Chapter 26

Vince rolled out of the way of the Kaleeko’s wicked claws. Whatever enhancement being Bayla’s Champion had granted him had increased his reflexes along with his strength; with the adrenaline flooding through his veins, he could just keep ahead of the attacks.

I’m not making any progress, though, and my luck’s bound to run out. Where’s Bayla? If it’s trying to stomp me, she must be free, right? Why isn’t she helping? Unless… He wanted to look where she had been pinned before, but the red-furred creature refused to let up.

He grit his teeth, his frustration mounting. Fine, asshole. You want to keep stomping me? Be my guest. He had kept a tight grip on his knife. Hope this doesn’t snap it; I don’t have another one handy. Vince rotated his wrist and slammed it handle-first into the tightly packed gravel before dodging again. His hand was not much shorter than the Bowie knife’s handle, so he could only drive it a few inches into the pavement.

That worked for him, though; he had not planned to keep it stable for long. The Kaleeko slammed its paw straight into the blade. Vince heard a loud snap, but his trusty knife’s death had not been in vain. The tip of the blade poked through the top of the creature’s foot, and it reared up in pain and shock at the sudden wound. Its bass whinny echoed through the trees again as it tried to dig the broken knife blade with its good paw.

“See how you like it!” spat Vince. He launched himself at the off-balance Kaleeko, driving his shoulder into the beast’s chest. It still felt like tackling a brick wall, but this time the creature collapsed.

His eyes widened as he realized there was no sign of Bayla anywhere. Oh God, tell me I didn’t just drop that Kaleeko on top of her…

“Bayla!” He repeated her name twice more, still searching for some trace of her.

The beast grunted as it tried to roll back onto its feet. “Crap!” Vince scanned the area for a weapon, his eyes settling on the Aqua Spear still jutting from its side. If it’s still there, she must still be fine, right? Right?

He hesitated too long out of fear for the orca, and the Kaleeko rolled onto its stomach. It struggled to stand, but the bizarre creature’s front legs were longer than its back, making the loss of a front foot all the more damaging.

“Bayla!” Vince made a desperate dash to reach the spear, but it staggered onto all threes and turned to face his charge, putting the spear out of reach. The Kaleeko’s size worked against it; remembering the track he had left in the gravel, he slid between the creature’s legs like he was back in Little League. He felt a few nicks from the pointed rocks as he came to a stop. So much for my best jeans.

“Vince? What happened?” Bayla looked awful, still laying where the Kaleeko had left her. She managed to sit upright, but she seemed dazed by the experience.

A bellowing call from behind told Vince there was no time to get her up to speed. Scooping her up in his arms, he sprang just out of the way of the Kaleeko’s good left paw.

The landing could have been gentler, but he was still getting used to his new strength. He kept his balance, at least, and ran towards Nanora, who was standing next to an enormous… Well, Vince did not rightly know what he was looking at. It looked like one of the local Blue Herons mixed with a dinosaur. However, the redhead was stroking its flank, which meant it was friendly.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

The impact seemed to rouse Bayla from her stupor.

“What are we doing? I need to get back into the battle!” Bayla tried to force her way out of his grip, but he barely felt the hand pressing against his sternum.

Vince ignored her, coming to a stop next to the witch and her pet monster. “Hey Nanora, you wanna finish off our friend over there? Looks like you dealt with his buddy.”

Nanora shot him a pensive frown. “If I use Phosphata’s magic again, I won’t have the energy to summon her if Marazza shows up. I should send her back as it is; I have been burned through so many summons as it is.”

Vince sighed. “Guess that makes sense.”

“Put me down! I order you, Vince!” Bayla wriggled fruitlessly before Vince finally relented. She looked at her hands like they had betrayed her. “What in the Abyss is wrong with me?”

Vince had a theory, but the Kaleeko was hobbling its way right towards them, keeping the weight off its pierced paw. “Bayla, stay here.”

“What? No, you need me!” she protested.

Vince ignored her. Sorry, can’t give in this time. “Nanora, hold her back.”

The redhead’s eyes widened. “What? I can’t—”

There’s no time. Vince snapped off a quick thanks before he began his countercharge. He had no idea how fast he was actually going, but he wondered if he was breaking the quiet road’s speed limit. He stopped tantalizingly just outside of the beast’s reach, digging another gash in the road.

Vince suspected that a real Kaleeko would have gone running off into the woods to lick its wounds, but the summon was becoming predictable. Get close, be a threat, and it tries to deal with you as fast as possible. It did it to Nanora’s fake dog, and then to me. It loves to use those front claws, and I already took out one of those.

The Kaleeko lived up to his expectation, rearing up and lashing out with its main weapons. It still used both feet, which was the one part Vince had not anticipated. He felt the breeze from its second swipe, and if he had not been riding an adrenaline high, he might have taken a moment to panic about that fact.

Instead, he pressed on, circling around the Kaleeko and yanking Bayla’s trapped polearm from its flank. He whirled around, and the summon did not disappoint him, pivoting to face him. Unfortunately for it, Vince’s weapon was already ready to go. His spear thrust was true, piercing the Kaleeko’s chest. Unlike Bayla’s attack, he kept his grip, and the wicked blade did not get stuck in its imitation flesh. Golden sparks filled the air around him, partially obscuring his view of the beast’s body.

He could see its stricken face, though. The summon’s eyes widened and it whinnied again, trying to bat at the polearm with its good paw. Vince kept his grip, giving his own cry of surprise as the Kaleeko reared up again and his feet left the ground.

“C’mon, you’re stuck like a pig! Give up!”

A smaller projectile came from nowhere, punching in one side of the Kaleeko’s long neck and out the other. This was the last nudge the summon needed to fall apart completely, dropping Vince back onto his feet.

When the cascade of golden sparkles ceased, Vince saw Bayla struggling against Nanora, who was doing her level best to follow Vince’s instructions. For reasons he did not immediately understand, Bayla’s clothes had reduced further, not covering much more than a swimsuit. Nanora still had a firm grip on the shorter woman, but her arms were still free, and her right hand was still leveled at the spot where she had shot the Kaleeko.

“Another arrow, like at the beach,” said Vince. Explains where her clothes went; guess she can’t make them out of nothing.

“Of course,” said Bayla, elbowing her way out of Nanora’s grasp. She ran over to Vince’s side and nearly tackled him, her arms wrapping around him. He let the Aqua Spear fall to the side; its job was finished. The bear hug was cut short as she began patting him down. “What a relief! You are still intact, somehow.” Her joyful grin switched to a disapproving frown. “Going in alone was too reckless! I told you that you needed me.”

“You did, and thanks,” he replied. “I had it handled, though. It was too dangerous for you, now.”

Bayla scoffed at that. “What? You are my Champion, but I am still a warrior.”

Vince frowned down at her. “How have you not noticed yet?”

“Noticed what?” she demanded, her hands on her hips. “Speak plainly!”

She’s going to blow a gasket, but she needs to hear it. “Bayla, whatever strength you had went to me when you made me your Champion. You’re a mostly ordinary Landmaiden right now.”