The Red Lands

Without a fight

The Kurat lumbered around the cliff-faced bend to glimpse the human helping the injured Hakkim to her feet.

Leering, it watched them stumble together across the snow, into a cave located at the far end of the clearing. Without warning, a group of tiny green hunters erupted from the snow around the perimeter. The blood-stained lips pulled back into a smirk so as to reveal the overlapping incisors.

Roaring in satisfaction, it towered at the edge of the clearing, as the insignificant flies scuttled away with popping eyes and screams of terror.

It had feasted on a few of these forested inhabitants during the long journey.

They appeared aesthetically unpleasant to the eye, rubbery in texture, and consisted mostly of bones. The predator lacked the incentive to chase after such a meal. The smelly vermin did provide an unexpected aid to the determined hunter.

This clearing appeared to function as their lair. The Hakkim and the ruthless human had become trapped within that cave!

The positive thought proved to be the beginning of its downfall.

The distraction from the fleeing creatures clouded its usual cautious mind. Its mind wandered under the spell of superiority.

Initiating a burst of speed, it strode masterfully across the clearing, only to stumble into a pitfall trap. The right foot seemed to step on air as it sank below the snow.

And continued sinking...

The unexpected imbalance threw the towering demon headlong into a hidden hole. A thin wooden plank, which supported the weight of the two escapees, cracked under the solid weight. As if that was not enough, the Kurat found itself literally lying on a bed of nails.

Sharp iron pickets poked into it from upright positions placed inside the pit.

The solid, compact build of the Kurat placed it at a disadvantage.

The heavy bones and thick muscles pressed against the pointed iron while separated only by the scaly skin. A spike first pierced directly through the middle of its right foot.

The defenses of its rugged body then competed against the tensile strength of the buried metal rods.

Bellowing in fresh pain, the large hands scrambled on both sides of the trap as the demon struggled to rise. Clawing its way out, it rolled away from the undersized trap. If the hole had been dug large enough to swallow its entire stature, the damage might have been fatal.

Luckily, those little bastards probably hoped to capture smaller prey. The head and wide shoulders escaped major damage because of its quick response.

The lower body, however, was not as fortunate. Besides the initial wound on the foot, iron rods had pierced into its leg, thighs, and lower abdomen. One had even scraped between its upper legs, barely missing its fur-covered propagation tool.

"Spiteful creatures. I suck your blood later."

The Kurat growled while swiping away the iron bars embedded in its scales. Gingerly regaining its footing, it clawed out the deeper ones with its thick, vice-like fingers.

Discharging heated puffs of stale air, the Kurat gazed down on its bloodied frame. The punctured scales and exposed muscles reminded it of the exhilarating battle in the mountains.

Back then, it chased and feasted on the heads of hundreds of humans. For every drop of blood spilled during that skirmish, it earned the reward of ripping into the forbidden meat.

Yet, even then, among those flashing iron and whizzing bolts, it never received this much damage.

After gutting the Hakkim and feasting on the vile human, it planned to break the bones of those green cowards. Limping towards the cave, the furious eyes flickered before the large shape bent forward and melded into the darkness.

"Curse you, demon. Have the Kurat lost their senses? Herding Demon beasts is one thing, but breaking the old pacts will lead to war!"

The words from the Hakkim entered the ears of the lumbering demon from beyond the narrow passageway.

Torches billowed smoke as they hung from cracks in the wall. A haze hung near the low ceiling, causing the Kurat to bend its head while coughing. No doubt, the Hakkim stumbled into a cave owned by the little sooks.

"Just like ancient times, heaven will never allow an upset to the balance. In the end, the Kurat will also suffer the same fate as the Hakkim. By the code of my race, I challenge you. So come!"

The Kurat bared its fangs into a smirk on listening to the desperate taunt echoing in the darkness. Sucking in a deep breath from both the mouth and wounded nose, the tracker traced the sound of its prey. If the Hakkim lurked nearby, then the human should also be present. Most likely, this cave might be a dead end, thus forcing the Hakkim to battle.

"Hakkim now grow weak. Forget what make them strong. So time to return to old ways."

On the other side of the narrow passage, yellow eyes peered from behind a rock inside the inner cavern.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Lucy witnessed the giant claws carve into the solid rock as the Kurat plowed towards them. The rock-walled passageway, which would deter a snowbear, posed no problem to the hunter.

Ivory colored claws effortlessly widened it as if digging through sand.

Lucy crept across to Ishara, who encouraged the demon by shouting threatening words.

On their faces, they wore wrapped scarves, filled and packed with fresh snow.

Noticing the adversary had shortened the distance to less than half, she crawled into the escape tunnel. Her rugged path led her to an outcropping at the back of the hill.

"Now!"

She shouted while breathing in a lungful of crisp air. A goblin waiting nearby dashed off as Lucy packed her scarf with fresh snow and then re-entered the tunnel.

***

Chu dusted the snow from his shoulders that remained from being submerged. He gazed out from the top of a cliff overlooking the cave. Next to him, Ming and a few goblins remained tense while keeping their weapons ready.

From his vantage point, Chu had watched the entire proceedings. Thankfully, his plan never hinged on facing this beast in a face-to-face battle.

On the opposite end of the clearing, Pug and Zubyia occupied a similar position with another group. Chu watched their large eyes flick between him and the cliff above the cave. The low wind carried the sounds of the forest.

"I think I heard it."

Ming said while cocking his ears to the side. His words proved truthful as a green figure scrambled above the cliff and waved. Chu nodded and raised his hand, holding a large blanket. In the forest, this was the best signal he found.

"Do it!"

Ming acted first as he cleaved the flashing blade into the tree trunk.

More precisely, cutting the taut rope tied to it. A creak expanded into a rumble as the suspended log dropped swinging into an arc. A dull thump echoed below as the heavy log slammed into a thin stone ledge supporting a massive boulder.

Chu dropped the blanket as the log broke contact. As the log swung away, another one, courtesy of Pug and his party, slammed into its target. The thump initiated a skittering of stones followed by a groan.

The thin rocky ledge cracked, releasing a large boulder, which dropped before the cave entrance. Tumbling rocks and scree soon cascaded behind it. Ming watched the avalanche before turning to his companion.

"Ah! So you weren't aiming for the Kurat in the first place."

***

When the claws of the Kurat wrapped around the rocks at the entrance of the interior cavern, a couple of events occurred.

A bellow echoed inside the cave as the beast locked eyes with the Hakkim standing at the furthest end. Ignoring the crackling fire recently lit, the victorious foot slammed into the ground. The vibration increased to a rumble, which surprised even the initiator. The red eyes flicked to the rear just in time for the billowing dust to blow past it.

Blinking, the monster switched its narrowed eyes towards the Hakkim, only to witness a descendant of the honorable race disappear.

Like a fleeing rabbit, Ishara followed Chu's instructions and crawled into the escape tunnel. Her actions stupefied the Kurat before it burst into a frenzied rage.

"Hakkim no honor. Shame Sky tribe!"

"Kurat holds no honor. Ambushed my Sky tribe. Mark my words, will face destruction worse than Hakkim."

A faint reply reached the ears of the raging beast. Halfway in the cramped tunnel, Ishara nearly collapsed from inhaling the smoke and fumes, but luckily Lucy returned. Together they panted and stumbled out while gasping for breath.

"Hurry, we can't waste time."

Lucy urged as she tottered to a nearby rock. With the assistance of Ishara, both of them rolled the prepared object over the tunnel mouth, sealing it completely.

In the smoky cavern below, the Kurat rampaged while tearing away the rocks surrounding the tunnel. The Hakkim had made good her escape since the tunnel proved too small to widen.

Snorting heavily, the Kurat calmed itself as it straightened up in the cavern. Drenched in an abnormal sweat from the brief exertion, it broke out into a bout of coughing. The flickering eyes scanned the cave, resting on the smoldering fire.

The Kurat watched as a thin flame burned its way up a dried vine, towards large bales of wrapped webbing hanging high on the rocky wall.

The combustion exploded into a roaring light and then darkened within seconds. Outside the hill, Lucy and Ishara held their knees while breathing heavily to exhale the foul concoction. A rumble from deep underground startled and then toppled them off their feet.

"What was that?"

"I have no idea. Come on, let's regroup with Chu..."

Boom!

The two conversed like ordinary girls but only understood each other through their moving hands and heads. They had barely talked when the thunderclap occurred. The heavy stone they sealed the tunnel blasted out into the winter sky, trailed by a booming line of fire.

The sight brought awe and fear to the faces of the girls sitting on the snow.

Within the cavern, the intelligent demon peeled itself from a smoking wall. Pain coursed across its huge body, originating from the large patches of charred burns and exposed mangled flesh.

Not in a hundred years had it experienced defeat. The Kurat tried to open its mouth, but clotting blood instead of words dripped out. The blackened tongue had burned and shriveled when it tried to scream during the explosion.

All it remembered was the dust, the rapid, exploding fire, and an invisible blow which practically crushed its bones. Slumping to the ground, it struggled to raise a pair of mangled hands.

A hidden force seemed to choke its throat while stifling the wheezing lungs. Its mind wandered as if lost in the stars, refusing to command the broken body.

Breathing in a large lungful of fumes, the deadly beast fell into a drowsy sleep. Nearby, the dying embers puffed out wisps of hallucinating smoke.

***

Chu hovered over the charred rock while running his fingers along the heated grooves.

"We did as you asked and sealed the tunnel. I felt the rumble, but then the rock just blasted away with a line of fire trailing behind it. Luckily, at that time, we were nowhere close."

Lucy reported. After recovering from the shock of seeing a heavy boulder being tossed away like a feather, she had dashed away to meet Chu. Dyna and the two wolves had remained to scout the clearing in the event the Kurat proved indestructible.

"We also heard the rumble over the clearing. Chu, I know you wanted to trap this monster in the cave, but I never expected this. Sometimes you never cease to amaze me."

Ming added. Next to him, Zubyia had a look of fear plastered over his face. His expression represented those of all the goblins chattering around them.

"Devil from farm worthy of reputation..."

Chu flashed the wry smile of a man who had orchestrated this event according to plan. Deep within his mind, however, he had no idea what the hell had happened.

The plan had been simple from the start when Ming discovered the cave. He would use the torches to reduce the oxygen in the interior cavern.

As an added precaution, Chu also advised Ishara to light the woodpile in a corner of the inside cavern when he sealed the entrance. That special bonfire consisted of the dried herbs and flowers used by the Goblin Elders during meditation.

A dreamy beast on drugs was far easier to manipulate than a raging monster.

As an added bonus, Chu wrapped huge bundles of spiderwebs on a dried vine like a line of festive decorations over the fire. Using the enormous goblin stash, he hoped to burn off the little oxygen in seconds.

He never expected an explosion to occur with the spontaneous ignition and the billowing dust from the cave-in.

'Damn...'

He fixed his poker face and turned to Ishara. The Hakkim had been giving him some unusual stares ever since he arrived. No doubt this event rattled her perception of lowly humans.

Blinking his eyes, he spouted words for only brave ears.

"Well, the hard part is now over. Who wants to crawl down the tunnel and confirm the demon is dead?"