All who are left converge upon it. The limping beast is struggling to raise the blade on its trembling left hand. Anger in their hearts and fear in their nerves, this tired company of iron and steel are surrounding it. The steps are taken forward with care. Lifeless allies must be avoided for respect and to keep stances intact.
The creature had cut through their ranks, once by a few hundred and now by the tens. They have put up a fight judging from its adornment with cuts and bruises on its cheeks and arms. Black blood is seething from its lips and staining the cloth concealing its tall womanly form. However, the trauma in both flesh and bone is nothing compared to those who can no longer do battle with it. Most, if not all, their incomplete corpses have been a gruesome garnish on this once beautiful forest at the foot of a holy mountain.
Swords, spears and warhammers are at the ready to exact the next strike. With each breath, every abled body is regaining a semblance of peace before a combined assault all must commit to and keep doubt set aside. Use the remaining strength not to give in to dread, but to welcome the sweet possibility that is the downfall of this murderous thing. They may win this horror of a bout, after all.
The lot surrounding it yell loudly, more than twenty soon galloping forward. Their armaments are held high enough for a swing and stab once their hasty advancement ends. The towering creature limps to its forward left, pitiful strides of barefoot with as much glamour of an ugly hag. Its bruised fingers are clutching harder on the shaft above the long widely-curved blade. The small band stops at enough to give it a fierce wallop or a jab of their weapons.
It stops on its tracks. Answer back to their aggression. Faster than it takes any of these warriors to blink, the creature twirls from foot to helm. Its long blade dances with it in a wide spiral swing until its partner returns to where it was facing before it stopped. However, this spinning feat comes with an ungodly gift: a flurry of five to six slashes that can cleave cleanly through bone and iron, let alone exposed flesh. Steel may survive but will sustain a pronounced cut. The reach of the blade is beyond any of the spears found during this battle. Worse, the creature pirouettes the other way, soon doubling the disaster all who advanced to simply be tormented by.
Confetti of bodily chunks and a thicket of blood surrounds the dancer. The lighter bits fall sooner, soiling the forest ground before the heavier ones do. The eyes of those who did not join the latest charge are left widened. Breaths shudder as they keep their weapons before them. How is this wounded creature able to still move so inhumanly fast?!
Their lonesome foe marches again, this time to its front right, inching closer to the nearest row of the armored company. More than twenty of them were alive seconds ago, then gone in a flash. Who is next? All are welcome to tempt fate and persevere to defeat this monster. Either abandon duty or pursue it knowing that death is just waiting to have a lovely embrace in a blink of an eye.
Go ahead, dutiful leftovers. Keep making its day.
