Your breathing quickens as you spot the raven-black feathers of the birdman that you attacked among the group.

"I say we settle this peacefully!" The man in front of the group yells from his sitting position. The presumed leader of The Accursed wears a blindfold over his eyes and he rests a long wooden spear over his shoulder. "Give us the girl and the boy, and we will spare the rest of you!" The other members stare at you and L'Neeri. A bald man with loose robes cracks his knuckles.

"It is a trap," Dah'Grahs whispers.

"Or, we can just kill all of you. The choice is yours, my friends."

"Hell no!" Yyl shouts back, his body suddenly blurring. As he says it, the birdman lurches forward with a shriek, only to be stopped by the sitting man.

"Last chance! You will not die painlessly."

You throw out your left hand, a bolt of golden light erupting from your fingers. It streaks at the man, who doesn't seem to react. The bolt passes through him as if he isn't even there.

"Fine," he states simply, seeming defeated. He points with his spear and the Accursed charge.

***

"What is it doing?!" L'Oos, Goddess of the Sun, Freedom, Expression, Self, and a multitude of other things yells as the sun marches to the horizon. "The thing has stopped and is now camping outside of the Bind Point?!"

"Mistress, If I may--" A grating voice speaks from behind her.

"Yes, Tyrr'olni'nel'mul."

"Our, unidentified object, has begun making routine treks around the Bind Point, laying strands of unbound Allegory around it in patterns that match the Seal, but with reverse polarity. I fear the worst: It is planning on sidestepping the seal."

"Can you stop it? Interrupt it?"

"I have already tried. It has a mastery of Allegory and a wealth of it that I have not ever seen before. It has put up a barrier that will take weeks to break through with regular refueling. I still don't understand how anything could have more Allegory than something made out of it, such as myself."

"Then there is no escaping it. We will need to manifest an Aarkiel in the Physical Plane to stop it once it comes through. Someone other than you, of course, I need you here, Tyrr'olni'nel'mul."

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"I will see to it. Do you have any in mind?"

"Summon the All-Mother," L'Oos responds after a pause. This is going to be an absolute disaster.

***

Fight for your life.

Yyl suddenly flashes forward with blazing speed, meeting the charging Accursed in the middle. The Birdman screeches, his ebony feathers swirling as he and Yyl clash. The rest of the Ben'Marmenent follow in Yyl's footsteps, engaging the terrible foe.

"Cover me!" L'Neeri shouts as he soars over the heads of Yyl and the Birdman.

"They have a Diver!" shouts one of the Accursed as L'Neeri takes to the air. Launching pale white projectiles out of her cloudy tentacles.

Dah'Grahs roars as he swings his massive arms in a wave motion. The wood of the Root underfoot responds by splitting into multiple layers that crisscross each other, creating a web of smaller root segments. The five other Accursed not already locked in battle with an enemy seem relatively unaffected by the sudden change in the battlefield, instead splitting up to focus on one person each.

Yyl batters the feathered man with lighting-fast strikes from two short sticks as the man screeches and hides under his massive wingspan.

You spot L'Neeri floating through the air as he tosses the bald man around effortlessly as he flails about, trying to find purchase on the root below.

"Hi there!" A squirrely voice says from above. "I think I will have fun killing you!" You look up to find a small, squirrel-like girl crouching on a root segment above you. Her black hair is braided in cornrows and she wears a bright blue smock with yellow buttons and pockets. She smiles toothily as she jumps onto your root, slashing at the air where you were just moments ago with razor-sharp claws.

She leaps at you with wild fervor.

You kick at her, missing as she deftly dodges past your attack. She spins around and stabs her claws at you which you swat away.

"What are you?" Your question catches her attention and she hesitates, looking confused momentarily before smiling mischievously.

"A human? I'm a Shifter!" The tiny beast chuckles playfully, hopping at you again. You release a blast of light from your hands at the girl, who leaps through it, unfazed. You frown, that should have done something, at least...

"I've got you!" The girl cries gleefully, slashing your arm with her claws. Pain shoots through your body, and you scream. You try to do anything, but all that you can create is a weak flash.

"You're not very good at this..." the girl pouts, swiping at you half-heartedly, "Such a waste of talent..."

"Alright, you know what, you little Kiisk?" A surge of power erupts from your uninjured arm, causing the girl to cry out in surprise. A burning flash of crimson light explodes outward, flinging the little Shifter girl away from you.

"That was nothing! You really are terrible!" she yells as she lands back on all fours, grinning at you. "Eep--!"

The bolts of light you accidentally used to start this whole mess, suddenly appear once again, striking the little squirrel goblin right in the face, sending her tumbling end over end across the root.

"Ugh," she grunts, shaking her head slowly as the last of the bolts' light fades. She wipes a trickle of blood off of her nose, "Sooo..." The girl rubs her eyes, "Are you gonna fight me properly or am I just wasting my time with you?"