Amaro stepped towards the crowd of monsters, Quinrai humming with its resonant power. Anitus brushed the steaming black blood from his shoulders. Even as they had carved a hole in the Oskuutor’s line, it was already starting to close.
“Everyone! Form a wedge and head for the opening!” Deka shouted. A wall of earth erected behind them as a blast of fire crashed into it. The Malaki had them surrounded on all sides, and they were not going to allow them to escape so easily.
Kaara slammed the ground with her halberd, a ring of snow transmuting to water which crashed into the Oskuutors before refreezing.
If they could not kill them, then disabling their ability to kill was the next best thing. Kaara was a genius. She had targeted the claws and teeth of the monsters without allowing them to properly absorb her magic. Amaro only wished his magic was so versatile.
Still, he had his own part to play. “Anyone who has binding spells, use them on the monsters instead! The more we try to harm them with our magic the stronger they get!”
“They are already well aware of that much.” Deka said, “But even binding them allows them to absorb magic.”
Amaro’s heart dropped, “What?”
Kaara landed next to them, letting out a cold fog of air from her mouth, “They absorb it slower, though. We don’t need to keep them bound for long, just long enough to get away.”
The other xiozians pushed a wedge between the metal walls Tulos had made. Even the mangled bodies of the Oskuutor caught in their Raktus Cannon attack still tried to lash out at them.
“One thing we’ve learned, however, is that they cannot absorb metal magic.” Vilka said.
“Indeed,“ Deka said, “There may be some credence to the story you shared with me, Kaara. Have you managed to make a bell?”
“We have, but it hasn’t worked. At least not fully. There is something missing.” she said, “I remember something about the old story. Maybe it requires more than just ringing it with Ux. Maybe it’s like some sort of spell where we need to have meaning behind it?”
Amaro dashed through the opening, cutting any dangerous limbs on his way to ensure those who came after could safely get through, “If that’s the case, then what sort of meaning could we even put behind ringing a bell? ‘Please die, you vile creatures’?”
The Malaki behind them closed in, but a massive trench opened up in front of them. “Stay where you are, fuckin’ bastards.” Rorik growled, backpedaling and rejoining their group, “Kaara is onto something. Many Malaki are only killed through some sort of meaningful tactic or ritual. Bells and metal magic are components of their weakness, but it’s not the full picture.”
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Amaro looked back, watching as the Oskuutor each turned invisible in their pursuit. Why had they been visible in the first place? At first, Amaro assumed it was because they had absorbed enough magic they no longer felt the need to hide, but that was not quite right.
“Up ahead! They’re cutting us off!” Rixam shouted back at them.
FWOOOOMMMM!!!
A beam of hot fire cleaved through the night’s darkness in front of them. Standing in its wake, was Gaor, “That’s my limit. Keep running.” He said as the flames dissipated around him. The charred flickering forms of the Malaki he’d consumed in his fire now writhing as they attempted to collect themselves. Gaor had lost nearly all of his muscle to the point he almost looked like a skeleton, “I will… stay here.”
Nihilik popped out of the snow and grabbed him by his collar, “Quit trying to be a hero, dumbass! You can still run!”
“Leave me. It’s hopeless. I’ll likely die on my own anyways. I pushed it too far.”
Kaara helped him move forward too, “That’s just your injured soul talking. All you need is some rest, and food.”
“I’ll only slow you down as I am now. I hardly made a dent at my best.”
“You’re a lot easier to carry, that’s for sure!” she said, “You did awesome! I’m not gonna let you die here!”
“Whatever that technique was,” Amaro said, “It helped all of us escape. You deserve to live if anything else, friend.”
“Thanks.” Gaor said weakly.
“Damn fool.” Deka muttered next to Amaro as they ran through the charred ground Gaor had made for them, “Although, even the Oskuutor may be subject to the ravenous self destructive magic of Edax armor if they absorb it. One can only hope we’re so lucky.”
Amaro looked back at the flickering forms of the Oskuutor. What interrupted their invisibility? Was it Ux? Powerful magic? Why could they not absorb metal magic? What made it different from the other elements?
For that matter, Amaro did not know if Life magic could be absorbed or manipulated either. The only one their age who possessed that element was Sancta. He searched their group, but still found nothing. “Deka, was Sancta ever with you? Is she alright?”
Deka shook his head, “I’ve not encountered her, no. We cannot keep running forever. Those Oskuutor are capable of moving faster than most of us. They’re only keeping up to run us ragged and wait for a chance to corner us while we’re exhausted.”
A powerful gust of wind blew into them. It pierced its cold straight through Amaro’s clothes. Between the wind, the snow, and the Oskuutor’s pursuit, they would inevitably have to stop running.”
“Bloody things are running us down like rabbits,” Anitus said, “What do we do? The morning is still not even half over!”
“It would be a good idea to find everyone. Just so we know how many are left standing.” Deka said, “The moment we hit a third of our numbers, the adults will come to rescue us, but the Oskuutor seem to know that. I think they want to keep us as spread out as possible, and exhaust us until they find their moment to strike.”
A thought jumped into Amaro’s head, “They’re not just doing that. They’re also intentionally absorbing our magic. Like they’re trying to prepare for when the adults join the fight.”