DEMI! (Battle Book)

Ch. 3 "Royal Rubble"

Standing upright against the stagnant wind staring down his opponent. The thoughts of his fallen friend filled him with fury. His best friend. The one who had saved his life many times over. Heat began to rise from the tips of his ears. His breathing hastened. A fierce intent overwhelmed him as his eyes resembled that of a lion about to pounce its prey. With every inhale his chest grew in size as it tore through the blouse and suspenders he was wearing. As his stature grew, his muscles did as well. Harden and discolored to that of stone, he stood twice his original size. The thud of his heart boomed in his ears which were warm to the touch. His body had gone from a frail skinny version of itself to that of a towering musclebound man.

Jai: What's going on?

Fairy: That guy has a funny smell, similar to the dog, but other things too. His essence, it's wild.

The feast that the tradesmen had taken a part in with the family was a grand harvest that is held every month where the family consumes the essence of their game. This grants them vitality strength and wisdom to that comparable of the being they consume.

Minor: "My tribe is a special one. We grant mutts like you fair passing into the afterlife and you get the pleasure of being consumed by us. That body over there lay nothing more than a husk of what once was because we have drained all of its essence consuming it for our own. That one was so tasty I even took a few of his fingers for myself and our friend here."

He somberly glanced toward the fallen hound.

"But fear not, you can live with him inside of us as well. I shall allow you to join him, within the bellies of my brother's family and myself. You will live within our veins forever as you will be part of our collective."

Fairy: They're Leiches?!

Jai: Leich?

Minor sightly squats then leaps into the air in the direction of Jai.

"Above you!" Shouted the fairy.

Crashing back down to the cave floor, he lands in front of Jai swatting him away with his forearm.  Minor embraces his fallen companion in his arms, tenderly stroking the hound's bloodstained fur, compliments of the tradesman. He whispers inaudible words into its ear, then sets his eyes on Jai once more. He begins to overpower the tradesman with his strength and stature. Minor grabs Jai by the neck and proceeds to thrash him about the walls of the cave. Like a child with a streamer, he danced merrily throughout the cave with the tradesman flailing attempting to grasp footing.
Minor then tosses him into the forward wall. Crashing against the crumbling jagged surface, Jai then falls to his knees.

Fairy: You have to MOVE!

Jai sat, bloody & bruised, unresponsive.

Fairy: GET UP!

Jai: [Move? Everything hurts, my eyes burn whenever I open them, even if I could bear to keep them open, all I can see are fucking shado---Wait, I can *see* shadows]

Minor: Don't fret, everyone will get a turn. A gentleman always savors his dessert.

He begins to walk slowly towards Jai. His stature pulsed with every step.

Minor: I haven't felt this splendid since my war days. I see why they wanted the carcass unharmed. I can still feel it boiling inside of me. The blood of the All-Father is flowing through me. The essence of that creature is truly amazing! The Golden One will surely bestow us with greater power once we bring what he is due and mo—. Huh?

Minor, lost in gazing at his growing physique, looked toward the wall at his hanging prey. But to his surprise, did not see the bloodied man, instead, just a pool of fresh blood he had given to the ground.

Jai: (Hiding behind rocks) As long as I can distinguish the shadows, I can evade him enough, before I couldn't see anything. If I keep my eyes open long enough, my tears should flush out the toxin. I just have to last.

Jai picks up a small jagged piece of rock.

The ruckus of the two had cracked the walls of the small enclosure causing shards and boulders to fall

WISP. SMACK!

A rock zipped through the brisk air of the cave, striking Minor in the right temple

Minor: ARRGGHHH

Another rock whizzed by from the adjacent corner of the cave, this time targeting his left knee. Over and over, rocks with bullet-like speed came at minor from opposite directions.

Minor: COME OUT LITTLE MUTT!!

The rubble and falling rock gave Jai cover as he weaved through stalagmites hurling pebbles at the beast of a man.

Jai: "Even if his strength is multiplied, his body's natural stamina won't keep up. Throwing all that muscle around gotta be tiring at some point. If I can evade and stunt him just enough, we can win! Or at least slow him enough to escape."

Jai continues to unleash a flurry of stinging pebbles at the growing monster.

Unable to pinpoint the location of Jai due to the falling boulders of the crumbling cave minor begins to get frustrated. 

Minor: FINE! You'll both be crushed under the wreckage. I just need the husk, we'll collect your bodies before lunch.

Jai: Shit! I thought I could wait him out, but his strength is still increasing. But he's right. I can't keep playing with him. Gotta finish this and get outta here.

Just as Jai begins to go on the offensive, the fairy begins to fly around Minor distracting him.

Fairy: Grab your friend and get out!

She releases dust spores that temporarily distorts Minor's vision as jai secures Syre's body.

Furiously swatting, minor backhands the fairy, swiping her away. He then grabs her by the arm and dangles her in front of his face.

Minor: Now which is more secure?

She spits in his face.

He grasps her wing with his opposite index finger and thumb and begins to pull her right-wing and left arm in opposite directions

SNAP!!

She screams as he plucks her bleeding wing from her back and plops it in his mouth

Grinning, he sucks his teeth.

Minor: Delightful! Brother must have some.

Jai smashes a boulder over his head and he stumbles. Kicking the fairy away from Minor, Jai begins relentlessly throwing wreckage at the swollen man to stun him. Stumbling backward, Minor shakes off the hits and begins charging toward Jai. Still dazed, he just misses his target, crashing into a cave wall, causing more wreckage to fall.

Jai grabs the fairy and tucks her in his oversized pocket. She laid there unconscious but still breathing, covered in tears and violet-hued blood. He heads towards Syre's body only to be stopped just short of a rampaging Minor.

Grabbing Jai, he entangles the young tradesman bear-hugging him.

Just as Jai had done to the dog, Minor begins to slowly suffocate him. Jai struggles to break free as he loses air with every movement.

Rearing his head back as far as he could, Jai headbutts minor repeatedly as a last resort. Minor smiles at Jai, showing the futility of his efforts as a now dazed Jai takes his last breathes.

CRASH!!

Just before Jai falls unconscious, a stalactite falls on them both. Jai, struggling to get up, finds an elongated triangular piece of sharp broken rock and shoves the shard into Minor's neck. He then takes another bigger rock and slams it atop the shard in the hulking beast's neck. Minor stumbles into another cave wall, causing the cave boulders to fall all around him, pinning him down.

He lets out faint breathes of agony as he bleeds out, trapped in the rubble.

As the cave walls continue to collapse, Jai finds Syre and rushes towards the opening. Stumbling out, he feels the warmth of light touch his cheek before they both hit the ground. He looks behind him at the collapsed entrance of the cave and chuckles in relief as he drops his head to the ground.

#Demi/Ep1/Ch3