XVIII

A feeling of heat shot through Yorenno as he ran out of the clearing and back toward the cliff’s edge. He had done a painful blow to Herokelus when his quillion ripped through his mouth.

But now the monster guardian was enraged. His powerful strength through rage and anger was shown when he sent Yoreno flying to the ground. As he ran, Herokelus howled in fury, his footfalls thundered behind Yoreno as he ran as fast as he could.

His best chance at survival was to keep the powerful monster from charging him like an angry bull. As sloppy as Herokelus would be, his pure bestial strength and sheer size would overwhelm Yoreno.

The would-be-knight was nothing like Dantera. He couldn’t side-step Herokelus and then lunge a narrow sword into his neck. Yoreno was agile as a fighter, wearing plate in as few places as possible, but where he chose mobility of body, he chose the opposite in his weaponry, having trained in a great sword.

Yoreno screamed as Herokelus’ footfalls crashed behind him. He probably would have been sheered from shoulder to naval had he not jumped behind a rock, his pursuer’s footfalls coming to a stop.

Yoreno jerked as Herokelus swung at him. The rock stopped his sword a hand span from his face, the sparks of his blade flying at Yoreno as he scrunched his eyes shut and rolled away. But now there was nowhere to retreat.

The cliff was there.

He looked back into the trees, the howling of monsters and the battle cries of dozens of men bellow, mostly obscured. Just before he turned back to face Herokelus, Yoreno saw another skiff from the Minstrel’s Dagger making its landing on the beach.

Whatever happened here now, his friends would survive him, surely?

Herokelus stalked forward to finish him off.

Yoreno’s eyes widened. Even jumping off the cliff would be better than getting cut asunder. The cliff face was rocky, but there were trees below perhaps he could—

The ground under him gave way. Yoreno screamed along with the monster about to kill him. Together, Yoreno and his dueling partner fell down the cliff in a heap of flailing limbs, dirt and grass.

Yoreno grunted, crying out in pain and fear as he curled in on himself. Something heavy landed on him, knocking out all his air.

He couldn’t move.

He couldn’t see!

Where was he?

Kicking his legs, he pushed through the dirt that had covered him, his air completely gone. He was suffocating.

Squirming, he tried to extricate himself from the mass pressing against him, but he couldn’t move.

Without air and completely covered, the sounds of the world seemed to slow. His consciousness was leaving him.

This was when Yoreno would black out and die.

Something moved atop him. It was stepping on him. Someone was stepping over him? Was it Herokelus?

A muffled voice.

It called again.

What was it saying?

“Yoreno!”

“YORENO!”

Someone grasped his hand and hauled him up out of the dirt. Opening his mouth, he sucked in as much air as he could now that the pressure on his body had been lifted.

Something went down his throat and he coughed hoarsely.

“Don’t! Don’t open your eyes, Yoreno,” Dantera commanded and she took the back of his head in one hand and brushed his eyes with her fingers.

“Wait.”

“Is that you, Mai?” Yoreno asked.

And then she blew on his eyes hard enough that he felt her saliva on his cheeks, but the dirt from his fall was removed. He opened his eyes to find Mai and Dantera standing over him with worried faces.