Proceeding with the second leg of their journey, the group of survivors ambles down the main road, a choruss of sighs, groans, and children's cries following them all the while.
Giving voice to the unease hanging over the group, Vesca asks Valentiana in a low, hushed tone, "Why is Mr. Fraxinus letting that waif follow us?"
"Mr. Fraxinus has a soft spot for strays. I doubt I'll ever see as many cats and dogs as he kept at his house. He can be too kind for his own good like that, sometimes."
"I'm not some lost pet!" A defiant voice interjects.
"Gah!" Vesca nearly jumps out of his boots.
Stellata gets in Valentiana's face. "Need I remind you that I'm the one stuck with you?"
Vesca scoffs. "And how do you figure that?"
"Until I pay back my debt to the people of Alnear, I'm guarding you, so quit acting like my being here is anyone's fault but your boss' for sparing me!"
"Why would we need to be protected by you? If anything, we need protection *from* you!"
Sensing the spike in both magicians' auras, Fraxinus cuts in. "Mr. Fragaria, would you mind assisting me? We have something of a situation."
"Yeah, sure." Vesca shoots Stellata a dismissive glance before. Turning towards Fraxinus.
Stellata grabs the boy by the shoulder, preventing him from walking away. "Don't think I'll forget about your your little 'waif' comment earlier."
As soon as she releases her grip, Vesca scurries away with a chill down his spine and his tail between his legs.
Fraxinus escorts the boy away from the camp. "It would seem we're running short on food. Now, normally, I could just compel the trees to fruit, but these people have been through so much, and I think it's high time we all had a proper meal."
"So what are you gonna do?"
He looks at Vesca with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "I'm taking you hunting, Mr. Fragaria."
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"Alright, but is it really okay to leave that bandit alone?"
"Oh, I'm not worried." The magician chuckles.
[Conjuration: Forest Walk]
image [https://img.wattpad.com/0e19a4e1c1e30fda38f0c78723e39735d0b677d4/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f766854617239313079344f6b7a673d3d2d313434383530313237342e313764326130613764366163343763363231303934313239303139322e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
Vesca steps out from behind a tree, by now much more acclimated to teleportation. He is taken aback, however, by the muddy ground on which he now stands. Shifting his weight causes him to begin sinking into the putrid earth, eliciting both a squelch and a foul odor from the ground. Looking around, he notices the scenery has changed. Where the refreshing autumn breeze once filled his lungs, a stagnant miasma now catches in his throat.
"M-Mr. Fraxinus?" The boy turns to Fraxinus, looking for any indication that this is a mistake.
Fraxinus looks at Vesca from the corner of his eye. "You're not a bad magician, Mr. Fragaria. However, you have something of a tendency to throw in the towel."
"What are we really doing here?"
"I already told you, Mr. Fragaria, I'm taking you hunting."
"...For what?"
As if on cue, a bellowing hiss rises from quagmire, followed by a pair of red eyes. In response, Vesca's eyes widen and his pulse quickens.
"You don't have to do this, sir. Please!"
Fraxinus begins to chant and, as he does, he begins to fade out of existence.
"Good luck, Mr. Fragaria."
[Illusion: Cloak]
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Turning his attention back to his foe, Vesca witnesses its form now on full display: a crocodilian head atop a muscular feline body covered in slick mud.
"I can't fight an Ammit! That's a rank 5 monster. I'm only Rank 3!"
"Never forget, Mr. Fragaria, rank only measures raw power, not skill." The disembodied voice of Fraxinus replies, matter-of-factly.
"Screw this!"
Vesca sprints away from the creature as fast as his legs will carry him, occasionally slipping on the muddy ground. It takes the Ammit only seconds, however, to catch up with the boy, and only a moment more to rip him in half with a single swipe of its powerful paw. After slaying the boy, the Ammit stands over its kill and lets out a ferocious bellow, warning anything nearby not to interrupt its meal. Moments before devouring Vesca's remains, the Ammit's attention is diverted by a stone striking a tree in the distance. When the beast leaves to investigate, the imprint of a palm appears on the upper half of the magician's corpse, causing his waist to stitch itself back together.
[Necromancy: Rise]
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Vesca sits up with a jerk, gasping for breath.
"Never show an Ammit your back. Now, let's try that again."
Vesca runs his hands over his torso, inspecting his seemingly unharmed form.
"Looks like even death won't get me out of this."
As the monster's footfalls draw nearer, Vesca takes up a fighting stance and begins to chant.
[Focus Chant: Evocation]
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As soon as the creature enters the magician's sight, he swiftly draws a circle around it with his finger, causing a ring of fire to spring up around the Ammit.
[Evocation: Wall of Fire]
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The monster, unfazed by this display of power, strides across the inferno, seemingly unharmed, to Vesca's utter horror.
"Ah shoot!"