"A dead Winterbeast!" David looked at the monster, the cold sweat started pouring down his head.
"A dead Winterbeast?" A man behind David slowly creeped behind, his legs were shaking and mouth was going dry.
"Hmm" David looked at another and nodded.
"Is her more dangerous?" Another man asked.
"Not even close, a awaken or living Winterbeast are walking chaos, they are lone monsters often eating other Winterbeasts.
It's the dead that are more problematic, these are animals who have eaten or got corrupted by Awakened Winterbeasts."
The other guards rounded up, all of them who came to the village from the capital, they gathered around beasts, the men with the shield at the front, archers on the roofs of houses and spearmen behind the shield, two healers immediately went to look for injured but only found dead bodies.
"Even so, it doesn't seem like a better option, boss." One guard said.
"That's true, looking at it now I don't even know that was it an awakened winterbeast one that killed his herd or was it this one who did it by itself." David raised his hands and two mages attacked with fire ball spell.
The monster ( Reindeer-Winterbeast ) jumped high and faced his antlers towards the mages, in the blink of an eye, the antlers grew like thorns and pierced their armour like paper.
The blood gushed out on snow and 9 men fell, it all happened in the blink of an eye.
"Fuck! Everyone get away, this fucker is no joke!" The remaining men stepped back,
"What was that!"
"It all happened so fast!"
"Oh god is this curse upon us!"
The men inside were screaming to run, but abandoning means the death of their family and the destruction of everything they worked for!
The monster looked at them in their eyes,
The monster eyes were bloodshot, it's skin was white with black markings, the neck that maybe was once adorned with thick fur was replaced by swelling flesh, the lower jaw of reindeer was torn apart, instead there was tongue like organ with thousands of hook like teeth.
The hooves itself was changing to limbs with fingers coming out of them and its back arched with the spine coming out.
It's appearance was enough to send a chill down the spine.
"Please save us god and the goddess what we deserve!"
The men cried, until David saw something that sent him spiralling.
The hind legs of the monster were broken, the bones were sticking out and blood was pouring.
It wasn't that much good news but rather the question raised with it raised was far worse fear.
"If it's this much strong with an injury like, what is this beast actually callable of." David clicked his tongue and poured his aura in sword, the sword started burning with flames.
"Guards go all out! It seems like monster can use affliction**, whatever you do don't approach it recklessly!" David exclaimed and then swung his sword.
( FIRE SLASH! )
A the slash materialied in flames enraged at monster but jumped, following him others guards used their skills and techniques attacking it.
But the agility of monsters was far greater than the speed of their attacks one by one he dodged all of them, and then it was his turn again.
It screeched and that tongue extended out his mouth, in flash ut took limbs of several men and grabbed one, it sucked it into its mouth and gnawed it, slowly the man vashined down it's neck.
After that it was clear, the death is looking over them like a clouds in rainstorm.
**
Before the attack on watch-post Garrett visited his family in cottage.
Garrett PoV
It seems like another peaceful evening, even though it's peaceful, the sense danger never made it easy.
Everyday I had to make sure to sleep enough I don't feel tired without actually much resting. I was not able to spend much time with them, but it was necessary.
I haven't gone hunting or fishing for a while, but it didn't changed much.
The chief sent food daily for us.
Violet seems happy nowadays too.
The kids have accepted her and started playing with her, although there is one boy that gets especially close to her.
I don't know what does in the mind of boys these days but we weren't like this in childhood.
Even so, as long she is happy its all good.
Garrett chopped the meat preparing for tonight's meal, Maria on his side was cutting vegetables.
On the other hand, Violet was playing with a little horse and a little bear close to fire place.
"What are you thinking?" Maria said putting the pot on stove.
"Nothing." I answered, even though I said that she always understood everything without me saying much.
Just like the old days.
"I was thinking, in few months summer will start, the danger of winterbeasts will be gone by then, they don't approach in the summer.
After that we shall go to north." I spoke about what was going on in my mind for a while.
Maria hands stopped and she looked at Garrett.
"North?" Her eyes gaped and mouth opened like a lid.
"Yeah." I looked at Violet and realised this isn't what she should listen.
"Little bird!" I called her she slowly walked towards me, everytime I see her walking her little steps, I realise how weak I am.
This flesh and bones are just abomination if I can't help her at all.
I gave her another book pulling out of my cabinet.
"Here go read this in your room, I am bringing some pie."
Should I smile ? Wouldn't she get scared?
"A new book!" She jumped into my arms and started giggling.
She dropped the toys which had flowers now.
I wrapped my hands around her hesitatantly, i am always afriad that I might crush this little thing, i took her to her room and laid her in the bed, she pulled up her sheets and started reading.
I got out and closed the door behind me.
"Garrett! Are you serious? North? Leaving Calla? What about Violet?" Maria walked upto me and I asked her back in kitchen.
I started kneading the dough, "She'll go with us."
Maria looked at me stunned,
"What are you saying Garrett! Calla will never let us cross border with Violet! And why would she, Violet is her daughter!
Taking her daughter like this wouldn't be less than kidnapping!" She started chopping again but this time, her hands were faster and voice shaky.
She knew deep down, what my words carried actually.
I sighed, I knew it that I wasn't prepared to talk about this, but these past months I have gathered enough courage and time to look into past.
"She might be her daughter but I have never seen the same love in her eyes when she looks at Violet, the same love i see in your eyes.
The same pain, empathy and desperation.
Everytime she comes here, she is far more worried to dye her hair and feeding her that damn medicine!" I struck my cleaver so hard that chopped board was cut into half along with meat.
"Damn medicine? What are you talking about?" Maria's eyes froze at me, maybe the thoughts that she was refusing to believe for so long, had found a leg stand on.
"You know very well what I am talking about Maria, I had a talk with David in past months, we have continuously discussed Mama Deterioration.
He had sent his birds to find answers to some questions and everytime the answer came the same.
Mana Deterioration isn't curable." I spoke with throat getting heavy.
Maria fell into her knees but I caught her, her legs didn't had any strength to stand.
I held her close and took her to the arm chair.
"What are you saying! Are you telling me- are you telling me that my baby will die? She would die! There is no hope! My little child!" The tears started pouring out, she was trembling even covered many layers.
She grabbed my arms and brought her face close, maybe she didn't want Violet to hear her cry.
"Listen to me carefully Maria." I gently pulled her back, i knelt close to her face and spoke, something great will shift and whatever she believed about her sister may change forever.
But she have to know the truth.
"Violet doesn't have Mana Deterioration." I spoke and her tears stopped.
"What do you mean?" She looked at me with weary eyes.
"What David has found that, any child with Mana Deterioration doesn't survive after few years of life, almost 5 years.
There isn't any medicine, as mana is generated from the soul, it is disease that slowly rot the soul circuits.
There is no medicine in this world that can cure broken, lost, rotting or damaged soul.
Soul isn't something that can be fixed with medicine, Mana Deterioration often happens when a child born without a part of soul because of curse or corrupted mana.
They can't use Aura or Mana, it's just a husk of their body which is left.
In Violet case, if she had Mana Deterioration she wouldn't have been able to use those toys." I pulled a toy and gave to Maria.
"This wooden toy?" Maria looked at surprised...
"Yes, this toy is made up of special wood, it blooms when it comes in contact with mana."
**
The silence after this carried more questions than answers, but Garrett had made mistake.
His care for his family made him vulnerable, with monster approaching his village there something else too.
The ears sent by the gold.