Arthur’s POV:
As I rushed through the halls towards the echoed roars and growls, I began to think of what to do to scare whatever creature that was inside the castle away. ‘My appearance may not scare whatever is over there away, maybe I should practice my focus punch against it should it show aggression’
I began to hear more noises as I came closer to the area, whimpers and even a hiss or two, even cries of pain. That is when I realized that this was not a single creature making those noises, it’s multiple, and one is being attacked. I turned the corner to see a battle unfold. I see wood shards and blood litter the floor as I see what looks like a lion with bat wings and scorpion tail try to fend off wolves made of wood.
I was shocked by seeing another one of the beasts that I saw earlier in my travel to the castle here. Though now that I got to see it closer I remembered where I have seen it before. “Holy shit, that’s a manticore!” I yelled in a hushed whisper.
I couldn’t believe that a creature of myth could exist, especially on how I could miss such a fact since I saw one earlier. This however that only raised more questions of what else was here and where is here to begin with. Suddenly my focus was taken away when one of the wolves was slapped away from the manticore and landed near where I was, crashing down and falling apart to pieces. I was about to move away when the sticks began to move. ’What the fuck?! How is that thing still alive?!’ I screamed in my head as it reformed its body before charging again into the fight.
Looking back at the manticore I knew that it was only a matter of time before the wooden wolves would win against it. I didn’t want to interfere with how nature took its course, especially since those wolves couldn’t be killed by any physical means that I saw before me. I was about to walk away quietly before I heard a smaller cry. I looked back to see that the manticore had a cub behind it. It was scared and didn’t want to be hurt.
I felt sad for the cub, and guilt now for trying to leave the situation. It felt just like how I felt on being able to do nothing. “Goddamnit….now leaving will make me feel like a dick now that I saw that….” I muttered to myself, “Guess I’ll have to step in myself……..” I turned back around and began to charge into battle, knowing I’ll most likely be hurt from this encounter.
Manticore POV:
It was meant to be a normal day for her and her cub, spend some time hunting, return home to the cave to give some food to her cub, and sleep. Some days were different as to make time to spend with that yellow pony that brought her and her cub food and belly rubs, but today was not that day. She was having a pleasant time as she found and caught an easy prey to bring home, but when she got there, her cub was nowhere in sight. She panicked and search for his scent. He always did tend to wander and explore, so she was prepared at least for something like this.
She followed the scent towards that ruined castle that was filled with those star spiders she didn’t want to be around. She quickly found him playing with a helmet and began to scold him for leaving the cave. However she was cut off when timber wolves arrived. They growled in hunger as they cornered her and her cub. She noticed that these timber wolves looked sick, almost desperate to find something to kill. What she noticed the most though was that their bark and wood was rotten, turned black instead of their usual brown. Her cub quickly hid behind her as she prepared to scare them away. She let out a large roar as to sent them scurrying away. She was surprised to see that they didn’t, and began to attack her.
She tried her best to claw at them and slam them away with her stinger, yet they were determined to kill her, reforming each time she sent them crashing away. She was getting tired and more hurt while they were gaining more and more ground. She was about to distract them so her cub could run when a large red monster looking like a type of bug she often swats away on hot days charged at them shouting ”BUUUZZZ-WOOOLLLLEEE!!” catching them by surprise.
It slammed its fist towards the closest wolf as it broke apart into shards of wood before it twisted its body to put itself in front of her and her cub. She was confused by its presence but relieved that another creature came to help. The other two wolves growled as the third reformed once more. She began to move to try to help attack but the “Buzzwole” it called itself signaled its arm for her to relax. She hesitated before she felt her wounds sting as she hissed in pain, and her cub mewing softly worried about her. She looked at her cub and licked his fur to show she was ok, and relaxed as the large red being flexed its muscles as it prepares for their attacks, his body shining a slightly red hue before returning to its normal shade.
Two wolves rushed forward to try to bite this new creature. It tried to dodge but one managed to bite onto its arm, however it didn’t seem to phase the being to her surprise and shock and the cubs amazement. The Red being shouted again, “BUZZ-WOLE!” as it punched the wolf reducing it to wood shards as the other prepared another strike on its leg. The timber wolf bit down hard as the Red being did not show any signs of pain before stomping on its head with its other leg, balancing slightly on its other two.
As the two began to reform again, it’s body regained the red hue twice in a blinking fashion. The red being focused on the two reforming, not noticing the third slip around behind it climbing up on top of a crumbed part of the castle’s architecture. She and her cub noticed it and Roared to it to get its attention. The Red being turned around too late, only seeing the timber wolf pounce to bite down on its head.
To their shock and surprise, ( and to Arthur’s own surprise) it’s stinger on its face glowed a green hue as it struck the Timberwolf through its body, striking also its green core that kept it alive. The timber wolf’s body collapsed into a pile of rotten wood and bark as the green core stayed on its stinger.
The Red being looked at it in surprised and slight disgust, before draining it by drinking it. Its eyes widen in shock before it continued to drink the contents inside the core. It removed what remained of the core with its arm, and dropping it in front of the other two timber wolves who watched it eat their comrade’s magic that sustained it in fear. The wolves whimpered before running away into the darkness of the forest. Her cub mewed in cheer as they fled and looked at their savior in awe. It turned to look at her before it spoke.
“Buzz-wole-Buzz-Buzz-wole?”, It asked.
She tilted her head in confusion as her cub looked confused as well. The Red being saw their confusion and tried to speak again.
“Wole-Buzz-Buzz?”, It asked again
She didn’t understand what it was trying to asked but gave a soft purr as she laid down, tired from her fight. She looked to see the Red being began to fly in the air, stumbling slightly, and flew elsewhere into the deeper parts of the castle. Her cub was bouncing around her in excitement of the battle he saw of the Red being. She heard a buzzing noise and a crunch of dirt to see the Red being holding what seems to be cloths that were colored orange.
“Buzz”, It said as it precariously bandaged her wounds. She was shocked to see it help her and thankful for this kind being’s care. She did not know why it came to help at all either, but did not plan to question it, since she did not want to anger it in any way. Once it was finished patching her up her cub went up slowly towards it and licked its hand as a way of thanks for saving them.
The Red being made a slight “buzz” sound as it petted the head of the cub in slight enjoyment. She purred slightly when it petted her as well. They stayed a while relaxing or playing with the Red being in her cub’s case. She looked up to the sky to see it was getting close to dark, and with enough rest she stood back up and nudged her cub slightly to tell him that it’s time to go.
The cub pouted as he whined slightly before she gave him the stern look. He looked downtrodden until she licked the top of his head playfully. The cub, understanding, grew happy as it ran around the Red being. The Red being made a small noise akin to a chuckle before the cub returned to his mother as they began to move. The cub waved with his scorpion tail as a means to say bye, as the Red being followed his example with a wave it’s own with its arm. Soon the mother and her cub walked back into the forest as the moon rose into the sky.
Arthur’s POV:
As the two manticores returned into the forest, I thought back on how I was able to use the move Fell Stinger without speaking the move or even thinking about it. It only raised more questions about the world I was stuck in for the time being. However, one question was answered rather quickly. ’ Seems the beasts here do know moves like I do, but seem to be more subtle and not noticeable. Either way, why did those wolves keep attacking me when they knew after the first bite I was not affected to their attacks? Were they truly that desperate?’
I looked back at the core remains next to the pile of rotten wood. More questions followed on how it works. ’ Most of all, what the hell did I do, and why am I not hungry anymore?’