Red Fang sprinted forward, closing the gap between them in a heartbeat. Before Milly could react, the beast struck her hard in the stomach, sending her flying backwards. She struck the ground, the breath knocked from her lungs. She struggled to find her feet, but the alpha was there before she could rise, yanking her into the air by her knotted hair and hurling her across the encampment. She landed in front of the children and their protectors, rolling across the hard ground until she came to rest at an elder frogman’s webbed feet.
“Disappointing,” Red Fang said, slowing strolling over to her. “You killed two of my pack. I had expected more of a fight from you.”
Milly struggled to retain consciousness. She gasped for breath, her eyes swimming as she struggled to focus on the massive wolf. She reached out her hand, trying to ensnare the wolf’s feet with her earth magic, but the wolf simply smashed through the entrapment with each footstep. The fairies behind her hurled earth magic stones at the beast, but the wolf caught two in his bare hands and hurled them back at the fairies. Two of the women in the circle collapsed as the stone struck them.
“These fairies are so weak,” Red Fang chuckled, taking his time to stalk towards Milly. “Do you know how disappointed I was when Raid Master Greyclaw sent me on this mission? This is a raid meant to be assigned to young pups. It was meant to insult me. But with you three creatures, I will have turned an assignment for children into the clan’s best raid in months.”
“You haven’t beaten us yet,” Milly said, spitting out the blood in her mouth. She rose slowly to her knees, then pushed herself unsteadily to her feet. “And I don’t intend to let you.”
Milly’s hands flared with her fire, fueled by her anger and desperation.
Red Fang simply laughed, spreading its arms wide. “Go ahead. Hit me with your fire. My fur makes me immune.”
Milly saw movement in the corner of her eye. She felt a flicker of hope and a simple plan came together in her mind.
“Let’s find out how true that is,” she declared, watching as a bloodied and limping Rain got to her feet, raised her dagger, and hurled it hard at Red Fang’s back.
It struck home in a powerful strike, the blade embedding itself deep in the beast’s back. Caught off guard, a hiss of pain escaped Red Fang as his hands clawed at the dagger that was slowly emptying its remaining poison into its bloodstream.
It was the distraction Milly needed. She focused on her fire, increasing its intensity until the fairies behind her were forced to retreat backwards to shield themselves from the intense heat. Then Milly condensed her flames, smaller and smaller, until the entirety of the flame’s heat and power rested into a ball the size of a marble in her palms. Its power burned her skin. She winced in pain and could smell her own flesh being seared as she held it. She gritted her teeth. She would only get one shot at this.
Her moment came a second later, as Calista rammed her spear through the chest of one of the wolves she fought. Red Fang twisted his head in its direction, still trying to grasp the dagger in his back, drawn by the dying beast’s yelp.
Milly dashed forward, as fast as she could move. Red Fang twisted his head towards her footsteps, just in time for Milly to thrust the tiny marble of fire straight into his left eye.
The resulting blast rocketed Milly backwards into the gathered fairies, knocking several off their feet as she collided with them. Milly screamed with pain and the smell of burned flesh filled her nostrils. She glanced down at her arm, and nearly fainted as she saw it covered with charred skin from finger to elbow. The pain cut through Salem’s Fury, and she felt herself start to shake uncontrollably. Her increased toughness kept her conscious, but at that moment she wished it did not.
Milly’s shout of intense pain reached Calista’s ears. With fear for Milly gripping her heart, she quickly cut down the remaining wolf by somersaulting over its shoulders and stabbing her spear through its back.
A snarl of pain drew Milly attention from her arm. The massive Red Fang was slowly rising to its feet, one hand clutched to his face as the other ripped Rain’s dagger from his back and hurled it to the ground. He was furious, but through her pain Milly could also see fear in those once confident eyes.
Or rather, in his right eye. His left eye had been obliterated in the heat of the fire, leaving little more than a blackened hole where his eye had once been. The entire left side of his face was covered in seared flesh and bare bone, his upper lips burned away.
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The alpha wolf suddenly found itself outnumbered by the trio and surrounded by the bodies of its pack.
“Damn you,” Red Fang spat as the final member of its pack fell. “This isn’t over. The Silver Lakes Clan will not rest until we have hunted you down. On the howl of our Lord, I swear this to you.” Red Fang stood tall, trembling with pain, and retreated to the trees, leaving a bloody trail in his wake.
Milly tried to get to her feet to follow, but sharp pain lanced through her body and caused her to collapse back to the ground. The smell of burned flesh was strong. Her head was fussy, and she hardly registered when her head was suddenly cradled in Calista’s arms.
“Milly! Oh god, your arm. Can you heal yourself? “Milly, stay awake,” Calista pleaded, as Milly began to shake and lose unconscious from the pain.
A webbed hand fell on Calista’s shoulder.
“Move aside,” croaked the elder frogman, a kind look in his bulging eyes. “We may not be great fighters, but we can handle this.” The elder nodded to two of the fairy women, who moved to either side of Milly and rested their hands on her arms.
Milly started to scream in pain, until the elder frogman ran his tongue across her wound, releasing a paralytic that dulled her agony. The two fairy women’s hands started to glow blue, releasing healing magics into Milly’s arm. Milly sighed as the soothing paralytic took effect, her eyes fluttering closed as the fairy women worked. The pain disappeared and a pleasant tingle took its place. It almost felt…good. Milly started to giggle as she looked at her arm, though she did not know why.
Rain joined them a moment later with a heavy limp and her arm dangling from her side. The elder saw her holding back the pain and nodded to two more fairy women, who floated over to Rain and began healing her injuries. A fifth fairy moved in to assist Calista, whose defensive prowess had kept her mostly to superficial injuries.
“Thank you, strange creatures,” the elder croaked in a deep and grateful tone once their healing had started to take effect. “We are no match for the wolves, even with our magics. They would have taken us as slaves for their war, and it would have been the end of us. We owe you a great debt that I fear we can never repay.”
“We do not need to be repaid,” Rain said, then yelped in pain as the fairy magic suddenly reset her dislocated shoulder.
“Sorry,” whispered the white-haired fairy. She was young, with green eyes and a subtle scar that ran from cheek to ear on the righthand side.
“Don’t be,” Rain responded gently, trying to block out the pain. “This is not the first time we have been injured. And it will not be the last.”
“I have never seen anyone stand up to the wolves,” said the white-haired fairy in awe. “Who are you?”
“We’re just players,” answered Rain, watching her wounds slowly sealed shut by the fairy’s magic.
“What’s a player?” asked one of the frog children in a high-pitched croak, poking his head out from behind the elder’s knees.
“They are obviously monsters, Tentongue,” answered one of the fairy children, fluttering up to perch on the elder’s shoulder. “Only monsters are that strong.”
“Nuh-uh, Flutterwing,” countered Tentongue, eyes darting up to the elder in doubt. “Monsters are evil. They would not come to our rescue. They must be fairies like us. Only bigger. And stronger. And tougher.”
The elder frog placed a webbed hand gently on top of each child’s head. “Now is not the time for curiosity, children,” he croaked, scanning the broken encampment. His eyes fell on one of the fairy mothers, crouched over the broken body of her mate. “Now is the time to recover. And to mourn.”
The elder picked Flutterwing off his shoulders and set her on the ground next to the white-haired fairy. “Whitewing, ensure our saviors get the healing they need. We owe them our lives. Flutterwing, be a good girl and do what your mother says, alright?”
Flutterwing gave a small pout but settled in next to her mother to observe.
The elder turned to the trio. “I am Elder Twotongue. You are welcome in our camp, strangers. I must see to my people, but Whitewing and her circle will heal your wounds.” He hesitated for a moment. “And, if you are willing, I ask that you stay in our camp for the evening meal. I would request something of you, though I have no right to ask for more than you have already given.”
“We’ll stay,” muttered Calista, cradling Milly’s head in her lap and watching the fairies as they struggled with Milly’s severe burns. Calista had to turn her head away as the fairies focused their magic on a patch near Milly’s elbow, which had been seared down to the bone. “Just please keep healing her.”
Milly reached up and stroked Calista’s cheek, a delirious smile on her face. “Hey…. don’t worry pretty lady…I’ll be fine…I feel good…,” Milly slurred, giggling at nothing.
“Umm…is she okay?” Rain asked, watching Milly beginning to trace strange patterns on Calista’s cheeks with her finger as Elder Twotongue left to tend to the camp.
“The Elder’s saliva is a remarkable painkiller,” Whitewing answered, glancing over at Milly. “But it has its side effects. Just know that your friend will be well cared for, and she cannot feel any pain.”
“Boink. Boink. Hahaha,” Milly laughed, poking at Calista’s nose. “You have the best nose, Cally….Callyista…Callallyalllyoooo..sta…I just want to lick it.”
“I need to get a sample of that saliva,” Rain laughed through her own pain.
Calista just smiled and held Milly protectively as she let the fairies work their magic.
Congratulations! You have defeated Red Fang and his Slaver Pack.
You have been awarded 2000 experience points.
You have leveled up twice and received four attribute points and one talent point.
You have reached level 20.
Congratulations, Milly Brown! You are the third player to reach Level 20 and unlock the next tier of talents.
Item: Red Fang’s Amulet of Fire Resistance
Gold: 500