Chapter 8: The Deviltusk Boar [2]

Bang!

The innocent Oakwood tree swayed, uprooted. The verdant leaves on his branches loosened and drifted onto the ground. With loud creaked, its might trunk slowly fell to the ground. The devil tusk boar never went unpunished. The giant beast staggered from side to side. It looked like a drunk punk who just chugged a few liters of ale in a nearby pub.

It shook its head continuously, groaning as it puffed warm air from its snout.

It was seeing stars with its every step.

Davin stood nearby, huffing a little because of the chase. He then walked towards the sides of the beast. His steps were hushed and silent. His fist whistled like an unstrung arrow, landing viciously towards the side of the monster’s snout.

Grr… Roar!

The deviltusk boar burned in fury and pain. Its snout puffing hot gas after seeing the man who bashed its beautiful nose.

The giant boar hoisted its back and ignored its injuries. With dusty stomps, it charged again in wild abandon. But this time the esquire didn’t evade. The esquire took a deep breath, then charged towards the boar barehanded.

The very sight of the ‘man vs beast’ made the hiding villagers scream.

Oh! Bang!

Suddenly, a grayish light flashed, a metallic sheen creeping into the esquire’s limbs.

Davin grappled against the devil tusk boar with his strength alone. He caught the demon boar’s two long tusks. The force of the boar’s charged pushed him a few meters away as he caught the boar’s tusk. Under Davin’s feet, a small mound of soil clustered together.

“Argh! A little more!”

Davin bellowed. With his two hands, he plucked and tore away the beast’s long tusks sideways. He pummeled the beast every time it showed an opening. Monster blood sprayed, bathing the eastern outskirts with crimson. The grass below turning dark red.

The deviltusk boar whined and groaned in pain. The sounds of its cry were like the shrieks of a domesticated pig. It trampled the ground in anger as if it was a bull.

It was still alive. A testament of its monstrous vitality. If it was only a normal boar, it would already be on its last breath. Davin rushed and unleashed a whistling jab onto the snout again. He skittered around the boar, avoiding the chances of being trampled to death. He thrust his fist again and again until the boar’s snout turned bloody.

The esquire dared not hit the other parts of its body. He knew how hard those dark hides were. The monster’s hide was a quality ingredient for many high-end armors. He even watched a few blacksmiths' hammers cracking before the monster’s pitch-black hide. They also crafted the armor of his father with the same hide.

What else? The mere news of its hide would send merchants scrambling just to get a piece.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

At last! The deviltusk boar swayed. One of its limbs slid and then finally fell to the ground. It was still huffing and puffing. Bloody red steam rose with its every breath. The esquire then jumped towards the back of the devil tusk boar.

He took out a thin thread from his waist and circled it around the boar’s large neck. He then jumped at the back of the still struggling boar.

“Huff! Could you please stop mopping around? The villagers are panicking.” The esquire tightened the thread around the rampaging beast's air pipes. The transparent threads hewed from dead demon spiders constricted its victim like a snake. “Just stay still and be part of the menu! Dumb pig! Be my Lord’s dinner tonight!"

Blood slowly appeared from the thick hide of its neck. Its dark-colored tongue waggled in and out before dangling out like a dead fish. Its breath was getting deeper and faster.

The dark-red pupils of the beast moved rapidly. It seemed like it finally had felt death clasping over its neck. It was a struggled of desperation. The boar gathered its remaining strength, trying to stand up. It even tried to roll on the ground. Yet it failed.

Davin’s stranglehold kept the beast at arm's length as he mounted its back. The monster roared in desperation as it tried to stand up. Not giving it any chances, the esquire struck the monster's spine. His knee blows added pressure to prevent the beast from standing again.

With a crisp sound, he steered his patella to the monster’s spine in succession. It thwarted the monster from moving from its spot.

Bam! Bam!

The Deviltusk beast’s mouth frothed, pungent saliva sprayed. Its tongue dangled to one side. The beast struggled to get a breath of fresh air as the esquire continuously struck its spine.

Roar... Uhoookk!

Alas! The once fearsome beast breathed its last. It hoisted a grieving sound before falling to the ground with a thud. Its tough hides were no match against the amiable-looking esquire.

Davin released the thin wires from the Deviltusk boar. He gallantly stood straight and tall. He looked like a mythic hero in a story. A middle-aged one.

Davin then glanced at the shaking villagers.

“Hey, doesn’t this pig look healthy and yummy? I bet the Lord would love to have a feast tonight.” The esquire asked whilst gazing at the villagers as if nothing happened.

The esquire huffed in deep breaths after the ordeal. He wore a wry smile, gazing at the plump devil beast.

Davin had his entire body covered with dust, dried blood, and soot. His appearance was far from the respectable esquire a few hours ago. It was to help the villagers calm their nerves a little.

The villagers scuttled out of their hiding holes. They went to the esquire and kneeled. They thanked him for saving their petty lives.

After saying those words, the esquire pulled out a dagger from his armor vest. It was a dark dagger, you could even feel a murderous aura coming from it.

Though a few chips and cracks drew a few wiggling lines on its edge. The dagger still emitted a mysterious glint. The serrations on the edges prove that it's capable of cutting rocks like soft butter.

Davin then glanced at the eyes of the villagers. He was emanating intense after battle bloodlust, which the esquire himself didn't notice.

“Do you now understood why I am training you?” Davin jumped down from the boar’s back and looked at the villagers. “Could you imagine what would happen if that beast went down to the village?”

The villagers gulped, words jammed in their parched throat. They imagined what would happen to their families and homes. With the village gone, it’d bound the villagers to become like those poor refugees. Not counting the likely deaths of their loved ones.

Some ungrateful brat still cursed him in their hearts for bringing the boar to the eastern outskirts.

“That damn boar was about to act on your village tonight.” The esquire sat cross leg in the grass. He closed his eyes, stabilizing his breath.

“Imagine what would happen to your wife, your mother, your father, your sons, and your daughters. Close your eyes. What if I could not lure it?”

The very image of the catastrophe sent shivers through the silent villagers.

“The esquires, attendants, and everyone in the knight contingent is for the Lord alone.” Davin’s suffocating bloodlust receded like an ebb until it was no more.

“If a group of these beasts goes to the village, we will all protect the lord and his family. I wouldn’t even send a second look even if five-hundred or more of the villagers get massacred.”

Hearing what the esquire, many of the villagers paled and fell to the ground.

“We cannot save any of you. Don’t dream for help when you don’t even want to help yourselves.” The esquire opened his eyes, staring at the pale-faced villagers with an amiable smile.

…

“You must learn to save yourselves.”

The esquire then stood up and walked towards the beast’s carcass. The dagger in his hands danced, leaving a few after images in the air. With patience, the esquire slowly drilled the strange dagger into the mid-line of the neck of the beast. The monster’s blood spilled on the grassy forest ground, spraying it dark red. The sounds of the knife tearing the flesh of the dead beast intimidated the villagers.

Looking at the dagger, the esquire, and the dead boar; the villagers gulped both in fright and relief.

“I hope no one would tell their family about what happen here until the Lord tells you too,” said Davin as he dragged out a black stone in the monster’s innards. He lifted it to the sun, a bloody grin filling his face.

“We would hold the next training here again. The day after tomorrow.”

Hearing that there was still a second part, their faces turned gloomier. Far lonelier than when they saw the deviltusk boar.