They all stopped in wonder as Conval walked over to one of the fruits, glowing red, and reached up to touch it.
Suddenly, there came a deep, growling noise.
Conval backed away and grabbed his sword, and the others all looked at each other anxiously.
"What was that?" Conval asked.
"It came from over there,” Reece said, gesturing to another part of the jungle.
They all turned and looked. But Thor could see nothing but leaves. Krohn snarled back at it.
The noise grew louder, more persistent, and finally, the branches began to rustle. Thor and the others took a step back, drawing their swords, and they waited, expecting the worst.
What stepped forward from the jungle exceeded even Thor's worst expectations. Standing there before them was an enormous insect, five times Thor’s size, resembling a praying mantis, with two rear legs, two smaller front legs that dangled in the air, and long claws at the end of them. Its body was a fluorescent green, covered in scales, and it had small wings which buzzed and vibrated. It had two eyes at the top of its head, and a third eye on the tip of its nose. It reached around and revealed more claws which Thor hadn't seen, hidden under its throat, which vibrated and snapped.
It stood there, towering over them, and another claw came out from its stomach, a long skinny arm, protruding; suddenly, faster than any of them could react, it reached out and snatched O'Connor, its three claws expanding and wrapping around his waist. It lifted him high in the air, as if he were a leaf.
O'Connor swung his sword, but he was nowhere near quick enough. The beast shook him several times, then suddenly opened its mouth, revealing row after row of sharp teeth, turned O'Connor sideways, and began to lower him towards it.
O'Connor shrieked, as an instant and painful death loomed.
Thor reacted. Without thinking, he placed a stone in his sling, took aim and hurled it at the beast’s third eye, at the tip of its nose.
It was a direct strike. The beast shrieked, an awful noise, loud enough to split a tree, then dropped O'Connor, who fell end over end and landed on the soft jungle floor with a thump.
The beast, enraged, then turned its sights on Thor.
Thor knew that making a stand and fighting this creature would be futile. At least one of his brothers would get killed, and likely Krohn, too, and it would drain whatever precious energy they had. He felt that maybe they had intruded on its territory, and that if they could get out of there quick enough, it might just leave them be.
"RUN!" Thor screamed.
They turned and ran—and the beast began to chase after them.
Thor could hear the sound of the beast’s nails cutting through the dense foliage right behind them, slicing through the air and missing his head by a few feet. Shredded leaves flew up into the air and rained down around him. They all ran as one, and Thor felt that if they could just gain enough distance, they could find a way to take shelter. If not, then they would have to make a stand.
But Reece suddenly slipped beside him, falling over a branch, face-first into the foliage, and Thor knew he wouldn’t get up in time. Thor stopped beside them, drew his sword, and stood between him and the beast.
“KEEP RUNNING!" Thor yelled over his shoulder to the others, as he stood there, ready to defend Reece.
The beast lunged for him, shrieking, and swung its claw for Thor's face. Thor ducked and swung his sword at the same time, and the beast let out a horrific shriek as Thor chopped off one of its claws. A green fluid sprayed all over Thor, and he looked up and watched in horror as the beast re-grew its claw just as quickly as it had lost it. It was as if Thor had never injured it.
Thor swallowed. This would be an impossible beast to kill. And now he had angered it.
The beast swiped down with yet another arm, coming out from somewhere else on its body, and swiped Thor hard in the ribs, sending him flying and landing in a clump of trees. The beast then lowered another claw for Thor, and Thor knew he was in trouble.
Elden, O'Connor and the twins rushed forward, and as the beast came down with another claw for Thor, O'Connor fired an arrow into its mouth, lodging in the back of its throat, making it shriek. Elden took his two-handed ax and brought it down on the beast’s back, while Conven and Conval each threw a spear, lodging on each side of its throat. Reece regained his feet and plunged his sword into the beast’s belly. Thor regained his feet and swung his sword at another of the beast’s arms, chopping it off. And Krohn joined them, leaping into the air and sinking his fangs into its throat.
The beast let out shriek after shriek, as they all did more damage than Thor thought possible. It was incredible to Thor that it was still standing, its wings still vibrating. This beast just would not die.
They all watched in horror as, one at a time, the beast reached over and pulled out the spears and swords and the axe lodged in it—and as it did, its injuries all healed before their eyes.
This beast was undefeatable.
The beast leaned back and roared, and all of Thor’s Legion brothers looked up in shock. They had all given it everything they had, and it wouldn’t even dent it.
The beast prepared to lunge at them again, with its razor sharp jaws and claws, and Thor realized there was nothing else they could do. They were all going to die.
“OUT OF THE WAY!" came a sudden scream.
The voice came from behind Thor, and it sounded like the voice of a boy. Thor turned to see a small boy, perhaps eleven, run up behind them, carrying what appeared to be a jug of water. Thor ducked and the boy threw up the water, splashing it all over the beast's face.
The beast leaned back and screeched, steam rising from its face, reaching up with its claws and tearing at its cheek, its eyes, its head. It shrieked again and again, the noise so loud that Thor had to hold his hands over his ears.
Finally, the beast turned and darted away, back into the jungle, getting lost in the foliage.
They all turned and looked at the boy with a new sense of wonder and appreciation. Dressed in rags, with longish brown hair and bright-green, intelligent eyes, the boy was covered in dirt, and he looked, from his bare feet and dirty hands, as if he lived out here.
Thor had never been more grateful to anyone.
"Weapons won’t hurt a Gathorbeast," the boy said, rolling his eyes. "Lucky for you I heard the shrieks and was close. If not, you’d be dead by now. Don’t you know that you never confront a Gathorbeast?”
Thor looked at his friends, all at a loss for words.