Samuel slashed his sword at the beast with reckless abandon, the crystalline blade cutting through the air with three whip-like motions. The weapon passed through the mass of energy as if it wasn’t there, but the creature recoiled slightly before attacking back, which gave Samuel time to jump back. The energy crashed down where Samuel had been only a split second before, and the mage ran to the side.

Tobi spun the head of his spear in a wide circle over his head, bringing the weapon, spinning in a blur, into the back of the mass of energy, distracting it from Samuel’s movement. As before, the weapon passed through the beast without obvious sign of damage, and he was forced to retreat as it turned on him.

The pattern continued for a minute or two, with one darting forward to take great swipes at the creature, only to dart away when they were targeted, and the other would attack to draw its attention. The wave of chaotic energy crashed back and forth futilely, unable to pin either of its enemies. They were like dogs on a boar, spinning it in place and slashing at its weak points, too fast to track.

A strange, high-pitched whistle sounded in the air. Samuel, who had just started moving forward to attack again, hesitated, trying to determine the source. It was originating from the beast, which had drawn into itself and begun to glow brightly. Expecting some attack on all sides, Samuel turned and attempted to leap away. The blast of energy caught him before he could make it clear, however, slamming into his back and throwing him several yards away.

He hit the ground hard, feeling a sharp pain in his torso. He was sure one of his ribs had broken, but he rolled to his feet at once, the blade up and ready to attack. It was only then that he noticed the danger. The energy that made up the beast’s form had clung to him and began to eat his mana with alarming speed. Panicking, he pushed his mana out as far as he could, then disconnected it from him. The chaotic energy devoured what was there in a second, then landed upon the ground.

What had been his own mana only seconds before was now a smaller replica of the main creature, rolling around as it continued to chase Samuel. He cut back and forth with his sword in a vain attempt to destroy it, but to no avail. The beast lunged at him again, and he blasted it back with a quick word, using the magic with which he’d deterred the storm aboard the cargo ship.

There was no sign of Tobi, he noticed in a quick flash of thought. The main body of energy was reforming, and either it was blocking Tobi from his view, or Tobi was down. He didn’t like to think about that second possibility. He repelled the smaller mass once more, blasting it back, then began to run in a wide circle, looking for his apprentice.

“Tobi!” He screamed, feeling fear rise up in his chest. “Where are you?”

Instead of words, he heard an infuriated warcry coming from the other side of the beast. Just as Samuel had moved far enough to view him, he saw the youth leap forward and strike the large mass of energy with his fist. There was a bright white flash of light, and great chunks of the creature were blown away, landing on the ground a few feet away. Samuel only had a second to stare in awe, wondering how his apprentice had managed that feat before he had to roll out of the way of one of the chunks as it lunged for him.

His roll took him close to his apprentice, and he jumped to his feet, back-to-back with the tall warrior. They were now surrounded on three sides by the large main body of the entity, and the smaller pieces that moved independently. The smaller bodies leaped high, coming to crash down on the two, but Samuel sent out a radial burst of mana, knocking the creatures back. Then the larger form rolled forward, and Tobi struck it again, blasting it back and breaking off more chunks.

“That’s impressive,” Samuel shouted. “But stop that!”

Tobi grasped his meaning at once, as the disconnected pieces surged forward now, and the two were forced to separate to dodge them. They tried to regroup again but were prevented from doing so by the larger mass, which had moved in again, focusing on Samuel. The mage jumped back at once but was unable to avoid the creature grazing him. It latched onto his mana at once, and he was forced to surrender a large chunk of it to escape.

Samuel was panting now, not only with the physical exertion but also the sheer amount of mana he’d already used and sacrificed. In his haste to get here and make a quick job of it, he’d already burned through over half of his reserves, and his body was beginning to feel the after-effects of such reckless activity. And now that the beast had taken two great chunks from him, he was nearly empty, and the beast only seemed stronger. Swirls of white were evident in its body now as the smaller pieces moved to rejoin the main.

“We need to retreat, Samuel!” Tobi shouted. He’d noticed the massive drain the battle had taken on his mentor, and, wisely, had refrained from using or exposing any of his own mana. “We cannot win this alone!”

Samuel knew he was thinking of rushing back to Stormbreak Harbor to alert Ryllae to what they had found, but Samuel shook his head. If they left, the beast would only become stronger, and the druids of Zaban would not be able to handle the beast. Only he, with his knowledge and experience in strange areas of magic, could manage the feat. If only he’d avoided those costly mistakes early on, he thought bitterly.

The creature rushed forward again. It had tasted Samuel’s potent mana now, and it wanted more. It surged like a tsunami, rising high in the air and slamming down. Samuel was caught unaware, and for a brief moment, he could see that the beast was already forming a dome above him. There were no escape routes. The nightmare in the inn coming to mind, Samuel felt a flare of mortal fear in his gut.

He pushed up and out with his mana, forcing the beast to separate above him. It worked, and for a brief moment, he had a clear view of the sky. But the energy landed around him on all sides, and immediately surged inward. The beast was intelligent, he realized and had learned how to counter his magic already. The chaotic energy had already latched onto his leg and crawled up to his hips before he teleported away, reappearing beside his apprentice and leaving the rest of his mana behind.

Tobi felt time around him slow, almost coming to a complete stop. With horror, he turned just in time to see Samuel’s eyes roll back, his legs giving way and falling unconscious. He crouched down to grab the back of his robe, pulling him out of the way of yet another attack as the beast lumbered past. He couldn’t hold his mentor and wield his spear properly, but fighting was the last thing on his mind now. In one quick movement, he hauled Samuel over his shoulder and summoned strength into his legs.

Even unconscious as he was, Samuel could vaguely recall the details of what happened next. He watched as if from a distance, seeing Tobi jump back and forth, barely avoiding the frantic leaping and rolling of the chaotic energy. Energy coursed through his apprentice’s body like thunder, and all of it was directed at sharpening his reflexes and increasing his speed. The beast lunged again, surging low to sweep the youth off his feet. As it moved, it spread out widely, covering too much distance for Tobi to jump or roll safely.

Tobi crouched for half a second, then, with a grunt, jumped as high and hard as he could, kicking off from the ground like an arrow. He flew nearly twenty feet into the air, traveling in a gentle arc towards the nearest tree. His only thought was to escape the frightening beast, and flee so he could restore his teacher. He jumped to the next branch, heading south, but the chaotic energy moved at once to intercept him. It slammed into the next tree he had chosen, sucking the natural energy out of it and reducing it to splinters.

Cursing, Tobi jumped sideways to another tree just as the beast devoured the one he’d been perched on. The creature lunged, again and again, stopping Tobi from moving to the south. It was almost as if it knew that he was trying to head specifically in that direction, Tobi thought, and was determined not to let him flee to safety. Cursing again, Tobi turned and leaped in the other direction, to the north.

The turn caught the beast by surprise, but it recovered quickly, rushing forth to break down the trees in Tobi’s path. Dozens of ancient trees were devoured instantly, and once again, Tobi found himself cut off completely. Gritting his teeth, he focused more strength into his legs. Instead of leaping, he dropped down off the branch.

The energy, thinking he had fallen, rose up to meet him with glee, focusing its body into a single point, the easiest way to make quick contact. It had no idea that Tobi had not fallen by accident, and it could not register the fierce grin that covered the warriors face. Mere centimeters from total contact, that blast of white energy smashed the creature back again, and the weight of Tobi’s body slammed the beast down and to the sides, splitting it into hundreds, possibly thousands of little droplets, as if he’d jumped into a large puddle.

The impact was more than a little painful to his heels, but he gritted his teeth, fighting to remain balanced and stable. Then he released the energy gathered into his legs and pushed off again, landing safely on the next row of trees, outside the site of devastation the creature had created. It could not give chase, smashed apart as it was, and before it could reform its body to attack, the youth was already gone, leaving no trace of his essence. Furious at its prey’s escape, it slammed angrily into another half dozen trees, devouring them, then returned to its original food source to continue feasting.