"Hey, why I always gotta get the broken ones?" "Try the trigger." "Father, I'm fighting this time." " Father!" " Go back in your room, Kyra." "Get back in your room!" "Go inside, please." "Aaah!" "I can't see it." "Fight me, butcher!" "Not you." "Aaah!" "No more!" "Bring her to the scaffold." "Kill her!" "Someone help!" "No!" "No!" "Help me!" "No!" "Quickly now." "Somebody help!" "You must die." "Please stop!" "Kill her!" "Maker of all that is pure and good, we release this girl from the evil that possesses her." " Kill the beast!" " You don't understand." "Kill the beast!" "Kill the beast!" "Kill the beast!" "Kill the beast!" "Kill the beast!" "Kill the beast!" "Kill the beast!" "Kill the beast!" "Kill the beast!" "Kill the beast!" "Kill the beast!" "Cut her loose." "She's from the outpost." "The place is infested with evil." "No one gets away from there and lives." "I said cut her loose." "This conversation is over." "Now move on." "No!" " Uhh!" " Come on!" "Let's get him!" " Go." " Hyah!" "Hyah!" "Yaaah!" "Haaah!" "Aaah!" "Aaaah!" "No!" "No!" "Come on." "Come on!" "Haah!" "Enough." "Enough!" "Yaah!" "Just kidding." "Take her and go." "Thank you, but I'm not going that way." "You're a dead man already." "Let's go." "So many are dead." "I don't want to die." "It comes and kills." "It's killing everybody." "It's gonna kill you." "Why did you run?" "It's there." " It's in there." " "It"?" "What is "it"?" "Every night." "It comes out every night." "Every night, it's killing everyone." " What's up?" " It's Pendra." "She's alive." "Yeah, but who is that with her?" "And how the hell did they get through?" "If they let him and her through, well, may be it's over." "Oh, no." "How many people left inside?" "How many..." "No!" "Yah!" " Well, there's your answer, kid." " She should've stayed." "At least for her it's over." "Who are you And what do you want?" "I'm Beowulf, and I need some food and rest." "He's one of them." "How else could he have gotten through?" "Go on back to your friends." " I'm not one of them." " And you're not one of us." "No, but by the looks of things, you would think an additional sword would be welcome." "If he's good enough to get through the siege scum, the border lord should talk to him." "We can always kill him later." "It's for Hrothgarto decide." "You may enter, with no guarantee of safe passage." "I'll take the chance." "Gates closed." "Gates secured." "Follow me." "Beowulf." "I've heard that name before." " What'd you hear?" " Stories only idiots would believe." "Only an idiot would come to this damn place." "Unless he was already damned." "A mercenary." "It's not something we've come to expect around here." "How did you get through the siege lines?" "On my horse." "You just asked them nicely?" "Something like that." "You think that we've got buried gold here?" "Or are you just a lover Of drafty, old outposts?" "Neither." "Then what brings you?" "The darkness." "You know about... our problem?" "And what?" "You're offering to help?" "Yes." "No sane man would come here to face this thing." " I have no choice." " You make it sound personal." "Border Lord, we don't know anything about this man." "Send him back." "Roland, we have less than 40 men left." "And, as you noted, night comes quickly." "Give him Nivri's room." "Will!" "Nivri's room." "He's dangerous." "Definitely." "Until now, at least, we could trust our guys on the inside." "He's not from the siege lines." "No man who's been sitting out there... night after night, knowing what's happening here, would willingly come to this place." "There's something else." "He may have been sent by Nivri's family." "Revenge for your son-in-law's death." "They lost their only son." "If they believe his death was no accident, they would want retaliation." "Who ever he is, let's see How he feels in the morning." "He'll either be out of here or getting a look at our crematorium." "Either way, problem solved." "And the weapons master, that's my uncle." "That's why I am the assistant weapons master." "Not because I'm any good at it." "Once I get outta here, I'm heading east towards the water." " You think you'll get out?" " You see that girl Pendra?" "She and I were supposed to go together, and as you can see, things didn't work out so good." "So I'm still here." "Why, do you think we'll get out?" "Probably not." "Well, this is it." "Who is Nivri?" "Nivri was the border lord's son-in-law." "He was married to Kyra." " "Was"?" " Yeah." "Killed." "What's this?" "I wouldn't touch that." "The beast got him?" "Oh, no, no." "Before the beast." "Assistant weapons master?" "Yeah." "Ironic, huh?" "How did he die?" "Well, he..." "A guest." "How unlikely." "My husband used to come here when he drank." "I haven't been here since he died." "My condolences." "I know the reason you're here." "His family sentyou, didn't they?" "Nobody sent me." "What do they want from us?" "Titles?" "His share of the land?" "Will that satisfy them?" "I'm not who you think I am." "His death was an accident." "At weapons practice with Roland." "Weapons practice can be so dangerous." "You claim to be here to fight our beast." "It's not a claim." "It's the truth." "Well, it can't be killed." "Not by my father, or Roland, or any man." "I'm not like other men." "That... you will have to prove." "What's going to happen when the beast comes?" "Doesn't matter if you're tired." "You can sleep when you're dead." "Get up!" "Come on, it's a practice!" "Surround me." "Come on, surround me!" "Come on!" "Boo!" "My goodness." "Come on!" "Why does he keep driving 'em on when they're too tired to stand up?" " Move!" " He's a machine." "Suppose there's no point in telling Roland they'll be dead tomorrow." "You attack me." "You understand?" "You attack me!" "And always remember:" "It's not about weapons." "In here it counts." "It's not over yet." "Come on!" "Come on!" "Come on!" "Attack me." "Come on." "Now you, take my sword." "Aaah!" "Fight well... or die badly." "Sir." "I wonder how many will die tonight." "Didn't mean to scare you." "Permanent state around here." "My useless nephew, where did you put the replacement bolts?" "Huh?" "Huh?" "Just once it would be good if he put something where it's supposed to be." "He's a good kid." "Give him a chance." "He'll be fine." "Yeah, if he don't get us all killed first." " You all right out there?" " Oh, yeah." "I'll have some of that later." "I must apologize for the quality of the food." "We did stock pile supplies in case of such an emergency, and so provisions were not initially a problem." "But now, nothing getting in, nothing getting out." "And when the storeroom was full," "It didn't contain a single thing... that was of any interest to our intruder, who seems to prefer... us." "This is my daughter, Kyra." "We've already met." "Will your wife be joining us?" "My wife died many years ago." "It was a tragic accident." "She was new to the outpost, walking alone at night." "She fell from the battlements." "Do you have family, Beowulf?" "I've never wanted a family." "I thought it only natural to desire home, family." "Then I have no natural desires." "Interesting." "How so?" "Since I have no desire to stay in One place, a home would be useless." "And I have no desire for a family... since I don't want to create more like me." "So that your ego can rest assured of your uniqueness." "Exactly." "You must excuse my daughter." "She's always been a woman of her own mind." "And my father has always been an expert at making my excuses." "Damn!" "Oh, uh, Karl?" "I dropped my glasses somewhere." "You see 'em anywhere?" "Karl?" "Is that you, Karl?" "If there was a high point, it was the Underlands' siege." "I remember." "It was an active year." "We were fighting under great pressure." "But we were strong... 'cause the fighters worked together as a unit." "I don't think after those advances, we should..." " Is something wrong?" " Can you sense it?" "Sense what?" "This is bullshit!" "What is it?" "Evil." "It's here." "Hrothgar, this is ridiculous." "We need fighting men, not lunatics." " Roland, be quiet." " What, me?" "The weapons master, he's dead." "It's changing its method." " Never killed so early before." " It knows." "I'm sorry, Will." "You're the weapons master now." "Promotion." "Yeah, not too comforting, huh?" "You could say that." "Of course, everyone's gonna die anyway, but one thing's for sure is I ain't no weapons master." "You don't have to be good all the time, just when it matters." "You're not really here because of my husband's death, are you?" "No." "But if I was, I would be after Roland, so why would you be afraid?" "I'm not afraid." "I can't afford to be afraid." "Don't you have any fear?" "Fear is all I know." "You can feel it." "You can sense it." "Yes." "You said it knows." "What did you mean?" "It knows I'm here." "What are you?" "I'm trapped between two worlds." "That's what I am." "You can't have her." "I'm not in your way." "I think you are." "You manipulate her and Hrothgar, but not me." " We need each other." " I need no one." "You better go." " I have to stay." " Then you fight." "Yaah!" "Aah!" "Aaah!" "Don't push your luck, Roland." "Stay sharp." "I'm here to sweeten your dreams, my love." "It's almost finished, my love." "It's almost finished, my love." "Goddamn!" "Geez, Karl." "Get a grip, man." "Sorry." "I thought I heard something." "Yeah?" "You heard me!" "You know, Karl, with all the real cool ways to die around here," "I'd rather not go by heart attack." "Uh, let's see." "Look at all this." "You'd think with all this stuff, we'd be able to kick some ass." "How do you tell all the junk from the critical stuff?" "Your uncle knew." "Yeah, well, that's real helpful, Karl." "Okay, come on." "Let's go." "Let's go." "Let's do something." "I'll get the blasters." "Karl, I think I broke it." "Can you come fix this damn thing?" "I'll get the blasters." "Will?" "You okay?" "Oh, man, I saw it." "How big was it?" "What kind of armor?" "Was it shielded?" "Was it exposed?" "It was..." "Man, it was ugly." "It came in broad daylight." "It's tiring of the game." "It wants it done." "Put the women and children into the sanctuary." "Everyone else patrols in threes and keep visual contact at all times." "Kyra." "I won't be herded and locked away." " I'm fighting this time." " Join the others in the sanctuary." "A little late to start protecting me, isn't it, Father?" " Hurry up." "Hurry up." " Hurry up." "Where's Kyra?" "Where is she?" "I don't know where she is." "I haven't seen her." "We'll never get out of this." " Move in now." " Make sure both doors are bolted." "Yes, sir." "All sanctuary doors secured." "All sanctuary doors secured." " What is it?" " Is there any other way in?" "All doors are secured from the inside." "Aaaah!" "Aaah!" "Aaah!" "Aaah!" "Aaah!" "Daah!" "Me!" "Fight me!" "Not you." "Please." "I can't..." "Damn." "How is he?" "Dying." "He saved my life." "I need more bandages." "He wounded the beast." "Yes." "That gives us a chance." "Perhaps." "Kyra?" "All I've ever wanted was you." "I know." "I know." "It won't be long now." "Sweet dreams, my love." "Feel it... the life your husband put in my belly." "It's almost finished, my love." "It's almost finished, my love." "Don't be afraid." "You should be dead." "Many times." "Explain." "I'm a quick healer." " Not good enough." " That's all I can say." "Because you're afraid the truth will send me running?" "From what I've seen of you, no." "But because there is no time." "Enjoying the view?" "A remarkable recovery." "It wasn't as bad as it looked." "We all have our secrets, I suppose." "Tell me, if a man fights a creature of evil," "then he cannot be evil himself, can he?" "If you're looking for absolution, you're asking the wrong man." "Whoever you are, whatever you are," "I thank you for your help." "Why..." ""not you"?" "You scared the hell out of me." "I need you to make me something, and I need it now." "Yeah, what is it?" "I'll show you." "But no mistakes." "All right, no sweat." "This is the time... it matters." "How's your leg?" "My injuries don't heal as well as yours." "I'll be little help like this." "One day you'll have to teach me your trick." "What can I do?" "Nothing." "It'll be over tonight?" "Yes, one way or another." "It's time." "It will come for me, but I will know where it's coming from and when." "There's one thing you should know about Nivri." "His family is very wealthy, very rich." "The marriage was arranged by Hrothgar, not Kyra's choice." "He was a sadist and a pig." "He treated her badly, very badly." " But you didn't kill him?" " No, but I tried." "I challenged the bastard to a fight, but Hrothgar made me back off." "You know, don't you?" "She thinks of me... as a brother." "That's all I could ever be." "I've survived a lot of pain." " Warriors do." " Yeah." "But nothing... to compare with that." "End its miserable life... tonight." " Is it done?" " Yep." " Have you tested it?" " Yeah." "It works fine." "Works great." "Most of the time." "No, it's fine." "It's fine." "It's fine." "Hey, listen." "Are you gonna take this beast thing or not?" "You don't want me to ruin the surprise." "Waking up in the morning is surprise enough." "Beowulf." "Don't do this." "We all do what we have to do." "You know that well, I think." "Is that the knife you used on your husband?" "What are you?" "Secrets are hard to keep." "It was night." "He'd been drinking as usual." "He wanted me." "I refused." "He started to beat me." "So I stabbed him... over... and over." "And the whole time... he just stood there... looking surprised." "Now he's come back to kill us, one by one," "saving me for the last." "The beast is not your husband." "What makes you so sure?" "Ghosts don't eat people." "This is not your doing." "If someone is to blame, it's not you." "Maybe not for the first strike, but for the second... and the third and the fourth." " It was justified." " It was murder." "Yes." "I..." "I made mistakes." "Oh, forgive me." "I've been waiting for you." "One of us is the other's death." "I'm like you." " I'm one of the damned." " Kill!" "Weapons master, open the wine cellar." "I think you ought to take a look at this, sir." "My God!" "Looks like they've done it." "Look at the size of that thing." "Okay." "We're finished here." "Break it all down." "We're moving out." "Not one scratch." "I'm impressed." "So, now it's over, I suppose you'll be leaving us." "I've finished here." "Well, then you'll leave without knowing my biggest secret." "There's more?" " One more." " And that is?" "How I feel." "What are you scared of?" "This is my life." "It can't be shared, especially with anyone that cares for me." " You're afraid of me." " No." "I'm not afraid of you." "I'm afraid for you." "I've found something" "I never thought in this place of death and misery." " You mustn't love me." " But that's for me to say." "How do you know it wasn't me that drew you to this place?" " Because you're not evil." " Maybe not," "but tonight I am full of magic." "Let's drink a toast." "To us... for surviving." "And to those who didn't." " To Beowulf." " To Beowulf." "Who's there?" "Who are you?" "Why, I'm your dreams and desires come to life." "This is not a dream." "You're right." "Tell me, is this real enough for you?" "Where'd you come from?" "How the hell did you get in here?" "Where I came from is not important." "What you should ask is why I'm here." "So, why are you here then?" "To tell you something about the ways of women." "She's treated you badly." "Such a foolish girl." "You're so much more a man than him." "So much more." "I... don't have time for this." "There's nothing to do tonight." "Everyone's out celebrating their survival." "Why not you?" "You deserve the best." "Such loyalty." "You've given so much." "And you have so much more to give." "Any woman... would be very lucky to have you." "Any woman." "Let me be your comfort." "So now you have to tell me who you are." "It's what lovers do." "I'll find out one way or another." "Are you threatening me?" "I could think of worse things." "I want to know." "My mother's family had an outpost like this one." "One night when she was young, she saw a light... a beautiful silver light that called her name." "She was drawn." "She followed it to an opening in the hill that never existed." "And inside he was waiting for her." "He?" "Every night for three months she went to him." "Then the last night of the third month, he told her she was pregnant..." " and she was to name the child..." " Beowulf." "Who was he?" "My mother died never knowing." "But the Elders had no doubts." "They told me my father was Bale, god ofd arkness, lord of lies." "You don't believe that?" "The only thing that stops me from becoming evil... is fighting evil." "So, this is how it must be?" "Battle after battle... until you die?" "Yes, this is how it must be." " How can..." " Shh." "What?" "You're scaring me." "What?" "It's here." "What's here?" " You killed it." " Not the beast." "Something older, subtler." "Let me come with you." "No, please." "Get back with the others." "You were right." "It was your magic that brought me here." "Then maybe it'll be my magic that brings you back." "Kyra, where have you been?" "We're waiting for you." "It's not over." "We need to warn the others." "My friend." "Have you come for me, my love?" "You weren't so shy when you took this outpost and me." "Is this anyway to treat your long-lost lover?" "Who is this, Father?" "After we stormed the outpost, she was waiting." " She came to me in the night." " What?" "And what pleasures we had." "You're the reason my wife killed herself!" "." "Oh, no, no, no, love." "That was your honor." "It was your face she watched when she jumped." " No." " You whore!" "Harsh words for the mother of your child." " What?" " The beast, he's your son, Grendel." "Conceived at the height of victorious bloodshed." "Impossible." "That thing's not human!" "He's half." "That's why he's so handsome." " All this... for love spurned?" " Love?" "You're so simple." "Long before the outpost was built this was my land and my home." "My son has the older claim." "He has come for what is his right." "I thank God now for the opportunity to kill you." "No!" "That... was a mistake." "No mistake." "I only kill when I have to." "You kill for pleasure." "Their blood was sweet." "I sucked their veins, chewed their bones, wet and still alive." "Hot blood pumping down my throat." "Mmm." "You should try it." "It will appeal to you." "You know nothing about what appeals to me." "Don't I?" "How will her blood taste?" "You've wondered." "You can't help it." "You look at her, your blood pumps." "Your mouth becomes wet." "You haven't confused that hunger for something else, I hope." "I'm not confused." "I know exactly why I'm here." "Tell me, what blood mingles with yours?" "Who spread your mother's legs, gave you strength to beat my son?" "Someone stronger than you." "That's doubtful." "I know you felt he pull towards me." "You can't help it." "I need you inside of me." "You're on the edge of control now... with fresh kills inches away... and me so close, aching for you." "Does it burn in you, the hunger, for blood, for flesh?" "Is it sweet to you, the scent of my son's kills?" "Tell me, hero." "Whose world do you really belong to, theirs or mine?" "Here and now it's just you and me." "And I will see you pay for your sins." "Do you dare?" "Would you know me?" "I'm old, child... older than sin." "Would you take me here in the dark?" "Do your loins at this moment, at this moment of death, do they burn for me?" "I burn, but not for you." "So be it." "You've come for answers." "See what the truth brings you." "Come, sample the true delights of flesh with me." "Feel what no human woman can offer you." "It's time." "Beowulf!" "." "Come on." "Let's go." "Come on." "We have to go." "I lost everyone I loved in that place." "My whole life was there." "Where will you go?" "With you." "I don't know where I'm going," "Or what I'll find when I get there." "If I stay with you the darkness will seek me out." "And how would I protect you?" "I'll show you, if you let me." "It's not safe to be with me." "It's clear to me that by your side is the safest place there is." "I can't make you any guarantees." "I'll take that chance."