The cave was round and damp, and its ceiling was high. There were no monsters on the walls, fortunately, but there was no shortage of them in the middle of the room. Finn, Michael and Natalie were sandwiched between mutant snakes and bloodthirsty rebels.

‘They look like blue anacondas with one head and a lion’s teeth. They’re not even that large.’ As the killers and the mutants approached them, Finn raised an arm. “Do you guys know what those snakes are capable of?”

“We’ll find out soon enough,” said Bluntcoat.

“I propose a truce until we deal with them.”

“Denied,” said Kane.

“They didn’t attack when the baron was here; it’s fine,” said Josie.

“They’re going to attack us now, and we do not know how.”

Since the enemies were not backing down, Finn and company were forced to step back. Unwilling to fight a battle on two fronts, he picked the closest tunnels and gave his friends a look.

“If you’re gonna be stubborn, we will not hold back,” he bluffed.

Bluntcoat started laughing and Josie lifted her sword. The snakes curled their bodies all at once, and Finn prepared to make a run for it. It was then that everyone blinked.

One moment, the humans and the beast people were just about to act, and in the next they were surrounded by snakes. The swarm of blue anacondas moved like a carpet dragged by a furious owner, surrounding their prey before their eyes had time to adjust.

Out of reflex, everyone blinked several times as their brains struggled to comprehend what was happening. This was enough time for the beasts to open their maws, and for one of them to bite John Bluntcoat right in the face.

His shield activated immediately, and the dwarf lifted his weapon. Josie set fire to her blade, and Finn started summoning flames around his body.

‘Not enough time.’

Natalie would get bit in the liver. Michael would lose an arm and Kane would be torn to shreds.

‘Time…’

For some reason, despite lacking the warrior’s breath, Finn seemed to be moving in slow motion. With one hand, he sent a knife flying towards the snake attacking Natalie from the back. He used the other to summon a fireball and direct it towards the snake that would bite Michael. The two were fast enough to deal with the other mutants on their own. Finn would get bitten to pieces, but he would eventually heal.

‘What is this feeling?’ he wondered while his predictions were coming to fruition at a snail’s pace. ‘Is this… fear?’

Suddenly, the tunnel he was going to escape into caught his attention. A beastman appeared, tall and wide, built like a butcher from hell with the hatchet to show it. He flew out of the tunnel as if pushed by a cannon, smashing straight into the mound of mutants.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

A booming sound followed shortly, the snakes turned their heads, and as soon as the sound hit Finn’s ears, the boy was pulled out of his slow-motioned state.

“Stay close!” he shouted and immediately surrounded his friends in flames. Everyone activated the warrior’s breath and fought the mutants in a frenzy.

At close range, the creatures weren’t nearly as fast. Michael significantly outpaced them, and with Finn’s support, Natalie could take on three at a time.

Then, one of the snakes curled its body, coiling almost into a ball. Faster than the teens’ enhanced eyes could register, the snake disappeared and re-emerged on the ceiling, then disappeared again and coiled around the butcher’s throat.

“Fuck off!” Butcher roared.

“Surrender!” his pursuer demanded.

Blades clashed against each other at the edge of the cluster of monsters, while those within struggled to survive.

“Truce! Truce!” Josie shouted, for Kane was already dead.

During the initial exchange, her heated weapon kept the snakes at bay. Unfortunately, Kane could not do the same, and against insurmountable numbers, he was ripped apart and eaten within seconds. Bluntcoat rained bullets in a frenzy, but for every snake he killed, half a dozen more bit into his shield.

“Butcher, ya fatass, lend us a hand!”

“I’m busy!”

The butcher was pushed into the wall of snakes. Between their bites and Tommy’s strikes, the killer was losing blood and flesh at a frightening pace.

Finn noticed the mayhem too, and he soon realized who was likely behind it. “Tommy!” he shouted. “Stand down! First kill the snakes!”

This made the warrior hesitate for just a second, enough time for Butcher to retreat into the sea of mutants. Tommy tried to follow after him, but the mass of bodies were pulling them further apart.

“Damnit!” he shouted and started hacking down the snakes. They attacked from every direction, including from above.

However, they could not match up to his full speed, and even when they pounced, they would coil first and then try to bite.

“They must decelerate first!” Finn shouted. “Kill as soon you see them.”

“I’m doing it!” said Michael.

“More skulls!” Butcher squealed in delight.

For the better part of an hour, both friends and foes fought with one foot on death’s door. Deep blue blood spilled out of their guts, covering the humans and beast people from head to toe.

The smell was unbearable for most and slightly uncomfortable for Finn. The boy spent so much energy during the battle, that when it was finally over, he collapsed onto his knees.

His vision was blurry, and he could feel every cell inside his body reacting to the lack of mana.

‘Don’t… Mutate. Help…’

Again, time moved in slow motion. Every single breath took ages to complete.

The boy saw his friends cut down the last of the mutants, still in one piece thanks to their skill and his support. More than a hundred feet away, Josie was crying over Kane’s beheaded skull, while Bluntcoat was filling up his rifle and staring straight at Finn. The fat beastman was licking his lips while carving into Kane’s head, while Tommy approached him with a murderous look.

‘I’m scared… again. Is my body reacting? If only Annie were here. I must face it… alone. Recover your mana… Trust your friends. Wake up.’

“Snap out of it!” Natalie slapped the back of his head so hard it took him out of the trance. She then pulled him up to his feet. “Can you still fight?”

Immediately, the boy lost his balance and fell on his bum.

“Michael, stay with him.”

“What about you?”

Natalie pointed her blood-soaked rapier at the enemies, and at their friend who was about to engage them on his own. “Tommy’s lost his goddamn mind. I’m going to set him straight.”