The invader approached from the southeast. I climbed an oak at the top of the cliff for a better view, but there was no sign of it yet. The woods were still riled up from the storm earlier, so my spirit eyes weren’t of any help either.

Ikfael hid in the bushes below the tree. She chirruped to get my attention. “Wolves,” she signed. “At least five.”

Yuki had already passed a warning to the blynx, and she and her kittens were safe inside the cave. How safe would depend on how we handled the wolves. Five was an uncomfortable number.

I dabbed chishiaxpe poison onto my arrowheads just as a wolf carefully stepped out from the greenery surrounding the pool. There was just one for now. He was taller than me; four feet to the base of his ears. His coat was a mix of platinum and gray fur, and, even at a distance, I could tell his paws were enormous. He paused to sniff and listen.

Silver Wolf, animal Talents: Gifted Tracker, Keen Senses, Hardy

Nascent: ???, ???

I took a breath and mentally ran through the order of spells: enchantments on my bow and arrows, then Dog’s Agility and as many Spiral Pierces as I could release before having to reposition and Camouflage/Scentless Hunter. But first, the other wolves had to show. I didn’t want to waste the ambush.

The wolf scout approached the pool to drink. That must’ve been a signal, because three more wolves followed him into the open. They were of a similar size and coloring, but some had spots. No...those were clotted wounds.

I readied to draw, but hesitated. Where was the fifth wolf? A quick glance didn’t show anything approaching my position.

Yuki?

There are no disturbances in the qi nearby.

I checked the other wolves’ statuses for anything out of the ordinary. There were Talents like Swift, Relentless Hunter, and even a Playful Mouser, but nothing resembling camouflage, invisibility, or anything like that.

The wolves stayed at the edge of the pool. Two, the ones with the most apparent injuries, laid down to rest while the others stood watch.

I glanced down at Ikfael. She held the magic knife in her paws, but her posture was a thinking one. She must’ve felt me watching, because she looked up.

“Where is the fifth wolf?” I whispered.

Ikfael nodded to show she’d heard me and gestured toward where the wolves had first emerged. The wolf was still in the bushes then. Maybe it was shy?

“Well, I’m not going to wait any longer. Four is good enough.”

Ikfael nodded and readied the knife. The scent of water mana wafted from her. As I drew the bow and clad the arrow in Spiral Pierce, the fifth wolf stepped into the open. My target shifted, and I blinked to get a read on his Talents before releasing.

Moonlight Wolf, animal, dawn Talents: Moonlit, Discerning Eyes, Uncommon Wisdom, Leader of the Pack, Beloved of Leiloominwei

Nascent: ???, ???

His eyes snapped to our position. Already at the edge of releasing, I loosed the arrow. Dog’s Agility sped through my limbs and fingers, and I had another nocked. The target, however, was gone. The moonlight wolf--all the wolves--vanished, and my arrow broke against the stone.

“Oh, shazbot.” I dropped out of the tree and covered myself in Camouflage and Scentless Hunter. I grabbed Ikfael and dashed to a hiding place further upstream. It was the same spot in which we hid when we killed the unideer.

Breathing hard, I settled into position and readied to draw again. A minute passed. Then two and three. Ikfael squatted alongside, peering with me into the darkness. After a half hour of waiting, nothing yet emerged.

Yuki, can you ask the blynx to investigate? I hesitated to ask, but she should be able to stay hidden through Camouflage and blink away if she’s spotted. It would mean leaving the kittens--

We have met the kittens and hidden them under the bed. We admonished them to be quiet. They understand the danger.

What? How?

With their mother’s permission, of course. Don’t worry, we were careful not to harm them.

I… okay, that’s fine. What about the mother? I asked.

One moment.... Yuki’s attention focused on the blynx. She’s puzzled about the promised protection. Hiding is acceptable, but there was an expectation that the spirit’s defense would be more active.

We’re working on it! I said, frustrated. It’s why we’re asking for help. So that we can move to the active phase. We just need to know where the wolves are first.

One moment… Oh, that’s interesting… We wonder…

What? What’s going on?

There’s a wolf out in the open, Yuki said. The moonlight one.

And the others? I asked.

Gone, Yuki said. Or at least nowhere the Blynx can see.

I didn’t trust that the wolves weren’t somehow in earshot, so I put down my weapons to free my hands for signing. “Yuki says there’s only one wolf by the pool. The others are gone.”

Sitting on his haunches, Yuki said. Like he’s waiting.

Oh, I didn’t like that. Not one bit. I asked Ikfael, “Can you send a water projection to see if we can bait them out?”

“Yes, I’ve learned a trick or two recently.” Ikfael’s smile was wicked, and I was reminded just how sharp otter teeth were. “This would be a good mission for Knight Emma Peel.”

We snuck back to the edge of the cliff to overlook the glen. The moonlight wolf sat exactly where Yuki said he was. I readied my bow and nodded to Ikfael. She nodded back, and suddenly there was a disturbance in the pool below.

Emma Peel, Ikfael’s otterized version, pulled herself from the water along with a spear. My breath caught--that was Bearbane, the spear she’d been gifted from Inleio. A quick glance to the side showed Ikfael grinning wide. She’d never been able to carry something as heavy as a spear with her water creations before.

Emma finished standing and strode towards the wolf. I prepared to draw, but the wolf didn’t react to her approach. None of the other wolves appeared.

“Does he know?” I whispered.

Ikfael didn’t answer. She had Emma strike a pose, a hand on her hip and spear resting on the ground. The wolf watched her, his head quirking.

Emma reached down and flicked a pebble at the wolf. The small stone shimmered his form and passed through him. I sighed in understanding--an illusion.

Then a small stick flew out from the bushes. It bounced off of Emma’s body, but caused the impacted area to wobble. I caught a hint of spirit from where the stick originated, but it was gone before I could react.

We were at an impasse--both their illusion and ours were recognized. I tossed aside several plans as unfeasible or reckless given how little we knew about the moonlight wolf’s abilities. Unless the name was literal and the fifth wolf’s ability was tied to the moon? In which case we could wait them out. Dawn was only an hour away. The sky was already starting to edge lighter in the east.

I whispered to Ikfael. “Let’s wait to--”

A wolf came out of the bushes, one of the injured ones. His steps were tentative, but he approached Knight Emma Otter and lay down in front of her.

What was this? A sacrifice? Payment to let them stay in the glen?

Another Emma appeared, shimmery and not as stable as Ikfael’s creation. She stroked the injured wolf’s fur. The area where her hand touched glowed. A second injured wolf appeared, and the scene repeated. A third wolf stepped out from the bushes, carrying something in his mouth. I couldn’t make out what exactly, but she placed the item in front of Emma.

The wolves promptly vanished, along with the second Emma Peel. Gods, but I was fooled again. I was sure the injured wolves were real.

The moonlight wolf reappeared and waited for Emma’s reaction. He was plainly offering an exchange.

“What do you think?” I asked.

Emma gestured to the wolf to wait and returned Bearbane to the pool. Once the spear was safely stowed, Emma dissolved, the water spilling back into the pool.

“I don’t know,” Ikfael signed. “What do your eyes tell you?”

Error Not a valid Talent vessel.

My Talent camera recognized the wolf’s illusion. That was good... I could work with that.

Fortunately, I also remembered the wolf’s Talents. “When I looked earlier, I saw: Moonlit, Discerning Eyes, Uncommon Wisdom, Leader of the Pack, Beloved of Lemonmesei… Leimonooseii...Le--”

Leiloominwei, Yuki supplied.

“That’s it. Leiloominwei.”

Ikfael reacted to the name. “What?”

“You know this… this Leiloominwei?” I asked.

“He is another spirit of the land,” Ikfael said, tapping her chin in thought. “His avatar is a great egret. I’ve met him once or twice.”

“Does that mean he can be trusted?”

Ikfael looked at me, her eyes stern. “No, of course not. But if it’s an agreed-upon exchange, it should be all right.” She gazed at the wolf below. “That he has chosen a beloved is surprising. No wonder the wolf’s ability is so strong, Leiloominwei invested his power in him. I wonder what the wolf gave up in return.”

Focus, Ollie. Your curiosity can wait. For now, deal with the wolves. I cleared my throat. “Let’s skip this fight if we can. No need to offend another spirit if we can avoid it.”

“I agree,” Ikfael said. Her signs were brisk, like she’d made her decision. “Follow--I may need your hands--but stay hidden until I call for you. If things go badly, I’ll draw them into the pool while you attack from Camouflage.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Not a good one, but it will do for the situation we’re in.” Ikfael drew her knife and carried it proudly down toward the waiting wolf.

He perked up at her approach. A stick flew from the bushes, but Ikfael batted it aside with her knife. She snorted loud enough for me to hear from my hiding spot behind a maple tree’s trunk.

The wolf bowed, as if in apology, and his body dissipated like smoke. His likeness then stepped from the bushes to lay something at Ikfael’s feet. Metal glinted at the end of a… strap? Something flexible anyway.

Ikfael squatted to consider the item. The moment drew out, and the wolf shifted a time or two, waiting for her decision. Another wolf came out into the open and placed a second item on the ground. It was too small for me to see.

Ikfael nodded and placed both items in her pocket. The wolves visibly sagged in relief, and the remaining members of the pack came out of hiding. They fell exhausted at Ikfael’s feet. All except for the moonlight wolf. He remained standing, even as the illusions surrounding his body evaporated and revealed his wounds.

He was covered in burns and cuts, his silver fur mangled and matted. It was a wonder that he was still alive. The other wolves were just as bad, the true extent of their injuries revealed at the same time.

Ikfael sighed to see them so. She gestured for me to join her, and I stepped out of hiding, letting my spells and the land go. The blynx continued to watch from Camouflage, and I was okay with that. It didn’t hurt to keep a card hidden away, just in case.

I brought out the Grace bowl too, but Ikfael nixed the idea with a quick shake of her head. “You share yourself too easily,” she signed. “For this, healing only.” She gestured to the least injured wolf, and said, “Start with this one. We’ll meet in the middle.”

The scout eyed my approach but didn’t shy away from my hands. Hidden by his fur, I felt the bones of his ribcage exposed by a gash. And there was also a cut across the nape. Another couple of inches, and it would’ve severed the blood vessels leading to his brain. Was it the giant owl? That would explain the cuts, but what about the burns? Given the way this world worked, it might still be an owl.

“You’re lucky to be alive, aren’t you?”

The wolf quirked his head, not understanding my words. I kept talking anyway, keeping my voice low and gentle.

Ikfael snorted, but that didn’t stop me either. I filled a bowl with water and started casting.

###

I was out of mana. The scout had taken a full five healing spells to close all his wounds, and I moved onto another wolf. A bad burn devastated this one’s face. One of her eyes was gone, the flesh blackened and suppurating. It smelled like burnt hair and bad barbecue.

The Healing Water spell couldn’t save the eye. Instead, the flesh and skin closed up, leaving the socket otherwise empty. At least, the pus that’d started forming was gone, as were the other signs of infection.

As for Ikfael, she was still at work on the moonlight wolf. He was surrounded by five bowls, each with a different item suspended in water. It was the first time I’d seen the ritual used on someone other than me.

I would’ve loved a closer look, but I needed to meditate to recover my mana as quickly as possible. My curiosity could wait until the wolves’ suffering was eased. I closed my eyes.

And opened them ten minutes later when Ikfael placed a paw on my shoulder. The wolves were all on their feet, staring to the south. The light surrounding them shimmered, and they disappeared.

“Another creature has entered the glen’s territory.” Ikfael wrinkled her nose. “It smells of undeath.”

Hit Points 12/12

Mana 4/20

Qi 17/35

My tanks were nowhere near full, but it’d have to do.

“Back to the top of the cliff?” I asked.

Ikfael nodded, and we hiked up for a second time that morning. The sky had lightened though, the clouds’ edges turning rosy pink, and I was able to see well enough without having to enchant my eyes.

We waited, but whatever the creature was, it was slow. A ponderous amount of time passed.

I found out why when a giant brussel sprout, eight feet tall, became visible through the foliage. The creature had four stubby legs attached to a square-ish base, and the whole body flexed as it moved, stepping with two feet at a time, like a caterpillar inching. Except, each time the body bowed, the maw at the top opened to release a hazy gas.

A bird fell from a branch above, and a vine snagged it out of the air and stuffed it into the creature’s maw at the top. The vine whipped through the air almost too fast to see. Four of them stretched from each of the creature’s corners.

Hellmouth, undead Talents: Poisoner, Choking Death, Death Grip, Whirling Death, Flourishing, Death Incarnate, Smoldering Rage Nascent: ???, ???

What the frock? Like seriously… what the frock? The hellmouth zombie owned three Talents with the word death used to describe them. It would’ve been four if one hadn’t been crossed out.

The trees and bushes around the hellmouth withered. Where it passed, the living died.

I glanced at Ikfael, looking for reassurance that we could tackle this thing, but she looked on with troubled eyes. It was the first time that I ever saw her truly disturbed.

“Do we run?” I asked, whispering.

“I can’t,” Ikfael said. “I made an exchange to protect this place. But I can release you from your exchange. You won’t be able to live here anymore, but you’ll be safe.”

“No way. I won’t leave you to face this thing alone.”

“Don’t be a fool. Take Yuki and the Blynx and run. You have enough advantages now that you can make a life in Voorhei.”

“Ain’t happening, my dear Dr. Otter. I made a promise to help you defend the glen, and I keep my promises. Besides, I’ve already died once before. I’m not afraid to do it again.” Which was a big fat lie, but it sounded cool. And who knew, if I said it enough, maybe it’d come true.

“Can we expect any help from the wolves?” I asked.

“Not if they’re as smart as I think they are,” Ikfael said.

“What about the elder under the pool?”

“Will not be disturbed, no matter what.” Ikfael made a chopping motion to cut the idea short.

“I see. Okay, then what about you? Any hidden abilities or secrets to make this easier?”

“No.” It was a flat denial, but she glanced sideways at me. “Not yet anyway.”

“So it’s hit and run then,” I said, ignoring the trembling in my belly. “And hope for the best.”

“I’ll fight from the water,” Ikfael said. “The poison won’t affect me, but you should keep your distance. Stay out of reach of the vines too. Tell Yuki and the blynx to do the same.”

You heard that?

Yes. We will contribute our qi and mana to the fight. Let us merge consciousnesses to better coordinate our joint resources.

Right. That made sense. I should’ve thought of it myself, but the animal fear chittering in my head made it hard to think clearly. Merging, we closed our eyes to send a prayer to Helen and our grandparents, to Diriktot and Meliune, and to the deer god.

Our body hummed, as the qi conserved within Yuki surged into Ollie/Eight’s body. It flowed in the intricate pattern of Dog’s Agility combined with Spiral Pierce. We opened our eyes and drew the bow. The arrow thrummed with power.

We smiled, though our expression was grim. “Showtime.”

A loud crack disturbed the early morning quiet. Our arrow punched through the mist and into the hellmouth. It sunk a quarter of the way into the creature’s carapace. Our smile turned into a frown, and we released another arrow. This one sunk halfway; still not deep enough to disrupt the zombie’s core.

Beside us, Ikfael disappeared into the stream. In her place, down below at the Pool’s edge, Knight Emma Otter appeared once more with Bearbane in hand. Her thrust was clean and elegant.

A vine knocked the spear aside before whipping back to cleave Emma in half. The two sections merged in the vine’s aftermath, and she thrust again.

We sent another two arrows downrange. Flexing the qi within Spiral Pierce to the utmost, we aimed for where we struck before. Both arrows punched into the carapace within inches of each other, but the creature buckled as it moved, making it impossible to “Robin Hood” our arrows, to hit the exact same spot.

The hellmouth’s vines whipped through Emma like a blender, and Ikfael couldn’t maintain the cohesion of her creation’s body. Bearbane dropped to the ground, water splashing around the spear.

The creature trundled in a circle to orient toward the hillside. Emma Otter re-formed behind it, picked up Bearbane, and attacked from behind. Except, there was no behind. The creature sensed Emma’s approach, and blended her once more.

The hellmouth took a step to approach the hillside, but Emma re-formed to attack again. The vines whizzed through her, and her body was disrupted, the water flying in all directions.

We let Dog’s Agility go. The hellmouth was slow, and Ikfael was making it even slower. We did not need speed for this fight. No, this was a battle of endurance. Of attrition. It was also a puzzle. Of finding a way through the creature’s defenses.

We could continue casting arrows in the hopes of creating a weak spot in the carapace and breaking through, or we attack a natural weak spot. Say, the hellmouth’s maw. Ah, it would be so satisfying to drop down on unaware prey.

We looked at our bow, Princess Lily. Though she was a boon companion, she didn’t have the weight of a proper hunting bow. Even if we managed to weaken the carapace, there was no guarantee her arrows would pierce deep enough, even with Spiral Pierce. So, from above it would be then. How nostalgic.

“Lead the creature to the cliff face! We’ll attack the mouth!”

Emma nodded and changed the location of where her water body re-formed. She stayed out of the vines’ reach in order to lure the hellmouth closer.

Yet the creature refused. If Emma was out of vine’s reach, then it was, in turn, out of reach of her spear. Nothing she did could threaten the hellmouth without coming closer. The only real damage done to it was through our arrows, and the creature was intent on heading in our direction.

Until the moonlight wolf arrived, appearing in the air. His illusion snapped at the hellmouth before teleporting beside Ikfael. Four more wolves followed, each attacking and teleporting. The wolves harried the hellmouth from all directions; their illusionary bodies not doing any damage but not taking any either. The vines whipped through them, just as they whipped through Emma.

They gave Ikfael breathing room though, and the little minx made good use of it. She had a hidden card after all--a stone javelin shot from the cliff face to blast into the hellmouth’s side.

Emma stopped moving, a puppet with strings cut, and Ikfael materialized out of the cliff face to fall to the ground, gasping. The hellmouth shook in rage and began a slow charge towards her.

Dog’s Agility flowed through us, and we dashed down the hill. Just twenty steps--a single heartbeat--but it was enough to reach the air above the hellmouth when we jumped. We forced qi into our legs, back, and abdomen, so that we flew farther--pushed the qi to its limits until it tasted of ozone and nitrogen dioxide. We tugged our muscles close to our bones--balanced push and pull within us--to create a stable firing platform.

The world went still. The thrum of power blazing within us disappeared. The world shrunk to include only us, the bow, and our prey. We drew. The hellmouth’s maw lay before us, open and belching poison.

A crack echoed like thunder, signaling to the world our determination to hunt. Our arrow descended like lightning.

The impact rippled through the hellmouth. The vines buzzing around its body slowed. As if it couldn’t believe the reality of its situation, the creature sagged. The massive weight of the bulb was too much for the stubby legs to carry. The shattered core’s darklight escaped into the air.

Ikfael, exhausted, saw us fall. Her paw reached for us, and a billowing wave of water caught us--like falling into a giant bowl of jello!--and carried us to the edge of the pool. Ikfael slumped down exhausted beside us.

We smiled, satisfied. “It was a good shot.”

She shook her head in disbelief, but said, “Yes. Yes, it was.”

We let go of our merged consciousness to let Ollie/Eight spend time with Ikfael. “Dear gods, but that was a ride,” I said, slumping down beside her. “You okay?”

“Tired,” she signed.

We both turned to look at the hellmouth’s body and grinned at each other.

”I thought you said you didn’t have any secret abilities?”

”Not a secret,” Ikfael said. “Just something I’ve been reluctant to practice. I...I’ll tell you about it sometime.”

Ikfael Glen, Spirit of the Land Talents: One with Water and Stone, Hoarder’s Pocket, Artist, Foodie

Nascent: Ritualist, Door Guard, ???

Hmm...with a Talent called One with Water and Stone, I suppose it shouldn’t have been too big a surprise.

The wolves came out of hiding then. For some reason, they were wary of me, which I found funny.

“Peace, friends. Everything’s taken care of.”

Ikfael nudged me. “Not quite. We need to move the body. It stinks.”

“But it’s enormous. And poisonous.”

Ikfael quirked her head and waited.

“Oh, all right. Fine. But can we at least do something about the poison first?”

Ikfael smiled, pleased with herself. “The poison gas will dissipate in a couple of hours. Once it’s gone, the body will be safe to handle.”

“I just want to clarify. There’ll be no poison remaining once the gas is gone?”

Ikfael nodded. I passed the message along to Yuki who passed it onto the blynx who in turn made sure the kitten’s behaved.

There was much to do--a carcass to haul away, silverlight to collect, and wolves to heal--but none of it could happen immediately. The poison had to dissipate first, and our magical energies needed time to recover.

The wolves didn’t rush us. Instead, they watched with thoughtful eyes as Ikfael and I leaned against each other in the early morning light.