[Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
Halmuth is buzzing with anticipation. Off-cycle vendors crowd the streets, despite not having wares to sell. Families have turned out from the residential district—more than I thought lived in the wastelands. Whispers fly fast and free. Everyone wants to see what’s going to happen, and everyone seems to have at least one opinion about what Totten should do about it. Some have more than one—often conflicting—ideas about what should be done.
Most of the time the [Hunters] conduct their business in relative obscurity, from what I can tell. Their only interactions with caravanners and travelers are limited to glorified guard duty. Momentous news like the Oletheros was impossible to keep secret, however, which means the entire city is watching the [Hunters] to see their response to the city-killer threat. One way or another, there will be blood.
“[Hunters] only,” Javier says when he sees us approach, kitted out for war. Although he’s turning down our help, there’s an undertone of respect in his voice that wasn’t there before I supplied him with over thirty imbued spears.
“I have a Writ from the Royal Army,” I remind him quietly, in the hope that it will sink in this time. “Ask yourself: why would they need a craftsman, even a Master, to travel across the Barrens in haste? Do you think it’s so I can outfit a few [Hunters] with spears?”
“You really think your team has something to offer in a hunt like this. Huh.” Javier finally seems to realize that I’m not bluffing, but he doesn’t look satisfied.
“We’re borderlanders. We’ve cleared Rifts before. I’ve told you this, even if you choose not to believe me. We have more experience with incursions and monsters than most people.”
“I’d prefer to put you through your paces, have you run the course a few times. But even if you’re solid, that doesn’t mean you know how to work with our team. Can you follow orders?”
I hum, thinking over this question. “As long as it doesn’t unduly endanger my team, yes.”
Javier snorts in response. He rakes his fingers through his hair and glares at me. “That leaves far too much wiggle room. What’s to prevent you from using the excuse of danger any time you don’t want to follow my lead?”
“Guess you’ll just have to trust us,” I say with a shrug. “I know that’s hard for you without a [Binding Contract], but that’s how most of the rest of the world operates.”
“I’m not the one with the rod of iron,” Javier replies, and his eyes glitter with anger. “I’m not above impressment when required, but Totten and I don’t always see eye to eye.”
I smirk. “Is that a short joke?”
No one laughs. Thankfully, a dandy passes by just then, dressed in a garish outfit that I recall going out of style six or seven years ago. He strikes a pose in his bright orange blazer, leaning on his cane, and tilts his head toward us. “You think they’ll kill it?”
“Likely not,” the woman with him murmurs. She’s wearing a far less frilly dress, but she seems to share his proclivity for fake diamonds. Her earrings are enormous, glittering bangles, which match the gaudy costume jewelry on the top of his cane.
It has to be fake, because it’s half the size of his fist, and anyone that wealthy wouldn’t willingly live in a dusty little trading post like Halmuth.
“You sure?” the fop replies. “Look how grand their spears are! Heard they were imbued by a hidden glass master. Maybe I’ll buy you one of his vases if they kill the Oletheros.”
“Foolish business, if you ask me. Better to hunker down until it’s gone,” a stout man next to the pair declares. “Just asking for trouble.”
“Yep. Make it angry and it might come after us! That gate won’t hold forever. Did you see the way it bent last time? Don’t trust it.”
I don’t catch who said that last part, but there’s an alarming number of affirmative shouts. If the hunt goes poorly, will they blame us? I glance over at Mikko and Lionel, who seem to have come to the same conclusion, and shake my head in warning. I definitely don’t want to get stuck in the middle of a disaster.
One of the [Hunters] takes our side, unexpectedly. “Nah, the main gate will hold. That big [Blacksmith] fixed it. He’s talented.”
“He’s easy on the eyes, too!” a young woman in the crowd calls out, earning a round of hoots and laughter. I can’t help but join in, elbowing my brother and making him blush.
It feels good to laugh. My blazing anger at Azariah burnt itself down to dying embers by the end of the week, but I’ve been in a foul mood despite the progress with my glass cores. I still don’t trust our guide anymore, but there’s nothing I can do about it right now. No point getting myself all worked up about it. We’ll deal with him later.
Right now, our focus is completing imbued glass weapons. With my increased Capacity thanks to the glass cores, I’m able to wield intent more powerfully than ever before. Sharpness is eager to merge with the glass blades, and I’m certain that my new spearheads are superior to anything I’ve ever made.
Camryn’s replacement spear is a notch above the one Javier requisitioned. They’re not all as fancy as hers, but I appreciate that she was the only one who gave us a chance when the other [Hunters] were busy carrying out Totten’s schemes. She’s all right.
She’s about the only one.
Unwilling to give Totten more of my time or work than he’s paid for, I didn’t report on my faster production. Instead, I hand over several spears a day, as promised, and take the rest of the time to work on my own projects. Until Azariah locates the Oletheros, we’re locked down, so I might as well put my extra mana to good use.
In addition to crafting spears, I’ve been experimenting with glass arrows of sharpness. The biggest problem I’m running into personally is the lack of a bow. Mikko can forge one from springy steel, but I can’t draw even the weakest toy since I only have one hand. My brother offers to construct a gauntlet for me with a bow attachment, so I don’t have to hold the handle and can focus on just pulling back the string, but it’s awkward and unwieldy if I want to do anything else. I don’t fancy carrying around a bow at all times.
While we’re inside the city, I’m scared to try exploring my [Arcane Domain] more fully, but I suspect that I’ll be able to apply the concept of sharpness from afar with my Domain. If using my Domain works as well as I hope, then that will remove the need for a physical weapon.
“Could we plan somewhere more discreet?” I ask Javier, leaning over toward him and lowering my voice so that no one overhears.
“Why? Got something to hide?”
“Yes, quite frankly,” I reply, which seems to earn me a measure of respect. As I thought, the [Principal Hunter] appreciates honesty. “I’m happy to share further in a more secure location. We have a lot to offer you in terms of coordination. Probably best if we’re outside the Halmuth’s walls, though. I don’t want to disrupt the barrier again.”
“Best not to incite any panic,” Javier agrees. “We’ll take you to our shooting range. We use it for any weapons too dangerous to test within city limits. Show us what you’ve got. And Nuri? Try not to disappoint.”
=+=
Fifteen minutes by lizard ride takes us to a training area away from Halmuth. The [Hunters] have a range for target practice. It’s not a full-fledged facility like the one in the Martial district, but it includes both stationary and moving targets for Skills too dangerous to discharge inside the city walls. In addition to the firing course, there’s an obstacle course that’s even more intimidating than the one back in town. I doubt we’ll all get through it in one piece.
Lionel limbers up, begging for a chance to run the course. Mikko doesn’t even have to do anything special to try to convince the [Hunters] he can hold his own in a fight. He just rests his hammer over his shoulder and looks smug. Melina explains her temporal fields, which earns the most interest from Javier so far, while Avelina hangs back, pulling her hood over her face. She’s sitting in a corner, trying to make herself look small.
“This better be worth our time,” Javier says.
I beckon for my teammate. “Hey, Rakesh?”
“How may I be of assistance?” the [Researcher] answers, stepping forward and offering a deep bow. “Is it time to unleash the birds of prey?”
I pause, thinking I’ve misheard for a moment, and burst out laughing. “Rakesh, you’re getting entirely too theatrical. But, yeah, go ahead and fold up some paper birds. We’ll send a different one with each group.”
“Paper birds?” Javier repeats, a skeptical look on his face. “How will that help us fight? They hardly sound durable, and I’ve been given to understand that this man is a scholar, and has no combat experience. ”
“Watch and learn.”
Rakesh folds the birds faster than I thought possible, apart from making use of Melina’s temporal fields. He hands them out to a few bewildered volunteers, and sends them off a few hundred paces in each direction so their enhanced senses can’t pick up his voice. Almost all of the [Hunters] possess sensory enhancement Skills.
“Ready?” Rakesh asks Javier. When he receives a nod, he inverts the mana weave in his communication Skill, diverting the flows so that the energy activates in reverse. The new sequencing in the complex runic structures of the [Echo of the Songbird] switches the order of operation and effect. He whispers instructions to the closest bird.
The first group of [Hunters] all jump up and down, waving their arms toward us. Laughter spills out from the bird Rakesh is holding, echoing with unbridled joy.
Javier nods slowly. “That does seem useful.”
“I also have [Shared Synchrony], but that lacks the range of [Echo of the Songbird]. It’s a strong sense of unified intent and skillfulness, but I have to be nearby to use it. I’m not a combat [Mage], so I’d rather stay out of the fighting.”
“I’d prefer that anyway. You’ll stay in the back of the formation and we’ll coordinate with your paper birds. That will be helpful,” Javier says, rubbing his chin in thought. He gestures toward the targets down the range and grimaces. “Can any of you help us hunt, though? I keep hearing about your martial prowess, but I have yet to see it with my own eyes.”
My [Arcane Domain] billows out for a hundred paces, encompassing the moving targets. Drawing on the far larger glass pseudo cores lessens the demand of the Skill somewhat, but the mental strain is still significant. I meditate on the concept of sharpness and connect my Domain with a trio of targets. In an instant, all three of them are cut in half, falling to the ground as I bow with a flourish.
“What in the abyss was that?” Javier demands, his eyes going wide. “Those targets are inscribed with durability enchantments. I’ve broken good steel blades on them before.”
I smirk at the [Principal Hunter]. “Sounds like you should pay a Master craftsman to build you better training targets.” I snap my fingers as though just remembering something, and make a show of wincing. “Ooooh, wait. Halmuth is on my blacklist. Nevermind!”
“Just do your part,” Javier growls.
“We’ll be fine. Lionel is a [Healer], Mikko is stronger than any two men you know, Melina can speed up arrows and slow down enemies, and Avelina is as strong as an [Artillery Mage]. If you need to light something on fire, she’s your girl.”
“Now that I’d like to see,” Javier replies, cooling down from his irritation at my reminder of the blacklist.
“Ava? How about a small demo?”
“I’ll keep it to half size so I have enough mana for the hunt,” Avelina says after a pause. “Can I hit the same targets Nuri did?”
A vein in her neck throbs, and she doesn’t meet my eyes, which makes me regret asking her to use her magic for violence. I shouldn’t push her so hard, but leaving her on her own was a bad idea. By now it’s too late; she’s already trudging over to the line where the [Hunters] stand to launch their arrows and slings.
Energy gathers around Avelina, traveling along the length of her wand toward the beast core focus. Fire burns, though it seems muted and tepid compared with her usual raging inferno. Seconds later, a bloom of red-orange engulfs a target, rocking it backward and blowing off the upper half with a small thunderclap. Impressive, but not up to her usual standards.
Still, Javier seems pleased. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy about losing so many targets in one day. Get your team ready to move out. Relieve yourselves, eat a snack, get water. We’re not stopping until it’s dead.”
Or we are, I can’t help but think. I keep that depressing idea to myself, but if the shuffling feet and anxious murmurs in the crowd are any indication, then I’m not the only one to pick up on the unspoken implication.
After demonstrating our Skills, Javier agrees that Rakesh and I will act as eyes and ears on the hunt. We’ll use my Domain Skill to scout the area after Azariah leads us there. Rakesh’s [Echo of the Songbird] will facilitate communication. Once the battle is joined, I’ll keep my team in reserve in case the hunt isn’t going well. Avelina will serve as an executioner if called upon. This way, we’ll only step in if they need emergency reinforcements, and we don’t take undue risk—or at least, that’s the official explanation.
While Javier was undoubtedly impressed by Avelina’s fire, and the lethal potential of the way I can use sharpness via my Domain, my gut says that he still doesn’t seem to trust us.
The feeling is mutual.
=+=
“Over that ridge,” Azariah hisses. “Big sucker. Dug down into the sand. Dumb idea, if ya ask me, but we’re in the thick of it now.” Azariah’s hesitation makes me nervous. I may not like how the man manipulated things for his own benefit, but he’s got more experience with surviving in the wilds than any three of us put together.
Unlike the rest of the Barrens so far, which was largely flat and monotonous, from here to the inland sea, hills and ravines dominate the landscape, with the occasional small mountain blocking the way. The Oletheros found one of those ravines, burrowing halfway down into the dirt and sands while it digested its grisly meal.
“[Hunters], with me,” Javier commands, speaking softly into one of Rakesh’s folded birds so that everyone can hear. “Companies one and two, take the vanguard. Keep its aggression on you as much as possible. Three and four, you’re on flanking duty. Stay mobile. Don’t draw away its attention; you need to stay free to float and deal damage. Move out!”
The [Hunters] wheel their mounts in unison. The strange lizards aren’t as agile as horses if required to change directions quickly, but they can climb cliffs and are faster in a straight line. Their large footpads and hooked claws give them good stability on the shifting scree on the hills around Halmuth. While companies three and four ride to either side of the canyon, companies one and two climb straight up over the rise, dropping over the edge to attack the monster.
“This is it!” I whisper to my team. “Watch, but stay back. We’re an emergency reserve only. Move up, but keep on guard.”
Roaring in pain when the first attacks hit, its basso voice shaking the earth from the other side of the ridge, the Oletheros rouses itself in fury. Now that the [Hunters] have attacked in earnest, I don’t need to stay hidden.
My [Arcane Domain] unfurls, instantly granting me Manasight and detailed sensation of the fight underway. The sheer size of the beast makes my breath catch; Javier wasn’t boasting or exaggerating. It’s immense, larger than anything I’ve seen short of the Behemoth floating far overhead in the Rift.
Worse still is the unrelenting pressure that the Oletheros emits, shoving back against my Domain. It’s a constant, overwhelming force, like an earthquake or the sea during a storm, and my senses recoil in horror before it. I grit my teeth, mastering my fear. There’s no finesse or skill to its metaphysical weight, only vast and unfocused power. Contesting it directly is stupid and pointless, but I can dance around it with skill, just like the [Hunters] are doing in the physical realm.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Taking a deep breath, I steady myself, no longer buckling beneath the onslaught. I can do this. Focus. The team’s depending on you! I pull more mana from the glass cores, exulting in the rush of power as I pour it directly into my Skill. Bypassing my shattered core is still difficult, but I’m getting better at not leaking excess mana everywhere.
Bolstered by the extra strength, I reinforce my Domain, layering it in the same way that I might form a mana scaffold for imbuing a concept. With a vicious smile,I realize that I’m creating a large-scale version of my first successful imbued weapon, the glass knife I created on my long journeys across Densmore. Leaning into the strength provided by the concept of sharpness, I cleave through the monster’s defenses and cause it to flinch away.
My sight returns, although it’s still difficult to pierce through the pressure from the beast. Its own Domain is still monstrous. No pun intended. Without an easy way to transmit the details of what I’m sensing through my Domain to my teammates, I start describing what I sense in the ravine, narrating the battle nearby.
“Javier and Camryn carved open its cheek. I think they were trying to take out an eye on their alpha strike, but it looks like the monster’s reactions are sharper than they anticipated. It’s so fast! The first two companies are slinging arrows at it, and they’re piercing its defenses, but it looks like mice trying to bite a bear. Third company is charging now—”
I wince, jerking back instinctively as the Oletheros lashes out with its spiked tail, pulping a [Hunter] into a fine crimson spray. I fall silent, wondering if we made the wrong choice.
“Nuri? What’s wrong?” Melina demands.
The worry in her voice brings me back to the present. “Lost the first [Hunter]. Worried it won’t be the last.” I struggle to keep my sight going; losing focus for even a moment causes the support scaffolding to collapse. I build it back up and resume the steady stream of description.
“Our spears are performing admirably. They’re slicing right through its scales! That’s the good news. Bad news is that the [Hunters] can’t get close to its thrashing tail or horned head. It moves way too fast for something so big! They’re buzzing around it like gnats, dashing in when they get a chance to strike, but I’m kinda worried it’s not working. They can’t reach its heart or brain. If they can’t drive the spears deep enough into its body, then the damage isn’t gonna do anything. They can’t hurt it in a meaningful way.”
I fall silent again. The [Hunters] are scoring cuts in the flesh underneath the thick scales of the beast. Yet for all the piercing power of my sharp spears, it’s a problem of size. They dart in and out, stabbing and retreating with surgical precision, but it’s not enough. Given its sheer bulk and teeming vitality, the monster can outlast them.
The strain of fending off a monster Domain, deciphering what I see in my mana vision, and telling the team about in a semi-coherent fashion is too much. I’m draining my mana at an astonishing rate. If I don’t release my Domain, then I’ll have nothing left in case we need to fight. I grip my belt knife, wishing I could help, but I’m forced to let my Domain go.
Immediately the strain lessens. Standing tall, I swallow hard and turn toward the team, weighing our chance of success against the cost. I’m not willing to let my team pay in blood. I force myself to meet their eyes. “I don’t think we should have come.”
“Too late to back out now,” Mikko says. His jaw is set, a grim cast to his chiseled face. “Where can we help?”
“Don’t even think about it. You’ll get yourself killed,” I snap. “We should get out of here while we still can. Javier was right. This is beyond us. We’re not going to turn this tide.”
“Let me see what’s going on. We can decide for ourselves if it’s too risky,” Lionel says. He takes off, kicking up gravel and red dirt without waiting for a reply.
“Lio!” Avelina screams, her face twisting in anguish as she reaches out for him. She’s not quick enough to catch him, but her panic is rising quickly. “Stop him, Nuri! Let’s get out of here. I don’t want to see the blood. I don’t want to see—death, death, everywhere I look! No more. No more dying!”
“Help her!” I yell at Melina.
Avelina drops to her knees in the red dirt, rocking back and forth while she screams. Her twin dashes to her side, holding her tight.
I leave Avelina in her sister’s care and run after Lionel, mentally beating myself up for my hubris. I should never have put the team in this position. Avelina is a crafter, not a killer. She’s excellent at monster hunting, where burning flesh and dying screams don’t seem to bother her, but she’s been on edge ever since I pushed her to take out the enemy [Mage].
Idiot! You’re gonna get them all killed!
The voice in my head won’t shut up. I cut it off forcibly, turning my attention to my team. I can blame myself later. Right now I have to make it a liar and keep them all alive.
Mikko bounds past me, mana surging in his powerful body to push him far past the limits of human strength and speed. He catches up to Lionel a moment later, lifting him bodily with a single hand, and digs his feet into the rocky ground to stop his momentum.
“Together, or not at all!” Mikko barks, a rare expression of genuine anger on his face. He sets Lionel down roughly, though not hard enough to hurt him, and beckons me over. “We’re a team. We need to act like it.
Lionel pulls away, a scowl creasing his face. He lets out a yell of frustration and twists away from us. I’m about to say something when his shoulders slump and he turns back. “Fine! I’m just tired of being cooped up. We’ve been in Halmuth way too long, and now we can’t even see what’s going on. I’m sick of feeling useless.”
My gut twists. I know exactly what he means, and I hate that I’m pushing back on it; it makes me feel like a hypocrite. “You think I’m happy here? Lio, none of us like this. We’re just trying to make the best of things.”
Lionel works his lips, searching for words, and ends up groaning and rubbing his face with his hand. A particularly ferocious roar interrupts the moment, and he turns back toward the ridge between us and the battle.
“We can’t just hide here in safety while they’re dying over that hill. I can help, Nuri. What if they need healing? I might not be much of a fighter compared with them, and I can’t compete with your ridiculous [Mage]-like slice and dice abilities, but I can make a difference.”
There’s something so earnest in my friend’s plea that it slides right past my defenses. I’d steeled my heart to refuse him, to gather up the team and flee before we all die, but Lionel has a point. I sigh heavily. He might save a life. Isn’t that worth it? Without my team’s help—Rakesh’s communication, Lionel’s healing, Melina’s speed boosts to retreating [Hunters]—we’re dooming them to failure.
“Let’s go collect the Linas and see what we can do,” I find myself saying. I spit out the words between clenched teeth. If anything goes wrong today, I’ll never forgive myself.
We jog back to the twins, who are still locked in an embrace. Grinding my teeth at having to interrupt such a private moment, I place my hand on Melina’s shoulder and shake her gently. “Mel. Gotta get up. Things are looking bad. We can’t stay like this.”
She extricates herself from her sister’s arms, giving me a sharp look. She doesn’t have to say anything to express her displeasure; I already know that I’ll hear about it later. But that’s the burden of leadership. I can’t coddle them if I’m trying to do what’s right.
So why am I so miserable about it?
Avelina springs to her feet, glaring at us fiercely. It’s as though she’s daring us to breathe a word about what just happened. None of us respond. We don’t feel like getting burned.
Staying low to avoid stray blasts of rocks and debris from the Oletheros’s rampage, we run back up the ridge as quickly as we can.
As a team, we crouch down together on the ridge, overlooking the bloody fight. “Lizard” seems too bland a word for the Oletheros. More like a moving mountain than an animal, its mottled brown and red body is long and snakelike, curling down the canyon and into a side gulley. When it’s not resting on the ground, two powerful hind legs bear most of its weight. Somewhat smaller, more dexterous forelimbs end in wicked-looking claws.
Small is relative, though. Each front limb is still longer than two of the lizard mounts put together end to end, and rippling with muscles capable of crushing stone and shredding steel.
Huge flaps of ancient, yellowed skin stretch between the spines around its neck in a frill that’s larger than the sails of a ship when fully extended. The massive spikes are more like the pillars of a palace than spears, far larger than the weapons I made for the [Hunters]. White and yellow, they jut out from the heavy ridges of scales in irregular intervals, creating a grotesque and lethal array around its ugly head. Worst of all, a few are tipped with red blood.
A tattered bit of torn cloak hangs from the furthermost spine. Whoever wore it last won’t need it again. I wish I could say that it’s the only sign of carnage, but at least five or six of the [Hunters] are dead, by my count, and a few more are missing. I’ve lost track of them in my Domain somehow, too distracted to focus properly on what’s happening.
Taj hurtles in from the side, in the monster’s blindspot, and slams into the haunch of its back right leg. Spear fully extended, he puts his full weight behind the blow, severing a tendon and causing the Oletheros’s leg to buckle.
Trumpeting in pain, it limps, staggering and crashing down to the ground, unable to lift up its enormous bulk with only three good legs.
“This is it!” Javier roars. “[Hunters], fire at will!” With glass spears braced, the mighty host of [Hunters] charge headlong into the fray. They leap over the beast’s thrashing tail, and rivers of blue-black blood soon flow across the red earth.
Javier stays just out of range of rending claws and snapping jaws, looking for an opening in the chaos. Watching all the companies working together so perfectly gives me chills. There’s something awesome about seeing so many people all devoted to a single task.
Mana surges within the beast, more than I’ve ever seen in a creature in all my life. Only a Rift compares to the raw power gathering within the Oletheros. I lean on my inconsistent and rudimentary Viewing, hoping to get a sense of what it’s doing, but the monster’s strange runes are twisted and jagged, making my head hurt.
A single glittering rune of Dominion reveals its truth to me in the middle of the shadowy haze of madness. “Rakesh! Tell them to fall back!” I scream.
To his credit, he immediately relays the orders into his folded paper bird, not even asking for details for once. The urgency in my voice galvanizes him into action, and he yells for them to retreat, repeating the override code Javier gave us in case of emergency.
It’s not enough.
The furious billow of mana from the Oletheros completes. Power washes out across the rocky canyon, enveloping the fleeing [Hunters]. A few make it out of range, thanks to Rakesh’s warning, but the rest of the lizard mounts buck and twist, convulsing with savage strength. For a moment, as a few of the skilled riders regain a semblance of control over their mounts, I hope it’s all in my head.
One of the horned lizards launches itself into a wall, turning and grinding the [Hunter] on its back against the sharp rocks. Another leaps on its partner’s rider, sinking sharp teeth into a [Hunter]’s neck and ripping out his throat.
“Get out of there!” I scream, half standing up from my hiding place. “It’s dominating the lesser lizards!” Panicking, I move on to emergency measures. “Ava, ready your flames! Hit its left eye. I’m going to tear apart its right eye with sharpness if I can.”
Avelina lifts her wand, gathering her mana. Her hands are trembling on the glass shaft of her weapon, however, and the screams of the dying make her flinch. The mana gathers, swells, and bursts sideways as she cries out and loses control.
A raging inferno erupts, blasting apart a jagged outcropping nearby and showering the [Hunters] below us with a rain of rocky shards. One hits a rider on the shoulder, knocking him off his lizard mount. He rolls to the side just in time to avoid the raptor claws of another lizard as it charges past him toward the monster.
Ignoring the cries from Avelina, I gather my power. I’ve only got one shot before I’m out of mana. I can switch to a new set of cores, but we can only bring one with us at a time.
Resonance is another problem that will have to wait until we’re out of this mess. I need a better solution. I can’t keep getting into these situations without a plan.
I punch through the monster’s natural Domain, forming my intent and will into a deadly spear of pure sharpness condensed from the ambient mana itself. The world seems to sing at my command. All my mana rushes out of me at once, leaving me bone-dry and with a pounding headache from channeling that much power at once. Arcane blades rip through the Olertheros’s defenses, focusing on its right eye, and I shout with a ragged voice, cheering as the giant yellow eye explodes.
Javier doesn’t let my attack go to waste. He leaps forward so quickly that he’s nothing more than a blur to my naked eye. I can’t track him in my Domain since I’m completely drained, but I can still sense the blazing corona of glory around him as he ignites one of the most potent mana Skills I’ve ever felt from anyone below the Second Threshold.
He pierces the creature’s chest, aiming for the heart. In the same instant, the Oletheros bellows and slams its body straight down on top of Javier, crushing him into ground and hiding him from view in a plume of sand.
“No!” Camryn screams, so loudly that it echoes through the canyon over the clatter of claws on stone and the unsettling hisses of the massive beast below us. She shoves past her bucking, berserk lizard and hefts her spear, sprinting toward the monster with her weapon out.
I watch in terror as she dashes into range of the Oltheros, somehow twisting out of the way of its spiny frill and sliding underneath a spike that should have impaled her. Blurring with preternatural speed, her spear lashes out, carving a wide path through the monster’s scales and opening a way for her to get to Javier.
She seizes his body and drags him away in a trail of blood and viscera. Still holding her spear in one hand, she flips it over and uses the blunt end to smack away a belligerent lizard, not willing to kill her own mount when it lunges at her. Seconds later, the strange enthrallment from the monster wears off, and the lizards cease their aggression.
“Retreat!” Camryn bellows, her voice once again cutting through the noise. She heaves Javier over the back of her lizard now that it’s responsive to her commands again, leaping up behind him and tugging the reins to wheel around toward the mouth of the ravine.
All over the battlefield, [Hunters] heed her call. They wrestle themselves back onto the lizards, scattering to avoid the threshing tail and deadly gouges of the creature’s spikes.
“Lio! We need you.”
“On it, Nuri,” Lionel says, dashing down the slope with impressive agility. He runs back and forth at an angle to avoid picking up too much speed and falling to his death, aiming for the end of the gorge so he can intercept Camryn.
The rest of us follow, although at a slower pace. Avelina hangs back, ashen-faced and quiet, but she seems to be over the worst of her shock since she’s jogging along with us. If we have to, I’ll ask Mikko to carry her, but that’s certainly not ideal in the middle of the chaos.
Thankfully, the Oletheros doesn’t pursue, seemingly content to hunker down and lick its wounds. We haven’t killed it, but we’ve weakened it—I only wish we could have blinded its other eye, too.
Lionel reaches the two [Hunters] and immediately lays his hands on Javier. He’s pushing as hard as he can, spending his mana like water, but I can tell it’s not enough. The wounds are far too grievous for Lionel’s low-ranked Skills to patch up. All we can do is stop the bleeding and hope we get him back to Halmuth in time.
“Spear’s good, at least,” Javier says, spitting out the words through bloodied teeth as we approach. His lips pull back, and he snarls as his last breaths rattle out. “Swear to me that you’ll finish the job. Don’t let him go down to the grave in peace.”
“I’ll kill it,” I swear.
I can’t look Javier in the eye. I’m too afraid that I’m lying to a dying man and spitting on his final request. What am I supposed to do to a monster like this? All my hubris at claiming I knew monsters wells up, filling me with shame. I’m a [Glassworker], not a [Hunter] or [Mage]. Have I overestimated my abilities? Are we all going to die because of my arrogance?
“Good work on the eye,” Camryn says tersely, dismounting to greet us. She’s pacing in a tight circle next to Javier, her gaze never leaving the gaping wounds across his chest and the ragged remains of his left leg. It’s missing from the thigh down, torn apart by the sheer force of the monster’s fury.
The rest of the [Hunters] join us a few minutes later, riding up in various states of health. Most are sporting multiple wounds, and a quick head-count shows over a dozen missing, but they universally share a look of grim determination. No distress shows on their faces; the time to mourn will come later, once they finish the job.
Irving shoves his way forward. His customary furs are torn to pieces, leaving him almost shirtless. A nasty, notch-edged wound runs from his shoulder to hip, seeping blood. Trembling with pain and anger, he thrusts a finger at my team.
No, at Avelina.
“You coward!” he shouts, drawing his knife with his other hand. “You had a shot! I saw you, up on the ridge. You could have ended it. You could have saved Javier’s life.”
He stomps in a circle, stalking Avelina like she’s prey, and addresses his brothers and sisters in arms. “This witch sabotaged us. She blasted down rocks and took out my teammate instead of killing the Oletheros. Their blood stains the sands. Now hers will join them.”
Malignant mana surges in Irving. His energy use spikes; I instinctively try to View what he’s doing, catching glimpses of danger, but I don't have enough left in my cores to complete the process.
Irving disappears from my sight, appearing in front of Avelina with a snarl transforming his face into a rictus of doom. I call on my Domain to try to stop him, only to belatedly remember that I’m out of mana. I can only watch in helpless horror as Irving hurtles toward my friend, his knife outstretched like a glittering tooth.
Mikko moves faster than I’ve ever seen, bringing his shield up to block the striking viper in our midst. Despite his enormous strength, Mikko is barely fast enough to intercept him. He lifts his shield, planting his feet in a solid stance that could stop a charging bull.
The knife splits his shield.
Mikko staggers back, grunting in effort. A trickle of blood marks his arm where the knife pierced through both his shield and his [Iron Skin] in one go.
My eyes go wide. That was no posturing. Irving just tried to kill Avelina. He had murder in his heart, as sure as the sunrise.
Irving staggers back in shock that his attack failed. Dazed from the blow, he’s too slow to avoid my brother. Mikko’s powerful hand clenches around Irving’s neck, hoisting him effortlessly into the air. His other hand grips his glass hammer and raises it above Irving’s head.
“Mikko!” I call out in warning, stepping forward to stop him before he goes too far. He’s a kind man. He’ll regret this later if he lets himself get carried away.
A hand grips my shoulder, yanking me back. I look over my shoulder, and a shock jolts through me when I realize that Camryn intervened. She shakes her head, almost imperceptibly, and then lets me go.
“Threaten Avelina again, and I’ll turn your head into paste,” Mikko growls. “I saw you cut open the monster’s scales with your spear. Where do you think you got that weapon? If not for us, you’d still be hiding in your miserable little town, huddled up behind its walls in fear of the big bad snake. Who’s the real coward, Irving?”
He flings Irving to the ground, bouncing the [Hunter]’s body off the sands with the force of the throw, and spits in the red dirt. “There’s only one enemy I see today, and that’s the beast that’s threatened you and your livelihood.” Chest heaving, he breathes deeply and masters his rage. “Don’t be stupid and make a second enemy.”
“Tie him to his mount. Let’s move out,” Camryn commands, gesturing toward Irving’s unconscious form. “Regroup in Halmuth. We struck a mighty blow today. Tomorrow, we’ll finish the job,” Camryn says, lifting her voice so that everyone can hear. “Let’s move out. It’s not safe to stay so close by while the Oletheros still draws breath. But make no mistake: we’ll be back. We’re [Hunters]. We always kill our prey!”