Astrid - The Hybrid Princess 93 The Manticore 3

Jareth raised his arm and caught the ice sword by the hilt. "Wow, it is as heavy and swift like a real sword, just more sharper." He swung the sword, testing it's swiftness.

"It is forged from my magic and power, it should be able to cut its skin. Let's see who dies first, beast." Her eyes met with the beast's eyes as she said the last part.

"I'll make sure your death is a lot more painful than I had first planned," the Manticore said to Astrid.

"I'd love to see you try," she spat back. "Jareth, I hope you can use both?" Not giving him time to reply, she threw the second sword at him and he caught it easily with a smile. "Sure!"

The Manticore barred its teeth at her and turned its head to face his other target, Jareth. Not wasting any more time, it pounced on Jareth, ready to tear him apart.

Jareth moved forward as well, he went on the attack. Just as the Manticore was about landing his paws and body on Jareth, he dodged to the side and used the swords to slash at the beast's arm.

To Jareth's surprise, it indeed cut the beast and blood sipped out from the cut flesh. Due to the thick skin, Jareth had put more force and effort into that one strike and never expected that it would cause such a big injury.

As they fought on, the Manticore's paw scratched at Jareth's arm before he dodged the attack. Astrid stood ready, the next moment her eyes shone and long twigs, scattered branches and vines rose up from the ground.

The twigs and branches formed into one long sharp pointed wood. Both the vines and the pointed wood stayed in the air, awaiting her command.

She lifted her left hand and the vines moved. Jareth saw this and backed away, dodging the vines. Not long, the vines trapped the beast and strung it up, lifting it from the ground.

She lifted her right hand and slashed down, the sharp pointed wood moved with a strong force and pierced the side of the Manticore. "Jareth! Kill it!" She yelled.

He moved swiftly and fast as he jumped up in front of the beast and slashed down hard at its neck. As he landed at the back of the beast, the head of the Manticore dropped near his feet as well.

The ice swords was now stained with the blood of the beast. Jareth s.h.i.+fted his gaze from the sword to Astrid. She dropped her hands down and her eyes returned to it's original color.

Immediately, she fell on one knee and used her hands to support herself, she bent her head down in the process. Jareth dropped the swords and rushed to where she knelt on the ground and knelt with her.

"Astrid! Are you alright?" He placed one hand on her shoulder and the other on her face, gently lifting up her head to meet his.

"Hey!" He said softly, his eyes peering deep into hers.

"I'm alright. Just a little bit weak."

He tried to help her up, but instead winced as pain seeped into his bones. "Hssshh!" He hissed, her head turned to look at him, he let go of her hand and held his arm. Her eyes shot wide open as she stared at the injury.

She had almost forgotten that he scratched by the beast just now. Just now, helping her, he had exerted some force on his hand and felt the pain.

"Jareth, you're injured."

"It's nothing. Just a scratch." She couldn't quite see the injury because his s.h.i.+rt was covering it. It tore slightly, so she couldn't ascertain the extent of the injury.

"It's not."

Roar!!

All of a sudden, a deafening roar and beastly growl sounded somewhere not too far to the East.

"We have hot to hurry. They are coming."

"We need White-Fire." As soon as she said that, the white tiger-pheonix beasts came running into the clearing where they were with their things in their mouth.

"Astrid, what happened?" White-Fore asked. It swept its eyes ah the surrounding and saw the dead Manticore. "You're okay."

She a.s.sisted Jareth up, "But Jareth isn't," she communicated back.

"No time, climb on quick you two."

With that, she picked the little white tiger-pheonix beast and climbed on White-Fire. Jareth followed after her and climbed on.

"Our things?"

"I would make a quick stop and you would get them, but we must leave this place soon."

"Got it."

Swoos.h.!.+

"Ahh!!" Jareth cried out.

"Jareth!"

Astrid turned her head and caught a figure on a tree afar off, with her bow lowered down a bit. The next thing she knew, several other soldiers stood up and directed their bows at them.

"White-Fire! Run!! Jareth hold on to me tight." She yelled out the order and White-Fire moved.

Just before it flew off into the sky, several arrows landed on the ground where it once stood. Another arrow flew past its head, barely missing.

"Astrid?"

"Run through the trees instead."