The balatma turned, and Ema was in its grip. She was being held like a wilted rose. He’d heard her scream moments ago and felt some relief when she spazmed. At least she was alive.
Masahide tightened the grip on his sword. “Let go of her.” He wasn’t sure if he could have understood his own words if he hadn’t spoken them. They flowed from his tongue all at once as the potion started working.
However, the creature did as instructed, and Ema slid on an outcropping. A tendril of hair wiggled from her arm, invading her body.
Kichi ran up the rock face, never taking a missed step. She had the amulet and the potion working together, and it seemed the laws of nature didn’t apply to her anymore.
He followed the same steps, hoping his additional weight wouldn’t crumble a step and send him plummeting.
The balatma opened up. Its ropes of hair spread broadly in every direction, making what lay beneath visible. Its body had scales that wrapped what resembled a heavily muscled person. The large eyes threw light like a beacon in the fading light.
He didn’t think he’d ever face a creature like this. It was one of the most dangerous corrupted spirits of the middle tier. This was the kind of battle for a company of knights. He needed every advantage and reached out to open the portal and felt the Champions' presence.
Si spoke. “I faced one of these in the dungeons beneath the Twenty-Seven Towers. Your sword won’t pierce those scales. Use my legs to gain position.”
Masahide suddenly gained speed and passed Kichi. He felt he could run on air.
Ema pushed herself up and locked her elbows, but the tendril in her arm squirmed, and she cried out and fell face down. It dug deeper into her flesh. Worse, her pain seemed to go on forever as time flowed like molasses.
The potion had kicked into full effect. Aside from Masahide, Kichi, and the balatma, the world froze in time. The creature's tendrils impacted the cliff, and fragments of rock and plants hung suspended.
Masahide’s sword flashed out, but the tendrils bent under the impact. The blade didn’t cut through, and even if it did, it would just continue to attack on its own.
“You must remove a scale to plunge your sword into the soft interior,” Si said. “Prying with your hands or sword will not do it. A well-placed kick can pull a scale loose to reveal the soft tissue beneath.”
It seemed impossible. The balatma’s defenses were uncountable.
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Si shook his head, face lost under the conical hat. “I sense your doubt. I defeated one of these with no potion, alone, bare-handed, and without the aid of a weapon or from a score of so-called knights.”
Kichi gave no sign of hearing the spirit Champion. If anyone could, he thought it might be her.
Masahide dove toward the balatma and swatted aside a whipping tendril. It’s impossible to defeat something this strong without a weapon. You’d have to be beyond a grand master. You’d have to be something else entirely.
Si scoffed. “What is a grand master? The realm has been too safe for too long, and you’ve grown soft. You must become more if you want to protect it.”
And Whitebeard?
“I do not know his strength. It is hidden from me by something he carries.”
Five attacks came at once. Even though Masahide was moving faster than an arrow, he couldn’t avoid them. Si must be disappointed in him.
Kichi appeared beside him. She flowed around the strikes and deflected them. Her foresight allowed her to make five attacks seem like child’s play. Soon, she’d cleared a path forward.
It was like entering a forecast. The balatma’s tendrils surrounded them and blocked the light.
Finally, he reached the interior where the creature lay. Its tendrils were more numerous but less deadly this close. Even though they were anchored and more rigid, they could still keep him back. He sheathed his sword.
Kichi fought behind him. “What are you doing?”
He had no time to answer. With his hands as weapons, he had more space. He pushed closer until he was nose-to-nose with the horror.
Beneath giant eyes, its mouth smiled a grin of sharp teeth. “You want to be eaten alive.”
“No, this is how we fight, up close.”
“Do you think my eyes are weak? If you puncture one, it will splash you with acid that will make you into a soup of flesh. And I like soup.”
Masahide's kick caught a scale with his toe and ripped it free. The flesh underneath dribbled green blood.
The creature wailed, and its eyes narrowed. Its hands, with long pointed fingers, came for him.
Kichi screamed. A tendril wrapped around her body and squeezed. Her sword fell and slowed as it left her possession. But the blade was moving faster toward the ground. The potion was wearing off. It was the one thing keeping them alive against the balatma, and soon it would be no more.
Masahide
Level: 31
Focus: Conjuring (conduit) +1
Secondary focus: Quake, Firequake tandem attack
Weapons: pure sword - 35% pure
Items: Heart of the Earth