The first indication I have of danger is when alarm spikes through our vanguard’s Bonds.
What’s happening? I ask Bastet urgently, speeding up and encouraging the others with me to do the same.
Ambush, she replies grimly, with an accompanying still image. The sight makes me suck in a breath. They are being attacked by seven beasts that are far too reminiscent of a komodo dragon to be comfortable.
They’re more than three times the length of Bastet and are a little taller, mouths full of sharp-looking teeth. Their heavy and muscular bodies are going to be difficult for the relatively small and light members of the vanguard to land any wounds on at all.
Trinity is slower than I would like, and once she builds up steam, it’s also difficult for her to stop or turn. As a result, I leave her and Shakira behind, surging on ahead with the bulk of the samuran Unevolved and all of the Tier two lizard-folk. We explode onto the scene with our weapons bared, but several of the Unevolved samurans flinch back as they see the creatures.
Problem? I shoot at River as I move forwards quickly, kindling fire in my hands and shooting it as a thin flame-thrower at the large lizard currently menacing Marty. It flinches back from the attack, but its scales are thick and all I succeed in doing is pulling its attention to me instead.
Belatedly, I shoot an Inspect Fauna at it, hoping that it might tell me about some weak points.
Kalestan
Tier 2 Beast (Evolved)
Special abilities: Enhanced rip, Ever-changing venom
Health: 2440u
Mana: 100u
Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: 65 (69)
Open to a Bond: No
Impacting factor: Power
Running in packs, this creature dominates the upper middle region of the valley, and is only rarely found in areas of low Energy density. This species is feared due to their venomous bites and strategic tactics which spell the end of the majority of their targets. Displaced, this group is searching for another territory.
Close message? Y/N
Looks like there aren’t any obvious weak points, I think grimly, quickly dismissing the box as I see the movement rapidly approaching through it.
The kalestan snaps at me and I deftly avoid it, my mind working busily. I need more distance in this situation.
“Lee, take over,” I snap at him and he appears before I have to do more than dodge two more attempts at strikes. Then the kalestan has more to worry about.
Backing up, I leap on top of a rock to the side of the action, getting me a little bit higher.
The kalestans have strategically divided the vanguard away from the rest of us and three are now facing four of them. Bastet is off to one side with a kalastan attacking her – fortunately her barding seems to be helping to confuse the creature as it keeps snapping at the cloth rather than her body. Marty is also off to the side but fortunately doesn’t have anything actually attacking her.
The other three kalestans are all now facing the bulk of the samurans, who have bunched up together with only Lee being separate, facing one by himself. I feel an unusual level of fear coming from the group of samurans, and they certainly aren’t the usual tough, fierce warriors which I’m used to. Even the Warriors seem reluctant to engage, with Joy tucked in the centre of the group.
What’s the problem? I ask River again, who is circling the group to go back up Bastet.
Their bites are notorious for being killers even if you survive the attack, River answers a little tersely. We avoid them wherever possible.
I have healing magic, I remind him.
I know. They don’t, he pointed out, referring to his brethren. Well, arguably, they do know, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they wouldn’t trust that in the middle of a battle. But I’m determined not to lose someone because of their fear.
Honey, Woozle, Marty, Wolverine, Thorn, Bastet, evasive manoeuvres, I snap at them. Avoid the trap and join the rest of us as soon and as safely as you can. Extra points if you can get them to group up a bit as you move. Samurans, I want them grouped, not spread out. I can heal you if you’re hurt; get them in the centre. I send a thought back to another creature who’s quickly approaching. Trinity, full speed towards me.
My Bound follow my orders with gratifying alacrity. The members of the vanguard evade their pursuers. Marty and Woozle go straight up trees and into the branches above. Wolverine and Bastet instead circle around the kalestan group, Bastet almost running into River in the process. Thorn and Honey, with their characteristic ornery attitudes, actually go straight through the group.
Their actions are appreciated as it turns three more of the kalestans around, bunching up with the other three already attacking the group of samurans. The temerity of my Bound in daring to defend themselves apparently attracts the undivided attention of the komodo dragon type creatures.
They don’t get through unscathed though, and I see several wounds bleeding on each of them as they make it through the line of spear-wielding Warriors and Unevolved samurans. Of course, with Thorn’s protective bone protrusions, the kalestans pay in blood for their attacks too.
Lee, retreat into the group, I order him and he immediately obeys. With that, the seven kalestans are as bunched up as we’re likely to get them. Joy, weave them into place, then everyone back away as quickly as possible. Make sure there’s a clear path through from the direction we came in.
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I watch closely as they obey. Joy weaves the roots and branches beneath the kalestans’ feet, the creatures hissing and trying their best to move as they see their prey backing away from them. Their strength breaks through the bindings again and again, but every time they succeed in freeing one foot, she snags another.
The Pathwalker’s face is a mask of concentration and I sense her strength flagging as she expends herself on growing and replacing her bindings, but she’s having the effect I need and her job will be done shortly. However, with as much as she needs to concentrate, she’s just standing there, the four Warriors sticking around to defend her, even as the others have followed my instructions to back away. And that’s a problem.
Lee, Murmur, just pick her up and get her out of there, I order, my ears now telling me what the Bond has also indicated.
They obey, but only just in time. Iandee actually gets clipped as the juggernaut of Trinity brushes past him, the momentum of her passage sending him flying forwards. The rhino-sized triceratops slams into the lizards which stand waist-high on me.
Her head is lowered, her horns angled downwards to catch the kalestans which are only just tall enough to brush the bottom of her throat in a normal situation. I have a moment where I fear that she might catch the tips of her horns in them and end up accidentally breaking her own neck.
A moment later, I realise I shouldn’t have worried. Evidently, her neck is powerful enough to cope with the impact as a kalestan actually becomes impaled on her horns and wrenched into the air, the bindings around its feet disintegrating into pieces.
Trinity roars, the low boom of her cry rattling through my chest. She soon breaks through the group of kalestans, her head still decorated with the carcass of one of them. Behind her is a blood-drenched path, littered with the flesh of those who stood in her way.
Skidding to a halt, she shakes her head irritatedly, the carcass of the still-living kalestan evidently unwanted.
Go help her, I instruct two of the Unevolved samurans. They shoot a look at me, fear coming through the Bond. I don’t blame them, but need them to do what I’ve asked. Go on, she won’t hurt you, I try to reassure them. They obey, a bit reluctantly, but they go, which is the most important thing. Trinity, two samurans are coming to help you get rid of that carcass, I send to her, just in case she mistakes them for enemies – her vision isn’t all that great, so it’s possible.
That sorted, I turn my attention back to the battle – or the remains of it, anyway.
Without me needing to direct them, River and Lee have urged the rest of the samurans forward to deal with the kalestans which survived Trinity’s rampage. Which, actually, is most of them. Three were out of her path entirely and haven’t suffered much more than shock and minor injuries. Two more are injured to a greater or lesser degree. One is nothing more than pulp on the ground, and the last is still attached to Trinity for now.
Keep the biggest one alive, I tell River since he’s the closest to it and he sends me a sense of acknowledgement. Summoning Honey and Thorn over, I start working on dealing with their wounds.
I quickly understand why the kalestans are so feared by the samurans, and what it means by ‘Ever-changing venom’. I’d taken opportunities where I could to check out the other kalestans with Inspect Fauna and seen that apart from small variations on health points, and number of points required for Willpower, all of the members of this band seemed pretty identical.
Ever-changing venom appears to be a venom which keeps changing what it attacks. For a short time, it’s a hemotoxin, increasing blood loss and reducing clotting. Then it becomes a necrotoxin, destroying the cells around where it is. Then it’s a myotoxin, attacking the muscles. Then it becomes something different. No pattern, no way of predicting what it will do. And also, I suspect, an absolute nightmare to try to create an antidote or treatment for.
In the end, all I can do is force the venom to exit the body and then heal the damage which it caused.
While I do that, I keep an eye on the battle, my improved capabilities with Flesh-Shaping and Energy-Manipulation allowing me to heal while not being completely unaware of my surroundings. Once they’re healed, Thorn and Honey both join the battle, eager to express their dissatisfaction with the creatures which hurt them.
One by one, the kalestans are whittled down to just the one which River is keeping occupied. I see the increased confidence in the samurans, especially when the first healthy one is taken down: the bogeyman has been proven to be mortal and their numbers great enough to kill it. I only notice a couple of injuries, and mostly because the samurans become too overconfident. They calm down once they realise that, though I can heal them, it hurts.
When Lee and his band move to kill it after dropping the other two healthy ones, River stops them, indicating that it’s at my instruction. Seeing that as my cue, I cast a last look around the area, then jump down when I see no further threat.
“Keep an eye for other predators or scavengers which might be attracted by the fight,” I instruct all and sundry, walking over to the injured and angry kalestan which is now surrounded by a wall of spears. It’s not attacking right now, but seems to just be looking for an opportunity.
So, too, do I see an opportunity. I gained another point in Willpower last night after I emptied my health pool again to push my soul outwards just a little more. That one point turned into two thanks to the twenty-seven percent extra I gain in that stat. Though I’m aware I’m going to need to use Dominate plenty in the samuran village, I figure that showing I control a creature they fear so much can only help my cause.
I use Inspect Fauna again on it.
Kalestan
Tier 2 Beast (Evolved)
Special abilities: Enhanced rip, Ever-changing venom
Health: 2860u
Mana: 140u
Minimum Willpower recommended to Dominate without other impacting factors: 69 (41)
Open to a Bond: Yes
Impacting factor: Power
Running in packs, this creature dominates the upper middle region of the valley, and is only rarely found in areas of low Energy density. This species is feared due to their venomous bites and strategic tactics which spell the end of the majority of their targets. Displaced, this individual is searching for another territory.
Close message? Y/N
Little is different from the other kalestans. Its health is the highest I’ve seen, as is its mana. The required Willpower to Dominate in normal conditions is higher than the others had been. However, with its injured and cornered state, the current Willpower required is a lot lower, and well within my limits considering that my Willpower is currently sitting at seventy-two effective points.
Actually, though it wasn’t something I was able to do more than briefly note at the time, I noticed that when I Inspected the first kalestan, the recommended Willpower for the situation at that time was actually higher than its usual Willpower; I can only guess that that was because it felt it had the upper hand. This one, obviously, has no such delusion.
Interestingly, it actually shows that it’s open to a Tame Bond – perhaps it’s realised that it has no chance of survival. I don’t find myself particularly keen on that idea, though – it’s attacked us and proven itself to be a threat. Like with the Warriors, I don’t really want to give it the chance to become one a second time.
No, I’m going to give it the chance to live, more than I’d give it if I didn’t have the ability to use Dominate. If it would rather die, that’s its choice; from the look on multiple faces around me and the feelings rippling down my Bonds, I suspect that plenty of the samurans in particular would be happy with that option.
Putting those thoughts out of my head for now, I approach the creature. Meeting eyes, I trigger the Battle of Wills.