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The large man in the large loincloth gripped his sharp shard of stone tight and eyes the beast with dire severity in his eyes. His body shook with rage as he circled the beast until he was at its flank, as it focused it's attentions on the bearded one.

It was large. Too large. The blood spatters on its fur left him with a slight feeling of hesitation as he ceased stepping forward. It only lasted a moment, but this was a situation where a moment meant death.

With a deep breath, he advanced, moving his huge bulk toward the beast with determination. He dived for its back legs, trying to tie it up with his arms and to get a few jabs off with his stone, to distract it at least, if not injure it.

The clean shaven man clicked his tongue and backed away. The beast had come up out of nowhere and he wasn't all too pleased with their odds. He wanted to run away from the thing, thinking that it would be the best idea. He supposed that their numbers increased their chance of victory, but it also increased the chance of injury.

The clean shaven man had a decision to make. The beast had already attacked one of them so he could run away and save himself, or risk his own life to help the others fight it off. But as the large man ran to help their companion, he realised that he didn't have time to think about it.

He ran towards the beast and jumped towards it, aiming to land on the top of the raging animal. Perhaps he could do some damage from there, and discourage it from continuing its assault.

Seemingly out of nowhere a ferocious white fured lion appeared. The predator slowly approaching his soon to be triple-mac-humans. Out of the 3 of them the beast lunged for him. He understood the beast, he was more of a threat then the others. In different circumstances he would be honored, but this wasn't one of those times.

He was hurt but he was far from done. As the nightmare spawn focused on him, the others were already on the move. To give them time he feinted attacks and backed a way quickly to evade the beast's attacks.
If the beast turned attention away from him and focused another, he would perform a blitz attack for its balls(if it had any) or plunge the rock deep in its rectum.

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That'd gone as badly as he'd imagined it would, although it hadn't ended as badly for him as it did his larger companion. Things were looking bad, even with a new ally joining the fray, and it could still get worse.

The clean shaven man lay quietly on the floor as he bled from his torso. Fortunately for him it didn't seem like the lion was interested in finishing his meal yet. He was definitely hurting, particularly in his chest area, and blood was beginning to pool around him as he lay there. He glanced at his companion's prone form, torn and bloodied levels beyond his own body. Was this how they were to die? Mauled by a feral beast in dark tunnels so far away from anything?

A grim determination soon pierced through the dazed fog that clouded his consciousness and the clean shaven man's grip tightened on the sharp rock, his only weapon. He got up onto his hands and knees, head spinning from blood loss, and quietly dragged himself behind the lion. If they were going to be eaten anyway it was better to go down swinging.

The clean shaven man made a desperate lunge at the beast's back leg, making up for his lack in strength with sheer will, the drive to at least wound the monster that had tormented them so. If this was a way to leave his mark on their small world then he would wholeheartedly give his life for it.

The dark-skinned male pushed himself up, large hands covering a stone face each. The throw has shaken his balance, but it had also roused his temper further. The lion was throwing them about like toys and death was looming ever closer as one after another they were batted down like flies.

One of his compatriots flew back with a spray of crimson, his eye destroyed by the beasts swipe. The blow he had inflicted was the most progress they had made, severing the lion's most sensitive organs from its body. The success instilled the large man with hope. Hope and determination to survive.

He saw the lion advancing toward the to most injured of their group and knew it was his chance at intervention. With a roar of anger, the large man lumbered headfirst into a charge, his stone held at the ready to dig into the lion's body and try to sever something essential like a tendon or a ligament. He would tackle it with all his might, in tandem with his ally going for the back leg, to save the others from a fate most unpleasant.

The claw swiped for his face and as fast as he thought he backed away the slash came upon his face, forever marking it with a claw mark and a dead eye. The man backed away, dragging on the floor while yelling in pain but luckily the lion had lost interest in him as it decided to turn for another soon-to-be-victim. The bearded man was in agonizing pain and bleeding from both attacks that the beast had inflicted upon him.

As the beast turned away from him he saw the other 2 people lunging for the animal. While the monster was focused on them, he would once again go and attack it from behind, this time focusing on the tail. The tail being an extension of the Chimera's spine, it would surely lose its balance once separated. Maybe even make its attacks miss.

With this plan in mind he cautiously circled around the beast, ready to attack with his trusted sharp rock that had never left his hand since the confrontation began. He would put all his focus on this attack, not letting his destroyed eye make him miss.

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The small feeling of a hard-won victory that the dark-skinned man felt as the stone bit into the lion's flesh once again was a sweet sensation but sadly shortlived. He gripped his stone tight and reared back for another blow, channeling all his anger into his arm.

But as the manlike clutches of the lion closed around him and the claws bit into his pillowy sides, his concentration broke and he clung to his stone, his sole weapon under the watchful eye of the stone faces, for dear life.

As the lion dropped him to the ground and he felt the hot lines of pain that the lion's grip had left on his flanks and back, he grit his teeth hard to the point that they threatened to crack. He would not die here as this beast's toy.

He was dizzy, and bruised. He was weakening. But still, he roared at the beast, bloody stone in his hand as he took his chance and leapt forward. He would go straight for its eyes and throat. Blind it and they might stand a chance of survival. Even if that meant he would end up with a nasty bite or two.

The wound was shallow, but it was there. The clean shaven man staggered to his feet as the lion pounced away. The beast had another man in its jaws but he didn't look too badly injured, about as much as the clean shaven man himself, perhaps. They were hanging on surprisingly well and the addition of another person would certainly help.

The clean shaven man looked to where their new ally had thrown their rock, a little aside from the rest of the group. It wasn't in convenient grabbing distance, but he made his way towards it while also moving towards the lion. The wounds he'd received were a painful reminder not to jump in with no plan, so he made preparations to grab the rock if he could or jump back into the fray should the opportunity present itself.

After his attack the beast quickly turned back and luckily for the bearded man it targeted the dark skinned man next to him. His pain up until now had been nulled by the anger from his wounds, the lost of his eye and seeing the beast still raring to go with no visible signs of just dropping dead. The woman who threw the rock clearly was of no use anymore. She threw, propably, her only weapon which left her useless and defenseless. That fact just added more responsibility on the bearded man. He wasn't only fighting for himself, he was also fighting for the entire party.

As the lion lay on his belly he started moving, circling the lion from the side one step at a time while never breaking eye contact with the beast. He circled the monster from the opposite side the clean shaven man took, effectively surrounding the beast from all sides. He planned to aim for the side of the beast, plunge the rock with all his might in the beast's belly and drag it in an attempt to spill its insides. Suddenly the dark skinned man got up with a roar and lunged to meet the beast face on. This was his cue as the bearded man also rushed the beast from the side.

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The dark-skinned man howled in pain as the jaws of the lion clamped down on his abdomen and pierced his skin. Deep within he felt a pain like hot nails searing their way into his gut. The warmth spread to his chest before emerging from his throat with a cough, as thick, dark blood.

His bearded companion fared better than he had, wedging his stone nicely in the beast's side and evaded the lion's blind swipe. It seemed that his wild charge had impaired it's vision somewhat. Good. Damn the beast. He wanted to tear into it with his bare hands, but a man's strength was not enough.

He laid prone, agony racking his body as the lion withdrew it's teeth from him and turned to one of the others. The woman, screaming shrill for all to hear, leapt upon it and tore it's ear off its head. As she cheered and held it up, the large man celebrated with her, giving a weak chuckle.

They were making progress but not enough and not quick enough. Alone they were weak but their power was in their numbers. The large man groaned as his wound flared with pain, and pulled himself toward his rock once more. It was slick with bright blood, from the lion's superficial wounds. He raised it at the others and bellowed, gesturing to the lion. He would use the dwindling reserves of his strength to move when they did, in hopes of a multifaceted attack. And when he did, he would be going for its gut just as it did.

And when he did, he would dig deep.

As the woman went towards the lion, the clean shaven man made his decision. He rushed forward, also charging towards the lion. In theory, while the lion was occupied with the woman, he could at least get in range to damage it, although coming out alive was another matter entirely. The lion managed to shake the woman off, which shrunk the clean shaven man's window of opportunity. Nevertheless, he charged forward. His body felt numb and he felt a little cold as his life faded slowly, but there was no time to dress his wounds.

The clean shaven man put on a burst of speed as the woman was sent flying away, ducking underneath the lion's razor sharp fangs. As he slid under the beast he brought his stone up and thrust it upwards with all of his strength, into the area under the lion's head just before its mane, behind the great beast's jaw.

Pleased to see his strike deal damage the bearded man quickly retreated just in time to dodge the lion's claws. The beast was half blind by the dark man's previous hit, a key element in their chances of survival.

Seeing everyone around him, all the injuries, all the blood but they still had fight in them, the will to live drove them on and it also fired him up. This was their chance, they couldn't just keep dragging this. This has to end now!

Cautiously the bearded man circled around the beast, trying to keep an even distance between the others so they once again surrounded the beast. Suddenly the shaven man decided to charge, right after the girl was thrown away. At this the bearded man also leaped into action. He took a running attack while holding the sharp rock with both hands. He would hopefully strike the beast's heart with this last hit that he would put all his strengthength into. As soon as the other would slide under the beast, the bearded man would crash to the beasts side with all his might, maybe knocking it down. Then it would continue to twist and push the rock deeper until it stroke through it's heart.

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The euphoria of their victory over the beast had long since faded over their wanderings, softened by the reality that would see them die should their wounds be left untreated. Even for the clean shaven man, the one who struck the last blow, the triumphant feeling he'd gained from landing the strike had turned to a gnawing doubt. He only managed to strike that blow because of the others distracting the beast, and he hadn't exactly sacrificed as much as the others did either. He didn't feel like he deserved it, although the fact of the matter was, the beast was dead and he'd struck the finishing blow.

The clean shaven man trudged along with the group, holding his torso where the beast's fangs had penetrated his flesh. His wounds weren't as bad as the bearded man, who'd received a wound he would likely never recover from. And he still had his stone, unlike the woman, whose stone had shattered on contact with the rocky walls around the area where they'd fought the beast. Overall, he was one of the luckier of the group. They'd all expended a lot taking it down but some came out with more than others. And while took everything they could get, it wouldn't last for that long.

The clean shaven man's stomach rumbled. He hadn't had a decent meal in a long time, a feature he was sure that he shared with the rest of the group. The blood loss also left his body cold, and their lanterns could only do so much to help. What they needed was somewhere to rest, so they could make use of their spoils. But as he mused on his misfortunes, a light flickered into view ahead and he saw an answer to his prayers.

As they drew closer to the pillar of lanterns the clean shaven man began to feel more comforted by their presence, more safe. It was as if the light of the lanterns warded off more than the darkness, like the pillar's luminance was a barrier against the danger of the tunnels. And as his body bathed fully in the warm light, he suddenly realised that he was thinking in ways he'd never thought of before. The light had seemingly turned the gears in his head, like it had been a key to a locked door that opened a new world for the clean shaven man.

But what would he do with it? What could he do with it? As the strange but familiar thoughts swirled in his head, he wondered if it would be best to reveal it. He didn't know what would happen. But the light of the lanterns melted his doubts and loosened his tongue.

He opened his mouth and spoke.
"...Hungry..." He said.

The largest of the group held his heaving belly as it slowly tricked with worryingly dark blood. His pudgy face was set into a stony, agitated glare out at the soft light growing in the distance. Needing to be helped in walking made him spit blood onto the stone faces in disgust. His weakness had nearly cost him his life, nevermind the lives of the others. He felt like he could feel the air filling the wound at his flank left by the lion's maw, and the ebb of blood in tune to his heartbeat was beginning to wear on his will.

He was too hurt to help carrying the beast with them, but he made sure to give it a few good stomps in the skull before they left. For good measure. The light of the lanterns they held began to be overpowered by the light in the distance and for a moment, the scenery seemed to wave and warp as he passed his eyes over it. He had lost a lot of blood, and he was tired beyond limits he ever knew he had.

The congregation of lanterns had attracted a gathering of other humans like him. All dark-eyed and gape-mouthed. They made him sick to look at. Frightened. Weak. Just as he was, but he refused to accept the similarities. Instead he lifted himself from his supporter, his vision was too bleary to see whether it was the woman or one of the other men, but he pushed them away to stand on his own.

But when the clean-shaven man opened his mouth not to grunt, but to speak, the large man shot an angry glare. What was this noise? This... speech? His mind felt fuller. His mouth moved to its own will and he growled out in a voice that sounded more feral than man.

"Pain. Hunger. Eat."

At last they managed to put an end to this scourge. They actually did it, together through their combined strength they somehow managed to put the creature down. An act otherwise unachievable for a single individual but united they stood their ground and killed the monster.

As the adrenaline left his body, the bearded man started feeling the intensity of his pain and throbbing eye become stronger. Now he fully felt the pain caused by the wounds, agonizing pain. Seeing the clean chaven man taking on the responsibility of pulling the lion, the bearded man decided to help him with the task, occasionally switching with each-other to give the other a chance to rest while holding the lantern. And towards the light they went.

The more they approached it the stronger it became, so bright it was that it seemingly also absorbed the light of their lantern. The light coming from the structure gave of a calming presence, it felt as if though the man was becoming more aware, finally waking up. A thought crossed his mind and he tried to convey it in words.

The man said:"We..Together"- as he gestured to his group with one hand, holding the other in his chest curled into a fist.
"Killed..Beast"-he added, now gesturing to the lying corpse.
He was slow to talk and the words seemed awkward in his mouth but they felt like they conveyed exactly what he was thinking and somehow the others understood.

"United..We are..strength!"