"Who's here? The monsters or the bats, because those two are different threats to us and could kill us. So, please be more specific, Alice!"
"Uh, both are on their way? Yikes!" Alice gulped, and sauntered beside me.
Alice flailed her hands at the sides and let them rest for the time being. There was even a pink and blue colour surrounding her shoulders. It only meant that the blood circulation flow of Alice was becoming like turmoil. In Layman's term, Alice had bruises all over her body from the slam. If I paid more attention to her skin, a hill emerged near her hand, thumping and swollen like squashed raspberries.
I asked if she could heal her arms using magic, since this world was a fantasy planet. If magic circles and other spells existed, healing spells must be available in this world. But Alice shook her head and told me that healing spells were not her forte. And even if she could cast any healing abilities amidst the battle, those monsters would catch up before she could finish her enchantment.
"Magic would need some time before completely mending all the damage and the wound on my arms. And besides, I can only conjure fire and wind magic. My teacher never taught me water and earth elements," Alice added, and continued to groan in pain.
I could only guide her away from the beasts, but I knew we were far too late.
It was like what Alice had mentioned. Dozens of creatures and winged monsters pursued our tails. Some of them even fought against each other, fighting for their prize, which was the two of us. Others ran away, knowing that they cannot outmatch the predator reigning the skies.
Those monsters glared at Alice and saw me as a threat to their kind. I was a puppet with skins as cotton fluffing and a paper-mache heart. Nobody wanted to eat me.
I took that as an insult.
"It's okay, Mask," Alice coughed, which made me halt our walk. "I think we can't make it, not with these injuries that I have."
"What are you talking about?! We're fine! I can carry you on my back, Alice! I can never get tired! Come on!" I insisted.
But Alice had lost the glimmer of hope in her eyes. The two of us knew that there was no way to outrun the horde of monsters chasing our tails barefooted. We still had fifty miles to exit this place. If the two of us could fight such a group, we may survive.
However, Alice lost control over her two arms. She could also barely walk from her wobbling legs. No matter how good as a mage the girl was, Alice could not fight against those numbers. She could fight no one or anything at all with those wounds and broken hands.
We needed to face the truth and accept defeat in this treacherous place.
But I refused to accept my defeat. There was no way, not even a billion times, that I would swallow this. I considered this place as my home, unlike Earth, who had tossed me to the side. As long as I was with Alice, I knew everything would be okay.
Those bats dove from the sky and took the four-legged beasts clipped in their claws. They lifted those puny animals away from the battlefield and brought them to the skies. Nobody heard the puny wails of the animals as the bats took them off from the ground. If I had to guess, those bats were going to take them inside their caves and feast at their unfortunate prey.
But the place was far from safe, and the situation had yet to finish. It was the beginning of the end for Alice and me.
The flock of bats appeared in front of us, with their sinister twister at their grand entrance. Thousands of screeches blared through our ears as we witnessed the bats multiply.
Inside their violent tornado emerged a gigantic bat. It was not like any other creature I had seen before. Behind the towering bat were its two lackeys at each size with the same frightening features.
Those three bats had their fangs sharpened like a cutter and their wings extended at each end. It even broke and knocked over that damn tree beside it without putting in any effort. With one flap of the wings, the world surrounding me changed. The sensation was like a tornado forming on the ground, blowing us backwards.
And that was what the two lackeys did. The two bats at the side launched a deadly attack, generating a turbulent wind in our direction. The strike amplified the tornado from the bats, which pushed us away.
I locked my feet on the ground and wrapped my arms around Alice, embracing her fragile body. My constrict was enough to maintain our posture and balance, rendering the wind useless to us. Alice, who couldn't do anything at all, placed her trust in me and left everything on my shoulder. She knew I was a puppet and a companion that she could trust her life with during this madness.
However, that was far from the bat's initial attacks.
The bat's leader, which I assumed was the creature standing in front, did not move an inch. Its eyes leered at me with hatred and hunger that no animal had done to me. There was a grin curving from the bat's lips as soon as it met my gaze.
The two bats stopped fluttering their wings with the instructions that came from their leader.
"I remember now! That's what Alice had warned me about," I whispered.
The bat's leader was a dracogre, an animal that controlled all cauldrons within its grasp. The dracogre did not look like an ogre but had its size like one! I did not know how much of a problem the dracogre could give compared to a bat, but I had my fingers crossed.
With no warning, the dracogre vanished from my sight and dashed straight in our direction. My body moved and shielded Alice without seeing a thing from the occurrence.
I pushed Alice away from me and landed on the bed of leaves near the bark. Alice groaned upon landing on the ground, but she did not suffer any precarious injuries that needed hospitalisations.
I trusted my guts, and the results gave me what I had wanted.
The bat crashed its body against me as it tumbled me away. I was still fortunate to take that tackle instead of the already wounded Alice. My body did not feel pain as I collapsed at the furthest tree, even breaking its ancient trunk.
I lost one hand because of the ram, forcing me to move with only my right operative hand. My legs were still functional, which gave me a fighting chance against the mighty beast. That was when my system came into play, giving out hints amidst the battle.
[The dracogre used was a spell called [swift dash]. It can only use that magic every fifteen seconds.] The automated voice inside my head informed me about the monster's conditions.
Those fifteen seconds were the window that I needed to defeat the bat or fail here inside the forest. This event was my only chance to prove my strength and save Alice.
The two bats flocked around Alice, with their mouths gaped wide and drooping salivas. The bats and the gothic girl were a hundred feet away from me. I would not reach them even if I could try.
All of this shared the same image I had experienced inside the store, where three thugs cornered the family. These bats mirror the criminals, wanting to ruin someone's life. Instead of guns gripped in their hands, these animals had their fangs baring in front of Alice. The little girl that I had saved in my previous life mimicked Alice. They were both lying on the ground, defenceless and afraid.
It was the first time that I saw Alice shivering in the cold, unsure of what to do with the happenings before her. Her usual smile had faded away as she curled her lips downwards. The tears clogged in her eyelids that Alice desperately wanted to release.
"I have to save her," I murmured, and clenched my hand made of wool.
This time, I had the power to change everything. I had the strength to do something besides run away! This situation happened twice already.
I won't let Alice hurt ever again!
"So a puppet is planning to save the princess in distress." A mysterious voice called out for my attention and talked to me.
I wandered my eyes everywhere, hoping to see the origin of the sound. But my head remained in the middle, where the dracogre lay upon me.
"You can talk?" I croaked.
"I am a higher being than those bats that I control. You are just a mere puppet, a worthless being that is meant to be controlled by someone else. We have no use of your flesh. My kin has suffered from famine for the past few years. We have eaten no human beings, not until now!" the dracogre exclaimed.