“Cattle found its way back” The leader of the Chacali said as he stared down at us.

Kaavi and I both pointed our sharpened sticks at him.

“I’m glad to be back.” I said, “We were just coming to get Ynec. If you guys were planning on getting rid of him, it’s much better for us to take him instead. No?

“No.” He said.

“No?” I asked.

“No.”

“Ahh. So the answer is no then. Good to… good to know.”

He menaced his long cleave-sword at us and said, “Get in the cage.”

“See…” I started, “I think we won’t be able to have a productive conversation from there. We could talk out here and-”

Kaavi leapt forward with his makeshift poker, hardly worth calling it a spear, and struck at the Chacali. The leader merely took a step back and sliced it in two, avoiding Kaavi with such meticulous intention it could only mean he was displaying power. He then grabbed Kaavi’s neck and pressed his claw against Kaavi’s neck.

“Now. Get in the cage now. Lock it too.”

“You gotta be fuckin’ kidding me,” I said under my breath. I lifted my hands up, dropped my spear and climbed my way into the cage while keeping myself facing him. Ynec helped me inside. Then, with Kaavi’s life still endanger, I closed the lock on the cage, “So… this is your plan? Make us veal? Fill us with grain until we’re nice and tasty?”

“Yes. That’s plan. But bigger boy is ready.” He started pressing his claw into Kaavi’s throat, drawing blood.

“Kaavi! Remember what I taught you!”

Kaavi slammed the Chacali’s bare foot with his sandal. The Chacali gasped in pain, Kaavi dropped himself and picked up my makeshift spear on the ground. He gave himself some distance and stabbed again, this time yelling “True Strike!” The tip of the spear glowed white as it entered the armor.

It was a necessary part of the plan. Even though some of them might not have been ‘ready’ by Bhufo’s standards… I could not let them enter that camp without making their temporary pact. And in this moment, I was glad I did.

The spear that Kaavi had thrust was stuck in the leader’s armor. From his wince of pain, I could tell the spear went in, but when he pulled it out, only the very tip was covered in blood. “You pay.” He snapped the spear in two and swiped at Kaavi.

“Leave your son alone!” Kaavi said.

“I tell you the same.” He said.

“Never!” Kaavi screamed. He sliced at Kaavi with his huge cleave sword and he rolled. Then, I said: “Aura of Shielding!” A holographic shield appeared above Kaavi, all of my friends, and me.

“Kaavi! I don’t think that spell’s going to be able to take a direct hit!”

The monster quickly slung his cleave-sword right at Kaavi,backing him against a hut. Soon, he would have no choice but to parry the blade.

“Kaavi!” I heard Huy cry out. He was leaping atop of the tents, his monkey-like prowess carrying him to us. He had his sword in his hand, and Kaavi’s in his tail. He whipped his tail and slung the sword. It sailed right past Kaavi before he grabbed it and blocked a vicious swing from the Chacali leader. Kaavi held firm, but the holographic shield broke and disappeared.

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Using the opening, Kaavi cast another True Strike and stabbed the sword through the leader’s leg. The Chacali let out a cry. That was a real scream. Not a howl or a hiss. This guy was in pain.

“Hey…” I said to Ynec. Ynec looked at me, scared.

I approached the cage and held onto the lock. I tried mumbling the words but as soon as I did my head burst with pain. I rubbed my temples in absolute agony, “Ahh!” I yelled, then to Ynec said, “I’m drained. Like, really smoked. I think something really bad will happen if I cast a spell and my body is blocking it. Do you know where the key is?

He pointed right to his father’s belt. Jangling within a human skull the size of a softball, I could hear the rattling of the key.

“Oh good.” I said. Kaavi and him were battling it out. I looked at Huy. “Huy! Under the skull on his belt there’s a key!”

Huy did not waste the opportunity. He rolled into the middle of battle and and grabbed the leader’s belt. The leader’s large paw enveloped Huy’s thin arm.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Then, another shock of pain to his face. Kaavi had twisted the sword. Huy ripped the key from his belt and rushed over to Ynec’s cage, where he unlocked us.

“No time for identity crises, alright, buddy? Let’s just book it,” I told Ynec.

The leader howled right into the sky. Ynec looked terrified, “He’s called others.”

“Okay, well we won’t be anywhere near them when it happens. Back into the river.”

I opened the cage door and he leapt out. Ynec scurried away on all fours. Just… out of sight instantly. I lost sight of him.

“Man, where was that hustle before?!”

One of the other kids arrived with Kaavi’s shield. They threw it at him and he slipped it onto his hand mid-air. The Chacali grabbed his cleave-sword with both hands and slammed it on Kaavi’s shield. Kaavi fell to the ground from the sheer shock.

“Kaavi!” I cried. With Huy’s own sword, he leapt off a tent to attack. The leader stuck his hand up and blocked the young monkey, dropping him to the ground as well.

“I’ve got him!” Another boy cried out as he ran with his sword.

“Me too!” Tuf came not far behind, with my sword in tow.

Soon, all the boys surrounded him, pointing their swords at him. He was surrounded. Tuf handed me my sword.

“Everybody!” I yelled. Kaavi soon got up. They all had their holographic shields on them, bolstered by my Aura of Shielding, “With all your spells, use Stride and head for the river. We got what we wanted.”

One of the boys started to protest, “But we got him!”

“We don’t have time! He’s called out to the others; the mission is complete. Evacuate!”

He gave me a smile, “I’ll chase you all. I’ll eat you alls too. Bury my teeth in your neck and eat your faces.”

“No you won’t. Because I’m holding you off.” To the boys I said, “Go! Don’t look back! I'm at a higher level after all! I’ve got a second level spell that will defeat this guy and have me catch up with you! Don’t look back, no matter what!”

All the kids shouted out ‘Stride’ and ran toward the river. Kaavi too. The only one left was me.

The Chacali leader laughed, “You going to defeat me?” He asked, “You had upper hand.”

He took a step. I did too, backward. “Yep.” I said.

“You got magis that defeats me?”

“You think I’m bluffing?”

“You don’t smell like magis. Not anymore.”

“New cologne.”

He took another step forward. Everytime I tried to say any paladin spell, the crushing headache came back. It was like I hit a wall mentally. My being was begging me not to continue.

“I got a big one left. A real big one.”

“I thinks…” He took another step, the wound in his leg causing a slight limp, but otherwise, this guy gravely injured could still beat me badly, “I thinks you good leader.”

“Thanks. I think so too.” I huffed, I had my blade up, but was shaking.

“But you’re really dumb.” He held his cleave-sword downward with both hands. He concentrated and the blade grew red again, “You going to survive this?” He asked.

“Yep.”

He let go of it, once again, the energy propelled off the blade and collided with my shield. I was knocked backward. It felt like one hundred blows all at once. My feet skirted across the ground, leaving tracks, but I held firm as my holographic shield broke.

I looked over my shield and he galloped toward me. He prepared his huge sword by hoisting it up in the air, and despite my mind's thumping headache, I forced out my last new spell.

“Righteous Blade!” My whole sword shined white. Before he could bring down his huge sword, I entered through his heavy armor into his torso. The blade came out the other side of him, the white energy propelling past him.

The leader dropped the blade. My nose erupted with blood. I couldn’t see straight. My vision was draining and I was losing consciousness. I saw another Chacali out of the corner of my eye, most likely about to capture me, but at least I had defeated the leader.

Just then, that huge furry palm grabbed my arm. The leader sloped his head back up, and snarling at me said, “Not enough.”

I let out a withered breath. My vision dulled to a mere black and white as I softly uttered, “That’s too bad. ‘Cuz that’s about all I’ve got.”