I can’t dodge. I can’t flee. I can feel the predator’s mind sweeping around the clearing, picking out all the delicious souls waiting here for its arrival—and noticing me.
Hate thrums through our bond.
Mana Stowage! I cry.
Everyone acts at once. Rezira crashes into Saru as her bow twangs—the arrow goes high, puncturing a hole through the predator’s ink instead of my glass. The predator screams, its unearthly cries resonating aloud as well as in my head. Tetara rushes forward, and I catch Attiru moving as well, but then Zyneth ducks down to avoid a whip of void as the predator convulses in pain, and my vision is blocked.
As all this is happening, my spell activates.
The spell circle illuminates with the black glow of my magic, then shrinks to envelop Noli like a bubble, contracting until it surrounds her soul. The same spell that Trenevalt used to trap our souls Between—the same spell that started all this. Hopefully, it’s what will keep Noli alive while I try to transplant her soul back into her body. Because the dangerous part comes next.
But even as my spell takes hold, I feel a surge of power flood through the predator—and away from me. With a final rush of glee, the predator leaps from Between, the crack in the world snaps shut, and the void spills out into reality.
Zyneth grabs me with one hand and Noli with the other, diving to the side as the predator crashes to the ground. Its impact destroys the circle Noli had been in—but I only needed that one for Mana Stowage, so its purpose is complete. It’s dangerously close to Noli’s body, however. If it destroys that circle, it will all be over before it’s begun. This is all happening too fast. It should have taken longer for it to pull itself into reality—we should have had more time!
The predator rises up to its full height, its smoky shadows swirling at least seven feet in the air, tendrils of ink unfurling as it surveys its surroundings. It’s bigger than before, I’m sure of it. Triumph spills from its mind as it decides which soul to devour first.
Echo, what’s happening? I ask, panicked. Why is it stronger? What was that thing I felt right before it emerged?
[The predator is utilizing your unused mana as a power source, both to retain its hold on reality, and to boost its powers while here,] Echo says.
My mind races. That can’t be right. I had just used Mana Stowage—that should have taken up all my mana. Check!
[Mana: 0/50]
[Mana: 1/50]
[Mana: 0/50]
Shit! It’s absorbing all the mana Zyneth is giving me. At this rate, it’s just going to drain everything from the both of us, getting stronger and stronger, while I’m unable to do the spells needed to save Noli. What do we do?
Before I have a chance to get his attention, Zyneth leaps to his feet and stumbles back as a spear of black crashes into the ground where we’d just been. The predator rumbles with irritation at missing its prey, but equally delights in the fact that we’re fleeing before it. It has unfinished business with me, and it wants the chase.
But I’m shaken. Had I been that distracted that I hadn’t noticed it targeting me? Or had it hid its intention, knowing I can feel its thoughts?
I don’t know which option is worse, but I do know what we have to do next.
The predator comes for us again, zagging through the air like a black bolt of lightning. Zyneth grits his teeth, dodging the attacks. I don’t know if he’s holding back from using his lightning paralysis attack because he’s worried he’ll hit us, but I do know he can’t afford to waste a single point of mana at this point.
“Warn them,” I quickly sign to Noli. It makes perfect sense, really. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it before. If the predator feeds off my spells, if spending enough mana brings it into reality in the first place, then the same thing will keep it here. “Predator taking my magic. Making it stronger. Others need to distract it. Quick!”
On the bright side, it doesn’t even seem to register Noli’s body—probably because there’s no soul in it. But we can’t let it damage the circle by accident. If we’re going to get Noli back into her body, then Rezira and Attiru are going to need to lure it away and distract it enough so it’ll stop absorbing my mana.
All while not getting killed by the predator or our uninvited guests.
“Okay,” Noli signs. “But I don’t think Rezira is in any position to translate right now!”
The battle is in full swing. Rezira is grappling with Tetara, the orcs locked in hand-to-hand combat, but Rezira is giving ground. Despite her intimidating frame, she’s a healer, not a fighter, and that difference in expertise is starting to show. Meanwhile, Attiru is trying to hold Saru at bay. The human’s bow is on the ground, snapped in half, but she’s drawn a dagger to replace it. Attiru is backing off, thorn blades raised, though they seem hesitant to engage.
The predator is not.
I feel a flicker of its intent right before it leaps, its attention locking on Noli and I. Noli, because she’s an easy target. Me, because, well, it’s just really pissed about me escaping its control last time.
Zyneth ducks and rolls, and the predator tries to pivot as well, digging its claws into the earth as it slides to a stop in the midst of the others. The fighting breaks apart with startled cries as Saru, Rezira, and Attiru scatter. But Tetara holds her ground, the glow of her Enraged power flickering across her skin as she bellows with anger. Snatching up her ax, she throws the weapon into the void. It connects with such force that the ground splits beneath the weapon’s head, sending a shockwave across the ground, and the predator splattering to every side like a squashed bug. It’s far from defeated, however. Hatred and defiance burn through my mind as it coalesces and rears up, turning its focus on Tetara.
Well, that’s one way to make it distracted.
“No!” Saru cries, backing away even as Tetara dashes forward to re-engage. “We can’t fight it directly. We have to go for its heart!”
Rezira races back over to us, eyes on Noli. “What happened? Are you alright? Why isn’t Kanin doing the spells?”
Noli hurriedly translates for me, and Zyneth frowns, the light in his hands snuffing out. “If that’s true, I may not have enough magic for this.”
I Check my mana: 3/50 and holding. It’s either waiting for me to accumulate more, or it’s not paying attention.
“Give me all at once,” I tell Zyneth, Rezira translating for me. “Faster, so predator can’t use it.”
“I don’t know if I can,” Zyneth admits.
“You’ll have to try,” Rezira says. “In the meantime, I’ll keep it distracted and make sure the fight stays away from Noli’s body. Do what you have to do.” Before any of us can reply, she charges back toward the predator.
“Might as well try it now,” Zyneth says, glancing down at me. “Even if it powers that thing up; we’ll have to do it sooner or later.”
And it’s less likely to remember to absorb my mana now that it’s focused on Tetara. Alright. I tap his hand in acknowledgement, then look at Noli.
“I’m ready,” she signs.
I tap on Zyneth’s arm, hoping he understands: He does.
Light bursts to life in his hands, crackling with electricity, zapping along each of Noli’s metal joints. I feel a surge of magic bloom into me.
[Mana: 30/50]
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[Mana: 40/50]
Even though it’s rushing into me ten times as fast as before, every second feels like it’s crawling by. The predator could notice at any moment, pull it all away, and then it’ll be twice as powerful while we lose every inch of ground we’ve made.
It hits 50/50, then the bonus mana appears.
[Bonus Mana: 5]
[Bonus Mana: 10]
[Bonus Mana: 15]
I’ll need for it to get up to 45 before I can activate my next spell. The worst part is knowing there’s nothing I can do. I tense, waiting and watching as the numbers climb higher, anxiety gutting me further with every point the mana increases. Please don’t let the predator notice. Please don’t notice. Please don’t notice.
[Bonus Mana: 35]
[Bonus Mana: 40]
My soul lurches with anticipation and fear and desperation. And finally, maybe because I was feeling everything too loudly, the predator notices. Its mind turns toward me.
[Bonus Mana: 45]
Sever Bond!
My mana evaporates like a breath of stolen air. Did the spell take? Did the predator absorb it? For one horrifying moment, I have no idea. Then, the lines around Noli’s soul dissolve, the tether keeping her mind to that little toy body vanishing before my eyes. The copper octopus goes limp, crumpling lifelessly in Zyneth’s hands, and suddenly the only thing holding Noli’s soul in the realm of living is the tenuous black bubble of my Mana Stowage spell.
The Predator roars with frustration, pulling away more of Zyneth’s mana as it continues to funnel into me. I hurried tap at Zyneth’s hand to get him to stop, but by then the predator’s already absorbed another 20, 30 40 of his mana.
Swelling with power, it unfurls dozens of tendrils of ink, stabbing them all my way. Tetara jumps in its path, swinging her ax through the black tentacles as a wave of orange magic amplifies her attack and severs most of its limbs. But several still make it through, cutting across her leather armor and stabbing through a shoulder. She screams in anger, and Saru cries out in desperate fear with her.
Zyneth hesitates, taking a step in their direction. I know he wants to help—they don’t deserve this—but if he uses up too much of his magic, Noli might be doomed.
Then Rezira joins the fight, grabbing Tetara and wrenching her away from the predator. She clasps a hand over Tetara’s shoulder, blue light bleeding between her fingers. Tetara smacks Rezira away with a snarl, her Enraged magic still flooding beneath her skin, and she flings herself at the predator once more, her ax and magic and vicious blur.
I stab a piece of glass into Zyneth’s hand and he jerks, looking down at me.
We have to move—fast! I need to re-tether Noli before anything happens to her body, or the circle is destroyed, or we’re attacked, and my hold on the Mana Stowage spell slips. The sooner we can save Noli, the sooner we can help the others.
Zyneth takes the hint. He rushes over to the circle containing Noli’s body. The predator’s back is to us, Rezira and the others fighting on its other side. Hopefully that will be enough of a distraction. As we pass by the first destroyed spell circle, I recall the Attuned void I’d set there as part of the circle. I’ll need to repurpose it for the second circle, so I envision it tracing the lines drawn in the dirt, filling in all the gaps.
The predator snaps around me the moment my Attuned void starts to move. A thrill of shock passes between us, an undercurrent of something almost like fear. But it’s just as quickly replaced by rage, and the predator spins away from Tetara, bolting after me instead.
Zyneth pivots, trying to change course, but the predator is much larger now—much faster. A whip of black strikes him in the side, and the world spins. I clamp down on Noli’s soul, holding it with all my might as we crash into the dirt, flipping end over end. Zyneth nimbly springs back to his feet even before we’ve stopped rolling, but the predator is still coming for us, shadows splitting into ten different spears to crash toward us from every different direction. Zyneth can’t dodge them all. He twists me away, exposing himself to the brunt of the attack—
No!
I summon everything I’ve got. My Attuned glass, the pieces of broken homunculus, the spell book, the maps—everything. They appear in front of Zyneth, and I feel the predator’s surprise. Its limbs swat the items aside, smacking the dead weight and half my Attuned glass out of reach. But it’s enough to buy Zyneth some time, and he jerks away, dodging the void attacks.
“Damn,” he growls, teeth bared.
Something curls over my vision, and I try to brush it away, but it only smears over my glass: blood. Zyneth’s blood.
He drops Noli’s empty shell to grab a spike of black sticking out of his arm. I can feel his fingers trembling, and he grasps me tighter, as if he’s worried he’s about to drop me. Rezira! Where’s Rezira, we need a healer.
But the predator doesn’t relent.
Zyneth goes stumbling back, not nearly as agile as before. I bristle all my glass before us, slicing at the next ribbon of ink that snakes too close.
[1 point of Slashing damage dealt.]
So it can take damage. I Check its stats.
[Name: N/A]
[Species: N/A]
[Class: N/A]
[Level: N/A]
[HP: DIV/0]
[Mana: DIV/0]
Great. How illuminating.
But right now, I’m willing to throw everything at the wall to see what sticks.
Sever Bond with the predator!
[Insufficient Mana.]
Mana Check!
[Mana required to sever bond: DIV/0]
What does that even mean?!
No time. The predator strikes again and I try to deflect the blow as Zyneth jumps back and to the side. He’s circling around—back toward Noli. It might work, if we can survive the retreat. The predator lashes out again, and once more I move to deflect, only catching the shift in its attention, the mental sneer, at the last moment.
Noli!
The void jags to the side, around my meager barrier of glass, and engulfs her soul. It wraps around the Stowage spell, and squeezes. I can feel my magic threatening to crumble.
Panicked, I yank back with all my might. With every ounce of my will, every drop of mana I have to spare, I throw myself into the thought—the need—to save her.
A ball of black collides with the predator. Shadows grapple with shadows, wrestling for Noli’s soul. The two pools of darkness merge, and for a moment every thought and feeling of the predator’s is amplified. A tremor of surprise and uncertainty echoes from its mind as my Attuned void rejoins the rest. We’re connected—not just through the tether in my soul, but through a shared source of magic. It can reach my mind, but I can also reach its.
The moment of surprise evaporates as the predator surges forward, reaching for my consciousness. I can feel its intent. I know it’s planning to overwhelm me again, like it did before.
And it reads my thoughts at the same time—that I knew it would try this. That I’d counted on it being distracted.
With its focus diverted, I rip my Attuned void from its grasp, carrying Noli’s soul with it. They both come flying back to me as the roar of the predator’s thoughts collapse to background noise, space placed between our minds once more.
But now I’ve really pissed it off.
Zyneth stumbles away as my Attuned void flies toward us. Still holding Noli’s soul, I form it into a hand, pointing urgently at the last spell circle. Whips of the predator follow just seconds behind, snapping through the air, and I have to jerk my Attuned void away to pull Noli’s soul out of its reach—and prevent my void from reconnecting with the primary source.
But they’re not coming for Noli. They stab toward me and Zyneth, who’s barely had a chance to react to my void hand, let alone dodge the predator’s attack. This is all moving too fast. We can’t run and fight and do Noli’s spell all at once.
Attiru leaps between us, slashing a blade through one of the void’s tendrils. The severed ink evaporates into the air.
“Go!” they cry, raising their swords. The thorns double in length, creating a wicked, serrated edge to the blades as Attiru readies their weapons for a counterattack.
Zyneth grits his teeth and runs. I’m sure this is eating him up. He’s the highest level here, but he’s hamstringed while he needs to save his mana for me. All the more reason to finish Noli’s spell as soon as we can. He can fight then—and we’ll need him to, as the predator is stronger now more than ever.
The circle is only halfway across the clearing, so without anyone to stop us, Zyneth closes the gap in seconds. He falls to his knees, hard, and half-drops me in the dirt next to the circle.
“Here?” he asks. Blood is still streaming down the wound in his arm, and he winces as he tries to stem the flow with his free hand.
My soul turns at the sight. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you. But you did great; this is right where I need to be. I send Noli’s soul to float above her body, then spread the Attuned void around the circle. The far side is barely within my range, but it’s enough.
“Stop this.” Saru steps up beside Zyneth, leveling a dagger at his neck. He goes still. “I saw you with the glass heart in Harrowood, before. You’re this creature’s summoner, aren’t you? The fight is over.”
Shit. I glance around the yard: Attiru is still keeping the predator distracted. Tetara is fighting off Rezira. No one is coming to help us. But if I can heal Noli while Saru is preoccupied—
Core Bond! I call to activate the spell.
[Insufficient mana,] Echo replies. [Mana: 0/50]
Crap. Come on, Zyneth, hurry!
His hand is only a few inches away, but it’s hanging limply at his side. “I’m not a summoner, and that glass is not a summoning foci,” Zyneth says, staying perfectly. “There’s a soul in that vial, and if you kill him, you’ll kill her, too.” He carefully inclines his head toward Noli.
Saru narrows her eyes, her gaze darting over to Noli’s body for a fraction of a second. “What are you talking about?”
“It’s complicated, and we don’t have much time,” Zyneth says. “But trust me when I say we are not your enemy. We want that shadow creature slain as much as you—we will join your fight if you let us go—but destroying the soul in this vial is not the way.”
Saru glares at me, eyes burning with anger. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You didn’t watch it murder my team. My friends.” She flicks the point of her dagger toward me. “I know that thing is connected.”
The worst part is she’s right. Killing me is the fastest way to destroy the predator. It would secure her revenge. She’d get justice for her friends—and I want that for her. I wish she could have that closure. But for Noli’s sake, I can’t let her do that. At least, not yet.
Zyneth lets go of the wound in his arm, raising his hand toward Saru’s blade. “If you’d just let me explain—”
“Don’t move!” Saru brandishes the dagger.
“I’m not.” Zyneth opens his bloody hand in surrender to show it’s empty. “I’m not.”
But what I notice, and Saru doesn’t, her eyes drawn to his placating gesture, is that Zyneth’s shifted the injured arm at his side to face toward me, and a yellow glow is sparking to life in his palm, bathing me in a comforting warm light.
I wait for one excruciating heartbeat. Watching my mana stat, I wait a second. Then, finally, I cry Core Bond!
And Echo says, [Activating.]