In the back of his mind, Arminel knew he wouldn't be able to dodge this forward charge. But hell if he was going to let some pissed-off beast gorge him just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Gritting his teeth he pushed himself up to a crouch, spear ready to thrust forward at maximum strength. In order to prevent the Juncha from dodging this strike, he waited until the last possible moment.
If I go down, you're going down with me. A full force stab to the face would be a fatal wound. Let's just hope Arminel's armour would keep him from being completely skewered through.
Imagine his suprise when a figure suddenly appeared in a flash in his peripheral vision, and the huge beast bearing down on him abruptly jerked to a halt, head pulled around and forced low. The male Juncha roared in anger and frustration, paws smacking against the ground and claws digging furrows in the soil as it struggled to lift its head. Its body, once fully facing him, was now pulled aside so that its left flank was completely exposed. Mouth slightly agape at the sudden change in the situation, Arminel raised his eyes, blinking once at the sight of chains wrapped around the beast's horns. Wait a minute. He knew those chains. Aren't they...
His eyes followed the chains down to the extremely familiar figure on the other end of the weapon.
He's really here. I'm not dreaming. Arminel's mouth clicks shut.
Heheh...he still has impeccable timing. His best friend's yell closely followed by another furious growl kicked Arminel's mind and body back into action. Everything else can wait. Currently, he had a Juncha to slay before it breaks free.
Being a strong, healthy, mature beast of its species, the Juncha wasn't easily restrained. In a scant few seconds, it had already regained its footing by sinking the claws of its forelegs deep into the soil, hindlegs braced apart and off to the side. Junchas frames weren't meant to be this flexible, but the beast evidently favoured being free over enduring pain. The hard muscles of its four limbs bunched, ready to twist its body and fling Rion away with a swing of its head. But Arminel didn't give it a chance to retaliate.
Gripping Ansgar, he swiped it in a low horizontal wind-aided slash, neatly cutting through the tendons of its left fore and hindlegs. It howled in agony and collapsed awkwardly to one side, body too heavy to be supported solely by the limbs on the right. He delivered another upwards slash to its vulnerable left flank, leaving behind a deep red gash. Partially crippled, wounded and still restrained, the Juncha didn't present as dangerous a target as it was previously. Approaching the writhing body of the beast, Arminel came to a halt directly before its thick, muscled neck and lifted his spear once more, the tip of the blade positioned above the small intersection between head and shoulder. A low, deep growl rumbled in its throat, cut short when he brutally drove Ansgar deep, slicing through flesh and ligament easily.
The male Juncha gave one last twitch before falling motionless. Withdrawing his spear, Arminel took a couple of steps back, not relaxing his stance until he confirmed the beast no longer drew breath. Satisfied that it was well and truly dead, he turned to regard Allerion. His friend looked...worn out. Perhaps even that word was an understatement. Bags under his eyes and thinner than Arminel remembered. It's been less than a month and already the younger man became so haggard. It hurt to see him thus.
"Rion, you..." Arminel hesitated, then closed his mouth slowly. What could he say?
Why are you here? What have you been up to all these time? It didn't seem appropriate at the moment, and Rion would most probably not welcome the direct interrogation. Arminel didn't want to force his friend into leaving again. Heaving a sigh, he finally continued with a faint smile.
"You look like shit. But thanks for the save." Narrowing his eyes, he deliberately dragged his gaze up and down Rion's body before glancing over his shoulder. He could still hear the roars of the female Juncha around the bend up ahead, but it seemed his men were still faring rather well. Nonetheless, he didn't want to drag his friend impulsively into another fight when the other looked like he hadn't been sleeping for days. A human's yell rang through the air, and Arminel didn't ponder further. Reaching out, he grabbed his friend by the arm and started moving as quickly as he could towards the noises.
"You are going to come with me. We're going to get rid of the other beast, then you will come with us as we get out of this damn valley and find somewhere to rest. And you'll bloody well stay this time around, or White God help me..." He'll make sure the other get some food and rest when they make camp before Arminel starts questioning.