made way for the island at an outstanding speed. Brief cries rang out as the red blast struck the creatures and seared through their flesh as if it were a sword made by the finest blacksmith and sharpened to perfection.
Kale slightly lifted his eyelids. He viewed in amazement as the red blast split directly in front of where he stood and created a V-like shape around him. The magical barrier deterred the spell from striking him. He watched as the creatures’ skin turned to ash, beginning in the area where the attack first struck and expanding in both directions until their ugly faces disintegrated. The pieces fluttered down in grey flakes to coat the surface of the murky water. It looked as though snow had fallen before the ashes melted away, sinking below the surface. Kale widened his eyes; the nova was gone—so were the creatures. He glanced around to view the damage done by the blast. To his surprise, none of the surrounding foliage was harmed. Everything stood as it had when he first arrived— completely untouched by Thomas’ spell. The attack was able only to affect breathing organisms with flesh and bones.
Thomas pointed at Kale, shaking his finger, “You should count your blessings that my bladder isn’t what it used to be! I’m sure you can imagine my surprise when I awoke, only to see you were nowhere to be found!” he called out from the bank of the pond as his grey brows descended over his eyes in anger. “Just what were you trying to prove by running off alone? You’ve only just become a human; it’s amazing you survived as long as you did before I arrived. These creatures are called monsloths. You’re incredibly lucky they didn’t rip the flesh from your body and feast upon your innards.”
“ Those things were monsloths?!” Kale remembered a story Thomas once told him about the creatures.
They had ambushed a very small village to the west of Mirion many years ago, slaughtering men, women, and children—there had been no survivors. The King dispatched a small, but elite group of knights to hunt the attackers. At the time, a description was unknown other than the assumption it had been a sizeable animal. After three days on the hunt, they had finally managed to devise a plan to lure the beast out by roping a sheep to a tree. The knights’ plan proved to be a success as hours later, two monsloths emerged from the brush. They appeared hungry and prepared to indulge upon the helpless animal. The knights were utterly repulsed. They had never seen nor heard of such a monstrosity prior to this encounter. The knights watched in silence as the two creatures walked toward the sheep. The men had no doubts the monsters were responsible for the horrible murders, judging by the savage look they bore. The warriors jumped out from their hidden location and ambushed the two creatures. The end result was a victory and both monsters had been slain—however, it came at a price. They lost one of their own men, along with the sheep. It was a bittersweet ending.
Kale’s memories were interrupted by the sharp affliction in his calf that felt as though his lower leg was on fire.
“We’d better head back to camp, Kale. You’re soaked and need to dry by the fire. I’m afraid the only spell I know that allows an individual to walk across liquid is limited to only myself.” He sighed regrettably, feeling sorry that his friend would now have to wade through the remnants of monsloth particles. Until this point, Thomas had not foreseen becoming part of a war in which he would have needed to know such a spell. He now wished he had dedicated more time to the study of spell books in his youth.
Kale nodded as he began to trudge through the water. Once he arrived at the deepest section of the lake, his leg felt cool and relieved from pain. This lasted briefly as the agony soon returned. With every step he took, he could feel a chunk of loosely attached meat from his wound swaying in the water. The sensation felt as
Kale slightly lifted his eyelids. He viewed in amazement as the red blast split directly in front of where he stood and created a V-like shape around him. The magical barrier deterred the spell from striking him. He watched as the creatures’ skin turned to ash, beginning in the area where the attack first struck and expanding in both directions until their ugly faces disintegrated. The pieces fluttered down in grey flakes to coat the surface of the murky water. It looked as though snow had fallen before the ashes melted away, sinking below the surface. Kale widened his eyes; the nova was gone—so were the creatures. He glanced around to view the damage done by the blast. To his surprise, none of the surrounding foliage was harmed. Everything stood as it had when he first arrived— completely untouched by Thomas’ spell. The attack was able only to affect breathing organisms with flesh and bones.
Thomas pointed at Kale, shaking his finger, “You should count your blessings that my bladder isn’t what it used to be! I’m sure you can imagine my surprise when I awoke, only to see you were nowhere to be found!” he called out from the bank of the pond as his grey brows descended over his eyes in anger. “Just what were you trying to prove by running off alone? You’ve only just become a human; it’s amazing you survived as long as you did before I arrived. These creatures are called monsloths. You’re incredibly lucky they didn’t rip the flesh from your body and feast upon your innards.”
“ Those things were monsloths?!” Kale remembered a story Thomas once told him about the creatures.
They had ambushed a very small village to the west of Mirion many years ago, slaughtering men, women, and children—there had been no survivors. The King dispatched a small, but elite group of knights to hunt the attackers. At the time, a description was unknown other than the assumption it had been a sizeable animal. After three days on the hunt, they had finally managed to devise a plan to lure the beast out by roping a sheep to a tree. The knights’ plan proved to be a success as hours later, two monsloths emerged from the brush. They appeared hungry and prepared to indulge upon the helpless animal. The knights were utterly repulsed. They had never seen nor heard of such a monstrosity prior to this encounter. The knights watched in silence as the two creatures walked toward the sheep. The men had no doubts the monsters were responsible for the horrible murders, judging by the savage look they bore. The warriors jumped out from their hidden location and ambushed the two creatures. The end result was a victory and both monsters had been slain—however, it came at a price. They lost one of their own men, along with the sheep. It was a bittersweet ending.
Kale’s memories were interrupted by the sharp affliction in his calf that felt as though his lower leg was on fire.
“We’d better head back to camp, Kale. You’re soaked and need to dry by the fire. I’m afraid the only spell I know that allows an individual to walk across liquid is limited to only myself.” He sighed regrettably, feeling sorry that his friend would now have to wade through the remnants of monsloth particles. Until this point, Thomas had not foreseen becoming part of a war in which he would have needed to know such a spell. He now wished he had dedicated more time to the study of spell books in his youth.
Kale nodded as he began to trudge through the water. Once he arrived at the deepest section of the lake, his leg felt cool and relieved from pain. This lasted briefly as the agony soon returned. With every step he took, he could feel a chunk of loosely attached meat from his wound swaying in the water. The sensation felt as
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