The group fell silent. Dreiki tracked onto movement in the distance, reminding himself to relax his grip on his spear.

Screams of agony rang out as they got closer. One of the Oskuutors had stolen a spear so it could mount a still-living hostage atop it. Every step it took jostled the pierced weapon deeper into the xiozian’s wound. The malaki around it laughed in discordant joy at their suffering as they squirmed and struggled to not be fully run through by the spear.

As the Malaki got closer, Dreiki recognized their hostage by the feathered clothing they wore. It was Corvio.

Corvio was panicked, frantically pressing his feet to the shaft of the spear to pull himself off. And yet as he pulled himself free, the Malaki grabbed him and speared a fresh wound into his body. Blood drained down the shaft of the spear. The display reminded Dreiki of how children tormented insects before their death.

They raised the xio on his own spear, pumping him up and down in the air. It drove deeper and deeper as he desperately fighting gravity as he pushed against the shaft to keep it from piercing through all the way. His hands were slipping on his own blood.

The display was so gratuitous it set something off within Dreiki. He glanced at his surroundings. A chill ran down his spine as he spotted a Malaki staring directly at their party. Perched atop a tree lying in wait.

Tadios and Arik launched forward.

“Wait! The trees! It’s a trap!” Dreiki called out, and not a moment too soon as the two Tibur dodged out of the way of the Oskuutor’s ambush.

With nimble footing, Arik changed directions, twisting through the air and lunging forward again. She posted her foot to the ground and launched her spear like a ballista. The spear shot through the Oskuutor which held Corvio captive.

Tadios kicked the spear horizontal and caught Corvio over his shoulder. With thunderous speed, Arik grabbed Corvio’s spear, and bashed the monsters away to cover their retreat.

Sancta clicked her tongue, “I wish I could see these things. Else I could lend my support from afar.”

“You are valuable enough as a healer,” Dreiki said as the Tadios dropped Corvio at her feet.

“We’ll hold them off. Just make sure he don’t die.” Tadios said as a flame ignited between his horns.

Arik punched her palm, glowing tattoos drawing across her arms and back, “For once I get to go all out. Just wish it was under better circumstances.”

“There ain’t no better reason, Arika.” Tadios said, a tremble of anger in his voice.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“You’re right about that.”

Dreiki watched in awe as the two of them engaged the enemy. The Oskuutor were no match for them. Between magic and blade they tore through the beasts in a matter of seconds. They reformed if only to be crushed and burned again.

It didn’t feel right. Dreiki had seen how fast these things could be. He had seen how brutal and dangerous they were. Even if Tadios and Arik were strong, they should not have been able to so easily destroy them.

But why were the Malaki allowing themselves to be defeated here? Was it to gain a resistance to their magic?

A familiar feeling washed over Dreiki. The cold burning gaze of a predator burrowing into him from behind. He turned to see a Malaki erupt into a roaring blaze.

Recuso!

The Oskuutor vomited a plume of fire over him, Sancta, and Corvio. Dreiki formed a wedge with his fingers and pulled them apart to separate the flames.

His mind was racing. This Malaki had shown up from behind them. It was the very same one they had burned to ashes. The Oskuutor did not just become resistant to their magic. They stole the ability to use it too. That was why the Oskuutor were allowing themselves to be destroyed by magic.

“Arik! Tadios! Kill them only with your spears! They can steal your magic!” he shouted, putting himself between Sancta and the stalking Oskuutor.

“Are you alright?” Dreiki asked, deactivating Recuso.

“Don’t worry about me,” Sancta said, clutching a burn wound on her arm to heal it, “Savage, can you fight?”

Corvio curled up with a whimper, “I can’t!”

“You have to!”

The Oskuutor cackled stalking forward. Dreiki jabbed into it with his spear, but it ignored him. He jabbed again and again, and yet it did not so much as look his way, instead grinning over Sancta and Corvio as it continued to cackle.

“Sancta, get away! Tadios! Arik!” Dreiki growled. Why? Why wasn’t it focusing on him? Was he that weak? No, it could have killed him if it wanted to, so why did it not attack him?

Its body blazed hotter, the faces across its neck shifting and contorting in agonized expressions. As if the souls trapped within still felt the pain of the flames. A discordant omnipresent chorus of laughter rumbled from its emaciated throat.

“The laughs! The laughs! It’s in my head! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Corvio cried out.

“On my name as heiress of the Xirxus clan you will not fall here, savage! So save your fear for tomorrow, get up, and fight!” Sancta shouted as she pulled him away, “You want to save them? Then fight!”

The Oskuutor had no trouble following them, pacing ever closer as Dreiki’s feet slid through the snow in an attempt to slow it down.

Its throat bulged out like a frog’s, a glowing white light illuminating the forest as it prepared another incinerating blast.

Just as it opened its jaw, however, Arik arrived to kick its head off target. A beam of white flame crashed through the forest, licking the stone-like bark of the Ingen trees until they were glowing red with heat. “Cover your ears and get out of the way!” She shouted.

Dreiki dove, clutching his ears as he felt a wave of air punch body as a seismic shout sent the Oskuutor flying. Even though he had covered his ears, they were still ringing. He staggered up, tossing his spear to Arik, “We need to run.”

Arik caught it, nodding, “The path forward is clear. Get Corvio and let’s go.”

Dreiki looked back at the Oskuutor as they ran. He watched as its body regenerated, its teeth falling from its mouth to be replaced with a fresh row. The branches and snow started to sweep and swirl around it. It truly was the monsters they created which were the most dangerous.