The game was brutal. Derek figured they might lose, but it was embarrassing how much Elmwood High got squashed tonight.

Derek sighed as he gathered his stuff. Last game of the season, last game of his senior year. He tried not to think of it as some ominous sign with a looming apocalypse on the horizon. Either way, that loss hurt.

Derek kept checking his phone, but so far, nothing came in the group text. They were hunting for gargoyles. If he timed it right, he’d probably get to Elmwood in another hour and help them.

Who was he kidding? The battle would already be over by the time he got there. He didn’t like this change of other people fighting battles without him there. Hated it on Sunday when he went on his date with Emma, hated it now. He had Saturday to look forward to, though. He was coming to terms with not being there all the time, but it was hard.

“Dude, that hurt,” Jeff said.

“Honestly, some of those football players needed to be humbled,” Bailey said.

“Harsh lesson, that’s for sure,” Eric said.

“Derek!”

He turned on instinct, mostly because the person saying his name was female. His eyes widened ever so slightly when he saw Annie, of all people, running toward him.

Be calm. She’s human.

He waved. “Hey, Annie!”

Despite the game ending twenty minutes ago, she was already dressed in some sweatpants and a t-shirt. She ran up to him, smiling.

“I’ll be there Monday morning to ask you more questions about mana and what not, but I was wondering. Do you have a date for the winter ball next month?”

Be still, my heart.

“Nope.”

“Great. I just…” A flickering smile appeared on her face. “It’s my senior year, and I want to go to all the dances, but it’s difficult when your boyfriend breaks up with you over the summer.”

“Ah, that makes things difficult. I’ve recently broken up with a girlfriend.” Derek stuck out his thumb and pinky finger, bouncing between him and Annie. “Shall we take on the winter ball as dates, then?”

“I’d love to. As friends? Are you okay with friends?” Annie asked.

“It would be an absolute honor to be your friend.”

Her face lit up with a smile. “Alright. We’ll plan more details on Monday when we talk more about Eldritch Knight. See you later, Derek.”

Derek smiled and waved, watching Annie running toward the cheerleader bus before slowly turning around, seeing Eric, Baily, and Jeff there.

“Duuuude,” Eric and Jeff both said.

Baily rolled her eyes.

Derek was walking on air. “I knew senior year was going to be great.”

“Just as friends,” Baily said.

“Yep. Because she’s human.” Derek knew that would confuse everyone, but Derek didn’t care. It would be fun getting to know a cheerleader.

***

Alejandra had her arms folded as they drove to the darkened high school. She was worried about cameras and other things. There were a fair amount of cars parked in the parking lot, since a lot of the football players and cheerleaders would come back on buses.

“There.” It was the first thing Alejandra said since suggesting the gargoyles. She’d been pretty angry at Rafael, and part of her felt bad about screaming at him. But she also didn’t feel like she’d lied. She could put their argument on hold while they battled, though. Sylvar needed to level up.

Rafael pulled into the parking lot and Alejandra kept her eye on the gargoyles, holding as still as statues. Alejandra got out as Tyler pulled his car next to them. Alejandra pointed.

“Do you see them?” Alejandra asked.

Rafael stared. “Yeah. They’re there, but… they’re not moving.”

“I don’t think they will until a battle is instigated,” Alejandra said.

Tyler walked over to them, the six characters behind them. “Yeah, Elmwood High did not have gargoyles when I was attending. Their defense mechanism is to stay as still as possible.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Milo was whittling his cannon. “Give me a second and I can shoot it.”

Alejandra glanced at him, then folded her arms, letting the silence descend over them. It was an uncomfortable silence. One she felt obligated to acknowledge, but also didn’t want to.

Milo lifted the cannon, aiming at a gargoyle. An explosion of white energy burst out of his cannon, sailing high over the roof of the high school and missing the gargoyles completely. Everyone glanced at Milo, who watched the mana energy until it disappeared into the night sky before meeting everyone’s gaze.

“I mean… try. I’d try to shoot it.”

Grizzizzik rolled his eyes and opened his mouth, but a rumbling cut his snarky remark off. Alejandra frowned. There were streetlamps around the school, and a few in the parking lot. They tried to see what the rumbling was about, but she had a bad feeling it was something under them.

The enormous pile of dirt Alejandra assumed was a construction project moved. It was on the other side of the parking lot, but the mound stood up. Alejandra’s jaw dropped. Huge legs formed from the mound, with broad shoulders that almost made it look like a mini mountain. A face formed in the dirt, with coals appearing for eyes. Alejandra was transfixed when she felt a hand on her arm. She turned and saw Tyler, who also grabbed Rafael, and pulled them behind the characters. Concern was written on his face as he stared up at the mound of earth.

“Does Hraktar have a magical weapon?” Tyler asked. Alejandra searched through her list, then shook her head. “Shit.”

Alejandra felt sick to her stomach. They were there in Calawit’s tent. They could have exchanged something. But she was too busy being angry to think of it.

Roll for initiative.

Alejandra winced, taking the d20 hanging in the air. She hated going up against creatures that needed a magical weapon to fight. Hraktar didn’t have a magical bone in his body.

Eight. Not fantastic. But she didn’t know what Hraktar would do this fight. They needed to consider what they should do with Hraktar’s great sword.

Ezekiel started chanting, which is what made her realize time had resumed. Tyler again grabbed them and pulled them even farther from the battle.

“Tyler?”

“Humor me, please.” Tyler kept his eyes on the huge mound of dirt.

A streak of light lit up the sky before slamming into a gargoyle. The blast of radiant light hit a gargoyle and a chunk of its body fell off. Ezekiel did incredible damage in one go, and Alejandra tried to take heart in that.

Sylvar moved forward, chanting something toward the humanoid earth mound, holding his staff. It was the druid and the mound, which Alejandra thought was incredibly stupid. That earth elemental had to be at least level four, and Sylvar was level two. There was no glow to his staff, but dark clouds gathered all the same. Electricity filled the air, and Alejandra felt her hair rise.

Lightning slammed down on the earth elemental, a small chunk of his shoulder falling away as he was pushed back. Sylvar backed away, gasping for air. Clarissa placed a hand on his shoulder, making sure he was behind her.

The earth elemental moved forward. It didn’t walk, more like the legs feeding into the earth glided forward on the concrete sidewalk. It lifted two large hands shaped like clubs. Alejandra’s stomach dropped. One arm slammed down on Grizzizzik, smacking his chest as he shouted in pain. His hit points dropped to fifteen. The other arm came down hard on Milo, who let out a scream as he hit the ground. His hit points dropped to twenty-five, which wasn’t nearly as bad, but the mana fusor panted with pain. He still lifted his cannon, a ball of white energy slamming into the earth elemental’s chest, throwing it back another five feet as more dirt shook off its shoulders.

Milo didn’t have long to celebrate his victory, though. A gargoyle landed in front of him, clawing at his arm. Thankfully, it wasn’t much, four points of damage total, but Milo still looked annoyed. A dim light outlined the gargoyle, and Alejandra realized it was the same gargoyle Ezekiel hit.

Grizzizzik started muttering something. Alejandra felt the hairs on her neck stand on end. There was something off about Grizzizzik’s muttering, and slivers of black fog appeared around him. That had never happened before. Did Grizzizzik learn a new spell?

A black sliver of fog slammed into the earth elemental, who grunted. Its coal eyes blinked, trying to orient itself. Grizzizzik had done that spell before. It was just different this time.

A gargoyle appeared in front of Clarissa, its stone fangs digging into her arm. She let out a gasp, then screamed as the claws dug into her stomach.

“Clarissa!” Sylvar said.

“Stay back, Sylvar,” Clarissa said, panting. “You’re not strong enough.”

Alejandra felt helpless as time stood still and all her options came before her. All her options, meaning nothing. None of Hraktar’s weapons were magical. She felt useless.

Make an investigation check.

Hraktar had chosen for her. He would use his tactical mind to figure out the battlefield.

She rolled the d20 plus the d8 for the bonus. Sixteen total. Not bad.

As though she was getting the information placed in her mind, she knew what Hraktar wanted to do. Hraktar had forty-seven hit points. If anything, he needed to place himself in front of Sylvar to protect him. Sylvar could actually do something, and Hraktar could protect him while he did it. There was another gargoyle studying the battle, ready to attack, and since Sylvar made himself a target by hitting the earth elemental, it would go for him.

Time resumed, and Hraktar moved over to Sylvar, standing near him, ready to protect the druid prince from that final gargoyle. Alejandra hated that this was it, but at least it was something.

The final gargoyle headed for Sylvar, but Hraktar made himself the bigger target. The fighter braced himself, and both the claws and the bite came down hard. Hraktar grunted, using the momentum of the fight to turn the gargoyle away from Sylvar as his hit points dropped to thirty-four. It was a lot better than having Sylvar getting hit.

Tyler closed his eyes, nodding. “Thanks, Alejandra.”

She nodded in return as the gargoyle let go, snarling at Hraktar. The fighter snarled back to make the creature fixed on him instead of the druid prince.

Clarissa pulled a leaf out of her pouch, whispering something in elvish as it extended, becoming sharper. She slammed the blade into the gargoyle who attacked her, and it shrieked as its shoulders blackened with the flame.

A bear roared, and Alejandra relaxed as nine extra hit points appeared. No doubt it would help Sylvar immensely.

Ezekiel muttered a spell, closing his eyes as a light appeared, forming into a shape of a book before he shot it toward the gargoyle attacking Clarissa. It shrieked, more stones tumbling away.

Tyler’s shoulders slumped. “Ah, shit.”

“What?” Rafael asked.

“This is… probably going to scare him,” Tyler said, glancing at Sylvar.