" Oh no! The forest Guardians are here!" Theonymphi said as Izzy got to her feet, now fully healed.
" Guardians?" Izzy looked in the direction of the grey figure that looked more like a cloud.
" Yes," he whispered, " They are drawn to the scent of evil, the Cursed One must've attracted it. That and all the noise these people were making".
Theonymphi told Izzy that if they ran now, the Guardian would attack them. So Izzy knelt down near a tree and watched as the grey thing circled around Vina.
She had been the one to make the most noise. It let out a low moan and then stretched out what seemed to be a hand towards her. Vina didn't move and Dyran ran towards her, forgetting that he had to watch Ruben.
" Vina get away!" he shouted and then the thing split into two it flew towards Dyran going right through him and doing the same thing to Vina.
Both of them dropped onto the ground.
Izzy was frightened, Vina dropped onto her side. Her eyes wide open, staring frozen in her direction.
Theonymphi sighed " Here we go"...
Izzy and Theonymphi watched the chaotic scene, from where the sat crouched and still. Dyran and Vina were dead, Stem was going insane and Petal was attacking Sven.
Sven watched his other two comrades fall and tightened his grip on his cutlass. He jabbed at Petal trying to keep him from approaching.
Stem giggled and laughed until he too, was taken out by the Guardian.
" What is it doing?" Izzy said in a hushed tone.
Theonymphi explained that Guardians are basically forest keepers. Except they were ten times scarier and lethal.
They protected the Night Forest keeping evil in and also at bay. No one knew what they were or how they came to be but Theonymphi stated seriously, that they were dangerous.
Right now the Guardian was sucking the magical energy from the adventurers. Once their magic was sucked dry, they inevitably died.
"See that Petal guy there" Theonymphi pointed at Petal who was a walking corpse.
" He tried to kill me but the Guardian got to him. It's now using his body".
" So he's possessed!?" Izzy tried to keep her voice down but was scared.
Theonymphi nodded.
" This is insane".
Sven looking around noticed that all his comrades had fallen. Petal kept walking towards him, falling over and moving weirdly.
" Stay back!" he said pushing his sword into Petal's chest.
Petal stopped moving and Sven drew his sword out. Causing, blood to spurt out and onto his face.
" Hisss"
Sven looked in Ruben's direction and the grey mass approaching him.
He decided that capturing Ruben was not worth his life and he turned and ran into the forest.
"He ran" Izzy said , Theonymphi remained silent but he knew that Sven wouldn't last long.
The grey mass then directed its attention to Ruben. Who was growling, it moaned in response, floating towards him.
Izzy felt her heart beat quicken the thing was going to kill him.
" Can't we save him?" she asked.
Theonymphi looked at her incredulously "Are crazy? Or do you want to die? It's better the Guardian finishes him off, than him killing us."
Izzy knew he was right but she didn't want to see Ruben die even if he was cursed.
The Guardian touched Ruben who squealed and the in a burst of strength broke the net and jumped out.
He swung at the grey mass, his claws going right through it.
The mass dematerialised and materialised with every swipe. Ruben futilely attacked it but the Guardian was unaffected.
It the eventually floated through his body causing it to stiffen and bringing him to his knees.
He hissed and grovelled on the ground. The Guardian went through his once again and still Ruben refused to go down.
He then howled and directed it to the Guardian causing it to break apart. Into thousands of shiny dust particles.
It was in the process of putting itself together again when Ruben inhaled the dust.
Theonymphi with wide eyes pulled on Izzy' hair.
" H-he ate it! Izzy let's go!"
Izzy got up and wobbled her legs were numb from squatting. Seeing her standing there Ruben pounced on her.
Her hand moved in the air knocking Theonymphi back. She struggled against Ruben, who held her down. His breath inches from her face and his throat letting out a glutteral growl.
His saliva dripped onto her and she pushed back on him.
"Ruben it's me Izzy!" she tried to talk sense into him but his claws dug into her shoulder.
Fear and adrenalin ran through Izzy's veins. In a final attempt to get him off her. Izzy sang out a spell.
It was a modern song, one of her favourites from Nirvana. As she sang Ruben, who was weakened due to the Guardian's attack loosened his grip.
Izzy sang louder and louder until Ruben moved back clutching his head.
All while singing Izzy was thinking, die, die, die. A thunderous clap echoed in the sky and the clouds parted as a strike of lightening came down.
It struck Ruben's body frying him to a burnt crisp and he collapsed on the ground.
Izzy fell back from the vibration of the thunder and looked up surprised.
"Woah!"
" Is he dead?" Tehonymphi flew at to her side visibly impressed by her lightening spell.
Izzy got up and approached him.
" I think so..."