Danisque 'Hermis' Palend smiled brightly amid the darkness of the thick fog.
'Well, that's one thing to look forward to.'
A Hermis Palend did not cower. The family histories would record this as 'vigorous field testing'.
'Albeit a bastard.' Danisque chuckled wryly. 'A good fucking bastard.'
He stared at the grotesque amalgamation of a beast in front of him cleaving his teammates in half.
Blood splattered the ground and shrieks spilled into the corrosive air.
"DANISQUEE!!! FLANK IT FROM THE RIGHT!"
Danisque glanced at the cohort leader. A noble heir from a count house under the Hermis Palend Ducal System that would eventually inherit his house's mantle.
'He's not a bad leader honestly.'
Danisque glanced at the monster that was going into a frenzy and sighed.
'But even I flank it from the right… I don't really see a way of exorcising this monstrosity.'
Blood spilled on the ground. Another teammate was cleaved in half. Danisque stared at the blood below, then at the monster.
'Isn't flanking this abomination just a death sentence???'
"DANISQUE!!! We don't have time!"
Danique would agree on that. Time was running out. The members of the cohort were dropping like flies. Twenty people are already down to a simple six including him and the leader.
'I guess I'll flank this beast.'
In the blink of an eye, Danisque was already overhead the humongous beast.
His eye met his… an enormous fiery eye that was blazing with flames within, the rest of the monster's body was a pale grey with six limbs attached to its head that supported the entire body like feet itself but more tentacles.
A burst of flame spewed out of the eye toward the bastard, the boy spun mid-air… avoiding the chain of fire.
Swiftly the boy fell to the right side of the monster where it was least protected.
Before the beast could try to protect that side with one of its limbs, the cohort leader appeared overhead with an enormous hammer to smash it down.
The monster's only eye widened… the leader had calculated well… there was a time limit on the fire burst ability of the beast from its eye… he had made the right attack at the right time.
The hammer was enormous and of extremely high quality. It wasn't going to be missing.
However, that was never the plan but exactly that. The monster immediately focused on the approaching danger, all of its limbs overstretched to block the hammer.
In that moment… Nothing was stopping Danisque.
*Fshhhhhhhh….!!!*
The boy's war scythe immediately left a deep gnash upon the abomination.
"AWAHHHHHHHHHHGG!!!!"
The monster cried out in deep pain as its limbs were being crushed by the hammer above.
The limbs struggled to defend against the majestic weapon…. At the same time, all the other members of the cadet swiftly blitzed forward to attack the rest of the body that was left open.
"ATTTACKKKKK!!!"
Soon, the monster's body was gnashed innumerous holes and cuts… not a piece of its flesh left alone.
The Viablentis abomination tumbled upon its knees and fell below. It was completely shattered physically… however, it had given enough time to recover its eye flare.
*FWMMMMMMMMMHMMMHH!!!*
A bolt of furious fire escaped his humongous eye aiming straight above where the leader was still crushing the beast with his hammer.
"ARGGGGGGHHH!!!"
"Captain!!!" Several cadets screamed but they were too tired to really reach him in time.
The leader let go of his hammer to escape from the blazing heat, his palms were blistered and though he dodged in time, it was too late.
However, right before the stream of fire razed half of his body, a pale hand quickly pulled the leader out of the way… holding him in a princess carry.
Vesper finally made his appearance.
He looked at the captain, who looked back at him in astonishment and grinned at him under the equally surprised gazes of the other cohort members.
"Hello everyone."
The leader quickly broke out of his daze, it wasn't over yet. Still in a princess carry, he hurriedly barked orders.
"QUICK! Everybody take cover! The beast is about to go berserk!!"
His eyes darted to Vesper as he blushed slightly.
"You can leave me."
The young vamp didn't hesitate as the captain fell on his ass on the dusty surface of the moon.
The abomination meanwhile, its arms and long body twitched… blood spilled onto the surface creating a small pool of red.
Then the monster began screaming, its wails filled the air morbidly. It wasn't screaming in rage… it was a final call before death.
The beast was dying. Its screams tore the air like metal dragged across a smooth surface.
The pressure in the environment changed and everyone felt it. The air was heating up terribly so that the cadets felt warm even in their suits.
The flames that had once burst outward in controlled arcs now collapsed inward…. folding, compressing… until the eye itself became a churning sun, unstable and furious.
"IT'S TRANSITIONING!" someone shouted.
Not Berserk… but a Transition. The leader had miscalculated and it was…
…too late.
The corpse of the beast sagged.
Its limbs went limp.
Its body…. dead.
Reality around it buckled.
A ring of heat blasted outward, not fire, not light… flattening rubble and razing the bodies of the cleaved victims.
Vesper's eyes widened as he saw the eye scream as it detached itself from the flesh.
Solar flares escaped from the eye like waves burning everything it touched as it slowly floated in the air… like the birth of a rampaging star.
"Fuck…" Vesper heard Danisque who had somehow appeared right beside him mutter under his breath.
He saw the bastard prince of the Hermis Palend Ducal Family then glance at him.
"Hi. I'm Danisque."
Vesper stared at the palm outstretched to him and then the grin hanging across the boy's lips.
'Heh.' The Vampire chuckled inwardly.
"Vesper… Bloodvai- actually, Bloodsa."
A glimmer of mischief shone in the bastard's eyes.
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Vesper Bloodsa."
"Pleasure's all mine. Danisque….?"
"Palend. Not Hermis. I'm a bastard hehe. A good fucking one."
"Aren't we all?"
"I take it you'll carry the leader?"
"I think he can walk on his own now…"
Vesper glanced at the cohort leader, who was scared out of his wits but composed enough to make sense of the situation.
"WHAT ARE YOU FOOLS DOING MESSING AROUND??? RUN IDIOTS!!!"
Vesper and Danisque locked eyes subconsciously and grinned at each other.
"Hell Yeah!"