Cassana PoV [https://i.imgur.com/2xRUynC.jpg]

"Where is your boss?" Cassana asked the drow. A smile contorted on her face and her wretched scream of anger turned into a maniacal laughter.

Cassana looked around. That howl sounded like it came from somewhere nearby. There were wolves in the woods but they never dared to go near the village. Maybe they were chasing a prey that incidentally brought them outside the manor? Yes, that might be it. She tried her best to deny the one other possible explanation for what she just heard.

She gathered herself and proceeded to trudge through the mess of the gallery. I have to get to Otheric, I have to know he's okay. As she stepped over the collapsed wall that used to divide the room from the corridor, she heard a loud noise coming from upstairs, followed by another; like giant footsteps on a rocky path. Dust and debris cascaded from the ceiling above, and she watched the columns tremble and shake.

Another loud smashing sound, and a massive object crashed through the ceiling, landing near where Cassana stood. It was a huge animal, more than ten feet in size, with four limbs and thick leathery skin covered in fur. Under one of its paws laid a human, wearing a peculiar garment, which Cassana recognized was the foreigner who visited their inn yesterday.

She looked up and she saw the young noble Minos, hanging from the floor above them. She didn't have time to think, she immediately moved the Bind spell away from the drow mage towards the monster. She knew it wouldn't hold it too long, these kinds of restraining spells were only made for humans, or at least beings of human-level strength, but Cassana knew she had to at least try.

Minos dropped down from above, and moved under the monster, pulling Rei out of its paw. The red gemstone in Cassana's pocket glowed with extreme intensity, as she tried to fill up her minor spell with overflowing energy. She managed to pull the spectral restraints outward, pulling the creature's limbs to its side, finally able to see its entire body. The thought she tried to deny was right, it was a werewolf. And not just any other werewolves, this one was a Primal.

Part of Cassana's education in The Tower was to learn about the different creatures and beings that roam the continent. One of these beings was the werewolf, a creature infected with lycanthropy. A hereditary and contagious disease that turns an ordinary human into a savage, bloodthirsty flesh eating wolf-like creature under the light of the full moon. Sages had debated over the years regarding the source of this disease, but had never arrived at a conclusion.

However, almost two decades ago, a scholar from The Tower had formulated a cure for Lycanthropy. The wizards didn't waste any time and went on an aggressive campaign to cure anybody who was believed to be suffering from it. But not everyone wanted to part from such power, and the Silver Moon Order was known to take in drows who refused to be cured from Lycanthropy.

Cassana pushed her best effort to keep the Primal in its place, as Minos carried Rei out of its way. She then heard a scream and something landed on the creature's back: Otheric. The young drow frantically hacked along the flesh of the creature, blind with rage and frustration. The Primal growled and howled and struggled to break free.

"Ric!" Cassana called for her partner, who then looked at her with surprise. He realized quickly why the monster wasn't moving.

"Cassana!" Otheric called back.

Minos leaned Rei on a wall, and ran back on the monster with a rallying cry. He stabbed on its hind legs, while Otheric worked his way down from its back. Cassana noticed that a chain wrapped around one of its frontal legs. She followed the chain and on its end was a leaf-shaped blade, which she recognized belonged to the leader of the drows, Nymgos.

"I CAN'T... HOLD HIM... MUCH LONGER!!" Cassana shouted to the two as the spectral bindings started to fade away. The wounds that Minos and Otheric caused began to close up and heal. That was what made a Primal more dangerous than an ordinary werewolf.

"Is there no other way to kill him?" Minos asked.

Cassana pulled out everything she knew about werewolves from her memory. Silver was the most effective counter against its regenerative abilities. Other than that, burning it alive would work, as well as frostbite. She didn't have time to draw an arkogram for another Immolation spell, so she decided to just freeze it in place. She pulled out the red gemstone and as she concentrated on it, she realized that it didn't contain any energy for ice magic.

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"Seti's breath!" she cursed. Cassana felt her exhaustion numbing her brain, so she resorted to channeling more energy to her Bind spell while she was coming up with another plan. She looked at the gemstone and she noticed it shrinking in size. She reminded herself of her goal: get Otheric out of here alive.

The four spectral binders she conjured would never be enough to keep him at bay, and he would soon eventually break free. All they could do right now was to run and hide in the forest and wait until sunrise. Cassana wasn't sure if Nymgos' sensitivity to sunlight will still take effect while he was in werewolf form, but it will be worth a try.

"OTHERIC, RUN!!" screamed Cassana.

The young drow glanced at her, and a wave of joy and relief washed all over her. She was just happy to see him well despite the blood and the bruises covering his face and body. He took a step back and lowered his weapon, turning to face his bride-to-be.

"YOU TOO MINOS, GET BACK!! GET TO THE FOREST, I'LL HOLD HIM OFF!"

Cassana nodded at Otheric as he walked past beside her. She wanted to jump at him and hug him as tight as she could, but she had to keep her arms steady in order to keep the binders in place. "Help him up," Cassana whispered, motioning her head towards Rei leaning by the wall. Cassana could barely hear Otheric whisper the words I love you before he hopped across to reach for the wounded foreigner.

Cassana looked back at the creature she was holding down. She felt it breaking free of one of the restraints so she braced herself to recast when suddenly, it raised up one of its front limbs to smash Minos. "LOOK OUT!!" She warned the young noble.

Minos heeded and dodged to his side, and the creature's sharp claws pierced through the debris on the floor. The Primal roared and turned to face Cassana, baring its fangs at her. Blood and drool dripped from its maw while terror shot from its crimson eyes. It raised its freed leg, and the chain and blade that was attached to it dangled in the air. Unable to move the rest of its body, the monster spun the blade and threw it at Cassana.

She instinctively dodged away, and continued on reciting her incantation. She heard a cry of pain and as she glanced towards it she saw the blade planted deep into Otheric's backside. He was helping Rei stand up and was about to walk out of the manor. "RIC!!" she screamed. The Primal pulled on his chain, dragging the blade back to him with Otheric's body dangling from it.

As the chain spun back to the creature, the young drow slid off its blade and smashed onto the wall, before landing face up on the ground, joining his father's myriad of artifacts and treasures that had collected on the corner. Cassana ran up to him, completely disregarding the spell she was keeping up. She grabbed the red gemstone out and studied the gaping hole on Otheric's chest.

"Otheric, hold on!" she gripped her lover's hand, as she began to recite the first words to the Heal Wounds spell.

"No, I am okay, I can take this," he stuttered. He motioned to his side where a shiny armor was buried in the rubble. "Armor of Saint Ducent... use it, go. Finish him first, then come back to me."

Cassana eyed the gemstone in her hand. It had shrunk to a third of its original size the first time she saw it yesterday. She looked at Otheric, he was staring back at her with a look of pride and hope. He knew what he was doing. She remembered the assurance he gave her yesterday. If they were going to spend the rest of their lives together, she had to trust him, in his judgment and in his decisions. She nodded and gently let his hand go.

She then glanced at the old armor in the rubble. Resolute, she stood up and conjured a different spell. After reciting the chant and performing the gesture, the gemstone glowed, and a red smoky hue wrapped around the shiny armor. Cassana motioned her hands and the plate metals that made it up peeled off one by one, humming and hissing.

Cassana stepped out and faced the Primal, who had been kept busy by Minos, pounding and smashing at the young nobleman's shield with every provocation. The redhead raised her hands, and the metallic plates gathered up above her head. She swung her arms and the plates flitted towards Nymgos like darts, each one piercing through a different part of his body.

The Primal howled in agony, as the silver plates tore through his skin and flesh. Minos crawled out from underneath him, and watched in awe as the creature attempted to pluck the metallic strips off his body. The young noble studied them and came to a realization. He glanced back at Cassana and raised his thumb up with a facetious smile.

Minos took a deep breath and plunged his sword right at the monster's heart. He pulled his blade out and waited and watched but the wound didn't heal. The monster struggled, but Cassana was making sure the plates remained impaled on his body. She drove the strips deeper until Nymgos stopped moving, and the red glow disappeared.

Cassana glanced at his hand and the gemstone had completely disintegrated. "No!" She ran towards Otheric and grabbed his hand. She lifted his limp head but no light shone from his pupils. She turned his face towards her, but his eyes were staring into nothingness.

"Ric, no! NO, NO NO! DON'T DO THIS TO ME, RIC, NOO!!" She grabbed his other hand and pressed her ear against his chest. Minos walked up behind her while Rei strained to stand up. "I need a stone, a nugget, anything. Do you have one with you? Is there anything in this room?"

Minos shook his head and turned to Rei, "You have anything in there?"

Rei dropped his head in apology.

Cassana sniffled and looked back at Otheric. She lifted her arms and began chanting a spell. If it was energy she needed she knew where to take it from.

"Cassana, no!" Her casting was interrupted by Minos grabbing her. He knew what she was trying to do. "Stop it, you're gonna kill yourself, no!" The young noble restrained her arms and pulled her back. She twisted her arms away and dropped on the floor beside Otheric, sobbing.

"Otheric, please... please, don't do this to me..."