The brilliant red flare flourished it’s color across the sky as Nate and Tray watched.

In a resigned fashion Nate spoke: “And what now? Another problem?”

After a brief consideration, Tray responded. “Possibly not. If that flare was sent by these people, they will likely be distracted by whatever is going over there. This could be our chance to get away from all this madness.”

“...and the monster surge thing these boxes mentioned?”

“I’d say risking a tutorial-level event is less dangerous than hiding in a town full of experienced, co-ordinated, magical murderers.”

They stood, stretched their legs for a moment, and began to travel perpendicular to the flare to escape the city. Nate grabbed a broom while Tray took a small stool from outside a now-abandoned cafe as they passed by.

“Expertly armed and ready to rock and roll!”

Nate just stared at Tray, not discovering the apparent humor in the situation.

Tray continued: “With your razor shard wit and my powerful sense of humor, nothing can stand in our way.”

“Please...stop...” Was all that Nate said. Being funny just wasn’t lightening his mood and Nate didn’t want Tray’s chatter to prevent him from hearing if anyone was nearby.

They stopped near the end of another small alley, almost to the edge of the town. Cautiously peeking forward and around the corner, they came to a consensus that it was safe enough to cross this street.

As they skipped across to hide near the next bulding, the echo of an explosion reached Nate’s ears from the west side of town where the flare had come from.

When he turned his head up to look that way, he realized that there were more flares. On all sides of the town, red flares had arisen. All except for the direction they were running in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Walls of stone rose from the ground to block the path of multiple wooden automatons as several other people threw magic blasts of fire, ice, and lightning at them. The automatons were like puppets without strings, and just as clumsy as one too, but what they lacked in quality they made up for in quantity.

Before these unknown monsters had appeared, Donnel had seen it; The dialog boxes appearing in front of each of the strange people. He was certain now of the cause of this invasion of wooden monsters. The strangers must have summoned this horde. It can’t have been some simple co-incidence.

Several of the wooden automatons got around the earthen wall and leapt over the knights standing in the front lines and flew into a direct collision course with Donnel himself. Donnel frowned, irrate that such simple things could get past his men who he had personally trained. They were going to do double the regular training this month to make up for that mistake.

The automatons fell to the ground in fractured pieces. Donnel’s rapier had been drawn, swung, and sheathed so fast that it appeared to onlookers as if the wooden creations had simply decided to fall apart of their own volition.

Hesitation appeared on Donnel’s face. If the strangers used such powerful magic to scramble the appearance and layout of the city, then why were the monsters that they summoned so weak? Surely with that sort of expertise, they could have done a better job with the follow-up invasion force. He had no doubt that they caused the invasion, but this inconsistency was puzzling him. Maybe it didn’t matter? Maybe it was just an inexperienced group of mages who found a powerful and ancient magic tool but weren’t very good mages otherwise?

Flashes of green soared nearby as a wave of fire was belched onto the wooden automatons, sealing their fate. This fight, if it could be called such, was over.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“That’s a lot of flares.” Nate remarked, bringing attention to them.

“You think it’s good or bad there are no flares out here yet?” Tray pondered out loud.

“I think I want out of this crazy town. My car was turned into a carriage and magic slinging people are searching to kill us. ”

“So...keep going and don’t think about changing direction?”

“Yes. That’s what I’m saying we should do.”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The din of combat in the distance started to quiet down as the knights started to get the monster swarm under control. All the while Nate and Tray slowly made their way to the outskirts of the town. Progress was slow. It was almost too slow, and all because they were being extra cautious to avoid detection.

The sight of the old rusty unused railway on the outskirts of the city brought jubilation to Tray. They were almost out! Then they could find somewhere that wasn’t overrun with magical killers and finally relax. They were still far away from safety, but it was promising enough that any form of caution was briefly forgotten.

“We’re out!” Nate was ecstatic at the sight of the forest across the brook beyond the railway.

Tray simply smiled in relief as Nate continued “Yessss! No crazy magic people. No spear swinging maniacs. None of that.”

Nate stepped forward to start down to the brook and cross it to the forest at once.

*Crunch*

Looking behind himself, Nate saw the source of the abrupt and sudden sound.

Tray had been flung to the side onto the train tracks. Standing where he once stood was a massive wooden automaton etched with purple lines all along it’s limbs and unmoving wooden faces carved all over it’s arms and legs. It’s head was simply a featureless wooden log.

“TRAY!”

Nate was closer to the brook, and so he was downhill. The automaton had the advantage of not only being twice his size but it also held the high ground. This engagement was bad in every possible aspect. What could Nate’s broomstick do against that? He wanted to run.

...

If Tray hadn’t broke Nate out of his confused stupor and dragged him away from the main street in time back when this all started, then Nate would have met the same fate as the others who were rounded up and executed. Is running away to leave an injured Tray to a wooden monster really how Nate was going to repay him for that?

No.

It wasn’t.

The monster turned to the side and took a step towards Tray who was still on the ground, gasping and coughing for breath.

A rock bounced off the right arm of the automaton. Nate was terrified, feeling little strength in his legs. The wooden beast turned to Nate who had thrown the rock. The carved face that Nate’s thrown rock had hit glowed a pale blue color.

Nate’s eyes widened as he sloppily jumped to the side. The ground where he had stood just an instant before was now impaled with a massive icicle. His mind reeled, trying desperately to figure out how he was going to defeat a walking pile of logs that shot icicles at him.

Maybe it had limited ammo? Nate threw another rock at the automaton as it slowly took another step towards him. The automaton's size was such that it’s slow speed was compensated by the long strides that it took. The rock hit the monster in it’s right leg. This time, the carved face the rock hit glowed white.

Again Nate scrambled to move aside. Lightning scattered out from the face and scorched many different places along the ground. One of the bolts of electricity landed on Nate’s leg and he collapsed. The wooden beast was dangerously close now, and Nate’s attempts to stand and run failed because of his shocked leg.

The beast’s log of a foot slammed into the ground next to Nate. He was within arm’s reach. It raised it’s arm preparing to swing down at Nate.

*Clatter*

Tray’s stool that he had brought with him as an improvised weapon bounced harmlessly off the wooden beast’s head, garnering it’s attention towards Tray. The stool had not hit any of the carved faces on the beast’s arms or legs. The wooden automaton stopped what it was doing and meandered towards the injured Tray, having seemingly forgotten about Nate.

“Once it get...Cough!..gets close to me, throw a rock and grab it’s attention! Lure it into the brook!” Tray shouted as best as he could.

Nate swallowed his fear. He thought he was about to die. Even with this respite, neither he nor Tray were in any condition to escape the automaton. How was luring it into the brook going to help? He slowly got to his feet and found another rock.

Tray was certain he had broken ribs. Getting hit by a giant log monster can do that. He stumbled down the bank and into the water and struggled in pain to get back onto his feet again. The automaton was getting close. Nate had better reacquire it’s attention soon or Tray wasn’t going to live much longer.

“Throw something at it! Hurry!”

And Nate did throw another rock at the log beast. The rock flew over it’s shoulder and clattered hopelessly to the shore. The automaton ignored the rock and took another step towards Tray, and then another. It prepared to deal a finishing punch to kill Tray with, but again it didn’t get a chance to swing as a second rock hit it in the arm and turned it’s attention back to Nate.

The carved gnarly wooden face where the rock hit started to produce a blood orange color and an ominous liquid-like projectile was spat from the wooden figure and flew towards Nate.

Nate dove to the side and submerged into the knee-high water, but the projectile changed course and followed him. It broke through the surface of the water and slammed into his chest. A gasp of bubbles escaped his lips as pain wracked his body.

Worry and anger. That was the only emotion Tray felt as he watched his best friend get hit by the unknown attack. Nate was underwater and suffering. The time to move the automaton into position was over. It was now or never. The plan would either work or he would lose his friend and himself to this monster.

In Tray’s left hand was an assortment of small rocks as extra ammo. In his right hand was the rock he was going to throw. He threw the rock at the log monster’s head in an attempt to attract it’s attention without triggering one of the carved face’s abilities. It landed on it’s shoulder, but still missed the faces.

The automaton turned and started to close the distance between itself and Tray who waited as the automaton got closer to him and away from where Nate was at.

It took a step towards him.

Then another step.

and another.

It was now halfway between Nate and Tray and was in the middle of the brook. The face in it’s front right foot: That’s the one Nate had hit when it spewed lightning. This was a gamble. There was no guarantee that hitting the same carved face would trigger the same attack from the monster, but this gamble was all Tray had.

He threw his rock from his right hand while quickly taking another one of the rocks from his left hand to prepare another throw.

Two rocks plopped into the water near the carved face they were directed at.

The third rock hit it’s target.

The halfway-submerged carved face’s mouth glowed white.

“What happens next will shock you.” Tray couldn’t help but murmur.

Lightning started to spark from the face. The automaton shivered and fell to it’s knees, the wood blackened, as it’s attack malfunctioned and burnt it from the inside out.

Tray felt a rush of new-found energy as he swiftly waded past the unmoving automaton towards Nate who had still not surfaced.

“What’re you young’uns doing in the brook on such a chilly day?” A voice sounded out from the shore.