My (Monster?) Hero Life

Erik cursed as Yul struck him with a tentacle yet again. Slamming him into the ground. The blood leaking from his wounds and his mouth stained the sand in shades of red. Despite his battered state Erik appeared to be enjoying himself.

His men surrounded him to buy him time to recover. They watched on helplessly as more of their numbers were culled by the giant. Yul was releasing a burst of horrifying laughter as he put an end to more mortal lives. He could barely remember the last time that he had indulged himself so much.

The hands at the tips of tentacles each summoned a man-sized spear of earth before hurtling them a the densely packed meat shield surrounding Erik. The heroes steeled their hearts as they prepared themselves for death, safe in the knowledge that their sacrifice would buy their commander enough time to escape the onslaught.

Erik thanked them silently before turning into a bolt of lightning to escape the barrage. The heroes cried out in brief pain as the spears pierced their critical organs. No matter what spells they used to defend themselves, the spears shredded through them as though they were as flimsy as a piece of paper.

Erik hated being on the defensive more than anything. He had built up an unshakable faith in his ability to sweep aside any enemy that opposed him. Yul was the sole exception to this, a black mark that still haunted his past. However, the longer the battle dragged on, the more aware he became that defeating the giant was a fool's errand.

'If I survive this, I have to at least double my training efforts.' Erik thought as he tried to pick out an opportune moment to launch a counteroffensive. The wealth of experience that Yul had to hand allowed him to create a situation where he would show no weak spots. 

The landscape of the beach had greatly diverted from what it had once been. Random cliffs now emerged from the sand and pillars that were actually earthen spears embedded in the ground dotted the area. 'I should end this soon and find those two little monsters. The princess will make a fine trophy to add to my collection.' Yul thought while he thwarted another of Erik's attempts to injure him.

His attention suddenly shifted to an empty space nearby. He was drawn by the formation of a large mass of mana suddenly gathering in the spot he was staring at. 'Oh, it seems we have a party crasher!' he thought with glee. He became excited at the thought of a good battle with a worthy opponent.

His carefree look suddenly twisted into one of extreme fury as the mana took shape. Allowing him to take a measure of precisely what was happening at that moment. 'You won't get away with this! I'll wipe your existence off the face of the planet!' His thoughts boiled with his anger as he made his move.

Meanwhile, back in the cave...

Phillip did not even attempt to defend himself from the liquid fire pouring over his skin. Unknown to Kace such a petty trick would no longer have any effect on him. He retaliated with his fist, striking Kace square in the jaw and forcing him to divert his aim.

Phillip used the break to coat his body in flames. They were a perfect balance of attack and defence. They would prevent Kace from getting to close while at the same time turned his entire body into his weapon. As things were heating up in their battle, the situation on Raven's end had become electrifying.

Raven held his new cauterised wound with his left hand. The lightning bolt that Tyler had fired at him had pierced clean through his thigh. Being part human still, the pain had been enough to halt him in his tracks while Tyler exchanged blows with Mr Penny.

Mr Penny used the versatility of his whip to block the straightforward bolts that Tyler kept launching at him. However, with each failed attempt, Tyler would increase the intensity of each spell he sent in his direction. It was only a matter of time before they carried enough power to make his defence crumble.

He weaved his whip through the air to intercept the latest bolt only to be caught in a surprise attack. The bolt split into two separate ones that bounced off in different trajectories before coming into contact with the whip. One of them struck him in the leg, causing him to fall on his knees. This act put the second bolt on a direct course with his heart.

In his final moments, he smiled warmly at his Captain. He was happy from the bottom of his heart to have known him and to die standing beside him till the end. The lightning was quick in ending his life. The only solace that Raven could find in his death was that he had not been made to suffer.

Before Mr Penny's body could hit the floor, Raven's visage morphed into one of a primal beast out for blood. The temperature suddenly dropped as he used his signature spell. Ice began to form into giant hands emerging from the ground. Tyler watched on with a worried expression as fog suddenly appeared and began to cloud his vision.

Not wanting to take any chances he chose to copy Phillip's spell. Coating his body with an armour of lightning. He glanced around to try and ascertain from which direction the assault would inevitably come from. Contrary to his expectations though it had already begun.

While watching the shadows of the ice hands moving in the fog, he had overlooked the large one silently forming in mid-air behind his head. As its fingers flexed open to grasp his skull in its grip, a vortex of fire suddenly burst it into shards. The attack had come from outside of the fog.

"You owe me, Tyler!" Phillip's familiar voice rang in his ears above the din of battle.