Headed by a Snake

Justus trudged forward towards the Manticore with heavy steps, crushed by the weight of responsibility. He held the instrument of Rena's final will in his hand.

The filthy, arrow-ridden Manticore reared back on its hind legs, baring its bloodstained teeth in a roar. It flapped its wings downward, the sudden gust of air forcing the surrounding Rhodoks back.

"OhhHHHh!!! It HURRRTS!!! IhihihiHAHA HAAAA!!!" It cackled, its raging voice crescendoing to a raptor-high shriek, "Was that ALLLLLL, HUUUUMANS?!??"

The monster's laughter shook the mountainside, but Justus was undeterred. His fury would not be denied.

Justus' heart shook seeing Duplicarius Zehr in the distance. He lied in the dirt, unmoving.

"Flame, take this monster," Justus cursed... "Flame, take this rotten world. Flame, take... all of it."

Someone's voice was calling him. Was it Cyrac? Maybe Sixtus? Was it trying to warn him? Was it telling him to stand down?

...to allow an actual Hero to step forward-- where he uselessly dared to stand in their place?

He dispelled his doubts to focus his attention entirely on the enemy.

Mana... like a torrential downpour of anger... no... a furious sun of righteousness was circulating through his body at fantastic speeds. He clenched his trembling fist, tightening the grip on his sword.

The power in his body was limitless. Mana spilled out, even as he walked, glowing bright as a raging flame beneath the cloudy, sunless sky.

His body was going to break if he were to channel it carelessly... but that wasn't something he gave any sort of Flame-scarred shite about.

"OooooOOhh!!!" The Manticore landed back on its front paws, smashing the body of another Rhodok into paste.

Decanus Constantina, Requesciat in Pacem.

"Anothhherrr ONE." The creature grinned, bits of flesh still in its teeth. Its earlier anger forgotten, it mocked Justus, "It seems I've made YOU annngrrRRYy, Human!!"

That the winged lion could speak the common tongue should have surprised him. Its scratching, alternating-pitch voice should have unnerved him. He wasn't impressed. He wasn't even curious. Its anomalies only served as fuel for his hatred.

Nonhumans should be purged.

Justus walked forward. He placed the sword in front of his face. He held its hilt at his chin, the flat of the blade pointed outward.

The metal swirled with a concentrated, silvery radiance-- the last of Rena's vibrant life force.

He left the woman dead on the dirt, behind him. She said she couldn't rest until the creature was killed. And... and she died smiling, entrusting its fate to him and Zehr.

The Duplicarius wasn't able to protect her... and neither could he.

But he could avenge her. He would ensure that Rena would rest in peace.

...even if it was the last thing he did.

"Ooooh... Facing me alooooOOOne?? Hur HURR hurrr!!!" The Manticore cackled, swatting the bloody remains of Constantina away and off the mountainside, "Who the HELLS do you THINK YOU ARE?!??!"

Justus whipped his blade to the side, "They call me the Hero of Leopardon!!!"

He increased his pace to a run, his eyes over his light shield.

"aHhahhHAA!!! A HERO!!! But can you FLYYYY!??!!" The creature flapped its mighty wings, leaping skyward.

The slackened rope around it quickly began to grow taut. Zehr wanted two ropes... but only managed to tie one to its paw.

...but the rope was also looped around its neck. When it reached the rope's length, the creature suddenly jerked in the air, "HRRRKKK!!!"

The massive boulder it was attached to was shifted several feet from its position, but with the beast's momentum halted, it plummeted to the ground, crashing clumsily onto its back.

"Rhodoks, throw the NETS!!!" Optio Sixtus bellowed. "Protect the Decanus!!"

More weighted nets were thrown-- far too few... but they bought him a single moment. A single strike was all he needed.

Justus took a deep breath-- nearly close enough to strike... He exhaled as a blinding swirl of golden mana enveloped his body.

"I never deserved the title of hero...." He spoke the words in his heart, "A hero protects-- I couldn't even save the one person I wanted to..."

The mana flowing outward projected his voice, shaking the ground with each sprinting step.

"But without a shield... I still have THIS SWORD!!" He declared.

"JUSTUUUS!!!" A voice interrupted him... Gianna's.

She rushed ahead of him at breakneck speed, utilizing her mana not to protect herself... but to accelerate her movement forward.

Entrapped in the nets, struggling and flailing its wings and claws, the Manticore lashed out with its life-ending tail, "DIIIIIEEEE!!!!"

Gia skidded to a halt. Spinning her back heel in the dirt, she rotated, directing her reinforced shield to the right, towards the attack.

Adrenaline coursed through Justus' body. The mana filling empowering him increased his perceptions beyond the limits of human ken, sensing everything faster than he could act.

Justus heard Gianna's every word... "I will be your shield, ever stalwart."

He watched helplessly as the Manticore's tail cut through the air and collided with the armored Shield Maiden.

Gia's shield dented impossibly inward, ignoring the fact that a human arm was bracing behind it. The force lifted her off her feet, and she flew upwards and away. Justus didn't even have time to blink. The loud sound of a metal heap crashing into rock reverberated across the mountainside. .

A renewed sense of guilt plagued Justus. Gianna was badly hurt-- he prayed she wasn't dead. His heart wouldn't be able to take it.

She sacrificed herself to provide him the opportunity. If she hadn't, he would have been killed instantly.

He grabbed hold of one of the spiked protrusions on the Manticore's tail with his shield arm. As the creature retracted it, he allowed the momentum to propel him forward, into the air and towards the Manticore's head.

He no longer wanted to be a hero. His heart yearned only for revenge.