The Unraveling - It Spreads

The worm’s roars of anguish were music to his ears, each pained cry a sign they were dealing damage to the monstrosity. But any victory Artorias had begun to feel was short lived when he heard the wailing cries behind him. Pulling his sword from the worm’s lacerated carapace, his eyes fell upon a gristly sight. A yearling cradling another, clearly dead, their similar fur leading Art to believe they were siblings. Further off, Hanako lay still and motionless, still reaching out to her child. His sister-in-law, dead. Ciaran still hadn’t gotten up yet. And more were panicking or despairing. The world drowned out in that moment. All he could hear was the pounding of blood in his ears, thumping with his heartbeat. This had to end now.

Turning his attention back to the worm, Artorias’ focus was steeled and lethal. His gaze caught a glimpse of the worm’s tendrils striking out at wolves and his enhanced senses caught the movement coming his way. He deftly sidestepped a lashing tendril, barely avoiding the strike. With a furious roar Artorias brought his sword around on the tendril before it could retract, slicing clean through the worm’s deadly appendage that had claimed lives. Around him he saw Kenway and the monochrome girl getting into the fight, reinvigorated and ready to kill. He had to keep them safe.

Realizing the worm’s thrashing was threatening to cave in the ice around them, Artorias had to find a way to immobilize the creature. With the other wolves attacking its body and his ravens trying to distract its head, Art focused on its legs. The multitude of tiny appendages beneath it were the next targets for his sword. Running down the length of the worm’s body, Artorias cleaved each leg he came past, swinging with all his might as many times as it took to sever the legs before moving to the next. If he could cripple its movements, the worm wouldn’t be able to keep throwing itself into the cavern walls and risk burying them all alive.

"Artorias Carpathius"