“Fairy Killer and Gorath each have a recommended player level of thirty,” Rain observed as she carefully dipped the blade of her dagger into the poison vial. The poison flowed into the blade and into gem embedded in the hilt. She returned the now-empty bottle to her inventory. “We aren’t even close to that level. Are you sure we don’t want the fairies’ help?”

Calista studied the approaching unique beasts. The world was engulfed in fairy screams they spotted the wolves descending towards them, yet Gorath strolled down the path as if he were out for a morning stroll. He lazily whipped the ground every few steps to test for traps. When he found one, he knelt beside it to examine its construction before continuing on.

The massive wolf Fairy Killer stayed at his side, pacing back and forth impatiently and salivating at the sounds of the fairies below. Acid dripped off his fangs and sizzled against the stone. The beast vibrated with excitement, a predator wanting release, and only Gorath’s steady hand and the crack of his whip prevented it from pursuing its prey.

“Rain, that monstrosity is literally named Fairy Killer. It gets a magic boost by eating them,” Calista answered, trying not to picture it. “We need to keep that thing away from the fairies. Besides, we need Sapphire and her soldiers to defend our flank, or we’ll be quickly overwhelmed.”

“I’m surprised you know what that word means.”

Xavier slid down the slope and skidded to a stop in front of Calista. His blade black was stowed in a scabbard at his side. Wolf blood spackled across his face, but he was otherwise unphased after his battle with the wolf pups.

“Or are you just using fancy words to sound smart, like you did in high school?” Xavier finished. He looked over to Milly, and his self-congratulatory smile faded when he saw her cold glare.

“Oh, look ladies. It’s Xavier. The great savior,” Calista said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Everyone’s least favorite person. Are you here to help, or do you just want to show us how deep of a hole you can dig with the shovel that is your utter lack of social skills?”

Xavier’s face fell. He stood there in silence, awkwardly shuffling his feet.

He didn’t respond with his usual venom. Had Calista’s insult actually hit home?

“I’ve been helping this whole time,” Xavier eventually said, thrusting his arm towards the boulders at the top of the slope. “Those four wolves would have done some serious damage to your precious fairy NPCs if I hadn’t killed them. So… you’re welcome. Bitch.”

“I saw you ride that boulder down the hill. It was very impressive,” Rain said with a pleasant customer service tone. “We could use your help, Xavier. Your skills would come be invaluable right now.”

“Yes… well, at least one of you noticed,” Xavier responded, placated. “And of course I am going to help. As if I’m letting you hog all that experience and loot.”

“There is something wrong with your head, Xavier, if your mind thinks about experience and loot when you see that monstrosity,” Calista reproached as she continued to watch the approaching beasts.

Gorath reached the crater formed by the exploded Marvin. He lazily picked up a fragment of muskrat fur, rubbed it between his fingers, and flung it away. Beside him, Fairy Killer gave an insistent whine as it slurped its tongue across its teeth.

“Something wrong with my head? You’re one to talk. You’re a bully. You were calling Milly ‘Mil-dead’ only two weeks ago. Remember that, Milly? Remember how awful she was to you?”

Calista’s eyes flick furiously towards Xavier, and she raised her hand to strike him. Milly caught her arm at its peak and gently lowered it. “Cally, we need his help. Can you just… not… right now?”

Blood-curdling fairy screams from the edge of the Gathering framed her plea. The first wolves had reached the Gathering, and the first enslaved fairies were already being dragged up the slope, squirming in the iron grips of the wolves.

Gorath groaned and cracked his whip, and the beasts renewed their advance.

“We need to get that whip,” Xavier instructed, pointing his sword towards Gorath. “It’s obviously how Gorath controls the beast. Leave this to me.”

Xavier started to advance, until Milly grasped his wrist tightly.

“Xavier, you are not going to rush in like you did with that centipede,” she scolded, her violet eyes flashing. “Rain and Cally, go with Xavier. I’ll distract Fairy Killer.”

“You are not going to fight that thing alone,” Calista exclaimed, her anger at Xavier quickly forgotten. “I won’t let you.”

Milly uncorked her final mana potion and drank it in a single gulp. The fires of Salem’s Fury blazed within her, magic replenished, and burned away her fear once again. “You’ll get in my way. I’ll lure the beast away. You get that whip. The faster you do, the more fairies we can save. Now stop your bickering and get to work.”

Milly sprinted towards Fairy Killer, her hands ablaze with fire and air.

“She just told me not to rush in,” complained Xavier. “When did she become such a hypocrite?”

“She’s… she’s not herself when she has Salem’s Fury going,” Calista rationalized, though her words were soaked with concern. “She said it feeds on her emotions, like coal shoved into a furnace. It leaves her hollow and cold.”

Xavier plucked a black ring from his inventory and placed it on his finger. “Yah, I know what that’s like,” he muttered. “Well, let’s do this. Calista, try not to get in my way. I’d hate for something to accidentally happen to you.”

Calista gripped her spear until her knuckles turned white. “I’ll keep that in mind, Xavier,” she said through gritted teeth. “You should too.”

* * *

The voices of her girlfriend, friend, and former friend faded away as Milly felt the roar of magic cascade in her blood. It pulsed in her ears, desperate for release. She fixated on the massive wolf, the distance between them growing shorter with each step. Gorath spotted her advance and watched with a curious, predatory grin.

“This is very unusual,” Gorath shouted down at her when she was fifty paces away. His voice was gruff and coarse, and slathered in confidence. Beside him, Fairy Killer let out a vicious growl that shook the tiny stones on the ground around it. “We’ve never had a fairy come to us. We usually have to catch our prey. It’s more fun that way, though this approach is not unwelcome. Fairy Killer could use an easy appetizer.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“I’d like to see him try. There are no easier appetizers here,” Milly taunted, trying to draw the massive wolf away from Gorath. She mentally reached out to the nearest muskrat, hidden thirty paces away from Gorath. She commanded it to advance on the wolves.

Fairy Killer tried to charge at Milly, but Gorath placed a steady hand on its leg, stopping the beast. “You’re a clever little fairy, I’ll give you that. But if you think we’ll be as easy as those pups you slaughtered…”

Gorath picked up a small stone and hurled it sideways at the advancing muskrat, his eyes never leaving Milly. The stone shattered the blue vial in the muskrat’s mouth, and a second later the muskrat exploded. Fractured stone and muskrat flesh rained harmlessly down upon them. Fairy Killer snapped in the air, trying to catch a hunk of flesh.

“… you’d best think twice,” he finished arrogantly. “You are out of your league.”

Milly slammed her hands together and her palms crackled with electricity.

Gorath smiled and lifted his hand off Fairy Killer’s leg. “Very well. Breakfast is served, Fairy Killer.”

The massive wolf crashed forward, closing the fifty-pace distance in a single bound. It slammed to the ground directly in front of Milly, shaking the ground as if it had been a bus dropped from a crane. Milly was flung off her feet. She landed hard on her shoulder and lost control of her lightning. It crackled harmlessly into the hillside.

Milly cursed as she felt her magic drop, but she had no time to dwell on it. She glanced up just in time to see the gigantic jaws of the wolf plunge to swallow her whole. Channeling air into both hands, she propelled herself away just as its teeth snapped closed. A drop of saliva dripped on her ankle, causing a cigarette-sized burn.

Rocks scrapped along Milly’s back as she propelled herself away from the beast. She could feel tiny cuts open across her back and droplets of blood soaked into her dress. She winced to block out the pain. Scrambling to her feet, she began to prepare another lightning blast, but the wolf was too quick. It dashed straight into Milly. Her breath was punched out of her, and she was hurled fifty feet away by the force of the blow.

The beast stalked left, readying itself to finish the prone woman.

It was interrupted as the Spear of Pinga flew through the air and pierced its muzzle. The spear looked like a tiny thorn compared to its massive body, but the beast still howled with pain and indignation.

“Go!” Calista shouted to Rain and Xavier, recalling her spear. It ripped itself from Fairy Killer’s body, leaving a trail of blood that ran down its fur. Rain and Xavier dashed past Calista, headed for Gorath.

Calista hurled her spear as soon as it returned, this time striking Fairy Killer above its right eye. Blood flowed from the wound into its eye, obscuring its vision. The beast shook its head, trying to clear it away.

“Over here, stupid beast,” Calista taunted, drawing it away from Rain and Xavier. She arrived at Milly’s side and raised her protective shield just as Fairy Killer leapt at them with bared teeth. It struck the invisible shield hard and thumped to the ground, its momentum abruptly halted. The shield cracked, golden fractures appearing in mid-air. Calista poured her magic into it, and the cracks slowly sealed, one by one. Calista’s brow beaded with sweat from the effort.

Fairy Killer’s left fang had split in half from the force of the impact, and it let loose a howl of outrage that could be heard in every corner of the valley.

“You were supposed to help the others, Cally” Milly yelled above the howl, her hands channeling water and air. She slammed her hands together and created a thick fog within the domed shield to obscure them from Fairy Killer’s sight.

“They can handle themselves,” Calista replied. “And you and I – we are stronger together. I’m not going to leave you alone.”

Milly felt herself grow weak – a feeling that had nothing to do with her dwindling magic or her injuries. A blush started to appear on her cheeks, but the feeling was consumed in Salem’s Fury’s fire.

Fairy Killer stood above the clouded dome formed by Calista’s shield and Milly’s fog and gave an angry growl. It wrapped its mouth over the top of the dome and began to squeeze, as if it were a dog with a tennis ball. Calista strained to keep the shield together. Cracks formed across its surface, faster than she could repair. Her magic plummeted.

“Love, I can’t hold this for long,” Calista wheezed, straining to keep the shield from shattering. “Hurry!”

“Just keep it up for a little longer. I’ve called for help,” Milly said. The fog was so thick she could hardly see the vicious jaws only a few feet above them. She could taste its breath in the air and hear the sizzle of its acidic saliva.

A tiny scratching sound, like a cat outside a door, reached Milly’s ears. Help had arrived. “Cally, can you open up the back of the shield?”

“Shit!” Calista shouted as Fairy Killer crunched down hard on the dome. Golden cracks spread across it like a shattered windshield. The first drop of saliva fell through its protection and struck Calista’s shoulder. She gritted her teeth as the acid soaked into her tunic and sizzled against her flesh. “If I do, this whole thing will collapse.”

“Do it!” Milly shouted.

The gap formed behind them and Milly felt fur brush against her legs. As the protective shield shattered, she embraced her girlfriend tightly and pushed them backwards with a blast of air. They flew out of the dense fog just as Fairy Killer bit down where they had once been.

It found something it was not expecting. The beast snapped in the air as it tried to get rid of the awful taste that had entered its mouth.

They skidded to a stop forty paces away from the beast, and Milly grinned when she caught a glimpse of the fur in its mouth.

“What? Milly, what did you…” Calista started.

“One Rain Special, coming up,” Milly quipped.

Gertrude, the undead muskrat lodged between Fairy Killer’s back teeth, bit down on her blue vial.

The resulting explosion engulfed Fairy Killer’s head. It snapped back violently, flames spewed from its mouth. Fragments of tongue and chunks of teeth fell out of its mouth as it staggered backward. A charred smell filled the air.

“Did… did you just call me… love?” Milly asked as they watched the wolf collapse to the ground.

“What?” Calista said, staring at the beast. It took a second for Milly’s words to sink in, and when they did, her response came out in a jumble. “Oh… um… maybe? I guess I did. It just came out. I’m still mad at you, so don’t think that I’m not. And is this really the right time to talk about this?”

Butterflies fluttered in Milly’s stomach. She was about to respond – though she had no idea what to say – when Fairy Killer started to move.

“It can’t still be alive,” Calista gasped as the beast rose to its feet. The fur on its face was charred black and part of its right cheek had been blown apart. Half its tongue was missing. It tried to howl, but all that emerged was a pained wheeze.

The beast fixed its gaze on Milly and Calista. It backed away from them cautiously. Despite its injuries, there was no fear in its eyes. Only reluctance, as if it had suddenly realized it had chased down a porcupine, rather than a mouse.

The beast’s eyes glowed blue.

“It… it can’t…,” Milly sputtered. She watched in horror as its tongue began to reform and its skin changed from black to red. Its cheeks sewed themselves together. New teeth sprouted from its gums, and the damaged teeth clinked to the ground.

“It can heal itself?” Calista gasped in disbelief. She hurled her spear into the beast’s chest as it healed, but the damage healed faster than it took to recall her spear.

The blue in Fairy Killer’s eyes faded. In a matter of seconds, it had healed nearly all of its injuries. There were a few missing teeth, and a few remaining holes in its cheeks that caused a faint whistling noise when it breathed, but it was whole once more.

“I think it is out of magic,” Milly said, channeling fire into her fist. “We can still do this, Cally. Get ready. We…”

The screams of fairies and the fevered shouts of wolves from the Gathering drew Fairy Killer’s attention. It bared its teeth, a hungry and desperate look in its eyes, and bounded towards the sounds. It gave Milly and Calista a wide berth, apprehensive of the prey that had done it such harm. Calista’s hurled spear fell short as it bounded straight for the Bazaar.

“Shit, it’s too fast,” Calista swore, catching her returning spear. “Milly, it replenishes its magic by eating fairies. It’ll be able to heal itself again and again. It’ll be unstoppable.”

Milly glanced up towards Xavier and Rain, but the area was now covered in a cloud of darkness. “We need that whip to stop it. Let’s go help Rain and Xavier.”