Damn. The Lamprey swore silently. The boy wasn’t alone even though the elf was surely en route to deal with the gorger demon. The maimed human male was strong, problematically so. The direwolf was nearby as well, resting in the shadow of the building. Any closer and it might be sensed. The females were not a problem based upon their auras and shabby weaponry.

The lamprey was still depleted from the summoning, it could not change forms to mist or rely on its deadly magic to end this easily. There was no helping it, time was limited. Low level magic should suffice against the weak ones. The wolf could be subdued with the single prepared dose of concentrated sleep drug. As for the man it would likely be able to rely on its powerful innate telepathic suggestion and the reputation of its mighty species to force him to surrender the boy. If that failed, it would simply slaughter them all with its deadly natural weapons and abduct the boy to harvest at its leisure.

As the bell rang the second time, the lamprey sent an insidious wide area sleep spell over the entire group. As expected, the massive man shrugged it off while all three females and the boy staggered. He followed the spell with a mist of chemicals that further enhanced the effects of the sleep magic. One of the tall females slumped unconscious while the other seemed to resist the effects. Now alert, the large male ignored the spell and drug completely.

Zell felt the intrusive urge to sleep and a reflexive rage immediately denied it. He staggered briefly but straightened quickly. Nearby Nin collapsed into sleep, as did Birna. Rin had resisted the effect and Kel was growling as he pulled the cloth from his massive enchanted sword.

“Merc! Zuke!” Zell shouted the command to search for enemies as he desperately scanned the darkness around the light spell.

“Bait, stay close.” Kel called to him. “This is bad, must be connected to the four rings. This could be an invasion.”

Zell hoisted Birna over his shoulder and retreated to Rin and Kel’s side.

“Surrender the boy and none need perish.” A voice sounded inside their heads. “You must not resist, all will be destroyed.”

A snarl followed by a thump and silence heralded the creature’s appearance. It entered the light, and Kel’s heart skipped a beat. The creature stood nearly as tall as Kel, with a bulbous fleshy head and wide milky eyes. Its mouth was a perfect circle with three rows of triangular teeth. Several appendages squirmed under its strange black garment, many ending in wicked looking bone implements. Its movements were ghostly, seeming to phase in and out of reality.

“No good.” Kel said. “That’s a mana lamprey. They’re bad news.”

“Know your peril. Surrender the boy now.” The voice echoed through their minds, peppered with images of their own violent deaths, conjured by the creature’s telepathic suggestions. “The animal is silenced, the elf will not come. Give the boy to me and all will be well.”

“Sorry. Bait’s kinda family now, can’t hand him over.” Kel held the dark, six foot long blade in the direction of the formidable being as he spoke. “Rin, gimme a boost.”

“You will die.” The voice promised.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

“Heard that a few times.” Kel replied as Rin’s enhancement magic caused his body to glow with a faint blue outline. “I may not look it but before I lost the arm, I was a fair hunter. I’m not on Teacher’s level of course but you shouldn’t take me lightly.”

As he finished the sentence, Kel disappeared and suddenly reappeared in front of the lamprey. His sword cleaved in from overhead. The creature barely dodged it. The sword impacted the ground, sending tremors in all directions and chunks of rock and dirt flying high into the air. Kel followed the mighty attack with a non stop barrage of slashes from every conceivable angle, working the heavy blade like it was weightless. The lamprey was elusive, its odd boneless body contorted rapidly always just out of reach of the swooshing blade.

The lamprey didn’t like this. It was managing to avoid the attacks, but the effort was not sustainable and left no room for counterattacks. It had indeed underestimated this person. It could not know that it was facing one of the strongest living humans, and a former apprentice of Agitha Defaria.

It needed a new plan immediately. If only it could seize one of the children it could force the violent man to disarm and surrender. It would send its most lethal hollow needle at the young female. Humans were most emotionally compromised based on the age and gender of victims. They would bend to his will with such a perfect hostage. She was focused on maintaining the enhancement on the male, she was distracted and vulnerable.

The spell to blink to her location would drain nearly all of its remaining mana, it must time the stab to pierce the meat of her neck for maximum emotional distress. It cast the spell, just as Kel’s sword would have chopped it in two.

Zell did not see the movement consciously. He could not process the creature appearing before them. Yet he moved. His body did as it had done thousands of times. It stepped into the creature’s space and pivoted to block it. Something hit Zell in the chest in that moment. He looked down, it was a wiggling pinkish tentacle. At the end of it was a needle thin bone. Time seemed to stop there for a long while, and a familiar buzz began to build in Zell’s chest.

“Zell!” Rin screamed as the monster jerked the needle out of his chest.

“No! Damn! Imbeciles! Fools! The pearl is fractured! Burn in the flames of your insolence!” The creature’s thoughts shrieked.

Kel’s sword screeched in, meeting some resistance as the frantic curses vanished along with the mana lamprey in a cloud of thick black mist as its final fail safe spell was triggered.

“What did it mean, Daddy? What pearl!?” Rin desperately needed answers. She frantically checked her sister and mother, they were both waking up. Somewhat relieved but still distraught she returned her attention to Zell who was clutching his chest where the lamprey had stabbed him and squirming. His skin was hot to the touch and he couldn’t seem to catch his breath.

“Mana lampreys feed on the mana of others by planting strange pearls in their bodies which absorb magic which they consume once enough has been absorbed. I’ve never heard of what happens when one breaks inside the victim. Agitha has battled mana lampreys before, she might know what to do.” Kel looked just as worried as Rin.

“What’s happening?” Nin asked as she woke trying to shake off the lingering effects of the magic and drug. “What’s wrong with Bait?”

“We’re not sure but we need to get him to Agitha.” Rin replied, holding his hand tightly as he shivered and groaned in obvious agony. His skin was literally steaming in the chill evening air.

“We don’t even know where she is though.” Birna finally awake cut in, also catching onto the situation.

Another roar cut through the night to the north. A noise so terrifying and savage that it sent involuntary chills through anyone that heard it.

“There’s no way she isn’t fighting or about to fight whatever made that noise.” Kel said, gathering Zell gently with his huge arm. “I don’t have any clue what else is happening. It may be a selfish call but I want you all to stick with me. We’re stronger together no matter what. Girls get your weapons. We make for the gate to meet Agitha and save Bait.” Kel took command instinctively and his family responded like the solid unit that it was.

Within the span of a minute, all five were armed and running north as scores of citizens passed them fleeing south.