Ethan didn't have any firsthand experience with monsters, afflicted or otherwise, save for some smaller creatures that accidentally came upon the sanctuary when he was younger. He had some basic knowledge that they were driven by one main urge, which was to eat. However, there were two different sources of food that attracted them, one being much more tempting the other. The first was the atypical meat, of any kind, which was left over from their none afflicted existence, while the second, and more powerful, was Nel' Ina infused meat, or the meat of an afflicted and the crystallized Nel' Ina organ of a fallen afflicted.

There was even a theory that swarms of monsters, or afflicted creatures, occurred when the larger monsters started to feed on the smaller, and less powerful, ones to such a degree that they fled, creating a stampede that quickly became massive in scale. Such scholarly knowledge was unfortunately not part of Ethan's, though he did know that monsters were drawn to Nel' Ina and so he wasn't really surprised when the number of black silhouettes grew in front of him as he drew more of the monsters from the camp. Beyond the yells and screams he could also hear the chorus of battle as several others had faced off against monsters of their own, their weapons or bodies clashing violently with the hard surface of pincers or carapaces.

It took only a few more seconds of running before Ethan had to start dodging attacks from several monsters at once. While things seemed to be moving at a manageable speed for the boy, his body crouching down, bending backward, or twisting into the air at just the right time to avoid the various swipes, clubbing blows, or pinching attempts sent at him from all directions, in reality the scene was much more chaotic. While they weren't moving faster than the eye could see, to those watching, and there were many, the speed at which the cluster of monsters, and the boy it surrounded, were moving was almost unbelievable. Finally one of those watching managed to come back to their senses and looked around before calling out to the boy.

"Ethan?! Is that really you?"

If it had been anyone else they probably would have retorted with a snarky comment but this was Ethan we were talking about so he simply responded like he would in any other situation, though his responses were spoken a bit faster than usual.

"Yes. Is that you Sarah?"

He thought he recognized the voice that called out to him, and since he had just spoken with Sarah recently he figured it was pretty safe to assume it was her. Her reply confirmed it though, however, he just barely heard it as he ducked below a swiping pincer that caused the air around him to erupt in confusion.

"Yes! Are you ok? What are you doing?!"

Ok, even Ethan couldn't avoid answering with some sarcasm at her question, though he said it with a smile that hopefully she could see.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

"Oh, I'm just going for a walk."

There was a pause and while he hadn't been too worried during the fight up until now he did suddenly feel a threat emitting from a source beyond the monsters, possibly from the direction from where Sarah had been calling to him, and he felt a shiver run down his spine. Unfortunately, the tone of voice that called back confirmed his suspicions.

"I see..."

Another pause and more threat, but soon it slowly dissipated until there was none remaining.

"Well, when you are done with your walk, we would love some help."

Threatening? No. Short, concise, and with a hint of an edge? Oh yes. Ethan gulped and offered a single worded reply before leaping forward to send a kick crashing into the side of the monsters head. Now that he was up close and personal with the creature he noticed that it looked like someone took an ant, cut it in half, and then smashed the body onto the top of a scorpion. The stinger equipped tail was also different, in that there were two of them and they acted more like an armored snake. A violent crunching sound echoed around the area as the kick sent the ant head off into the darkness. The large body suddenly dropped to the ground twitching and flailing about before it was soon set upon by the other monsters.

The sudden crystallization of the monster's Nel' Ina organ had created a frenzied response in the others and now they couldn't care less about the boy. Ethan carefully moved over to the group of children with Sarah, their forms huddled beneath an overturned wagon.

"Is anyone badly hurt?"

He looked around and could see some with blood, several more with bruises, and a few laid on the ground trying not to move from various internal damage but no one seemed to be near death.

"Some have internal pain, and I can't tell how bad the damage is, but the rest are ok."

"Do you know how many wagons got away? Or how many didn't?"

"No. I think I woke up after the wagon flipped because I was on the ground, though I felt like someone had been beating me with a stick."

Ethan looked around, and despite the growing brightness around them, he still couldn't make out the entire scene. If it was growing brighter than it must dawn and that meant soon he would have the clarity he required. Unfortunately waiting for that time would probably cause many more injuries than acceptable. He tried to run through various scenarios while calming his breathing and finally, after calming his breath so much he had to take a deep breath, he turned to look at the girl, his expression one of grim determination.

"I have no idea where we are, nor how many monsters there are. All I know is one wagon went in that direction," he pointed in the direction from which he had run earlier. Sarah shifted her gaze in the same direction and then returned it to Ethan as he stood.

"I'm going to lure the monsters in the opposite direction. Once they all start to follow me get everyone who is still alive and run in the same direction. If any wagon's are salvageable use them to move those with greater injuries."

He paused and looked back at the girl before offering a small smile.

"I'll also take care of any of the kidnappers that are still about so they don't follow you."

The feed frenzy was just about done and he gave her a subtle wave before bolting around the end of the fallen wagon and disappearing from sight. A few seconds later she heard him yell out to her from deeper within the camp.

"Get ready!"