The werewolves had him surrounded.
Lancelot stood with his back to Merlin, heart pounding in his chest as he stared down the snarling circle of fangs and muscle closing in on them. He could hear Merlin's soft breaths, feel her trembling presence behind him.
I don't know if I'll win against so many of them… he thought, eyes flickering from one beast to the next. They're not just wild... they're warriors. But I have to protect Merlin. No matter what.
The door suddenly burst open with a bang.
"What was that noise?!" Blanchette cried as she rushed into the room, her eyes widening in horror at the monstrous figures gathered in the dining hall.
One of the werewolves, tall and scarred, sneered. "Oh, look what we have here, boys. A noble."
Another licked his lips. "Never had noble meat before."
"Blanchette, get behind me! Now!" Lancelot barked.
She obeyed without hesitation, sprinting to Merlin and collapsing into her arms. The girls clung to each other, eyes wide and terrified.
One of the werewolves, taller than the rest, with jagged claws and glowing eyes... grinned and lunged.
"You think you can take us all on, blondie?"
His clawed hand shot forward, aiming for Lancelot's throat. Steel met flesh with a sharp clang as Lancelot blocked the strike with his blade, then drove his boot into the werewolf's chest. The beast flew back but landed on all fours, skidding across the wooden floor.
He's strong, Lancelot thought, eyes narrowing. He's awakened… but still not as strong as Joshua. Maybe it's because Joshua's a noble, and this one's just a low-class grunt…
A blur from the left broke his train of thought, another werewolf leaping toward him. Lancelot ducked just in time, the creature sailing over his head. But then came another, from behind. A clawed hand slashed downward at his skull.
Lancelot twisted, catching the glint of the strike in the blade of his sword like a mirror. He dodged left and countered with a vertical slash, but before it could land, yet another attacker drop-kicked him from behind, sending him flying.
He grunted in pain, shoving his sword into the floor to halt his momentum. Sparks flew as he skidded across the wooden floor, carving a deep gash into it. As he stopped, two more werewolves descended, one from above, one from below. He blocked the low strike and leapt back from the high one, but a sharp pain erupted across his cheek. Blood dripped to the floor.
Merlin and Blanchette watched, wide-eyed, unable to tear themselves away from the brutal onslaught.
Lancelot wiped the blood from his face and raised his sword defiantly.
"Is that all you've got? I'm Lancelot, son of Percival! I'll kill every one of you!"
His voice, proud and unshaken, rang out like a war horn. His defiance sparked something in the girls. Merlin tightened her grip on Blanchette. They believed in him again.
If it was just one… I'd win. Two? Maybe. But seven? And they fight like a unit… he thought, teeth clenched.
Outside, in the training yard, Joshua swung his sword calmly, the memory of his recent kiss with Blanchette lingering sweetly in his mind.
"I feel calmer now," he said, smiling. "Think I'll head in."
He sheathed his sword and turned toward the manor.
Inside, the werewolves moved again. Three of them charged. Lancelot dodged two and blocked the third, but claws raked across his back from behind. His armor cracked. Blood splattered the floor.
He stumbled.
A powerful punch slammed into his jaw. He flew, crashed, rolled across the floor. His body ached with every breath.
"He spoke with so much pride," one of the werewolves laughed. "But now he's getting his ass whipped."
"Lancelot…" Merlin whispered, tears brimming.
He rose, bleeding, panting, his sword shaking in his grip. Still, he fought.
He lunged for the one who mocked him, werewolf 2 but was intercepted by a flying kick. Lancelot blocked it just in time, sliding back from the force.
He countered, this time aiming for the neck of the kicker, but his leg was swept from under him. He barely kept upright by using his sword as a cane.
Then came the uppercut.
Werewolf 2 smashed his jaw upward, lifting Lancelot off the ground. He was airborne, his sword still embedded in the floor. Two more werewolves leapt up and double axe-kicked him in the stomach.
Lancelot crashed through the dining table, splinters flying. He groaned, trying to rise.
Werewolf 2 picked up Lancelot's sword.
Then, with a blur of motion, he appeared behind the knight and stabbed, the blade piercing through Lancelot's back and exiting his stomach. Blood sprayed.
"Lancelot!!" Merlin screamed, her voice ripping through the air.
Blood poured from Lancelot's mouth as the werewolf lifted him, impaled, overhead.
"Ahh… tasty. First time I've drunk noble blood," the beast said, licking at the crimson pouring down his face.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Merlin screamed, collapsing to her knees.
That's when the air changed.
A blur of silver entered the room. A crashing presence, swift as lightning.
"LANCELOT!!"
Joshua's voice roared as he stood in the doorway, sword drawn, fury radiating from every inch of his body.
His eyes locked on the impaled knight and the monster grinning behind him.
And the air grew still.
Deadly still.