"No!" Aeden yelled, stifling his inner voice as the Weeper lunged at them.
That single moment of inattention almost cost him dearly.
He managed to jump away with Enidra, though the creature's claws shredded his forearm's guards. Had it not been for his armor, he would be armless.
Despite its size, it was quick and frighteningly so.
That close to the Swamp's edge, he was able to use simple thaumaturgy but nothing close to healing spells. He still hasn't mastered Witchcraft, so Ionnfyre was too volatile an option.
Should he lose control and hurt Enidra, there would be no one to save her. On top of that, he didn't have any of his weapons. Unlike true Praes wielders, he couldn't recall and summon his artifact as he wished. That was a significant weakness of his ability.
The Weeper unnaturally twisted his back forward, expelling the spikes jutting from his spine. The projectiles moved at blinding speeds, targeting both of them.
"An Caecitas!" Aeden channeled scarlet Mana through his limbs, greatly hardening them as he deflected the attacks.
A white blur rammed into him the next moment, shattering the scattered, red plates on his torso. He painfully exhaled from the impact, unable to even react. A serrated claw snatched him down right after, smashing him to the ground.
Beastly hands forced the air out of his lungs while monstrous jaws gnawed at his skin. The physical difference was far too great. It wasn't an opponent he could simply overwhelm. He needed to be smart.
For now, he had to get that monster off him.
Remembering when he first woke up in the Swamp, he tried using a complex spell, anything that might backfire with such Mana density.
"Ul Incoendia!"
The air suddenly sizzled and vibrated, birthing powerful explosions around the young man. Ensuing shockwaves successfully pushed the Weeper back. Still, it came with a price. Aeden had taken the brunt of the detonations to make sure Enidra wouldn't be harmed.
He had a few broken ribs, and his left arm was charred, though still usable. Waves of pain washed over him in crippling successions, but he was used to it. The thrill of battle didn't control him yet - a good sign. It meant that he could keep his madness at bay while fighting.
Ululating screeches tore through the smokescreen; it seemed that the creature didn't like his surprise. The fact that it didn't charge again showed that it was wary of a similar hit.
The damned thing was too intelligent.
"Aeden! You're alright?!" Enidra's cry echoed across the border.
"Don't worry about me! Just run to Luascach. I'll keep it occupied."
"I can't abandon you here, stupid! Leave while you still can!"
"I won't do it, idiot! I won't! You either escape, or I die!" He blindly uttered his unfiltered thoughts. It helped him maintain focus.
"Why are you so stubborn?!" She let out a yell of frustration before sprinting away. "You better live!"
The Weeper seemed to pick up on their plan and sent another volley of bloodied skewers towards the fleeing woman.
"Oh no you don't! An Caecit-..." As he was about to deflect the projectiles again, throbbing agony made him lose his concentration. It weakened his enhancing spell, which allowed a well-aimed spike to pierce through his shoulder and find its way to one of Enidra's legs.
"Urgh!"
"Ul Augue!" Despite his injury, Aeden conjured a fireball right above the monster. Unfortunately, it brushed it off with a sweep of its claws, leaping at its prey.
The Sorcerer raised his undamaged hand, glistening with a cardinal sheen. "Ul Scintillae!" Blinding sparks covered the Weeper's sight, allowing him to sneak up from its blind spot.
Mana coalesced around his fist, pumped in massive amounts from his Anima. Veins burst, and muscles ripped themselves apart in his arm, overcharging it with two Enhancement spells. "An Impensia! An Potentia!"
He was about to pound it when a vicious slit manifested itself on the creature's forehead, revealing a second, jagged maw. It opened wide, ready to tear him apart.
The world slowed down from the young man's point of view, expression twisting in disbelief.
There was no way to change his trajectory now.
Was he about to lose? Eaten alive by a mere guard dog? Where did his pride go? His Sorcerous legacy?
No. He had so much more to do, so much more to accomplish. Defeating the Weeper was but a step. That monster wanted to devour him? Alright then.
Aeden's eyes suddenly beamed in crimson light while fire flickered from his closed mouth.
He'd give it something to eat.
Without a second thought, he breathed pure Ionnfyre - the all-cleansing inferno - directly inside the abomination. It shrieked in torment from the vermillion flames scorching its organs, but it still wasn't dead.
Blood exploded from the Sorcerer's limb as he added yet another spellcast, guiding his punch's momentum for the final, concluding strike.
"An Fragor!"
Ravaging Mana crushed the Weeper's skull, blasting a good part of the Swamp's frontier.
A resounding thud marked the monster's landing on the ground, no more than a fuming corpse. In the meantime, Aeden rushed towards Enidra, his arms dangling freely. His plan could only be described as reckless at best, but it was the only thing he had in these conditions.
The feat he just accomplished was only possible due to the simple nature of Enhancement spells, which strained the body rather than the atmospheric Mana. Hence, he could use them freely near the Biome's edge, but not anywhere else.
"Eni! Are you alright?"
"That's a new way to pronounce my name." She answered, though her voice was strained. "It's Enidra, don't shorten it."
"If you have the strength to argue about that, you shouldn't be too injured, right?" He said, hopeful.
"If only." The young woman tried to move, only to let out an agonizing groan. The spike had pierced her right calf, oozing greenish pus amidst a bloody flow.
"Damn it. It's poisonous. Enidra, can you take it out?" She waved her head left and right, mumbling incoherent words. The pain must be making her delirious.
"Please, listen to me, Enidra. I can't use my hands right now. You just need to take it out." Still no response.
Aeden lost patience after the third call; he bent forward, tearing the bony thorn out with his teeth.
Her suffering scream reverberated, but it couldn't be helped. Letting the wound further fester with the skewer embedded in it would complicate things, and ingesting some of the poison wasn't a big deal.
His shoulder already got perforated by the same projectile, and he was confident in his ability to last until they found help.
More importantly, seeing her in that state made the Sorcerer's heart ache. He still didn't understand why, but he found the sensation unpleasant. Saving her was his priority.
For now, he had two options:
The first required exiting the Swamp with her, thus curing his own injuries and finding his friends. Megissa and Nihil would surely know what to do. They were smarter than him, after all. However, Enidra was probably never going to forgive him if that came to be. In addition, he wasn't sure of her ability to survive outside the Biome.
She was undoubtedly no spellcaster, meaning dense Mana was toxic to her. The rules seemed to change inside the Swamp, though nothing was certain out of its bounds.
The second entailed seeking help in Luascach. His initial impression was that they were hostile to Outsiders, so it would be dangerous for him. Plus, the journey back would take precious hours, and he didn't know if she could hold on until then.
Both scenarios were full of uncertainties, but he needed to decide. Leave or stay? Search for his friends or the villagers?
'Come on, Aeden. Whatever you choose, make sure not to regret it later.'
As he was about to resolve himself, a glistening wisp materialized in front of them. It whirled and spun, danced and swayed like a playful spirit. Like usual, the fog reached out to smother it, yet instead of simply disappearing, it dispersed into numerous other small lights.
They twirled in perfect synchronization, flying in a specific direction.
"They want us to follow…" Aeden mused, eyes widening. "Hold on to me, Enidra."
Having nothing to lose except for time, he bit into Enidra's collar, lifting her with sheer force to his back. Once her hands tightly wrapped around his neck, he sprinted forward, pursuing the gleaming path.
Circling around the Swamp from the borders was far easier than navigating inside; it didn't take him long to spot their hypothetical destination. A large, wooden house sat amidst crooked, menacing trees. It was close to the misty barrier, elevated atop still, murky water.
Aeden ran across its creaky bridge, his loud steps making his presence known to whoever inhabited that place.
The door swung open the moment he reached it, letting him glimpse the interior. A familiar person stood at the center of the dimly lit room, frantically knitting her own hair.
"How surprising. You made it out alive AND sane."
The young man choked on his surprise, bellowing:
"Overseer?!"