††† Siegfried †††

Siegfried unsheathed the enforcer's sword he stole at the gate. The dump thumping of heavy steps sounded from the entrance they came from. Apparently, there had been a side corridor he didn't see in the dark. And now they were trapped. The footfalls were accompanied by a dull scraping sound, like a shovel being stabbed into the dirt. Siegfried's pulse sped up. He glanced at Haylee and found the glowing yellow eyes widened by fear.

The cat-girl met his gaze and whispered, "Lure it to the back, then run around it and out of here." Her voice was steady but tense like her body, ready to jump into action.

Even with the small hole in the cave ceiling, Sieg couldn't make out more than vague shapes. He jumped up, ramming his sword into the hole and ripped it back out to the side. Dirt and debris dropped into the cave, the opening far enough now to flood the circular space in a dim, dawn-like glow. Another growl followed, and Sieg backed up to the wall, focusing on the opposite side's dark corridor.

A curved, thick spike, the same length as the tall warrior's arm, stabbed into the ground. The second spike followed right after, and an elongated black head emerged between them. Two bulbous, black eyes sat deep in the sleek, dark surface, which reminded Sieg of Trish's chitinous limbs. The massive body of the beast became visible. It was covered in fur, for the most part. But only its hind legs were those of a bear, while the shoulders supported thick, sleek legs with two junctions, ending in the curved claws that gave the creature its name. When it spotted the intruders, the monster's jaws unhinged, revealing two insect-like pincers, spreading out to the sides. With a roar, the clawbear rushed at the larger target first, shaking the earth beneath its weight.

Siegfried aborted an overhead swing and dived to the side when the massive claw came for him. He rolled into a crouch, the second pointed limb piercing the spot next to him. Barely on his feet again, Sieg was able to divert the next claw-strike by bracing his upper body against the flat of his blade. But the movement stopped the warrior, leading him to look right into the open maw. A split second before the pincers would crush his head, the monster shrieked in agony as its right eye was shredded by Haylee's claws.

The cat-girl was riding on the bear's neck. Sparks were flying as she raked her claws over its armoured head. The bear reared up, dislodging her grip when its boneless shoulder pushed up her leg. Haylee was thrown to the ground, the bear instantly turning on her, its right foreleg raised to stab.

Sieg came from the side and put his weight into a heavy swing against the chitin. A ringing clang resounded, and the claw stabbed into the dirt, just barely scratching its target. The bear heaved its body to the side, the weight crashing into the surprised man. Siegfried was thrown against the near wall like a puppet, the air drained from his lungs at the impact. At least he gave Haylee time to back up, but in exchange, he seemed to have broken at least one rip. His legs trembled when he stood up. Sieg threw himself out of the way as the bear charged, but his muscles didn't fully comply. The hard chitin grazed his body, altering his dive into a fall as the monster rammed into the wall behind.

The ground shook, and dirt rained down on them. Haylee was on the back of the bear again, gouging out handful pieces of flesh and fur. This time she jumped back before being thrown off and evaded the quick stabs of the clawbear while backing up further. Siegfried was on his feet again and rushed after them. With a roar, he embedded his sword into the bear's hip. But he couldn't penetrate or break the bone. The blade stuck in thick layers of fat and muscle as the beast turned around once more, its howl shaking Sieg to the bones.

The exhausted warrior conjured his organic blades, but he had no illusion about deflecting even a grazing strike with them. Instead, he tried to evade like Haylee did and stay in the blind spot of the destroyed eye. Once, twice he narrowly sidestepped a blow while the cat-girl continued to harass the bear. Blood and flesh were ripped from its back, but nothing stopped its advance on Siegfried. In a desperate attempt, Sieg slipped under the next swing and below the armoured head. He stuck both arms up, aiming for the creature's throat. And his enamel blades broke with a clang against chitin. The underside of the bear was shielded like its head.

The clawbear dropped down to crush the annoying human beneath its weight. Sieg let himself fall to the side, dodging below the claw. But his feet were trapped under the chest of the bear. The layer of fat prevented his bones from being crushed, but he couldn't pull out either. Siegfried saw the thick claw rising. He heard Haylee shouting. From the corner of his vision, he perceived the movement. Haylee charged and jumped towards the clawbear. The pointed, long appendage rose higher and changed its angle at the juncture.

Haylee's own momentum drove her deep onto the claw that pierced through her side. It yanked her down, impaling the cat-girl on the ground. The movement freed Siegfried's feet.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze along with his heart as he saw Haylee coughing blood into the air. A bloodcurdling scream of desperation left his lips. He jabbed his broken blade into the left side of the bear, scratching along the surface until it hit the remaining good eye.

The clawbear roared and rampaged, pulling its claw out of the mangled girl's body. Sieg ignored the limp striking down next to him. He picked up the small, bloodied body and frantically ran for the tunnel leading outside. The bear was blinded, but its other senses sufficed to charge after them. Crashing into the tunnel walls in rage, the bulky monster nearly tripped Siegfried with the tremors it caused.

Despair struck the running warrior as he reached the light of the entrance and looked down at the body in his arms. The clawbear had caught up, but Sieg couldn't bring himself to care. He had run on by sheer instinct. And by sheer instinct, he automatically followed the shout, "Dive!" and threw himself forward, shielding Haylee with his body.

The clawbear was driven into the dirt when a huge figure with furred arms landed on its back. It skidded along the ground, nearly reaching the prone laying Siegfried. Smelling its prey, the wide jaws opened to snap for the legs in front. But the heavy head was jerked back sharply when the ape-man grabbed the bears pointed front legs and pulled. When the muscles began to tear, the clawbear opened its maw again. Before the shriek of pain could leave its throat, a comparably small fist struck the side of the iron-hard skull.

Chitin cracked, and bones broke as a human man punched the bears head with such force that his own flesh ripped open. The shock of the impact went through his arm and cracked the bones up to his elbow. It was enough to break through and embed the remains of his hand into the brain of the clawbear. He was already healing the damage while it happened— the whole arm as good as new by the time he pulled back.

Siegfried hardly acknowledged the presence of the two strangers who obviously saved his life. He just couldn't bring himself to care. Haylee's broken body lay in his arms, a fist-sized hole in her side. Her chest did not rise anymore. She had stopped breathing. The spark of life faded from her. And again, he could do nothing but watch.

The terror of having to watch it happen, unable to act on it.

Again, he was unable to save those he cared for.