Daniel
The water spread thin in all directions as the black-cape mages receded. The blue devil stood and wiped off mud. “They’d better run,” she said and turned red. As the Wendigo became Wendi and pointed horns curled, Daniel hurried to her side.
“Wendi, are you okay? How much do you remember? Do you recognize me?”
She looked at him in blank confusion. His blood froze. “Why wouldn’t I recognize you, Danny? I know I got a little upset, but it’s not like I did anything crazy—we even did what you told us to!”
Daniel dropped Damage Control mode with a clack of mental whiplash. Relief crumbled the mental barriers he’d erected to block grief. Gone was the constant worrying for the others and the driving need to win the battle. Except, instead of the pain of loss he’d expected, a euphoric wave of gladness melted him from within.
Later, he’d decide Wendigo went from fighting Ansbach to Praxithea when he said for everyone to switch targets because Wendi stayed conscious during the transformation. Right now, it didn’t matter his plan to overcome her dark side seemed to work or that he’d figured out her puzzle. Daniel cared that Wendi was herself.
He embraced Wendi, to her surprise, “Oh, are we hugging now? Is it celebration time?” Daniel couldn’t speak. He was sobbing on her shoulder. “There, there, Danny,” she said as she rubbed his back with two enormous fingers, “Everything’s alright… as far as I know.”
Paul, in humanoid form, splashed over to them, eyes following the retreating mages, “Are we in the clear?”
“No, Paul,” Cassie said as she landed, “We’re not in the clear! Did you forget the huge beast tracking us?”
“It’s nothing we can’t handle,” Kenta said, but Daniel wasn’t listening. He’d broken his hug with Wendi to watch the others gather round when he felt an odd chill. He glanced at the water and noticed something small and pale.
It was a dead frog.
Floating belly up in the shallow water was not one frog, but dozens scattered across the battlefield, with more falling out of Camouflage as they died. What was going on? He recalled what Rana said on the beach, “Frogs can’t survive in saltwater…” Sniffing the air, Daniel’s nose confirmed his intuition. Praxithea had conjured seawater.
He’d figured Rana acquired an ability similar to Red Tail’s birds during their stay at Radio World after reflecting on her reaction to Goldie’s stunt. That’s why Rana waited so long to enter the fray. She’d seeded the area with her eyes and ears while minimizing her time in the water.
Not that he allowed himself to worry; Rana’s regeneration wouldn’t succumb to a bit of dehydration. She joined the group assembly last, but that wasn’t unusual. As she neared, Daniel examined her for signs of exhaustion. There was something—there. Dark circles under sunken eyes concealed by Camouflage, the magic dispelled as he searched.
He saw how wan and thin she was. Her extremities were terribly wrinkled, her expression haggard. Daniel couldn’t believe the others hadn’t noticed her severe symptoms, but she’d Camouflaged the damaged parts of her body. Rana paused in her approach, did a quick quarter turn as if preparing to flee the scene, and doubled over to vomit with an explosive hacking cough.
That got their attention. The six of them stared at her as she heaved, concerned and disgusted. Daniel felt confused. It didn’t make any sense… and then he saw blood. Blood in the bile, blood dripping from her mouth and her cut tongue.
Except, that wasn’t possible. Her toadstones regenerated her wounds instantly.
And then it all came back to him, piece by piece.
Rana never mentioned how long it took to make a toadstone. However, she’d mentioned her body compressed excess daily vitality into a stone layer by layer, like a pearl.
That brought to mind another memory, “Not just anyone can extract vitality from blood like me, Paul,” The first day they’d met, Cassie drank Rana’s blood to invigorate herself. The bat girl never established how often she needed to feed, but Daniel hadn’t noticed her do it even once over the past year. He felt like an idiot.
“My Camouflage is decent—people’s attention slips over me or whatever my slime covers. It works best if they aren’t expecting it…”
Daniel wondered how often Cassie came home during their time in Radio World. She’d been out flying day and night, all the time as if she had boundless energy. What if Cassie took some every day and nobody noticed because Rana used Camouflage so the others wouldn’t find out?
As a result, over the past year, Rana hadn’t made a single toadstone.
He couldn’t believe Rana faced the Wolf without that security. She’d almost died, and he’d had no idea! Daniel checked the suspects for evidence. The look of horror and guilt on Cassie’s face as she covered her mouth with a wing and stared at Rana—who refused to meet anyone’s eyes—was confirmation enough.
The betrayal outraged him. There was no reason for it! Everyone knew Cassie drank blood, so why the deception? If she needed so much blood, why hadn’t Cassie let the group share the burden or just taken from Wendi—who had the highest vitality of anyone?
Why had Rana let Cassie mislead them? He forced his breathing slow. Fixing this was tomorrow’s task. To say the least, they’d have a long, long talk when this was over.
“We need to leave,” Paul said to Cassie, oblivious to the situation’s true nature.
“Look at my wings! If I shift to a larger form, the wounds will tear open!”
Paul threw out an idea, “What if we all use our healing coins to help you?”
“That would work if we had more than a minute! The beast is coming,” as she spoke, Cassie slid from angry to terrified. Daniel didn’t know what to do.
:We can hide among the rocks,: Rana sent to the group. Not far to their east were the crags and sheer cliffs of mountain knees. There’d be dozens of hiding places. To head off any questions about her health, Rana stood straight and strode forward with measured steps.
Daniel moved to block her, forcing Rana to halt on wobbly legs. “You’ve done enough,” he said, “We’ll figure another way out of this.”
:There is no other way. I have to do this.: She walked around him and headed for the rocks, refusing Wendi’s offer for a ride.
The others followed, letting Rana pick a spot to foam them against the rocks for Camouflaging. The nostalgic numbing of frog magic dampened Daniel’s anger by making it seem remote. He sat motionless even when the vibrations of the beast’s footprints tingled up his spine. He made no sound even as he heard the beast’s sniffing muzzle.
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:It’s circling…: Cassie whined, scared and confused, :Why won’t it leave?:
Wendi surprised the others by answering, :This beast tracks by smell, right?:
:There’s certainly nothing else for it to track,: Cassie grumbled.
:Well, I guess now would be a good time to mention I have heightened senses. You know, as a goat Therianthrope. And, Lea, you smell.: Daniel recalled the Libra’s magical propensity to attract attention with dread. :Not bad. I mean, I don’t mind it. You just smell… very girl. Very that. Intensely so. To be honest, it’s actually a pleasant smell.: A bead of sweat dripped from Daniel’s face as the sound of sniffing and footsteps neared.
“It’s attacking!” Cassandra shouted, breaking the Camouflage’s spell.
Jaws bit through foam and onto unfurling dark strands. Kenta yelled as his hair caught in its teeth, “Nasty!—I’m not your floss!” The beast reared and shook its head, unintentionally tangling further in the Kaminoke’s mane.
The others scattered. Lea and Cassie soared high, Wendi sprang forward, Paul ducked right, and Daniel stumbled into the open. He sorely wished they’d organized a unified combat strategy instead of hiding. They could’ve gained the advantage by climbing a rock to attack from above. He had to improvise… though it could be too little, too late.
No, don’t think like that. Coordinate. :Wendi, try to circle around and hit its rear leg. Cassie, throw it off balance with your Noise Blast.: He forced himself to accept this fight would be lethal, :Lea, choke it with a carambole. I’ll get in position to strike its center.:
The beast ran amuck, terrorizing them each in turn with rabid energy. It wasn’t graceful like the Wolf. It lugged around its body like a suitcase of raw meat. The beast was simply so strong it fought against its ridiculous inertia and won.
It dragged Kenta along for the ride, the boy watching in horror as the beast’s drool streamed into his poor bedraggled hair. Kenta fought for control, a drunken octopus of flailing hair unable to grapple the creature properly.
Approaching from behind, Wendi threw a punch at the beast’s back leg. It saw her over its shoulder and bucked. A paw larger than her whole body hurled Wendi into an opposing wall of rock. The impact knocked several heavy stones loose to pin her to the ground. She struggled to break or roll away the stones, but it would take time with one usable arm.
Cassie dive-bombed the creature, shouting Noise Blasts. The beast leaped and snapped its jaws at the bat girl, who shrieked in fear and swerved aside each time. Unwilling to commit to the risk, she couldn’t land a hit.
Lea had narrowly escaped the beast’s jumping range during her ascent. Now she flung a carambole into a biting maw aimed at Cassie. The beast’s mouth chomped, then was pried open as the carambole expanded into a wrecking ball. She heaved the carambole from side to side, trying to bash the beast’s teeth, but the huge creature had the jaw strength to oppose her.
She would’ve lost setting her whole power against the creature’s bestial might in a tug-of-war. Instead, she thrust the carambole into its throat. The beast choked, hacked, and shook its head in pain, then swallowed the enormous orb.
Daniel was frustrated, worried, and tired of fighting. The beast had incapacitated half their crew without taking damage. It’s just an animal, a bloodthirsty animal, he told himself. He could put down a rabid dog; he didn’t have to hesitate. Daniel inhaled, cocked his fist, and put a large portion of his power into a single punch.
The beast followed his movement and lurched on instinct, throwing itself aside with an explosive exertion. His projected fist of ruination carved a gaping hole in the rock, which filled in with falling rubble. The magic expenditure hit him with a migraine spike, and Daniel sucked his teeth. “Damn.”
Rising to its feet, the beast shook off dust and dirt. It turned to Daniel, met his eyes with its stupid, feral ones, and charged. He wished he’d gotten its attention first and threw his punch when it attacked him.
In the adrenaline lengthened second, Daniel reflected on the past hour. He’d cushioned his fall with Wendi, fired at the Wolf and missed, protected himself from the Wolf’s point-blank Wind cannon, fired and hit the Water pumps (slight boost from destroying them), then fired and missed the Beast. He felt the cost.
Daniel’s arms were heavy. He felt a muscle in his leg twitch involuntarily. His breath came hard and fast. Sweat soaked his face and neck and chest and hair. As the oncoming beast lifted a paw high to sweep him away, Daniel asked himself, Do I have enough power left to survive that? and answered, I don’t know. It was then he knew he’d misjudged the situation. I don’t know.
A glob of sticky green slime splashed onto his front, sizzling like egg whites on a pan. An instant later, Rana landed feet-first on Daniel’s chest—both of them in the beast’s path now. She crouched compact, torso and head between her legs, forcing her face to within inches of his own. They could have kissed.
She seemed not to see him, her intense focus elsewhere. Maybe she didn’t want to see him, or maybe she didn’t want to be seen. She shifted her weight to adjust direction—all Rana could manage with time and gravity taking over—and leaped.
What had Mary told him? He couldn’t forget something so basic, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” In jumping, one pushes against the ground to lift oneself. The planet doesn’t seem to move because of its immense size.
Daniel was no planet. When Rana jumped, they accelerated away from each other in opposite directions at equal speeds. From the way she’d angled things, Daniel flew to the beast’s right against its swing and slid under its paw.
Headed in the opposite direction, Rana flew to the beast’s left ahead of the swing with the paw oncoming. As the beast’s claws crossed its front, the creature had to decelerate the follow-through to take its next step or fall. The paw caught Rana as it slowed, and the last part of the attack’s arc struck Rana—batting her to the beast’s left. Which, though the sight of it stole Daniel’s breath, was fortunate as the beast’s full weight trampled between the two children.
Having passed its target, the beast slid to a stop and turned. Those few seconds of redirecting momentum were the perfect window for a counterstrike. But, to his vexation, Daniel spent those seconds skidding, tumbling, and righting himself to find the opportunity missed.
However, it gratified him to see Cassie successfully dive-bomb a Noise Blast into the beast’s ear hole. While the disorientation wasn’t effective long, Kenta used the short time to grapple the beast’s legs with hair. Lea pummeled the creature with a furious barrage of caramboles. This dealt little damage but distracted the unintelligent beast from pursuing Daniel or Rana.
Daniel, meanwhile, had one thing on his mind—running to Rana’s side. She hadn’t risen or moved after landing, having rolled onto her side facing away. Daniel fought Camouflage to find her outline against the rocky ground. His hyper-focus meant it wasn’t Rana who slipped from his mind but the sounds and action of the battle.
From this perspective, her Camouflage looked more like textured body paint than something magical. Her eyes were closed. His gaze alighted on blood, deep red and disjointed with the scene, flowing from long claw marks. He winced, and a sharp ache echoed through his hollow chest.
He didn’t have bandages. He couldn’t have touched them if he did. After the first few instants of scattered thoughts and panic, he scrambled for his healing coin—Raphael’s Token—and held it out.
:Don’t,: her voice reached him. She blinked and found his eyes but didn’t otherwise move. :I didn’t save your butt so you could waste magic healing someone with regeneration.:
“You’re alive!” Relief lodged in his throat. After thinking he’d lost Wendi and now this, his heart ached with worry until it spilled over. He cried hot tears of relief.
:You owe me big, this time.:
“Are you’re insane? You can’t cash in a favor if you’re dead—” Then he got it. Somehow, he understood her. Rana never intended to settle the score. Nor did she want to lord it over him. That ‘debt’ was a cherished bond. One she’d protect with her life.
“You idiot. I can’t believe you threw yourself in harm’s way like that! You nearly died, and now you’re bleeding, but you don’t want to be healed?”
:Your pitching sucks.:
“What are you talking about?”
:You’re a power pitcher with no speed. You’ve got to learn control, or they’re always going to walk.:
Daniel’s mind reeled from the change of topic, “Easier said than done.” He wasn’t positive if this was insightful critique or delirium from the Camouflage’s anesthetic effect. She stirred and tried to turn her head to see him better. “Don’t exert yourself!” he shouted at her.
:You think I can’t get up? I’m choosing not to stand because I want to give you and the others a chance to learn something.:
“You’re full of crap, Rana.”
Her eyes twitched in annoyance, :Shut up, Daniel. Your windup is obvious, and your acceleration slow. Anybody can tell when you’re pitching and where it’s going. There’s no fixing it today… you’ve just got to hold back until the end and close us out.:
Daniel saw what she meant. The way he threw projections of his fist was similar to pitching. As an amateur, he couldn’t match his opponents’ experience, instincts, and speed. He had one good shot of power left—he couldn’t let it miss. He’d wait for the others to corner the beast or create an opening.
:Watch the beast.:
He would watch… and stay by her side.