I Have the Power!

Part Eight

There was something odd about the sword. Kyle found himself staring at it not long after Tila had left. It had a gold hilt with a hand guard fashioned in a shape that resembled bat-wings. The center of the guard was embossed with a blood-colored gemstone in the shape of a diamond, and the hilt was wrapped in brown leather. The whole handle looked like it was made of gold, though Kyle was sure that couldn't be true. The blade itself was long and sharp, and it bore the scars of a sword that had seen more than a few battles before. It seemed so old, so wise. Kyle felt like an idiot trying to hold it—plus, it was really heavy. He started to set it down, then stopped, something holding him back. What was that voice? It seemed to be coming from the sword itself.

Kyle listened, trying to drown out Imp's constant screeching, and pressed his ear to the sword. He listened for a long time, then his eyes widened with shock. The sword was speaking to him. He listened again, and his eyes widened further.

"What do you mean, me?"

He listened again.

"You can't really want me to say that."

He listened to the response.

"You do want me to say that."

The sword said nothing, leaving Kyle to stare at it in silence.

"Fine."

He lifted the sword in both hands, wondering what on earth he thought he was doing, and said the words. And then, everything changed.

———

Tila saw for the first time just how frightening the man really was. He had fangs instead of teeth, and a nose at least as large as the cats that flanked him. His ears were pointed and curved, reminding her somewhat of the winged creatures that lived in caves near her home. His jaw was heavy, and he towered at least four feet above her. Red fur covered the sides of his face and, she guessed, most of the rest of his body as well. He had broken a table, and was holding one of its previous occupants in his fist. The girl screamed and flailed, losing her feathered scarf and hat in the struggle, both lying on the floor by the beast-man's feet to be forgotten or trampled. Everyone else had already fled.

"Release that civilian at once!" Tila shouted in her most commanding voice. "She has done yew no wrong."

The beast-man turned his slit-pupiled gaze on Tila, making shrink slightly inside herself. Show no fear, Tila, she told herself. Then she realized he could probably smell fear.

"Ah, yes," the beast-man said, his voice low and fierce, much like a growl. "The arms-master's daughter." He dropped the lady civilian on the floor, and she immediately scampered away and out the door.

"Who are yew," Tila said, leveling her spear at the man, "and why have yew come here."

"They call me Beast-Man," the beast-man said.

"How original of them." She tightened her grip on her spear, waiting.

"As to my purpose," he said, "I came here to watch you die." And with that, he directed his beasts to attack.

They came at her in force, snapping viciously and pouncing in turn. For the most part, Tila found she could avoid them, but within a minute of fighting the two cats she was already panting and out of breath. They were fast, fierce, and they knew how to hunt.

One got a good grip on her arm nearly crushing it. She screamed out in pain, just managing to throw it off her as blood spilled down the damaged limb.

"So, yew bleeting beasts want a piece of me?" Tila asked softly, tossing her spear aside. It would be a lot harder to use with one of her arms so badly damaged. The cats snarled and one of them lunged for her. She snarled back "Well come and get it." As the beast charged at her she pulled back her fist, then sank it into the left side of its jaw. There was a crunching sound, and one of the cat's teeth was knocked lose. It fell onto its side with the impact, and cringed away as it returned to its feet.

"Stupid animal," Beast-Man growled. "You should be tearing her to pieces! Ripping her limb from limb!"

"I don't think so!" Lonnie and Rogelio came pelting from the part of the room where they had been standing, charging at the second beast with cries of war. Lonnie slammed into it just as it began to pounce at Tila, knocking it to the ground with her force. It skidded a few paces, and just had time to get up and shake itself a little before Rogelio lifted it and threw it across the room. It hit the far wall with a crash, then fell to the floor and did not stir.

"Thank yew for the save," Tila said, shaking and clutching her arm.

"Any time," Lonnie said, and Rogelio grunted his agreement. They both gave her a thumbs up, and she smiled weakly at them.

"You think it's over?" Beast-Man snarled, his voice low and threatening. His eyes blazed. "The fighting has scarcely begun!" He tore off his cloak, preparing to join the brawl.

Most of his body did have fur, as Tila had suspected, but not all of it. The undersides of his legs and arms were bare, and so was much of his front. What struck Tila most about him, however, was that his right shoulder bore the head of a horned beast—a goat. Tila focused on this fact in particular because of how much it sickened her. The goat was considered to be sacred, and here this Beast-Man had killed one and taken its head to wear as a trophy.

The beast man could not be allowed to live. Tila charged at the hulking blasphemer, picking up her spear and thrusting it at his heart, ignoring the pain, ignoring everything. In that moment, all she wanted to do was to kill the horrid monster. However, in her weakened state, Tila could not land even a scratch on the beast man's body. With the skill of a born predator, he smacked her spear aside and, while she was off balance, sank his humongous fist into her side. Tila thought she could feel her bones breaking with the force of the blow as she was sent crashing into the wall by the stairs. She tried to suck in breath, but it was painfully hard. She finally managed it, just as Beast-Man simultaneously took down both Lonnie and Rogelio in one brutal attack. The two of them lay at his feet, stunned by the blow.

Tila thought back to Kyle upstairs, and realized that in her haste, she had forgotten to tell him to run. She hoped desperately that he had done so—if Beast-Man found Kyle, then he would also find the sword, and their chances of defeating Keldor would be reduced to nothing. Please, she thought. Please let him have run away. Let the sword still be safe. Please...

There was a noise on the stairs beside her, and Beast-Man turned his head to look. Tila couldn't turn her head to see who was making the sound, but saw him anyways as he reached the bottom of the stairs. He was taller than she was, though not by much. His hair was blond, and his head and shoulders were cloaked in furs. He wore furs about his waste as well, and his boots also seemed to be made of some kind of animal skin. Around his neck he wore a pendent in the shape of a Red Cross, the symbol of a hero, and in his hand was held the sword which she had given to Kyle. The Power Sword. Even in her delirious state, Tila knew who he must be.

"Hey, Beast-Man!" He-Man shouted, pointing his blade in challenge. "You want a fight? Well then come and get it!"