The monster could have rushed at us, sprang out from the darkness in an instant - but it didn’t. As if it wanted to show itself off, as if it were playing a game, it crept out from beyond the shadow of the trees slowly, eyes cold and yellow, focused on us.
For a moment I thought it was a group of monsters, more and more faintly luminescent eyes coming into view, each one piercing. But they all belonged to the same creature.
The image resolved. It was a sphere of too-large eyes, larger than a human skull, unblinking yellow irises - with no whites, only tiny black slits in the center of each - that peered in every direction except straight down, where a thin strip of flesh connected the sphere to the monster’s body. The light, at the speed of a crawl, revealing more and more of the body, revealed then, below the eyes, the torso of a man. Coming from the torso like arms were what looked like two enormous leeches, appendages like arms but that acted clearly as throats and mouths, the teeth razor sharp and uniform around the edge of the circular maw.
Below, the torso transitioned into something black - so black that the moonlight seemed not to reflect it, like a black hole. It’s shape was transient, and could only be guessed by the lack of light, forming a fuzzy outline that constantly changed. Sometimes it looked like the body of a panther - other times, I could see the slime and form of a massive slug - still others, the eight legs of a gigantic spider. It made no noise as it moved, but seemed to warp the air around it.
Even it’s upper half, more visible, did not fully retain its form over time. Later, stealing desperate glances at it, I wouldn’t see the arm-leeches - instead, a gaping hole of teeth in the center of the torso opening like an unhinged jaw. The only constant was the sphere of eyes, unchanging, watching.
I gulped, and for a long time after the creature came as fully into view as it was going to get, we just stared, it staring back. The little slits inside each eye could move, the individual eyes able to turn and focus on different objects, and so there were then a dozen eyes peering at me, a dozen each peering at Cadoc and Amaia.
Whatever confidence I had gained defeating the Kalamuzi had fled. In it’s place was only fear. It is miraculous that I didn’t piss myself - a further miracle that I didn’t lay down in defeat, or run my drows through my own chest, or drown myself in the river in an attempt to save myself from whatever horrific death this monster’s frightening appearance promised.
Cadoc, however, acted as if he were unphased, and whether that was act, extreme bravado - or whether his brain was somehow incapable of fear, I did not know. But he raised his sword, pointing it at the monster, and spoke.
“Prepare to die, fiend,” he said. “The world will soon be rid of you, and your power will be mine.”
In response, the monster let out another of those short cries, and I winced at the sound which, so close, crashed into me as if physically, and shook my heart in my chest and my brain in my skull.
Cadoc winced as well, and was clearly shaken for a moment - but the next moment, he was charging.
There was nothing for it. Nowhere to go. The monster blocked our path into the forest - where perhaps more of its kind dwelled in the night - and our backs were to the river.
Amaia charged as well, and I held back my own attack out of fear of burning the two of them. But I couldn’t do nothing. I let the nails start falling, forming a ball with my hands such that the nails were caught, collecting between my palms. When the opportunity arose, I would be ready.
Cadoc swung at the monster, his blade tracing a violent arc - but one of the arms batted the attack away, throwing his sword from his hand, the monster’s other arm knocking him over.
Amaia was in just after, and thrust her sword towards the monster’s disturbingly human torso. It seemed to work, at first, as the blade sunk into the flesh - but there was no wound, no blood, and what appeared to be the cut made by the blade widened, revealing the open mouth within. This new mouth bit down on Amaia’s golden blade, snapping it like a dead branch underfoot, and then swallowed it in one motion. Meanwhile one of the arms returned, and it swiftly struck at Amaia, attaching itself like a leech to her left arm.
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“Amaia!” I yelled. I had a decent shot, so I took it. I needed to get the thing off of her. A distant memory flashed for a moment - the best way to remove leeches is by burning them.
I threw my handful of nails, aiming for the sphere of eyes. The nails were still loose, only melting as they left my hand - if I had melted them in between my palms, I would have burned myself badly. The nails - and then drops - scattered in the air. Some landed on the sphere, others on the torso, still a few more on the arm that held Amaia - but, luckily, I had aimed high enough, and all soared over her harmlessly.
I ignited them immediately. The night flared as small fires shot out from the spots newly running along the monster’s body - so bright in the darkness that I thought it might blind me.
The monster let out another of those cries, but this was longer than the others, like wailing. But it released Amaia, recoiling.
But even as it recoiled, I could see the eyes, blackened by fire, start to restitch themselves, and the burns on its torso start to fade. It looked as if it would be fully healed in a matter of seconds.
It was clear then, if it wasn’t clear before, that we had no chance against this thing. My fire had stunned it momentarily, but that was all. Maybe we could just manage to kill it if we gave it everything we had - but if we did, I had no doubt that not all of us would survive.
I ran to Amaia where she lay on the floor. My eyes went immediately to her wound - which was a perfect circle of bleeding holes. It didn’t look fatal, at least. I grabbed at her, tried to pull her up. “Amaia, get up! We’ve got to get out of here.”
Luckily she still had the strength - I had been vaguely afraid that the arm had somehow drained her already, left her a lifeless husk. But she was able to stand, was only dazed.
“We have to run,” I said. She nodded.
I turned to Cadoc where he too was rising from the ground. His sword had landed near him, and he grabbed it, clearly planning to have another try at attacking the monster.
“Cadoc!” I yelled. “We’re running! We can’t beat this thing!”
I didn’t start running immediately. I wanted to see Cadoc turn to follow - I was afraid that if I didn’t make sure of that, then he would stay behind.
My instinct was right. “We can defeat any enemy!” Cadoc shouted in reply. “Think of the power I will get from this monster! We cannot run. I will not. Let us stand and fight, like heroes!”
“Amaia is injured,” I yelled back. “We have to get going, need to dress her wound or something.” A thought came to my head. A way for Cadoc to save face, maybe. Or a way to prod him into following us.
“We’re leaving now,” I shouted, all-too aware that the monster’s wounds were already nearly healed over. Its eyes - those that still worked - were focused on itself, as if it sped up its healing with its gaze - perhaps it did. “Follow us if you want to help your friends, help save their lives. Stay if your glorious death is more important than noble deeds. Stay if you’d rather die that face your fear of running away.”
Then I turned, and ran. Amaia had fully regained her balance, and after a moment of hesitation, joined me. We sprinted away as quickly as we could, southwards, upriver, and I prayed that we were faster than the monster, or that it would think we were too much trouble and go after an easier meal.
After a few quick strides I peered over my shoulder, expecting the worst. But there was Cadoc, galloping after us, already nearly caught up.
“Of course I would never abandon a companion!” he shouted as he ran. “Do not even think it! We will tend to Amaia’s wound, and then we may return to defeat this beast at our leisure!”
I had absolutely no plans to do anything of the sort, but I was happy my slightly-manipulative words had done the trick.
But, as I was turned, I saw the monster begin to move. It raced silently towards us, silent except for another one of those cries that made my skin crawl and my bones ache. Immediately it was clear that it had not given up, and then it was clear that it was faster than us.
Cursing my stupidity, cursing Tom, cursing everything I could think of, I slowed a little, letting Cadoc catch up. “Keep running!” I yelled. “I have an idea.”
As Cadoc passed, I resumed my speed, all of us sprinting in near unison, but now with me in the rear.
I let my hands fall to my sides - which felt very unnatural while running - and flooded mana into my fingertips. The nails began to fall, leaving a trail of them behind me.
As the creature passed over them - all too quickly - I ignited the trail. I could not see the burns on that amorphous lower body, but the monster’s wailing told me it had done damage.
“Perfect,” I said. “Burn, fucker. Leave us alone, or burn.”
I continued to leave nails behind me. The monster did not wait to heal itself this time. Instead, it charged forward, redoubling its pace. “Stupid idiot never learns,” I muttered, and ignited the nails again.
This time the monster was prepared. It jumped and dodged around where the nails lay on the hard clay, and suddenly my genius plan was worthless. It was gaining on us again.
I was running out of ideas, out of time, out of options. Am I really going to die here? I thought to myself. Because of Naomi? Not only is she going to get away with leaving us - she’ll never even know we died. I can’t even have the petty revenge of making her feel guilty.
Part of me, despite my rage, was happy she wasn’t with us at that moment. There was no reason we all should die. Let her live. Let her go home, to her family. I hope she’s happy.
The rest of me burned at this, but I felt my fire faltering as I resigned myself to death.
No.
I remembered something that Amaia had said - that Naomi had said, in fact. I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted to Cadoc and Amaia. “Into the river!” I yelled. “Jump into the river!”
“What are you thinking?” Amaia said back - barely a yell at all, but I heard it.
“Just do it!” I shouted back. “And swim away from the shore. Unless you’ve got a better idea!”
No answer. Then Cadoc’s voice. “I trust you, friend!” And though I could barely see him ahead of me, I heard a splash off to the side.
I kept running, waiting for another splash. When it came, I turned and jumped.
The water was warm, and the river was deep. I sank below the water like a stone, and I stayed there for what felt like ages before rising to the surface. But as I rose, I swam, away from the river’s bank.
When my head came back above the water, I half expected some yet-unseen projectile to be launched from the monster, impaling me. Or, even worse, the monster swimming after us.
Instead, I saw it’s shadowy form the bank of the Blood, and heard its frustrated cry.
As I saw two more heads come up from the water beside me, I laughed. I pointed and laughed at the monster like it was a crying kid, and I was a school bully.