The abominable hinagon palmed a stone that must have weighed as much as a wagon. It tore it from the earth, snapping a string of roots, and hefted it overhead. Its eyes were dark beads that found their target.
Kichi ran her hand over the ground and found enough rock to generate a handful of lava. The distance she had to throw wasn’t too far, but she had to move while throwing, or else she’d risk trading and be crushed for sure.
Masahide remained unconscious. A line of blood streaked his forehead. His sword lay just out of reach of his open hand.
She dodged the throw, and the hit shook the ground. She ran uphill, hoping the hinagon would chase her and leave Masahide alone. A quick glance only revealed it was looking after her. She stopped, picked up a rock, melted it, and threw it.
The hinagon batted the hot globule away and turned to Masahide. It walked over to him and grabbed his ankle.
Why wouldn’t it just follow her? She couldn’t let it hurt him. She put on the amulet, but she was already exhausted and hungry. There was no way to use the power for more than a moment.
Masahide’s hair tracked in the snow as he slid across the ground. Scarlet drops stood in high contrast to the ice. His sword was now far from his grasp.
She drew her sword and opened her eyes. The beast’s double form attacked her, and she slipped by effortlessly. Her sword glanced away from the thick fur.
The thicker-haired parts of the hinagon were like armor. Its shoulders and limbs seemed impervious, leaving only the stomach as a worthwhile target. Perhaps its face might have been vulnerable, but its dark visage was in a cowl of its strong fur. Its clawed hand released the knight.
With her eyes closed, she ran backward, hoping that she wouldn’t fall and that it would follow her.
However, it just dragged him back up by the leg.
“Leave him alone,” she said and chucked a lava handful. She put her hands over her mouth.
The splatter came too close to hitting Masahide. The beast ignored her and kept going.
Her stomach groaned, and she felt weak. One last chance and I have to take the amulet off.
The light had faded, and the hinagon headed into the trees. Once inside, it would be dark, and Kichi’s amulet might not work.
As she ran forward, intent on attacking its weak spot, it jumped and landed among the trees. Now, she could only unfasten her magical item, grab Masahide’s pure sword, and follow.
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The forest was dark beneath a canopy, blocking only a few moon rays. Fluorescent mushrooms produced an eerie blue that lit her way after her quarry. The large eyes of stripped-leaf sprinters stared after her and chittered in the needles.
She rolled her ankle a few times as she handed on rocks in the gloom. She stopped when she could no longer see Masahide, and her breath fogged in the iridescence. Had she lost them?
A branch snapped.
The hinagon landed with two fists smashing into the ground. Above, Masahide hung limp from a bough.
She hurled herself to the side and blocked a strike with her blade. She flew into a tree trunk, and she collapsed. It rushed forward to grab with hands that could close around her waist. She put the tree between them.
The tree shook, and the bark exploded as it raged against it. Kichi pulled herself into the tree and looked down to see it hammering blows into the wood.
It was frustrating that all these knights could use their powers at range. She felt useless; even with the amulet, she could do nothing.
She needed to reach out and heat the surrounding rocks, using them as weapons. But her mind slipped from anything she could hold onto. The ability didn’t seem to exist, or she needed more rings.
Masahide pulled himself onto the branch just in time to hear a crack.
“Take your sword,” she said, but the tree tilted when she tried to toss it over.
The branches collided and became entangled as the tree fell. The tree rolled as it wrenched free from its neighbor and trashed to the earth.
Masahide pulled Kichi to his bough. “My head’s killing me. What’s happening?”
“There’s a hinagon trying to kill us.”
“They’re incredibly tough. I’ll try a lance.”
She heard the Song. A chorus of spirits sang to Masahide from all about the mountain, and his portal opened, severing a few branches. Light poured through the canopy. A lance steak by and slammed into the monster.
Yet, the hinagon survived.
She balanced in the tree. “It’s unscathed. What do we do?”
“It’s weak against heat magic. Use lava.”
“I can’t create enough.”
“Then we should run.”
Before they could reach the ground, it knocked down their tree and sent them flying.
The hinagon roared and barreled toward its victims.
Kichi
Level: 7
Focus: Prescience
Secondary focus: Lava+2
Weapons: pure sword - 5% pure
Items: Near Field Amulet (Prescience+2, focus)