Carmine (Completed)

Chapter 67

We reached the top of the stairs and saw a lot of soldiers, but what pulled my frightened glare was a tall huge hairless white sand-colored skin man that swung his big fists at Five. A man of a size I have never seen before, he was almost twice my height and had dark distant eyes. 

At least Adu wielded a mace now, yet he must have stolen it. 

Clashing metal echoed with a resounding pitch. Stone and wood chippings filled the carpet heaped into the corner of the room. The floor crackled from the pounding steps of a huge man as the furniture's wood cracked and metal fastings of the rolling mirror bent from the violence.

Valor fought an ugly monstrous beast, around the same height. It was hunched over with a deformed face, protruding eyes, flat nose, and no mouth. The skin was blotched with sickly gray with specks of long strand hairs growing off the long limbs.

How should I have approached this? My head fizzled with the disdain of a rising headache. Sandream waited not, as she lounged forward and sliced through a swinging arm aimed at Adu. 

Janilla went into the backpack, but she drew out a book. I watched her with scrutiny and said, “Now is not the time for that.” 

“I know that thing,” she said gesturing towards the monster Valor struggled to avoid. 

Valor’s and Five’s attacks made no dent on their lumbering opponents. Valor’s ax chipped at the molten skin, while Five’s sword bounced off the muscular arms.

Five’s opponent moved slow, but wreaked the walls and the floor with great power. Valor’s opponent rushed forward like a rabid dog, sniping with wild slashes.

Valor ducked a punch, kicking at the beast’s leg. Valor shouted, “Is it broken!?”

Five’s eyes shone a bright red. “Working on it!” he exclaimed. He took down one soldier, while jumping over the huge man’s uppercut that sent tiles flying in our direction.

Janilla and I flattened, avoiding the wayward shards. 

Valor shouted back, “Work faster!”

The chaos made it hard to pick a target with my gun. Stepping into this was suicide, so I lifted my gun and followed the huge man. 

Janilla stopped flicking the pages. I fired, it hit the side of his head and cracked on impact. Shivering back in shock, I cursed under my breath. How hard was that skin? 

The corner of my eye peaked me to a threat, so I spun, hitting one soldier on their knee as he came barreling towards us. He shifted to the side and fell on his good knee.

Others were coming and my muscles tensed in shock.

Move!

My heart raced and pumped life into my body, so I rolled into a staunch fighting poise as Sandream rushed into action. I attached the thread and fired an arrow at the decrepit bed. I threw the gun at Sandream, while I swung my knife into the incoming soldier’s neck.

“Pull!” I shouted as I fell over the dying soldier. 

Sandream pulled what was left of the bed into the middle, which took an edge of the carpet, pulling it flat and into the center of the room. We switched places, cut the thread, shot arrows at two approaching soldiers.

This bed was my defense now as it limited the paths to me, cutting off flanking.  It was already a large room, but their movements were badly restricted now as they tried negotiating their way around the bed.

Janilla smacked me on the waist. “Hit the ugly one in the neck.”

I replied, “Both of them are ugly.”