"Boars are weak against piercing! Things slow down around their bodies!"
"Stay away from the cats! Use arrows first!"
The elders, the men and the women all heard these words. They had been engaged in a brawl with these beasts as well, after all. And they had figured out the beasts' mystic abilities too.
During the time Horus and Edith had killed a single beast, the adults had slain a dozen more. The abilities of each beast was now known to everyone. The mind shattering hex of the cat, the time-slowing charge of the boar, the buckling smash of the ape, the violent ascent of the monkeys and the coordination of the wolf pack.
The villagers were left in immense shock. They had only ever seen the wolves in the forests outside. And even then they never exceeded three at any point.
They were left in wonder as to where the rest of the monsters had come from. There had been no signs, no warnings and even no premonitions. One moment they were enjoying the festival and the next, they were fighting against alien animals.
They were afraid. They were anxious and most of all, they were worried about what might happen next.
"What if another beast tide comes? What if another one after that?"
"Would the children be alright?"
"Would we survive?"
These thoughts plagued everyone's mind.
The children had long fallen asleep. Not because they had fainted, but rather due to the hex of the cats. Their weak minds couldn't bear the shattering of their thoughts. Thus, they had fallen asleep. Their eyes open, while their mouths were drooling. If not for the bobbing of their chests, their mothers would lose their minds due to grief on their deaths. They were still under the hex after all.
The archers had long ago stopped looking at the ground. Each of their arrows was pointed at the sky, targeted at beasts viewed through the corner of their eyes.
Under the barrage of attacks, several monkeys fell to the ground, several more cats turned feral, several wolf packs scattered away, and several boars slowed their charge.
The men surrounding them rushed with their spears aiming at the boars that slowed time. Some had even turned to maim the cats, leaving them unable to even get up.
Then there were some who with their staffs banged the heads of the monkeys that drew near.
Thud! Thud!
Their coordination had been flawless. The support the women provided was invaluable.
The elders had gone to engage the beasts that were spared from the arrows. The brutality they displayed and the finesse they showcased was unmatched by what any of the fighters had shown. They were true Stage 3 experts after all.
They moved with the captivating grace of an established warrior. Their muscles bulged as they move from one place to another. At one moment they would deliver a powerful punch, while in the next they would slash with their swords, spears and staffs. Their weapons were like an extension to their limbs.
And the harmony they demonstrated was a sight to see. The punch one elder delivered was followed up by the roundhouse kick of the other which was then completed by the finishing pierce of another's spear.
They were like one mind and body.
Under their onslaught, beasts fell one after another like leaves of an autumn tree. The wave of beasts that rushed towards them fell like water ripples hitting a rock.
The elders wouldn't let a single beast pass!
***
The cat's hex had long clamed Astus's growing rage. Now being tossed from one monkey to another he was keeping track of the anger that was rising yet again.
Soon after the best tide came, he had found himself surrounded by monkeys. He had tried dodging but failed due to the sheer number of the beasts around him. Luckily, he had managed to get hold of the sword Edith had thrown at him. He couldn't find a chance to use it though.
The monkeys were strangez unpredictable creatures. With their long tails that give them otherwoldy balance, they swung from one spot of air to another flawlessly. While doing so, they also often stopped low only to either push Astus, scratch him or pull him into the air only to throw him back down afterwards.
By now, Astus had lost quite some hair oweing to it being pulled by the monkeys. His tunic had torn as well.
At some point he had raised his arm to grab a monkey's tail only for his arm to be grabbed instead. The moneky pulled him high into the air, stopping, then with an annoying sound, let him fall.
Kekekeke!
Kakakaka!
Kekekekeee!
Before Astus had could even hit the ground, he had already been grabbed by another monkey and swung around only to be then thrown at another.
Astus had let go of his sword at some point. He had realised that the finesse of a Stage 3 wouldn't help him against these monkeys. What he needed right now was the brutality and ruthlessness of a Stage 1.
With that thought, he twisted his body to grab the monkey which was waiting to swing him around. Using his momentum from being thrown around, Astus raised his legs to his head, tightened his core and then brought them down in a flash. This caused his body to follow suit as he then smashed the monkey into the ground.
The recoil from the kick as well as the monkey's mystic ability caused Astus to reel upwards a bit but he soon found himself falling to the ground as well.
In his fall, he managed to hold two more monkeys by the tail, pulling them downwards along with him. The monkeys tried climbing up into the air slowing down Astus's fall as a result. He used the new found 'footing ' to let go of one monkey, tighten his grip on the other and use his other hand to flail the monkeys into the ground.
Just as the first one hit the ground, another followed soon afterwards coloring the ground with red as the two beasts turned into paste.
Splatter!
Astus fell to the ground as well, suffering only mild injuries due to the fall. His condition could have been worse but the strength, endurance and agility of Stage 3 was what has saved him.
He then picked up a nearby spear, aimed at the frantic monkeys that had been swinging more or less in a straight line up in the air and then threw it with a boom.
Swoosh!
The spear pierced through the remaining three monkeys, leaving behind a gaping hole into each one of them and hitting an injured boat far into the distance.
Astus was quite satisfied with himself.