Wonderful.It's fully grown. And all my weapons are on my horse that just fled.
It lunges for Kalix.
A black tendril slices through the air, spearing through its side mid-pounce. The Edax is thrown back, crashing into the field.
It howls a deathly wail somewhere between a deer’s and a human’s scream. The cries of its last two victims echo in that terrible noise.
Cage appears from the fog, sword already drawn. His eyes burn a fierce silver, seeming to glow brighter than moonlight.
“Both of you, get back.”
His command pisses me off, but right now is not the most practical time to argue about the collar.
Kalix shifts in front of us as Cage steps into the tall grass.
The Edax rises with a snarl and snaps its long neck forward, jaws seeking blood. Cage’s shield of dark magic materializes in a flash, parrying its strike with a burst of force.
He pivots in one smooth motion. The sword arcs down and bites into the beast’s neck.
The beast reels backward, bleeding and in pain, but not done.
It begins to circle him, stalking for a weakness. Then it lunges again, ready to rip into his flesh.
Cage doesn’t retreat.
He runs toward it.
At the last moment, he drops low, sliding on his knees beneath the Edax’s belly. His blade slices upward in a vicious arc, opening the creature from throat to abdomen.
The Edax shrieks. Tumbling behind him, it thrashes violently as its innards spill across the grass.
It stills. Finally.
I exhale a small breath of relief and the tension in my muscles slightly eases.
Cage wipes his blade off his thigh and sheathes it without a word.
“The horses may not be far off. We’ll be risking it on foot if we can’t find them,” he says, scanning the dark.
“There’s at least one nearby,” Kalix murmurs. “I can hear it.”
I glance at him doubtfully. “You canhearit?” His green aura continues to oddly flicker.
He smirks and takes Iris’s hand. “You can’t?”
They start walking and I trail behind, frowning. Something about Kalix is wrong, but I can’t put my finger on it.
He’s just a mortal, but tonight, there’s something else. Something new. A gift? A deal, perhaps? I can’t say.
Then, I stop.
Out in the field—
“Cage…did you not just kill that thing?”
“I definitely did,” he mutters, sounding wholly displeased as the corpse twitches before us, reanimating right before our eyes.
The damn thing's organs still hang loose, glistening when it rises again. Life flickers back into its eyes. Then it lets out a fresh scream, this time more human than animalistic.
