"I'm not sure." If it were too serious, Inari would likely warn us, but I keep that part to myself. I'd like to keep the tension up to push everyone back to town more quickly.
"Hmm, well, we're done here anyway, so we might as well hurry back. I'd like to avoid any incidents in the woods, so let's get moving as soon as possible." My plan comes together, and Travis rallies everyone into formation. I take up the rear with my party, and we're on the move in only a few minutes. My hands are sweating despite the cold. I can feel the blood pumping through the veins in my neck. I want to run back to town, but I hold myself back. The tension grows with each step. My anxiety reaches its peak when I hear a stick snap behind me.
"What's that?" Sakura is the first to notice. We all prepare ourselves for the worst. The rustling grows closer, and an Equuinoid pops out from the foliage.
"Oh, it's just a bug." I hear someone plant a flag, and the next thing I know, two massive monsters burst from behind it. The Equuinoid scurries away, leaving us alone with the pair of carnivorous horses.
"Equuivores!" Travis shouts out from the front.
[We'll have to buy time until he gets here. If we don't slow them down, they'll plow through our whole formation.]
"Drink 'em.'" I loose a command while grabbing the spell rod at my side. I don't know much about these particular monsters, but a few fireballs should at least slow them down. Two enormous flames explode out of the end of the spell rod in quick succession. In an instant the beasts are engulfed in a sea of fire. Not wanting to raise any flags myself, I turn to Shinobu, who's just finishing up her potions. "Blast 'em.'"
She extends both her arms and braces herself.
"Current wave!" Two legs of white lightning reach out from the magic circles that have formed in her hands and into the firestorm. Before anyone can say it, I chug my own potions.
"Did we get them?" Kyle unwittingly drops the bombshell, virtually ensuring that the Equuivores are completely unharmed.
"WEEEEEEEEHEHEHEHEHE!"
A bone-chilling whinny emanates from the inferno before us. Travis and his team finally arrive at the back. He stoically stands between the monsters and our class.
'THUMP!'
A tremendous bang rings out through the air and the flames part to reveal the visages of the two monsters behind. Two small craters have formed beneath the front hooves of the larger of the two beasts. Although they've dispersed the inferno, the bodies of the Equuivores are still alight, making them appear as horses that have risen from hell. The flames lick at their flesh.
"WEEEEEEEEEEHEHEHEHEHE!"
The lead Equuivore lets loose another cry and charges. The earth shakes as it barrels toward us. Its flaming vessel lights up the whole area.
"Accelerate!" Sam raises a thick wall of earth, leading to an even larger tremor when the beast impacts it.
"Hold the line. Equuivores rely on their momentum to attack. As long as we can slow them down, we have a chance!" Travis yells. Hearing the phrase "have a chance" is a bit hard to swallow. It's safe to say we're in a much more precarious position than I initially thought.
"If that's the case, then we need to focus all our attention on killing the first one! Twice the horses mean twice the momentum!" My words are a bit vague, but I hope he understands what I'm getting at.
"Right, let's do that! Everyone, aim for the one stuck in the wall!"
'Crunch!'
To our collective horror, the Equuivore that was supposed to be stuck manages to smash through the wall. Bits of earth rain down and dampen the flames climbing up its body. Now that it's close, I can get a better look at it. What I see can only be described as horrific. The skin of the beast is woven tightly over sinewy muscles. Almost no fat exists on its body. Its bones are so close to its skin that they look exposed. Two rows of large serrated teeth threaten to tear apart anyone unfortunate enough to cross its path. Its maw is surrounded by a massive dinosaur-esque head. It's almost as if someone streamlined a T-Rex and gave it a horse body.
Travis leaps forward to confront the monstrous threat.
"Endothermic Pile!" He swings the heavy axe in his hand while casting a spell. A red magic circle forms at the edge of the weapon as it connects with the monster's front leg. The axe fails to penetrate the Equuivores thick hide, but a red blob of translucent mana now remains at the point of impact. Ice forms around the blob and crawls upward, threatening to engulf the beast's entire body.
"Accelerate!"
"Liquefaction!" Both Sam and Josh shout in tandem. Soil and stone form around the front of the monster to impede its movements as it sinks into the ground. Sakura, Yuki, and I move in to strike now that it's been restricted.
'Boom!'
As if to mock our efforts, the Equuivore breaks through the restraints and charges. I roll out of the way and take a stab at it to little effect. It has too much health left for my attack to leave a mark. Sakura and Travis dodge out of the way, but Yuki stands her ground.
"Let's do this, you son of a bitch!" Seemingly unafraid of the seven-foot-tall equine charging at her, Yuki extends her arm to the side and plants her feet. She dodges the wide open mouth aiming for her head and jams her shoulder into its sternum. The earth groans, and two craters form at her feet. The massive force is distributed across a wide area, preventing her from losing her footing. Josh is the first to react.
"Slash!" He unleashes a horizontal swipe across its face. Again, the damage is negligible. Sakura, Travis, and I dive in next. We all get a few hits before the Equuivore disengages Yuki, turns around, and bucks her with its hind legs. She flies through the air and slams into a tree several meters away. We don't have time to check on her as we continue our attack.
"Dilate." Tyrion's calm voice cuts through the air. The Equuivore reacts almost immediately. Its powerful movements are slowed slightly; what was once an unstoppable force is now a large target. Beads of sweat form on Tyrion's brow, but he remains stoic.
[Tyrion mentioned that he uses spacetime magic. From the looks of it, he dilates the time around the target, so it moves more slowly.]