XVII

She remembered these monsters from her previous time on the island. They were dangerous, strong and more deadly than they looked, especially when they were in packs.

Dantera danced between them, her beloved Ito Farralia as deadly as if the sword was part of her own body. The howling and whooping beasts dropped around her in pairs as she struck, danced back and stuck again.

With so many of them, she jumped and did a summersault in the air, landing behind three more that clawed and snarled at three of her sailors. She stabbed one in the neck, pulled back and did the same to the next.

The third took an arrow in the back by her Roaming Lions member—and friend to Yoreno—named Sorkia.

She didn’t stop, instead whirling on her boot heel and running toward the next batch of monsters intermingled with the men who had come to this island to siphon off its dark energies, her blade flying as she smiled, thinking she needed to keep an eye on Yoreno’s friends, who—being mid-tier adventurers, were quite adept for their level.

She had already lost people.

She still needed to protect them. “How dare you attack my men!” she screeched as she came up behind an enemy and pulled her rapier across the back of his neck. Even if the attack didn’t kill him, it would take him out of the fight unless he was some magic-enhanced monster. But in truth, a wounded man would be a monster victim on no time on this island.

In the distance, through the dark woods a flash of light exploded with pink plumes.

Magic!

Was that Yoreno’s other friend, the mage girl? May? Mai? She pressed on, jumping over more of the strong-armed creatures, wounding them as she passed by. When the fallen tree came in her way, she jumped a front flip over it and landing perfectly on the other side.

When she cleared the cops of trees, she found the mage girl and five of her sailors surrounded by twenty or so of the red-eyed beasts, and even one of the men who had attacked their camp had his back up against the wall, his curved sword swinging viciously at the monsters as he tried to survive along with her own men.

And that was their prisoner, surely. After saving his life, he would be grateful for the help. It was evident he wanted to live, if he would ally himself with his enemy for a time.

Dantera rushed forward, slashing and hacking at the creatures’ backs. By the time they realized what was happening, they took Ito Farralia through their necks.

Dantera avoided attacking them with slashing strikes. Their thick bony ridges on the underside of their arms could yank the sword from her grasp. What’s more, their arms were the most armored parts of their body, so attacking them there just didn’t do enough damage.

No, Dantera was far too skilled in rapier combat to go for an area that did little damage. Instead she thrust her narrow sword where she could kill them with a single strike—in the eyes, the fang-toothed mouths, necks, in the soft underbelly if their arms weren’t in the way.

Another plume of white magic burst forth from the mage girl’s staff, the ball of energy exploding on contact fifteen paces away from Dantera, the magical combustion saturating into floating plumes of pink magic.

It was a beautiful spell, but less powerful than a fireball despite its burning effects. With the distraction of the magical explosion, Dantera redoubled her efforts, taking out another three beasts with successive strikes.

When one turned to confront her, snarling, it raised its large bony arms, claws spread in an attack, Dantera jumped back. “Ha!” she scoffed. “Then come at me, you monster filth!”

The monster lunged forward, howling and opening it’s maw of long fangs, its red eyes blazing with monster-hate and rage.

She side-stepped the slow beast and put Ito Farralia into its neck. It collapsed, dead to the ground among the pile of monster bodies she was already wading through.

Glancing about for a moment, she realized Yoreno was no longer with her. And neither was his friend who also chose the sword as his primary weapon of choice.

Where was her protégé?

A feeling of worry passed through her. It was time for this battle to end now.