Hearing the loud screech, the forest trembled.
Six legs, Latla observed, standing beneath the shadow of the creature, a pair of distorted arms, and a head made up of a mouth full of fangs.
The monster and Latla confronted one another. Both remained still and unmoving.
The wind lost its voice; the trees lost its presence. Right now, the world—to them—consisted of two things only: oneself and their opponent.
So aware of one another that both unknowingly matched their timings.
So aware of one another that both unknowingly matched their movements.
Both chose to break the inaction at the same time with similar movement: the monster lifted its leg high to the sky; Latla pressed her foot to the ground.
Wham! The monster swung its leg down with a crushing force.
Latla had dodged the attack with a gap by stepping to the side.
The world had returned. And it was—crowded.
The monster lifted its legs one-by-one, swinging them down, leaving a trail of destruction. Against the barrage, she picked up speed and evaded. The trees were obstacles that could block her path. The broken grounds were uneven footholds that could stop her run.
Not finding purchase with the attacks, the monster added a horizontal swing to the mix.
Latla vaulted over it. The surrounding trees rough-cut in half served as a grim warning as what could be if she received the attack full-on.
Can’t get hit by that, Latla noted, her heart had skipped a beat. No time to dwell over it, for the monster’s barrage remained continuous.
Latla was carrying Cirrus and Noir on the side as she was dodging. She wanted to prioritize their safety, for she had promised Scarlet to, but running away seemed difficult. There was no hiding in this forest, not when the monster was aware of their presence. Not to mention, although she could dodge the attacks, she wasn’t confident that she could outrun the monster.
There’s also that. Latla could see that one of the monster’s legs never moved. It was, on further inspection, buried underground. Perhaps, if it had a core like slimes, that was where it was hidden. Maybe this monster she was evading right now wasn’t its true form; only parts of it. It was also possible that the buried leg was a trap that the monster was setting, ready to emerge and swallow her, like the wooden jaw from before. The uncertainty that comes from facing an unlisted monster is… annoying…
As she dodged the barrage of attacks, knowing that being passive would get her nowhere, Latla formed a finger gun and pointed the gesture at the monster. Flames surged, creating a spherical shape that spiraled at high rotation. ‘Fireball.’
Latla shot a fireball toward the monster.
Bam! The fireball hit the side of the monster’s head, it screeched from the pain. The damage wasn’t lethal nor big, but it was sufficient and felt.
In response, it sped up its barrage.
You don’t like being annoyed either, do you? Latla kept dodging; as she did, she shot fireballs toward the monster. Some missed, for aiming while moving proved to be difficult, but most hit. Slowly but surely, the monster was accumulating damage. Additionally, her flame was consuming the wood. If this kept up, victory was hers to—
The monster let out another screech, louder than before, causing the forest to tremble. The vibration caused the broken ground to clatter.
For a second, the air surrounding the monster—seemed to twist and warp. Initially, Latla thought it was because of the screech messing with her sense of balance, but that wasn’t it. No. The warping was caused by something else. By the monster’s presence.
A sense of foreboding grabbed her heart. This unlisted monster, the unknown, still had tricks that she couldn’t predict.
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Syr, you have the herb with you, right? Latla asked. However, her words fell on deaf ears. The screech had robbed them of their hearing. She relied on her sight, saw the boy holding the herb in his grasp.
His safety is my main priority, Latla thought, with bits of spite. After the screech, the monster was stationary. Seeing this, Latla wore a new ring. Although she hated to do this, she decided to take the opportunity. Time to run.
Latla turned, showed her back to the monster, then dashed away.
If she was alone, she would have continued the fight. However, she wasn’t alone; Cirrus was with him, and she had to keep the promise she made with Scarlet: she had to keep him safe.
Woods—shaped sharp like fangs—sprouted from the ground, surrounding Latla. Like giant jaw about to snap shut. The same move from the beginning, except this time it was closing in faster than before. Having seen this, she had expected it and was ready to escape.
She overtapped her ring.
Flames surged, circling the ground where she stood, consuming dry twigs and leaves to burn even stronger. Her flame pillar was ready to rise toward the sky, but the fangs stopped short. Didn’t fully shut. Only neared.
Latla didn’t execute her magic; the fangs were staying outside of her flame pillar’s range.
If you’re not closing in, then I’ll—
Something caught her attention. This wasn’t the same move from the beginning. The fangs, Latla noticed, had buds on them, directed inward—toward her. All of them seemed as if they were prying themselves open.
Unknown.
Not understanding what would happen, not having enough time to consider her options, and not knowing if her flame pillar could protect them, Latla threw Cirrus and Noir away from the encirclement.
It was a decision made on instinct in the heat of the moment.
The flowers bloomed.
Each and every one of them released a spray of pollen toward her. She held her breath, but the act was futile.
Her surroundings tilted, everything was tinted with dark red. She felt wetness coursing down her cheek; when she wiped, she saw blood on her palm. Her head felt dizzy, feverish hot; and her eyes were bleeding.
Stomp! The ground shook. Stomp!
The monster approached Latla. It had flowers all over its body now and its one leg—the operator of the giant jaw—was no longer buried underground. It loomed over her, its mouth formed a sinister grin, then broke into a warped laughter.
It was openly mocking her.
Latla glared at the monster, enraged. How dare it—
Wham! The monster thrusted a leg straight at Latla.
She was thrown away by the blow. The force could have sent her a distance away, but she crashed her back into a tree. Feeling the impact, Latla coughed blood.
‘Latla!’ Cirrus shouted.
Her vision was blurry, darkness seemed to creep onto her from all sides.
If she were to lose consciousness here… no one would protect the boy from the unlisted monster.
She had to fight. Endure all the pain and rise.
I…
‘Impossible.
***
‘The thought crossed your mind, didn’t it?’
Past – Caravan.
Latla glared at Flamme, seething with rage.
‘Some things in this world are not meant to be,’ she said, Latla recalled. ‘The sooner you accept it, the better your life will be,’ she said. The impulse to leap at this mage—at this hookah addict—was strong. However, most important of all…
‘You’ll teach me magic,’ Latla said, swallowing her rage—temporarily, ‘the moment I can look left and right at the same time.’
‘You—heard me.’
Latla walked away.
‘See? Impossible.’
Latla searched inside the caravan for an item. Artour had kept it around because he believed that appearance was important for a merchant as first impressions could determine a trade. She found the item, grabbed it, then returned to Flamme.
Standing in front of her, she looked to the left. Then, holding a mirror, she was also looking to the right. ‘See? Now shut your nonsense and teach me magic.’
***
The monster’s leg, the one used for the thrust attack, had been burnt to cinders on contact.
***
Flamme gave a look of surprise. She refused to admit her loss. ‘I—’
‘“Impossible”, you said? Who decided that? You did! Let that word define you all you want, but I won’t let such insignificant standard define me. I—’
***
Present – Khiva’s Forest.
Latla rose. She was feeling the impact from the blow, but she could move. She could fight.
‘I—will become… the greatest mage in all of existence!’
She wore two rings on her fingers—and overtapped them.