The night was cold, and the air was filled with the freshness of mountain winds. The caravan had halted at the foot of jagged cliffs, where a dense forest concealed dark shadows between the trees. The fire crackled, casting long flickers of light onto the faces of the weary travelers.
Kano sat by the fire, the first to take the watch. His eyes scanned the dense woods, listening intently to every rustle. Everyone else was asleep, except for him. He sensed something ominous. It was too quiet. Too calm.
He ran his hand along the hilt of his sword, feeling his heart race faster. The silence promised nothing good. A faint scent of smoke lingered in the air. Kano frowned. Was something burning?
Eyes in the dark.
Yellow, bright, like glowing coals. Dozens of pairs.
Kano sprang to his feet instantly.
—"Alarm!"— his voice cut through the night.
In that moment, the darkness exploded into flames.
Massive silhouettes leapt from the branches like lightning. They flew overhead, leaving trails of fire in their wake. The predators' eyes glowed with hellish light. Enormous leopards, taller than men, their manes made of living fire, attacked!
—"Everyone down!"— Kano shouted.
But it was too late. One of the leopards landed directly on the wagon's roof, and the wooden planks burst into flames beneath its paws. It instantly leapt forward, pouncing on Lianel, who barely dodged, stumbling back. Her arrow burned in the air before it could reach its target.
—"Damn! Their flames burn mana-infused arrows!"— she exclaimed.
Naira didn't wait for commands. With a roar, she charged forward, her axe striking one of the predator's paws. But the flame extinguished the blow before the blade reached the flesh.
—"They're too fast!"— she yelled, rolling aside to avoid the claws.
Kano saw one leopard leap directly at Selina. She froze in place as the massive shadow loomed over her. In the last moment, Kano lunged forward, slashing his blade just before the beast's jaws, forcing it to recoil.
—"Selina, heal! We hold the line!"—She swallowed her fear and nodded. Suddenly, her hands glowed with a soft golden light, and she touched Naira's wound.
—"Keep going!"— Naira roared, grabbing her axe again. Her movements became faster, and the pain vanished instantly.
The leopards circled around, their fiery manes burning even brighter, their eyes gleaming with hunting fervor. One lunged at Elgot, but he, smiling, stretched out his hand and released a sharp stream of cold.
Ice clashed with fire.
Boom! Steam enveloped the battlefield, forcing everyone to halt.
Kano squinted. From the steam wall emerged a black shadow — a leopard that used the moment to attack!
—"They're adapting!"— he shouted, raising his sword.
Too late. The claws were already coming for him when… Naira's axe struck the beast's head from below, sending it flying backward.
Another leopard charged at her, but in that instant, Lianel's arrow pierced its side, making the beast howl in pain. It staggered and fell.
—"One down!"— the archer cried.
The second leopard, scorched by Elgot's icy attack, tried to rise, but Naira brought her axe down on it, finishing it off.
The flames began to die down.
Only two monsters remained, but now they circled carefully, hesitant to attack.
Kano felt the tension easing, but something inside him refused to relax.
It had been too easy.
Something was waiting for them ahead.
The last two leopards began to move more slowly, their burning manes flickering as though the flames within them were dying out. But their eyes still burned with fury.
—"They hesitate,"— Kano muttered, lifting his sword once more. —"But they won't retreat."
—"Good,"— Naira tightened her grip on her axe. —"Enough of this dance, it's time to finish them!"
The leopards seemed to understand her intent and charged forward once more. One leapt into the air, directing its strike straight at Kano. He raised his sword, but the beast was too fast! In the last moment, it was struck by an arrow in its neck, and it fell with a dull thud to the ground.
—"Another one!"— Lianel shouted, drawing a new arrow.
The second leopard changed direction and lunged at Elgot. Its claws sliced through the air, barely missing the mage, but he dodged, running across the ground, his hands moving in a magical gesture.
—"Take this!"— he shouted, sending a frozen spear straight into the monster's head.
The leopard roared as the ice spikes pierced its skull, and it trembled before collapsing. Its flames flickered out, leaving only smoke behind.
Naira swung her axe a few more times, breathing heavily, before spitting onto the ground.
—"What a beast…"
Selina rushed to Kano, who had suffered several deep cuts during the battle. Her hands glowed golden again, and warmth spread instantly through his body.
—"That was… not easy,"— Kano wiped the sweat from his brow, looking at the lifeless bodies around him.
—"But we managed,"— Elgot added, straightening up.
Suddenly, a low sound caught their attention, coming from the mountains. It wasn't a roar, not the wind… It was a rumbling, spreading through the valley.
—"Something's coming…"— Selina whispered.
Kano tensed, gripping his sword again.
Something was waiting for them ahead. And it was more terrifying than the fire leopards.
The rumbling grew louder, vibrating the earth. The caravan stood amid the scattered bodies of the leopards, still burning with their dying heat, when two gigantic figures appeared from the mountain pass.
Dark, massive, with gleaming brown armor. Their segmented legs crunched against the rocks, and their forked stingers shimmered with poisonous gleam. Two enormous scorpions, the size of wagons, slowly descended from the mountains.
—"Not this…"— Elgot exhaled. —"And just like that, our victory's gone to hell."
The scorpions moved slowly, but steadily, as if assessing whether to attack. But it was decided quickly. They caught the scent of blood and burning flesh.
And they attacked.
One of the monsters snapped its claws, and in the next instant, it leaped forward. The massive claw grabbed Kano, lifting him into the air.
—"Aaaa!"— a scream tore from him as he felt the steel armor crushing his ribs.
—"KANO!"— Selina reached for him, but she couldn't do anything.
Naira was closer, so without hesitation, she charged forward. Her axe struck the scorpion's armor with tremendous force, but it bounced off, leaving no scratch.
—"Its armor… too strong!"— she shouted.
Suddenly, the second scorpion spun sharply and slammed its tail into Naira with full force.
The blow was devastating. Naira's massive body was thrown backward and crashed into the bushes, knocking down branches. She lay still.
Rudgard, who had been hiding under the wagon, gripped his axe so tightly that his fingers turned white.
—"I... I can't..."—
The scorpion squeezed its claws even harder, and Kano felt his ribs snap. His vision began to dim. He was tossed in the air like a toy.
Suddenly, Lianel's arrow struck straight into the scorpion's eye, making it hiss loudly. It threw Kano aside, and he crashed to the ground with a thud.
—"Alive!"— Lianel exclaimed.
Elgot, wasting no time, raised his staff, and from the ground beneath the scorpion, a massive ice spike shot up. It pierced the monster's armor, causing it to writhe in pain.
However, the second scorpion charged at Elgot with fury. It grabbed the mage with its claw, lifted him into the air, and would have crushed him instantly if it hadn't been distracted by a tastier morsel—the remains of the leopards.
It greedily snatched up the two dead monsters and sank its teeth into them, tearing off their heads before swallowing the bodies whole.
Selina stood frozen in terror. Her hands trembled. She felt helpless...
—"Heal!"— Kano croaked, trying to rise. His chest was burning with pain.
Selina snapped out of her shock. Her hands instantly glowed, and she touched Kano. The wounds started to heal, but time was running out.
The second scorpion refocused on the group. It began moving faster, not giving them a chance to attack.
—"It's going to wipe us out..."— Lianel exhaled.
Selina clenched her hands into fists. She felt something unfamiliar stirring inside her. Her body trembled, and then—exploded with light.
—"ENOUGH!"— her voice rang out loud.
The light covered the entire battlefield like a sharp blade, piercing through the darkness. The scorpion hissed, its armor sizzling as though it were being poured with molten metal. It quickly retreated, backing away, its claws leaving deep grooves in the earth. Its stinger twitched, and it slowly began to crawl back toward the mountains, as if fleeing from certain death.
No one expected what happened next.
The light gradually faded, and darkness once again enveloped the battlefield. The scorpion no longer attacked. Its massive body froze for a moment, then it abruptly turned and, hissing, crawled back into the mountains, disappearing into the dark ravines.
Silence.
Everyone stood still, as if afraid to move.
—"Well... that was something,"— Kano broke the silence first, breathing heavily and pressing his hand to his still-healing side.
Elgot approached Selina, crossing his arms over his chest and giving her a careful look.
—"Child... you never cease to amaze me,"— he said with a barely noticeable smile. —"But this is still not the limit. You must develop further to learn to heal without touch. That way, we won't have to risk you in battles."
Everyone looked at the mage in surprise. Kano raised an eyebrow, skeptical.
—"Is that even possible?"— he asked, still processing what he had just witnessed.
Elgot didn't hesitate for a second.
—"Yes. Archmages can do that."
—"And you can do it?"— Kano asked, staring at him.
Elgot nodded but shrugged slightly.
—"Only over short distances. And while I'm doing it, I can't use other magic."
Kano looked shocked.
—"So it's actually possible?"
—"There was once a great archmage,"— Elgot replied calmly, —"who could heal many allies at once, even from a distance. The key was that he had to see them."
Selina's eyes widened as she listened to his words. She clenched her fingers into a fist, feeling a fire of determination burning inside her.
—"I will definitely be able to do that..."— she whispered.
And everyone laughed. The light tension dissipated, leaving only the feeling of unity after the battle. Selina smiled too, though inside, she knew it wasn't just empty words. She would truly do whatever it took to reach that level.
—"Alright, talking's good, but let's get out of here,"— Elgot suddenly spoke, rubbing his chin. —"That light definitely drew unwanted attention. And the night by the mountains isn't the best place to rest."
—"Because more scorpions might find us?"— Lianel asked.
Elgot raised a finger.
—"Not just that. Wandering trolls are much worse here. They love nighttime travel, and unlike these fire kittens, they aren't afraid of magic."
—"Trolls?!"— Rudgard paled.
—"Yeah. And they're worse than these scorpions. They're also smarter than you think,"— the mage winked slyly. —"Well, you don't want to find out if that's true, do you?"
Everyone exchanged glances. They had just survived the toughest battle of their lives, and now they were being scared by something even more terrifying?
—"Damn it..."— muttered Naira, lifting her axe. —"Let's move. I don't want to meet trolls tonight."
And so, they set off again, even though it was deep into the night.
Elgot knew they couldn't stay in one place; they had to keep moving.