The Song of Roland Ch. 15

Roland tried to pull the weapon free, but the Hautviech let loose a sonorous bellow, stepping back with its injured foot and forcefully ripping the thing from the mercenary's grasp, still lodged in its leg. It looked down at him, its dull, animal eyes observing him with a dismissive anger as its free hand swiped, striking him hard with the flat of its palm and sending him flying away from them, back towards Carl. Roland felt something snap as he cartwheeled bodily across the ground, landing hard on his back as liquid fire shot up his arm, near the collarbone. "Aagh!" He yelled, his senses inflamed as the heat of the moment caused him to merely leap to his feet unsteadily, rushing back towards the certain doom that awaited him.

Kelsea came up from behind the animal, her metallic Man-Catcher in her hands as she ran towards the beast, whose back was now firmly towards her, focused on the two humans who had assaulted it in the midst of its meal. Carl fired off yet another ineffectual arrow, which struck the Hautviech's corpulent cheek as the monster lifted the struggling Harpy high over its head as if to keep her from its foes' grasp. The Succubus cranked the weapon back and slammed it hard against the inside curve of its right foot, using the thing like a makeshift blunt club as she put her unholy strength into the blow. It was such a strong strike that the metal shaft rang like a bell as it struck, the sheer weight and momentum forcefully snapping something in the creature's foot and knocking it to the right, losing balance as its leg shot out away from it, hanging over the empty chasm below. It let out a pained bellow, unintentionally loosening its grip upon the Harpy in the process of righting itself from a deadly fall.

Sensing chance at freedom, the Harpy pushed with all its might, wriggling free from its attacker's grasp before shakily shooting up into the air, her wide wings spreading and flapping madly in an effort to gain distance. There was a copious amount of blood trailing from her back, but otherwise the lucky woman had just managed to escape a ghastly end. She let out a shrill scream as she circled sharply, diving forward to claw ruthlessly at her tormentor's face. The Hautviech howled as the woman's biting talons raked at its nose and eyes, a clawed hand reaching up and batting at her as she scraped and scratched at the skin before pulling back just in time to avoid getting grabbed again. She sailed off into the air, circling like a bird of prey, seeking another opening.

The monster's foot suddenly shot out, kicking backwards at Kelsea's body blindly as it tried to deal with multiple attackers at once. The slinky demon just narrowly managed to avoid getting crushed underfoot by its dragging claws, diving to the ground and swiftly crawling to safety as its lower body stomped and thrust in a circle like a toddler having a tantrum. Yet another arrow sailed into the creature's shoulder, and it let out another frustrated yowl, turning to face Carl who merely nocked yet another arrow to his bowstring. Roland moved forward, weaving between the massive feet as he wrapped his hands around his still-stuck sword. He pulled with all his might, feeling a hard, burning sensation in his left shoulder from the earlier smack. The Hautviech, sensing him this time, lifted the foot, taking Roland with it as it rose him off the ground. His injured arm gave out on him, and with a pained grunt he let go of the still-stuck weapon, collapsing to the ground in a heap. He watched as the creature stepped purposefully down, its huge claw on the middle toe diving down to impale him roughly in the side, his stomach buckling under the sudden press of the thing.

Roland let out a cry of pain, his hands subconsciously reaching down to clutch at the black talon shoved squarely into his belly as he stared, wide eyed at the gaping wound it made inside of him. The Hautviech's foot came down, pinning him hard to the ground as it turned to deal with other, more immediate dangers. The world around began to hush as the mercenary's attention focused on the thing that had planted itself nearly a foot into his flesh. He could feel the tip of the claw poking out the back of him, near the bottom of his ribs on the left side. It felt almost like the unexpected appearance of a new, excruciating limb in place of internal organs. Blood began to drip in rivulets from the tip of the claw.

"Roland!" He heard Kelsea scream. Gritting his teeth, the Mercenary pulled his long knife free from its sheath with his good arm, stabbing the blade deep into the creature's offending toe, more as an act of malice than intending anything useful. However, the beast let out an angry caterwaul, turning its head down and raising its hand to finish off the man once and for all. Roland met eyes with the thing, his gaze turning to the long finger claws that poised to pierce him and end his physical torment.

However, the Harpy attacked again, diving into the Hautviech's face with the kind of manifest aggression that only a wild animal was capable of, shrieking a high note of anger as she made a bloody mess of the thing's snarling face. The monster pivoted on its foot, trying to turn away from the bird woman's attack as he kept his wounded foe pinned to the ground. The claw crudely twisted in the mercenary's belly, moving his guts around. Roland screamed and blacked out for a moment from the pain, only regaining his eyesight after several seconds of heavy blinking. He pulled his dagger free from the thing's toe and began to stab with all his might against it. Attacked from two angles at once, and being constantly peppered with arrows all the while, the Hautviech stepped off of Roland, stumbling back downhill. The claw in his stomach mercifully removed itself, and Roland collapsed against the ground, gulping in air as he clutched at the open wound.

Arrows began to fly up from farther down the trail, in the direction of where the Briar Dogs had been coming from. Roland quietly mused to himself as he watched his armor become slick with blood that they were likely heading uphill towards them now. Kelsea came to him at a run, sliding to her knees and skidding across the ground as she bent over him in a rush. Her hands shakingly reached for his wound. "OhGods, Roland!" She said, nearly hysterical. "Are you-"

"I'mfine!" He lied, feeling something deeply wrong inside of him. He could taste blood in his mouth. "Kill that fuckin' thing, or we're never getting off this mountain alive!"

Kelsea looked ready to panic. "How are we supposed to kill it?"

Roland roughly pointed in the direction of the creature's face, which was under relentless attack from the blue bird's flashing claws. Adrenaline was all that was keeping him going at this point. "The... the Harpy has got the right of it. Aim for the eyes; tell Carl to get it in the eye! Its skin is too thick, you've got to get at its soft tissue, yeah?"

She bent down over him, her head drooping towards his wound as she hurried to heal it. "I've got to-"

Roland pushed her away from him, his side screaming as his arm extended and pushed her back onto her rear. "Go!"

Kelsea, her body language all but crying her hesitation, ran to Carl, pointing at the Hautviech's face as she shouted something unintelligible at him. The bowman nodded, trotting forward to get a better angle at the monster. Kelsea ran and picked up her Man-Catcher, heading downhill to aid the now beleaguered Harpy.

The Hautviech was being hit with a barrage of arrows from below, the Briar Dogs' shots coming closer and closer to the mark as the Harpy ripped and tore at its face. It now looked much like a hedgehog, with feathered spines sticking out of all angles of its body. The monster's hands reached up and swiped at her, and the bird woman let out a squawk of rage before diving out of its grasp, shooting down along the roadline before splitting out away into the air. A few arrows followed the Harpy from below, but they were too far away to be any real threat to the smaller, faster creature. Kelsea arrived just in time, smashing her weapon like a mace against the Hautviech's toe while it was distracted by the aerial onslaught.

She struck so hard that the metal weight of the Man-Catcher itself bent sharply at an angle. The toe claw she hit chipped and snapped free at the base, sending the monster into a painful scream. It smashed its large hand down in an attempt to crush the Succubus, but she dove out of the way, the ground shaking as the skin eater became more and more enraged. It tried again with its other hand, but the Succubus scrambled to her feet, running back uphill as another of Carl's well placed shots struck it on the bridge of its nose.

At last, seeing no other options, the creature spread its wide, batlike wings and dove off the side of the road, swooping down and righting itself as it flapped to gain altitude. Roland, lying against the ground, could only watch as the thing swooped up, moving between the mountains like a dragon in full splendor. It tried vainly to follow the Harpy in midair, but the bird woman smartly alighted upon the ground with her companions, landing near Roland and letting out a keening call, as if to taunt her predator. It circled around, coming at the road at a perpendicular angle, barreling forward towards the Succubus who stood stock still, almost goading him to attack her. Carl stood nearby, his arm bent back as he nocked yet another of the deadly bolts from his drained quiver. He fired at the last instant, just as Kelsea leapt out of the way of the thing.

The arrow struck home, lodging itself into the thing's large left eye and piercing through the glaring orb. In an instant the Hautviech's intent charge became boneless momentum as it slammed into the hillside between the Briar Dogs and their group, its head smacking with the force of an explosion against the cliff face. There was a loud, audible,crackthat reverberated through the hills, and at last the beast collapsed atop the roadline, motionless. Its final breath issued out from it with a heavy scent of rot, its one eye staring out lidlessly from its twitching, fleshy form.

A long, heavy silence fell across the mountainside. Kelsea ran to Roland, heedless of what had just transpired. She threw her Man-Catcher aside as she sprinted to him, her blue eyes wide and wet as she came upon him. The Harpy hopped forward too, letting out a low, worried coo as she stared in concern at her companion's serious wound. Roland did his best to sit up, bending his back forward as he struggled. Kelsea planted herself behind him, using her own kneeling body to prop him up. "It's okay!" She said, more for her own sake than his. "It's dead, I-I can-"

Roland took Kelsea's hand in his, pulling it down to his chest. "Listen to me. We don't have much time." He replied, feeling the gaping hole in his side as he groaned from the pain. It was getting harder to breathe. "The Briar Dogs aren't going to give us... give us the chance to have a respite." He said, "Y-you remember how the Harpy was able to pick you up before?" She nodded, her face not comprehending what he was telling her. "H-have the Harpy carry Carl to the top of the cliff, on the plateau above us... Tell Carl to keep shooting down at them. He'll have the perfect angle; it'll buy us some time."

Kelsea nodded. Roland's eyes fluttered, his consciousness drifting as he watched the woman whose face he could not stop looking at shouting commands at the two people standing around. He dimly noticed the Harpy grasp Carl by the shoulders, hauling him into the sky. A few stray arrows followed her, but they were still too distant to have any real chance of hitting her or her charge. Kelsea then bent down over him, planting her tongue around the gaping wound as she lathered it in her corruption. Roland could feel some of the flesh knitting itself back together again, but this was no mere cut or bruise; it would take more than she could manage in the short time they had to bring him back to an appreciable state. It didn't stop the desperate Succubus from trying, however.

"Well, well!" A heavy, faintly mocking voice called from behind the body of the Hautviech lying dead across the trail like a makeshift roadblock. "Wasn'tthatfun to watch! I have to say, you and your friends have got the killer instinct, Roland."

"Ff-" Roland began, taking a pained inhale that felt like white hot daggers were jabbing at his stomach. "F-fuckoff, Derion!" He shouted back across the Hautviech's body, his brow tightening as he yelled at his former Captain and pockmarked comrade in arms. Kelsea ignored them both, her body bent exclusively to the task of preventing Roland from dying. She continued to lick and lather his wound.

"No, no, I'm genuinely impressed!" Derion yelled, clearly still some distance away but close enough to make himself heard. "Killingthatbeastie, right in front of us? With just the three of you and that Harpy? For a minute there, I thought there wasn't going to be enough of any of you to bury."

"It's..." Roland said, taking in a gasping inhale, "It's gonna be...younext."

The laughter that carried over the monster's body was loud and genuine, growing closer with every exhale. "Haha! You always did like to boast, you fucking red-bearded mongrel." There was a pause, the sound of clinking metal could be heard, getting closer. "What have you done with Carl? Why did he follow you?"

"H-he..." Roland inhaled, "He missed me!" He sat up straighter, his upper body slick with his own blood. "S-said something about you being a disfigured cunt with a mangy dick that..." Roland took another unsteady breath, "-that he was tired of gnawing on, day in.... and day out..."

"Roland, stop moving." Kelsea murmured to him, "You're going to make the wound worse."

"I'm curious about something else as well, Roland." The Derion said, now much closer and crisp in his vocalizations. "How in the eight helspires did you manage to get thatbirdto help you fight it off? Never heard of a domesticated Harpy before. She seemed awfully friendly, landing where she did in the midst of you three, fighting by your side,carrying off my manto do Gods know what with him?"

"Jealous of... Carl?" Roland called out. He felt like he had run ten miles with his lungs. "I can... arrange a meeting with her... if you'd like. I know you've always... dreamed of fucking a wild animal. This is... the closest you're gonna get."

"Charming." Derion said. "So help me you and your little whore cohort are going to die slowly, you fuck. But first you're going to tell me where Carl's gone."

Just then the Harpy dove down from the cliffside, landing in a rush as she cast her glance worriedly from Kelsea to Roland. "Kraa!" She said, her knees bent as she pointed with her sharp chin towards the dead creature's body. The Briar Dogs were upon them. A mercenary poked his head up from behind the beast's dead corpse, climbing over its form as he stood atop its body like a hay bale. The suddensmackof an arrow to his chest sent the man falling back downward with a shout. His fellow Briar Dogs began yelling all at once. Roland glanced down at his wound: still life-threatening, though nowhere near as immediately so as it had been mere moments before. The Succubus continued to desperately lick at him.

"Kelsea." He said, his voice soft as he put a hand against her face. She ceased her labors momentarily and looked up at him. "Give my dagger."

"...Why?" She asked, "I've got to get this healed so we can-"

"You're not going to do it in time." He said, feeling strangely calm as he spoke to her. His eyes softened. "One of us has to go with the Harpy. This next trip will be the last... Carl can't cover for her for a third... and the Briar Dogs will be coming over that thing's body the second... the second they realize it's just one man shooting at them."

A horrible look came to Kelsea's face as the implication of what he was telling her began to sink in. "No... Roland, I'm not leaving you."

"You must." He said. "I'm not going to last... more than an hour without help... and if you die anyways..."

Kelsea's eyes filled with water. Roland was amazed at how beautiful she looked, even when crying. He pulled her into a hug. "No." She sobbed.

"You're such a... mawkish sap, you know?" He said, chuckling at his own joke before letting out a pained cough. "Get the fuck out... of here. Hurry."

To his surprise, she pulled away from him, shaking her head as though in denial of the situation. She wiped at her face, her eyes clenching as she gritted her teeth. "No." She said again, this time more firmly. Roland watched in surprise as her eyes opened, no longer the color blue. She turned to the Harpy, who stood, waiting for confirmation. "Take him up." She said, her voice empty of emotion. The Harpy cawed and leapt into the air, her talons snatching up Roland gently by the shoulders.

A rush of sudden terror seized the wounded warrior, who only a moment ago had been ready to peacefully accept his face. "Kelsea, what... what are youdoing?"

She looked at him, her expression soft as she blew a kiss to him, receding like a figure from hell as he was pulled skyward by the beating wings of the Harpy. "Kelsea!" He shouted, his voice hoarse and pained as he struggled to breathe. She didn't respond to him. Roland panicked, reaching up weakly to try to pry off the Harpy's gripping claws at his shoulder. His broken collarbone screamed in protest at her physical pressure and his own exertion as he desperately grabbed at them. "Let medown..." He wheezed "you...fuckingthing!" He shouted, he raged and twisted, but to no avail. Roland could only watch helplessly as he got a front row seat of the succeeding action.

The Briar Dogs, now aware of Carl's lone, surreptitious sniping, charged forth as a company overtop the body of the Hautviech, their red lamellar armor and naked blades shining in the light. They leapt down, moving towards the stationary Kelsea at a run as they brandished their weapons. Kelsea stood, stock still, her human face empty of expression as they came at her. The men stopped short, seemingly stymied by the presence of a mere, defenseless girl. Roland could see Derion near the back, advancing towards her with the clear intent to interrogate. He stopped to point up at Roland, rising up slowly towards the high cliffs above with his Harpy's attention. The bowmen near the back turned and aimed at him, clearly with the intent to shoot him down.There was a long, silent moment. Roland could hear the wind blowing, his face wracked with wetness as he saw her standing there, all alone. Always alone.

Kelsea raised her hand, her breath sighing from her mouth as she let loose a bright, blue spray of flame from her fingertips. The front row of warriors were taken completely off guard, their bodies being bathed in balefire before any of them even had a chance to react. Their dying screams rose to Roland's ears even through the gale of the mountain winds. The mercenary watched, slack jawed, as Kelsea turned her hand this way and that, creating a burning wave of death in front of her. As she did, the charade of humanity dropped, her skin changing to purple, her hellish tail and horns poking out from her body. "Succubus!" Someone shouted at the top of his lungs, sounding like a thousand miles away, "It's a Gods-forsakenSuccubus!"

She strode forward, confident and utterly unperturbed by the carnage she was causing. The bowmen who had been tracking Roland turned and bolted in panic, alongside Derion and the lucky few near the back not immediately incinerated by the demonic maelstrom. They scrambled over the dead beast, running headlong from the creature that inflicted uncompromising annihilation to any foolish enough to stay behind. Roland caught a last, long glimpse of Kelsea as she continued to walk towards them, her steps long-legged and sultry, moving between the burning, shrieking blue corpsefires before the Harpy passed above and beyond the top of the cliffside. She landed with Roland gently down upon the snowy ground, just a short distance away from Carl Hale, who continued to fire the occasional shot down at his former friends.