Qelona’s screams chilled my very bones. Her head whipped wildly, desperately searching for the source of the flames. The red fire illuminated the tree where they’d embedded into the trunk. Though it was not strong enough to set the tree ablaze as I would have liked, it was still enough to shed light on the method of their transfer. An arrow with brilliant red feathers was now buried shaft-deep in the trunk.
So, Cithrael didn’t have the good sense to run, after all. I had mixed feelings about that. On the one hand, he could help us escape Qelona’s clutches. On the other, though, it made him less useful as a hench-elf…which I supposed made him only average in that regard, given the attitudes of Raina and the others.
Armor clanged as Aelisra slammed into the ground and thrashed in her restraints. She struggled to free herself, but eventually managed to scramble to her feet and scream at Qelona with a blood-curdling fury that almost matched that of the corrupted woman…almost.
“GIVE ME BACK MY FRIEND, YOU BARK-COVERED PILE OF KINDLING!” Aelisra howled. Immediately, she pulled her hand axe from the sheath on her back and rushed the enemy.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
Why was I surrounded by humans (and Cithrael) with no sense of self-preservation? You’d think something so simple as the ability to stay alive would have been forced into them by evolution. I must have had the misfortune of meeting the shallow end of the common sense gene pool…
But, at the end of the day, Raina would not budge without the rest of the group. She was the only one I couldn’t heartlessly abandon…which meant that I was going to be dragged into this one way or another. Might as well be on my own terms.
Aelisra was free. Now we just needed to get Terrowin out. For now, Qelona’s attention was off the glaive knight and on the paladin. If we could keep it that way, Raina might be able to make her move.
The barkhounds were creeping back, growling at the paladin who charged their mistress with a reckless scream. Qelona laughed and a wave of magical energy surged from her, slamming into Aelisra. The paladin was knocked clean off her feet, but that didn’t deter her. In an instant, she was back on her feet and facing the enemy.
“You think you stand a chance against me, little warrior?” Qelona said, maddened eyes dancing with fire. “Do you remember our last bout? You didn’t even last long enough against one of my hounds to warn your friends of the danger!”
Aelisra gripped her axe until her knuckles went white. “Lady of Heroes, protect me from danger.” Her holy symbol shone brightly, illuminating the dark clearing as she rushed the woman again.
Only this time, Qelona snapped her fingers. The barkhounds snarled and raced forward, eager to rip our paladin to shreds. I couldn’t allow that. Aelisra was stupid and loud, but she made for a sturdy shield against strong enemies. Of all the hench-humans, she was the only one who might be able to take a few hits from Qelona and survive to tell the story. The barkhounds would end that plan. I needed to keep them away.
It seemed I wasn’t the only one with that plan of action. Six arrows lit with hungry flames slammed into the ground before the approaching line of barkhounds. It was enough to give them pause.
If Cithrael, smartest of the party besides myself, was keen on keeping the wolves at bay, then I would join his efforts. I lifted Terrowin’s blade. The glaive was heavy and took quite a bit of my mana to keep in the air at all, let alone moving it with any sort of precision, but it was my best tool for the job. I raced across the field, dragging the weapon low to the ground.
Luckily for me, I am small and hard to see in the dark. The barkhounds were much more concerned with the fires that sprang to life around their feet or the shining paladin swinging an axe at their mistress to pay attention to a small dark blur rushing towards them.
Just as the hounds worked up the courage to move through the rain of fire arrows springing up in their path, I was there with the glaive. The weapon sliced through the air…and little else, but that wasn’t the point! The length of the blade was low and just the right height to catch the paws of the pack.
The first barkhound lost its footing immediately, slamming its nose into the ground with a sickening creaking of wood. Thus, it became a tripping hazard for two other hounds as the first tried to right itself. I rushed off, aiming the blade for the paws of the next barkhound.
This one must have been very young and lacking the defenses of its betters. The sharp blade sliced through the wood of its paw, causing it to squeal in panic as it hit the ground. A moment later, three blazing arrows slammed into the monster, causing the moss on its back to begin smoldering.
I dropped the glaive, turning my attention to the fire as I ducked between the paws of the barkhounds. These things were weak to fire. Though I had no way to create a strong enough flame on my own, maybe with Cithrael’s help, we could turn things around.
Heat surged around me as I called upon both Flame I and Heat II. Fire needs heat in order to survive. The mists were damp, but I poured as much heat as I could into the air around the smoldering wolf. I remembered the flames of the fire sprites, holding the image of the living, breathing inferno in my mind.
Three more arrows made their mark as the moss of the creature’s back began to emit smoke in the darkness. I hurled a tiny mote of fire at the branches that had replaced fur.
Fire I upgraded to Fire II
Excellent timing, Amsiii!
I threw another fire at the barkhound. With the power of the newly upgraded Fire II and Cithrael’s arrows, the moss ignited. The hound howled as it was suddenly consumed by flames. It thrashed and ran in confused circles, which only benefited us. It slammed into several of its brethren, leaving smoldering sections on their moss, too, before it finally collapsed. The mana animating the wood faded, and it was left as little more than a small bonfire.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
And, with that great act of violence, Amsiii rewarded us.
Congratulations. Level 10 Corrupted Barkhound defeated. Experience gained.
I bared my teeth at the rest of the hounds. The fire burned strong. With every moment, the flames licked higher and higher into the air. The barkhounds cowered from the flames, their full attention on me and the flaming corpse instead of on Aelisra.
Somehow, the paladin had managed to stay alive, even if she already looked a bit ragged. Both of her pauldrons, as well as the guards on her forearms, had been ripped asunder by a hailstorm of sharpened bark shards that circled around Qelona. The woman stared at the paladin, a curious look in her eye.
“Why do you resist?” she asked. “I would give you perfection.”
“UNHOLY SPAWN OF EVIL!” Aelisra shouted. “THERE IS NOT A SHRED OF HUMANITY AMONGST YOUR KIND. YOU AND ALL YOUR KIN ARE NO MORE THAN MONSTERS TO BE PURGED!”
She rushed the corrupted woman once more, axe raised. Light shimmered to life around her. It was the same ability she’d used with the greater fire sprite, the one called Bravery. An instant later, it spread to the rest of the party, illuminating my fur and wrapping me in protective light.
On the far side of the clearing, I spotted Raina illuminated as well. She looked around in surprise before returning to the spell she was weaving over Terrowin’s still unconscious form. In the branches of the great tree above, Cithrael also shone with protective magic.
It was a…double-edged sword, at best. Though we were protected by Aelisra’s divine magic, there was no hope of hiding, now.
“Malzy!” Cithrael shouted from above. I looked up to see a large branch fall on one of the barkhounds. He drew back his bow, three arrows already on the string. He whispered something and sparks surged around the arrows the instant he released. They ignited mid-flight and slammed into the branch.
Leaves burst into flames, creating yet another brilliant bonfire in the darkness of the clearing. I purred in satisfaction, if only for a moment, before rushing to the burning branch. Using Telekinesis III, I seized the source of fire and began to swing it at the barkhounds who chased me.
They darted to the side, desperately avoiding the flames that would eat them alive. I cackled maniacally as I led the dumb dogs around the clearing. These stupid creatures thought they could take on the great Malzifrax! I would show them their folly! It would be swift, and it would be fiery!
I spun around, eager to go on the offensive. My branch blazed brighter than a dozen torches as I threw it into the face of the closest barkhound. It squealed and howled as it raced off into the darkened woods beyond the firelight. Three more hounds received similar treatment before retreating.
The pack growled, keeping their distance from me. I hissed my challenge as the branch burned behind me. They responded with growls and feigned attempts to dart forward and bite me. Each attempt was met with a wave of the branch.
Nearby, Aelisra ducked under another shard of bark from Qelona. The corrupted bark-woman narrowed her eyes at the shining paladin. Aelisra was bloody and battered. Her own protections were clearly strained, and I wasn’t surprised. If anything, I was surprised she’d held out as long as she had against the level 29 monster. Her goddess’s protections must have been very potent.
The paladin roared in anger as she swung her axe. She was knocked aside by Qelona’s magics once again, but she scrambled back to her feet, powered solely by rage and divine protection.
“You cannot win,” Qelona whispered, her voice echoing into thousands of whispers.
“It’s the duty of a hero to try!” answered Aelisra.
Finally, Raina joined the conversation. “Terrowin’s awake! Let’s get out of here!”
“Why bother?” asked Qelona. “You can’t escape. You only delay the inevitable.”
“The only thing inevitable here is your death!” Aelisra lifted her axe, but this time she did not rush forward. Instead, she threw it hard at the monster. The axe sailed through the air before slamming into Qelona’s chest.
The vile woman screamed, but it was more from anger than any sort of pain. Mana surged within the sound, sparking a fear in me that froze my paws to the ground. She was angry now. We should have run when we had the chance! We’d never make it now!
“Malzy! This way!” Raina cried, but…she was on the far side of the clearing from me. Qelona was between us. How could I escape that way!? And if I escaped any other way, I’d never find them again and we’d die anyway?
This was such a stupid idea…why had I let her come back for the others?! We should have just run in the first place! We stood no chance, even now! Qelona would kill us, or worse!
“Malzy! Come on!”
My branch lowered and the barkhounds growled. How had I gotten myself into this mess…
“He’s taken by the fear!”
“I’ve got him!”
Suddenly, I found myself scooped off the ground. Aelisra had come back for me…
Qelona screamed at her hounds. “Get them! GET THEM ALL!”
The hounds descended on us. They snapped at Aelisra’s heels as she ran through the clearing. One caught her foot and she tumbled, sending me skidding painfully across the dirt. I felt something inside me snap…maybe a rib…maybe more, but whatever it was cleared my head…once I stopped seeing stars.
“Go!” she shouted to me, as she kicked the barkhound holding onto her foot. She wouldn’t make it. I was certain.
Or at least, she wouldn’t alone. Snapped from the influence of Qelona’s magic by the fall, I could turn the tide of this encounter long enough to see one of my hench-humans to safety. To do otherwise would be a waste of a perfectly good, if stupid, servant.
My branch was too far away, but the glaive was not. I yanked it as hard and fast as I could towards us. It slammed into the head of a nearby hound with a sickening crack. Aelisra kicked another before scrambling to her feet. Once again, she scooped me off the ground and began to run.
Telekinetic III upgraded to Telekinetic IV
I put my front paws on her shoulder and pulled the weapon after us. As we raced across the clearing, I slammed the long weapon into three more barkhounds. Seven arrows landed in quick succession in the midst of the barkhound pack, lighting the kindling on several of them. They ran in confused circles as Qelona screamed her fury.
Soon, we were on the far side. Raina and Terrowin waited, ready to run as soon as we reached them. We slowed to a stop. Aelisra handed me to Raina before turning to fight again, even without a weapon.
“Where’s Cithrael?” she asked. A moment later, the elf landed next to us.
“Run,” was all he said.
Nobody argued. Terrowin snatched his glaive from my control, and we all sprinted into the disorienting fog. The barking of the hounds began to fade behind us as adrenaline lent newfound speed to our retreat.
Only once the trees had begun to thin and the mist had all but disappeared did we dare slow our retreat. Dawn colored the horizon a soft pink, and the road to Aldar was in sight once more.
Raina collapsed to her knees, spilling me onto the ground. Exhaustion drove Cithrael to the ground soon after, leaving only Aelisra and Terrowin still standing, albeit barely.
“We need to tell the order,” muttered the paladin. “They need to know of this unholy threat.”
“Do we really need the church,” Raina began. “I’m sure the guild coul-”
“No!” Aelisra shouted. “That was a mage who courted with unholy magic! Mere adventurers cannot stop monsters like that. They’re bloodthirsty demons, every one of them.”
Raina fell silent. A deep growl rumbled in my chest, but it was too quiet for the humans to hear.
“Come on,” the paladin urged, pulling Raina to her feet. “We still have a long way to go.”