A flash of crimson caught his eye, and he glanced up, only to see Erika gracefully hand on her feet right next to him. She had clearly noticed him looking at her, as she winked and grinned, but that playful expression shattered as her gaze fell on the thing before them.
"What the hell, that's one ginormous butterfly!" Erika exhaled.
Aether would hardly call this thing a butterfly, but he had to admit, there were some similarities. Mainly, the two massive, yet incredibly glamorous and beautiful black and silver wings, and the main shape of its body.
Those were the only two things that it had in common with a butterfly. Its body was covered in a thick, black chitin shell. It had no eyes to speak of, nor had it any visible ears or a nose. It did have a pair of feelers, though the icky goo on them made Aether think twice before attacking them.
The creature remained still. Unmoving, its feelers trembled.
"What on earth…?" Erika mumbled. Her hand reached for her waist and grasped the air, and she seemed a little surprised for a split second before clenching her hand into a fist. "Professor?" She asked in a low voice, glancing at the woman.
"Hush!" Professor Cross warned them. She brushed past the stunned Iris; her hand slightly extended to the side. She gestured him and Erika to retreat. The crimson haired girl nodded and carefully took a single step backwards.
As soon as her toes touched the earth, the creature reared on its hind legs and let out an ear piercing screech. Aether covered his ears with his hands as Erika stumbled back and fell. The creature beat its wings once, then again.
The massive black wings didn't do much to lift it off the ground, but the dust and leaves it blew off the ground were dangerous enough on their own, not to mention the ridiculous wind they created. Screams sounded as the wind threatened to knock people over.
"That thing is filled with wildmagic!" Mara's voice sounded. "It's only going to get stronger!"
Aether's gaze snapped to the shy girl. She was standing quite far away from the monster, next to Iris. Hey eyes open wide, her face grew only paler as the creature's screech sounded once more. She covered her mouth with her hands and stepped back.
"Too late now." Professor Cross grumbled. "Everyone, retreat!" She shouted, then stepped forward with her palm stretched open. "Flames!" She shouted, and her mana gathered in her palm. The creature screeched again, then snapped its rather terrifying mandibles.
Professor Cross' flames spread out from her extended hand and licked the chitinous shell of the creature. Seemingly unbothered by the heat, it clicked its mandibles.
"This is bad." Erika's eyes darted off to the main building. "We need to get help!" She hissed as she got back up on her feet.
"Go." Aether spoke in a low voice, only seeing her with the corner of his eye. "Hurry."
The girl shook her head. "Mara!" She shouted at the top of her lungs as she straightened her back. "Go back to the academy and fetch help! Now!"
Mara froze in place for a split second before dashing away without even so much as a nod. "I hope she does actually call for help." Erika sighed, then fixed her gaze on the massive bug. "I'll help Professor Cross, stay back." She reached down to her knee-high boots and pulled a metal stick out of the back of her left boot.
She swung it to the side, and with a cling, the stick unhinged itself, turning into a meter long baton. Aether drew a quick, sharp breath as Erika's lips widened with a smile. "Icicle!" She declared her spell.
Her mana spread from her hand and covered the baton as its surface became foggy with the cold ice.
Aether nodded approvingly. "Smart." He whispered, mostly to himself as he tightly grasped the cloth of his cloak. His palms itched with anticipation. Erika stepped forward, her back straight and her chin raised. And the was promptly pushed aside by a hulking figure brushing past her.
"STRENGHETENED FIST!" A shout so loud sounded that even the massive bug seemed to pause momentarily. It probably regretted that momentary pause too, as Seth's punch landed right in the middle of its face.
Aether raised his eyebrows as the creature reared back with the strength of that punch. "Take that!" Seth shouted off the stop of his lungs as he pulled back his fist and hit the creature once more. A faint crack sounded as the young man's magically strengthened punch connected at the exact same spot again.
"Oof." Aether chuckled and slowly rose up to his feet. "Looks like he's got you beat there, Erika."
The young girl's eyes narrowed. Her posture changed, and she dashed ahead, keeping her body low. She circled around the creature, to its back. Right as Seth's third punch landed, knocking the creature on its back, Erika struck its now defenceless belly with her icy baton.
The creature beat its wings, though all that accomplished was rising some of the dust on the ground. Its mandibles clicked and snapped at Erika's legs, but the young girl quickly stepped back to avoid them, then hit its belly again.
The chitinous shell was weaker there, and it didn't take more than two hits to break a portion of it.
"Alright – step back!" Professor Chloe's voice sounded. "Wildmagic creatures have a habit of exploding when they are killed." She explained, wiping her forehead with her sleeve and gesturing Seth and Erika to retreat.
"What do we do?" Seth asked. His enhanced fist was still glowing with magic. "Carry it somewhere else?"
"You can't carry that without someone getting hurt." Aether spoke up. Seeing how Professor Chloe was shuffling her feet and generally looking rather lost, he had decided to step in. "May I?" He asked, stepping closer to the overturned creature.
"What are you planning?" Professor Chloe asked, her lips forming a thin line. She gestured the other two to step away from the creature.
"There is a way to kill wildspawn creatures without destroying them, or their surroundings." Aether hesitated, was it ok to share this information?
"I know that," Professor Chloe frowned. "But we don't know where its heart is."
Aether quietly breathed out in relief, then made a vague gesture towards the professor. "Can I have your dagger?" He asked.
She seemed startled for a moment, the reached towards her left thigh and pulled out a dagger hidden beneath her cloak. "Sure…" Her gaze followed the young man as he approached the creature. Aether took a deep breath as he raised his hands and looked down at the creature before him.
Iris clicked her tongue in disgust as Aether raised the dagger. Her gaze was fixed on his eyes when that familiar, otherworldly shine returned. His eyes glowed silver for a split second.
She looked away as he brough the blade down upon the helpless creature.