eyes narrowing at the sight of Grian. A bit of smoke puffed out of its nostrils as he huffed, the wings on the creature's back stretching out to seemingly intimidate the human. Mumbo didn't seem to recognize Grian, his gaze hardened and cold.