The Undying God by Nathan Wilson Page B

glanced
over her shoulder and she nearly screamed when she saw the weapon
clutched in its hand. Its blade was twice as long as her arm. She
wanted to cry out for Arxu’s help.
    The igliuh breathed hoarsely as it
pursued her through the dark forest.
    Nishka spotted a tree ahead and her
initial instinct was to climb it. She couldn’t possibly outrun this
thing. The igliuh roared and she dove to the ground, barely evading
its arcing sword as it sank into a tree trunk. Nishka scrambled to
her feet and bolted. The disgruntled igliuh abandoned its weapon
and gave chase with its bare hands.
    Nishka’s mind was racing. Her feet
slapped across the earth, scattering dirt and leaves as she burst
through the undergrowth. Her lungs ached as she pushed herself
forward, but it didn’t match the throbbing in her legs. The bruise
on her left knee sent tremors of pain through her. The forest was
becoming less dense ahead and she could see pockets of coniferous
trees that stretched high in the gloomy forest.
    She broke from her course and veered
toward an empty copse. Nishka flattened herself against a tree,
hiding in its shadow. The forest was suffocated in
silence.
    She considered the blanketed fog and
felt anxiety rising. She didn’t know whether an igliuh would emerge
or if Arxu would appear out of the mist.
    She feared he may be dead.
    Her heart leaped into her throat.
Suddenly, pain exploded on the back of her head and she violently
keeled over. The ground rushed up to meet her and darkness erased
her consciousness.
    Arxu raced through the forest without a
sound. He could barely spot the trail Nishka left in her frenzied
escape. Arxu abruptly stopped and found an igliuh circling Nishka’s
body, debating what to do to her. An ugly gash split its lower jaw.
It gnashed its blackened teeth and spat blood upon the forest
floor.
    Enwrapped in shadow, Arxu studied the
monster from beyond a cluster of trees. It seemed to grow more
volatile by the second as though it could no longer contain its
primal urges. Arxu couldn’t delay any longer.
    Deliberately abandoning stealth, he
stepped forward. The igliuh swerved suddenly to regard
him.
    Arxu’s eyes plunged deep into its.
Cords of muscle bulged across its shoulders, stretched taut against
its neck. A blood vessel burst in its right eye. The igliuh roared
vehemently and charged Arxu in unbridled fury.
    Arxu tumbled into a roll to avoid its
frontal assault and he flowed back to his feet. He snapped the
staff across, stabbing the igliuh in its knee. In a testament to
its endurance and strength, the igliuh faltered slightly but it did
not collapse. Instead, the hominid charged again, eager to
retaliate. Arxu narrowly dodged to the right as it swept a muscled
arm across.
    The igliuh tore part of his shirt and
revealed circlets of chainmail underneath. Its nails stabbed hard
against the metal links. Arxu could feel the bruise left from the
impact, but he escaped without any broken ribs.
    The igliuh swung its arm and knocked
the staff out of Arxu’s hands, casting it far across the glen. The
Nightwalker ducked a swift blow and sprang back. He was grateful
the igliuh didn’t possess a weapon, although, it was arguably just
as dangerous without one.
    Arxu raced toward his staff and the
igliuh eagerly pursued.
    He wouldn’t have time to equip his
staff before the creature tackled him to the ground and began to
rip him apart. His thoughts raced as his options narrowed. The
igliuh’s pounding footsteps were too near and he could hear it
breathing. A roar exploded from its throat and the igliuh pounced.
Arxu leaped forward.
    His feet landed on the head of his
staff, his body acting as a force to lift the staff on its fulcrum.
The sharpened steel tip swung upward and impaled the igliuh’s
chest. Arxu spun around with a dagger in his hand and struck down
the creature. The monster released a death growl and lifelessly
collapsed.
    Arxu quickly approached Nishka’s
unconscious body. Her blonde hair was