The ground trembled as I rounded another corner, and then I saw it: the mammoth. A living mountain of muscle and rage. Its tusks, red with blood, swept through the ruins, crushing what little remained of the shops and homes. Bodies lay strewn in its wake, some half-buried beneath rubble, others painted in crimson. Flames licked at the skeletal remains of a building, their heat pressing against my face as I rode closer.
The mammoth’s sheer size staggered me—a towering behemoth, four wagons wide, its legs thick as tree trunks. Its shadow swallowed the ground. For a fleeting moment, the crushing reality of my mortality shattered my resolve. What was my frail human body against such overwhelming might? But I was King Kallias of the Plentiful Plains. Protector of Radaan. Golden Warrior of Elohios. I would not bow to fear.
I roared, drawing my spear and leveling it beneath my arm.
The beast turned, hooves smashing through rubble as it barreled toward me. Behind me, soldiers fanned out, but none moved to engage. This was my fight. My duty. A boy darted from the debris ahead, his small form scrambling for shelter. The mammoth’s head snapped his way, tusks lowering.
I kicked hard, driving my stallion into its path. The beast charged, and the earth quaked. My weapon gleamed in the sunlight as I swung its tip upward. My horse faltered, tripping over splintered wood, and the mammoth crashed into us.
I flew from the saddle, the air stolen from my lungs as I planted my spear in its chest. The beast’s bellow shook the sky. My horse’s scream ended, a massive hoof crushing its skull. I gripped the weapon, its shaft pressing into my palms as the mammoth charged forward, pulling me with brutal ease. My armor scraped against the ground, every jolt threatening to rip me free.
Pain flared through my body as rubble struck the rim of my pauldron, wrenching my shoulder. With my legs twisted around the spear’s shaft, I drove it into the earth. The point sank deeper into the beast’s hide, hitting muscle and bone.
The mammoth shrieked, rearing, its massive head swinging. I lost my grip and flew, crashing into a crumbling wall. Wood splintered against my back, and darkness swallowed my vision.
When the world returned, the mammoth’s bloodied tusks loomed before me. Its breath came hot and rancid, filling the narrow space. I dove forward, sliding beneath its forelegs. The scent of dirt and sweat clung to its flesh, mingling with the metallic tang of fresh blood.
It wheeled, hooves scattering debris, but I grabbed my weapon. Heat poured over me as the mammoth’s chest spilled crimson, hot and sticky, soaking my armor. I wrenched it free, stumbling as the creature recoiled.
I barely wiped my eyes before it lunged. Something stabbed into its shoulder, sending it spinning out of my path. I dropped, narrowly avoiding Greaves’ spear shaft as it whizzed by. After I shoved myself upright, I sprinted for the stone well, desperate to get off the ground.
The ruins of a house crumbled beneath my feet as I charged toward the small structure. Grunting, I scrambled up the jagged stones and spun to face the mammoth.
It was already on me, its massive tusk swinging in my direction. I raised my arm, catching the ivory in my elbow. The force wrenched me, pulling me off my feet. I swung my spear into the soft flesh of its snout.
With a deafening roar, it jerked its head, tossing me aside. I slammed into a wooden beam, the impact knocking the air from my lungs. My plate armor dug into my back, sending waves of pain through every inch of me.
Agony ripped through me, my chest arched toward the sky. I gasped for breath, but my body refused to cooperate. Air wouldn’t come. Gritting my teeth, I rolled to my stomach. Blood stung my eyes as I blinked, meeting the creature’s frenzied gaze.
It pawed the dirt once.
Greaves shouted, charging the beast with swords flashing.
Arrows sank into the thick hide, little more than a nuisance.
The mammoth lowered its head and charged. Scarlet tusks swept aside bodies and rubble. It barreled toward me, and I couldn’t move.
Tallon would rule. Radaan needed me. Nienna needed me. I wasn’t ready to die.
Air finally rushed into my chest. I twisted and whipped my spear up. It caught in the beast’s mouth, grinding against its teeth. The mammoth jerked its head to the side, flinging me.
I crashed into a wall of flesh. A horse backed away, snorting in fear, as I rolled to my back. A soldier’s silhouette loomed above me. He raised his bow, terror etched across his face.
A Radaanian soldier who relied on my protection. I protected what was mine.
I struggled to my knees, then hefted my spear. Greaves was behind the mammoth, running toward it. The beast faced me, panting hard, crimson dribbling from its mouth and chest. Elohios had abandoned me. This was my punishment for my sins, and I’d face it.
It shook its head, blood splattering from its tusks.
I pushed to my feet.
We both breathed heavily, knowing one of us wouldn’t survive the next clash.
Then, we charged.
The beast screamed as I lunged forward. A heap of smoldering ruin stood between us, and I launched myself up it, propelling into the air.
Light erupted from the cracks in my armor. The mammoth ducked, blinded by the radiance. That brief movement gave me my chance. I slammed my spear into the soft tissue at the base of its skull.
