Legacies of light

The Slab bull breaks through all of the infantry in his path, allies or enemies it doesn’t care and just bursts through to the horror of all those around it.

Many run away and try to escape but they are trampled under the size of this 11-meter beast that simply moves through it.

Ferdiad looking at me, says, “We need to run now!”

But I say, “We can’t do that, we need to take it down. Ibar, Laeg move in the area around it.”

They follow my instructions, but Laeg says, “We have no knowledge on that wonderbeast, I don’t think this is safe Setanta.”

“I agree, the Lúcogadh have beast-catching nets which we can use to make a better strategy to overcome this wonderbeast.”

“No, if we do that this achievement will be given to them, and the rights to the wonderbeast would be given to the Lúcogadh. But if we manage to take it down earlier not only will we gain all of the achievements for ourselves but be the heroes of this battle.”

Looking into the eyes of Ferdiad, I say, “This will be our biggest victory yet, and the level our names will reach will be greater than we can imagine.”

Ferdiad makes a conflicted expression, but as he does Ibar says, “I agree, we should do it.”

“Ibar?” Laeg says with a sad tone.

“How could you even object to this, isn’t this the reason we came to this battlefield, the reason we trained so much it is all so we can get these achievements.”

Laeg opens her mouth as if she is about to say something against his words, but then she says with a pained expression, “You're right.”

I place my hand on her head, and say, “Act according to how you feel, but until you can we will do as I say, now move forward!”

As the slab bull breaks through the swarm of infantry, I throw a spear at it and the bull starts to head towards our chariot, and as it does, Ibar asks, “What’s the plan?”

Well, first it is time to collect some information. Please loop around to this beast's backside.”

“Ok,” Ibar says, and as he does me and Ferdiad jump off the chariot and with Red branch battle arts, we move towards the bull.

When we reach it we move all over its body and try to find a weakness. Its body is brown, and it has a deep red mane like a lion, it also has metallic horns on the front of its face that look like giant semicircles, but sharper like a blade.

It’s extremely muscley to the point where it skin feels even harder than the ground on the floor, and it has holes on the side of its body. I try to strike the holes but as I do I am met with even more muscle.

As me and Ferdiad fling around the wonderbeast, it suddenly stomps and then starts to rampage around in one stop, kicking, jumping, and turning trying to knock us off.

Eventually, this knocks both me and Ferdiad to the ground, and when there we are hit by the tremors its little rampage is causing. They shake and break the ground we are standing on and send rocks flinging towards us.

It becomes so chaotic that me and Ferdiad but say, “Red branch battle arts; Sky flower,” and quickly leave the area heading back to our chariot.

When we arrive, Laeg says panicked, “Did you find out anything?”

“Its skin is ridiculous though due to the muscle beneath it, even those holes are of no use to our plan.”

Ferdiad says, “Its stomach is also so thick with fat that it would take a ridiculous number of cuts to get it to bleed out from that end, and seeing how hard it is to be underneath it I doubt we could even do that.”

“So what are we going to do now!”

“Unlike a bunch of other wonderbeasts this one is similar to that of a bull, so to put it simply that means we know where its brain is.”

Ferdiad says, “The muscles were weaker around the head area but still pretty strong.”

“Then let’s use the moment of the chariot. We move around at max speed then Ferdiad throws me off it and I impale through its skull. Though this plan will put all of you in danger.”

Ibar says, “If you need speed you can count on me, and I am sure my sister will be able to manoeuvre us out of any trouble right Laeg?”

“I will do my best,” She says with a little fright in her voice.

I throw another one of the spears in our chariot at the Slab bull and as I do our chariot charges towards him. We continue to speed towards each other one after another.

Getting into position, I say, “Where building up speed nicely, as long as we don’t mess up the timing we win!”

Φ I can always feel the environment around me. If it is come it feels like a gentle breeze, and if it is tricky it feels like my body is on fire, this is the reason I am always able to keep control when riding.

But right now this situation feels like an uncontrollable storm. Our plan isn’t going to work, I can feel it, I can feel the storm growing strong enough to devour all four of us.

This isn’t fear, I just know that there is something we are missing, so right now we need to prepare to move away not to attack.

Φ Laeg reaches one of her hands, and says, “Get us out of here!”

Seeing the look in her I waste no time, and cut the four horses loose which causes Ibar and Ferdiad to look in surprise, but before they can even reach I throw both of them out on top of each other way, and grab Laeg and jump off the chariot.

Then in that moment, the Slab bull releases air from the holes on its side and increases its speed instantly decimating the chariot, and the two older horses, Liath and Kooacht.

Φ Discombobulated from the impact I lay on the ground and try to regain my mind. Loud sounds and tremors are all around me which make it hard to tell what the current situation is.

But after a moment I am licked by Crunniuc, and after staring at him for a little bit I start to have a clear mind. Looking around on the battlefield, I see the Slab bull is still rampaging, breaking through whoever it can get to.

I also see the dead bodies of Liath, and Kooacht along with destroyed pieces of our chariot. Looking around, I say, “Look what you have done you idiot sister.”

Soon my eyes come across Setanta and Laeg. She is in his arms and Setanta lays on the floor bleeding profusely, seeing this I reflectively move over towards them, but at that same moment, I hear the bull bellow at us.

“I need to draw it away.” With slight injuries across my body, I jump on Crunniuc who for the most part is fine, and start to ride diagonally past the bull.

They completely ignore me, and I shout, “COME GET ME INSTEAD!”

But it moves forward, so I start to chase after it. I need to get close and hit it, but if I get too close I won’t be able to escape it in time, what the hell am I supposed to do?

Suddenly I see a spear fly right into the bull's eye, and then hear, “COME AND GET ME YOU IDIOT!”

Seeing Ferdiad with blood rushing down his head, and a bunch of spears on his back, I race over and grab him which causes the bull's attention to be focused on us. On my back, Ferdiad says, “I need you to run around the area, I need to impart instructions to the members of our army.”

“I wil-,” Feeling a pain in my arm I stop talking mid-sentence and hold my arm in pain.

Ferdiad says, “Are you ok?”

“Yes, I just have a small wound on my arm, but compared to your wounds it is not important. I will do it.”

Me and Ferdiad race around the battlefield with the bull chasing behind us, and as this happens Ferdiad shouts, “TO ALL THOSE WHO HAVE FREE EARS LISTEN, DISMANTLE THE NETS AND USE THEM TO FORM A LONG ROPE THEN SET IT UP TO TRIP THE BULL, AND WHEN THIS HAS BEEN DONE WE ALL RUSH FOR IT’S HEAD AND CRUSH IT’S BRAIN.”

The beastkin in the area fearing the bull obeys Ferdiad’s instructions even though he has no authority to. I have always thought this, but Ferdiad really is a natural leader.

He is doing his part excellently, and so I say, “I need to try my best as well.”

When it comes to pacing out a horse's energy to make the most of it, and maximise speed no one is better than me. I continue to bring Crunniuc around the battlefield with the bull always out of reach enough that it will never catch us.

Soon on the battlefield, we see that a large group of beastkin have set up some rope far away from the battlefield, just out of reach of the enemy catapults, so I move towards that area as quickly as possible.

Ferdiad throws all the spears he can to further enrage the bull, and soon its speed randomly accelerates. So I start to panic, but soon we reach the rope and I jump over it.

As the bull passed through the rope, many different beastkin pulled with all of their might and successfully, they managed to trip the wonderbeasts over. Then they quickly move to try and tie up its legs.

When I see this my body instantly relaxes, and as I do many of the other beastkins lying in wait move forward to try and crush its head.

But suddenly I say, “Doesn’t the air here feel kind of thin.”

Ferdiad says, “EVERYONE BACK AWAY!”

From the holes on the bull lots of air is released and as it is the horns of the beast start to vibrate and then a large sound rips through the area causing an explosion to everything in front of the wonderbeast.

All the people holding the beast back are blown away, and it starts to break free from the rope, but Ferdiad not missing a single moment lunges forward and heads towards the beast.

Φ It uses those horns and the air it sucks in to make a sound bomb. It probably can’t do it immediately after doing it once so right now I need to break its horns.

I move as fast as I can and prepare to break one, but to my dismay, I see it about to create another explosion; I made a mistake.

But an arrow hits its impaled eye socket, and it turns its head to the left to see Ibar, and in that moment the explosion is released in Ibars direction. So I use this moment to shatter one of its two horns.

And it turns its face back towards me, opens its mouth and uses its tongue to grab and squeeze me tighter and tighter to the point I spit up blood, but then I say, “When it matters he will always be here.”

From the top of the wonderbeasts, Setanta comes crashing down with a spear in hadn’t and destroys its brain, and moments later I am released, and see that Laeg is riding Macha.

Setanta who has wounds throughout his body, screams, “WE WON!!!!”

And all who are still alive around us shout as well.

Name: Slab Bull

Height: 11 m

Type: Herbivore

Description: It is a coven-hooved herbivore with two horns that look like sharp metallic crescent moons. It has brown skin and a red mane. It has holes on the side of its body which it can use to suck in air and accelerate, or suck in air and use to vibrate the horns making a sound bomb

Fact: Despite how fat some may look, it is one of the most muscley animals on the planet