Blademaster Ascension

8- Breaking a limit

Three suns had already overlapped by the time Rowan trudged back to the town with a satisfied grin on his face, looking peaceful and carefree. He held a large fish in one hand, and another large pouch in other. Overall, he really didn't look like a person whose hometown was under constant monster attacks and was likely to be destroyed anytime without outside help.

As it so happened, he couldn't really sneak back into the town in broad daylight and so he simply decided to make up an absurd excuse to return through the main gate. However, things never seemed to go the way he planned for these days.

BOOOMMMM!!!

"Oh shit, don't tell me another monster attacked...this is getting too frequent, dammit!"
Rowan's joyous mood dampened by the sound of battle just ahead.

Cautiously, he took a detour and sneaked behind a small gathering of boulders to take a look at what was going on.
Unsurprisingly, the monster this time was of unknown species too, looking like a cross among a centipede, a scorpion and a beetle. It was almost seven feet wide, and even without the large tail, twelve feet in length. Its skin was dark red striped with black pulsating veins. Similar to a centipede, it had uncountable razor sharp legs underneath its body and two constantly clicking claws at its frontal end like a scorpion.
To sum it up, the monster beast was the ugliest thing he had ever laid his eyes on.

Unfortunately, ugliness wasn't a standard in measuring strength and the monster beast actually seemed more powerful than all the monsters that had attacked the town previously.
More than half of the best battle experts in the town were going all out against it and the result was not favorable to them to say the least. Many were injured and half a dozen homes nearby seemed to be on the verge of collapsing.

If the rookie swordsman Rowan could see the futility of the situation, then so could the veteran experts and despite calling for reinforcements, none of them seemed confident enough to win this battle.

But the situation went further downhill from there.

The monster had perhaps become enraged by the struggle of its puny preys and let a out a horrifying screech.
Before anyone could figure out what was going on, four transparent wings protruded out of its back. In the blink of an eye, the wings started fluttering and then the monster rose from the ground steadily.

It was a traumatizing sight. No one in the town could figure out a way to even touch the monster, let alone attack it. With a buzzing sound, the monster entered the town instantly. Cries of terror rose from the cowering population who became its target and before long, the monster was covered in blood which didn't belong to it. Emergency bells of the highest level was heard ringing throughout the town. All battle experts abandoned their post to chase the monster, which now sported a bloated stomach.

The town had a few archers, but their arrows didn't cause substantial harm to the monster. Rowan could hear the despairing howls from those chasing it.
Hiding behind the boulder, Rowan's mood became exceedingly complex. There wasn't anything he could do to counter the situation but hiding felt like a despicable option. The biggest problem was, the monster terrified him. He didn't have the courage to take a step forward and enter the town right now. But could he simply sit back and lament? What was the point of becoming stronger then?

Rowan took a deep breath. Then another, and another. But his feet didn't move. He was simply frozen from fear.

Finding the strength to move in such a situation wasn't something he could handle, not with his frantic heartbeat or his shaking legs, or quivering arms.

More screams rose from inside the town. Rowan could tell that it was from his neighbourhood; he recognized some of the voices. Another shiver ran through his spine. Everything felt surreal, the world became much more colourful, detailed and loud. Ringing sensation filled his ears, his eyes focused on every insignificant details. Somebody said something inside his head, Chip?
But the words didn't register, the screams did.