Cotto flapped at his knife sheaths for a moment before tugging a slim blade free. As he hurled it the demon darted to one side and then it was on him. The forelegs slammed into his body and Cotto felt its claws bite flesh. Only his raised forearm prevented the demon from burying grey fangs into his face and still he cried out as the force of the bite crushed his arm.
Cotto struck back with a closed fist, the steel knuckles of his gloves crashing into the side of the demon’s head, but it was like punching stone. The demon jerked sideways and hurled him back up towards the peak of the roof, pouncing after him like a striking spider and biting down again. This time it tore through the leather spaulder and down into his shoulder. Cotto had drawn a knife by then and hacked at one of the limbs pinning him. The blade scraped down the limb, tearing through velvet-black skin before catching and digging into bone or chitin.
The demon ignored the injury and used a free limb to drive Cotto onto his blade-arm, pinning the weapon while it tore at his armour. This time it found a vulnerable point under his arm and ripped at the flesh. Cotto howled, then screamed as the demon slammed a clawed limb into the wound and snapped the ribs below. Pain flooded his body. Cotto felt the strength drain from his limbs as the demon hooked multi-jointed limbs around his shoulders and pinned his arms back, turning him face-up to stare at the uncaring clouds above.
The fox appeared again, a malevolent arrowhead against the darkened sky. Its pale pelt faded to black around narrow eyes in which Cotto could see jerky, twisting bluish light. The air around it flickered and shuddered, lambent and ghostly. Pinpricks of white light burst before his eyes, jagged shapes that hinted at a huge hunched wolf looming over him. The fox advanced and screamed again, needle-sharp teeth showing as the sound ripped into Cotto’s mind and he howled with it. The phantom wolf lunged at the same time and he felt its teeth scrape down his belly, his muscles shrieking as the crackling maw bit down. Again the peal of the bell rose up unbidden from the depths of his memory, but this time the fox was undeterred.
A second cry burst Cotto’s eardrums. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the fox as it came close enough to sink those slender teeth into his face. Pale light thrashed like a storm all around it as the white wolf continued its assault, tearing underneath his leather armour. He tried to free his arms, but the misshaped demon was far stronger, its grip unbreakable. Inhuman voices screamed through his head and the tolling bell became increasingly distant. The bursts of light in its eyes intensified and Cotto felt a searing pain in his own as he tried to hide from the light, but he couldn’t move. The fox’s eyes blazed bright and—
Without warning the demon was thrown to one side, almost spun around by the force of a crossbow bolt tearing into its gut. It screeched and turned to flee, the wolf collapsing into eddies that folded back into the fox. Over the far side of the roof appeared a black, expressionless face. For a moment Cotto felt a fresh pang of fear, seeing only unnatural, inhuman lines of brow and jaw. Then he realised it was a mask as the figure slammed a slim axe into the fox’s neck. There was great spurt of blood and the fox’s head tumbled while the wolf-spirit seemed to explode and evaporate into nothingness.
The monster holding Cotto released its grip and scrambled to attack. Before it could, another black-masked goshe appeared and hooked one of its legs, dragging the demon off-balance before chopping into its shoulder joint with a second axe. The demon threw itself around, driving up with lightning speed to claw at its attacker, but somehow the goshe was faster. It deflected the limb and whirled around with the grace of a dancer – slashing at the demon’s bulbous body as it went, before hooking another limb and dragging it close once
Cotto struck back with a closed fist, the steel knuckles of his gloves crashing into the side of the demon’s head, but it was like punching stone. The demon jerked sideways and hurled him back up towards the peak of the roof, pouncing after him like a striking spider and biting down again. This time it tore through the leather spaulder and down into his shoulder. Cotto had drawn a knife by then and hacked at one of the limbs pinning him. The blade scraped down the limb, tearing through velvet-black skin before catching and digging into bone or chitin.
The demon ignored the injury and used a free limb to drive Cotto onto his blade-arm, pinning the weapon while it tore at his armour. This time it found a vulnerable point under his arm and ripped at the flesh. Cotto howled, then screamed as the demon slammed a clawed limb into the wound and snapped the ribs below. Pain flooded his body. Cotto felt the strength drain from his limbs as the demon hooked multi-jointed limbs around his shoulders and pinned his arms back, turning him face-up to stare at the uncaring clouds above.
The fox appeared again, a malevolent arrowhead against the darkened sky. Its pale pelt faded to black around narrow eyes in which Cotto could see jerky, twisting bluish light. The air around it flickered and shuddered, lambent and ghostly. Pinpricks of white light burst before his eyes, jagged shapes that hinted at a huge hunched wolf looming over him. The fox advanced and screamed again, needle-sharp teeth showing as the sound ripped into Cotto’s mind and he howled with it. The phantom wolf lunged at the same time and he felt its teeth scrape down his belly, his muscles shrieking as the crackling maw bit down. Again the peal of the bell rose up unbidden from the depths of his memory, but this time the fox was undeterred.
A second cry burst Cotto’s eardrums. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the fox as it came close enough to sink those slender teeth into his face. Pale light thrashed like a storm all around it as the white wolf continued its assault, tearing underneath his leather armour. He tried to free his arms, but the misshaped demon was far stronger, its grip unbreakable. Inhuman voices screamed through his head and the tolling bell became increasingly distant. The bursts of light in its eyes intensified and Cotto felt a searing pain in his own as he tried to hide from the light, but he couldn’t move. The fox’s eyes blazed bright and—
Without warning the demon was thrown to one side, almost spun around by the force of a crossbow bolt tearing into its gut. It screeched and turned to flee, the wolf collapsing into eddies that folded back into the fox. Over the far side of the roof appeared a black, expressionless face. For a moment Cotto felt a fresh pang of fear, seeing only unnatural, inhuman lines of brow and jaw. Then he realised it was a mask as the figure slammed a slim axe into the fox’s neck. There was great spurt of blood and the fox’s head tumbled while the wolf-spirit seemed to explode and evaporate into nothingness.
The monster holding Cotto released its grip and scrambled to attack. Before it could, another black-masked goshe appeared and hooked one of its legs, dragging the demon off-balance before chopping into its shoulder joint with a second axe. The demon threw itself around, driving up with lightning speed to claw at its attacker, but somehow the goshe was faster. It deflected the limb and whirled around with the grace of a dancer – slashing at the demon’s bulbous body as it went, before hooking another limb and dragging it close once
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