Black fur glistened in the color of the moon as the rain furiously washed over the monster's body. Walking between the sectarians who froze in silent awe at the sight of the terrifying creature.
Their bodies were shaking and their hands raised towards the moon as if trying to take it.
An old man stepped forward and fell to his knees in front of Elias, bowing his head down.
His trembling voice cut through the rumble of the downpour, trying to reach the dark creature.
"O creature of the goddesses! Please have mercy on our lives and accept this sinful soul as a gift."- the old man said, pointing at Morvian.
Scarlet eyes regarded the older man without much interest. While copious vapor escaped from his nostrils.
The old man shook under the gaze, but still managed to find the strength to wave to one of the sectarians standing near the pillar.
The fanatic quickly pulled a knife from his pocket and cut the rope holding Morvian.
The rope sizzled upward with a sizzling sound and the golden-haired girl fell downward, raising drops of water into the air.
Morvian fell onto the water-soaked thick grass, so he couldn't bruise himself too badly. However, it was still unpleasant.
The bone armor creaked slightly as the monster began to move towards the defenseless girl, who had already risen to her feet and was rubbing her injured arms.
Stepping through the crowd of pale people, Elias used a magic ring.
A pleasant voice appeared in Morvian's head.
'Here's the plan... I'm taking you in my mouth right now and leaving the village. Like I want to finish you off far away from here.'
Morvian wasn't very flattered to be an appetizer, though not really. However, there was no other choice.
Elias stepped up close to Morvian and opened his huge maw.
The muzzle of the sawed-off shotgun jabbed straight into the bony part of the monster's muzzle.
Morvian's eyes narrowed to the size of a pin as he looked at one of the sectarians. The same one who had cut the rope.
The eyes of the man in the filthy robe were insane and drool and foam flew from his mouth.
A deafening gunshot consumed the hum of the rain and a flash of fire blinded the nearest people around.
Such a shot would have blown Elias's skull to pieces.
However, the monster incredibly managed to deflect his head and the jet of flame and shot only weeded the ground.
In the next instant, the bony maw closed on the head of the madman, whose thoughts were no longer here.
A bouquet of blood opened right out of Elias' muzzle, flying in all directions with the sound of grinding bones.
The villagers stirred after a couple moments, unprepared for such a turn of events, but it was too late.
Several long blades that were the monster's claws passed through the pairs of sectarians. It was like butter under a knife.
Body parts - brushes, shreds of skin, scraps of robes - flew apart in a fan. The shrieks merged with the sound of the downpour, turning the street into an infernal orchestra.
One of the men raised his rifle at Elias with trembling hands. But Morvian's fingers were already clutching the butt of a fallen shotgun. A muffled shot, and the top of the fanatic's skull exploded like an overripe fruit.
Pupils burning molten gold slid greedily over the rest of him. His free hand lifted the bloody knife to his face, the tarnished steel reflecting a mouth twisted in horror.
The reflection twitched as Elias plunged his claws into the back of the nearest sectarian. Now there was only Morvian's face in the blade. And a smile. Wide, sincere, and... frighteningly calm.
Morvian lunged into the thick of the fray. His knife, cold as the winter wind, slid smoothly across the jugular vein of the first sectarian. A fountain of scarlet sprayed his neighbor, blinding him for a moment-just enough for the shotgun to take out half his skull.
Something clenched inside-not remorse, but disgust at the ease with which the blade entered flesh. But his body kept moving automatically, as if his muscles had memorized the dance of death from years of street fighting.
Nearby, Elias was turning into a living hurricane. His claws, glistening with blood and rain, sliced through bodies with monstrous efficiency. A hand with a clutched knife, a severed arm, a head with its lips still twitching, all flew briefly into the air before slamming into the bloody mess beneath his feet.
It only took a couple minutes to turn the crowd of sectarians into a scarlet mess.
Morvian was breathing heavily, carefully wiping his face with his knife hand so as not to cut himself.
Elias, on the other hand, was spitting out the remnants of flesh and shaking the blood off his claws.
Morvian stared for a second at the face of one of the sectarians, which was frozen in endless horror. After which he turned away in disgust.
'It seems... realizing that none of this is real is helping me deal with the first kills.'
Morvian wiped his blade on the dead man's cloak, studying the bloody square. His voice sounded unexpectedly calm:
"Examine the bodies. Might come in handy for keys or provisions ... Before we take the boat."
Elias snorted hoarsely, shaking bits of flesh off his claws. Apparently not wanting to discuss what had happened either.
The ground shook as the last house of the village exploded from within. Logs shattered like matchsticks, and in a cloud of dust and splinters rose a gigantic figure. A five meter tall giant whose body looked more like stitched together pieces of corpse than human flesh. His skin was covered in scarred sutures, and in his hands he clutched a massive hook on a rusty chain.
Morvian froze, feeling the blood in his veins turn to ice. "So that's who they were trying to placate with sacrifices," his mind flashed.
The giant roared, and it sounded like metal scraping against bone. Its hook glinted in the moonlight and lashed forward, whistling through the air.
Elias threw Morvian aside, taking the blow for himself. The hook sank into his bone armor, spattering splinters.
Morvian was already on his feet, his knife and shotgun seeming like child's playthings against this monster.