The chaos had given me an extra surge of strength. I stood up, my vision still blurry. I could feel my broken bones, but my body was numb. I'd have to rely on my hearing to get out of here. The creatures had retreated, their laughter had died down, but I heard the heavy steps of one approaching from behind. Without thinking, I turned and unleashed a burst of magic in the direction of the steps. The impact sounded like a wet explosion, and the gasps of shock from the others confirmed I'd hit the mark.
My senses felt sharper than ever, though something within me was beginning to lose control. I didn't wait for them to attack again; I threw myself toward the voices, not caring about the consequences.
"Hold him down and call the boss!" one of them ordered.
As I ran, a rope tightened around my arms, immobilizing me and forcing me to stop abruptly. I let the chaos break the ropes, but at that moment, they all threw themselves at me. I saw shadows closing in, and with the magic I had left, I managed something I hadn't thought possible: I spread my hands and released what I thought was a dark mist in every direction. The footsteps halted, followed by cries of pain.
"My face!" one of them screamed.
"It's poison!" shouted another.
I stayed still, evaluating the situation by sound. It seemed the mist was somehow devouring them. I seized the moment to run toward the exit but stumbled over one of the creatures writhing on the ground. Without hesitation, I struck it until I was sure it wouldn't get up. I advanced, massacring anyone I collided with, unable to control my blows.
I could feel the heavy air of the mist as I inhaled, and in the background, I heard a familiar voice.
"Stay away from that mist, you idiots!" the boss roared, giving me temporary satisfaction. The spell had worked better than I'd hoped; they couldn't stay in that mist without paying the price.
The loss of control began to subside, and with it, I regained awareness of my actions. I reflected briefly: I'd killed those creatures without even confirming if they were under some kind of spell. Limping, I tried to move toward what I thought was the exit of the camp, but fatigue was starting to overwhelm me. I'd used too much mana, and now I could feel every wound and broken bone. Each step in my injured leg was agony, as if it were fractured in multiple places.
"Great lord," I heard the boss say with a tone of respect I hadn't heard before. "We don't know how to get past this mist."
A new voice responded, human, not as raspy as the others. They murmured an incantation, and a blow to the ground sent a powerful gust of wind. The impact threw me to the ground; as I fell, pain shot through my arms, confirming that another bone must have broken. Breathing heavily, I realized I wouldn't be able to get up.
"We can advance now! There he is! Capture him!" voices shouted from all directions. I tried to summon magic, but exhaustion and pain defeated me. I surrendered, lying on my back, engulfed in darkness without seeing the sky.
"I'm sorry, Selene..." I murmured.
The creatures' footsteps approached, and among them, I heard a familiar sound I hadn't expected. There were squawks behind me.
"Aeryn, get Darius!" I recognized Eldrek's voice, and hope returned. Aeryn arrived by my side in seconds, gripping my clothes with her beak and lifting me in a rough movement that made me cry out in pain. Somehow, I clung to the saddle and reins, managing to get onto my companion Skarnil.
Several Skarnil gathered around, and I recognized the voices of Eldrek, Gronn, and other giants.
"Now, Eldrek, do it!" Gronn shouted.
Eldrek threw something that struck the ground with an explosion that shook the terrain.
"Argh! What the hell!?" I heard their complaints.
"What's happening?" I asked desperately.
"That will buy us some time," Eldrek replied. "Let's go, let's go!" Gronn yelled.
I grabbed the reins, and all the Skarnil turned and ran at full speed. I couldn't believe I'd survived.
The wind hit me hard as we sped away.
"Darius… Darius! Are you okay?" someone called my name, but I barely heard, fighting to stay conscious.
"Hey, Gronn, he doesn't look good," said one of the giants, while the sound of footsteps thundered around us.
I felt someone lift me and switch me to another mount. "Rest up, shorty, you're safe now," Gronn said, and those words gave me the relief I needed to fall into a deep sleep.
A commotion made me open my eyes. They felt irritated, but I could see a bit better. The shadows were starting to sharpen, and I could distinguish several figures around me, though still blurry. "Where am I? Eldrek?" My voice sounded hoarse and weak. One of the people treating my wounds responded.
"Relax, Darius. You're in the semihumans' village. I'm Zarnok," he said in a calm but firm tone, "a healer among my people. I have a healing magic… although I haven't quite developed it fully yet."
I remembered what Eldrek had told me about how rare it was to find anyone with any kind of magic, let alone someone who could fully control it. "Thank you, Zarnok," I managed to say, trying to sit up, but the sharp pain stopped me. An involuntary groan escaped my lips.
At that moment, Eldrek entered the room, opening the door. There was a lot of noise outside, as if the village was deep in debate. "Don't try to get up, Darius. You've suffered multiple injuries and wounds. Zarnok hasn't stopped tending to you," Eldrek said in a tone I hadn't heard from him before.
"When do you think I'll be well again?" I asked, a bit alarmed.
Zarnok intervened. "Darius, you have multiple fractures, as well as lacerations and torn muscles. It could take a while for you to fully recover."
"What!?" I exclaimed, urgently. "I can't wait that long. What I saw in that camp needs immediate action."
Eldrek interrupted me: "That's something we need to discuss urgently, Darius. We've been talking with the semihumans here about organizing ourselves. We can't act recklessly." Although he was always calm, I detected worry in his voice.
"Eldrek, please, help me outside. I need to speak with everyone." He tried to protest. "You're crazy, you're in no condition…" I didn't let him finish. "Eldrek! This is urgent. Those bastards might already be planning to come here."
There was a tense silence. Although my vision was still blurry, I could sense the gazes of those present. Another semihuman in the room spoke up. "Eldrek, Darius is right. This calls for urgency." Finally, Eldrek gave in.
"Alright, let's go, Darius." With effort and some groans, Eldrek helped me up. Zarnok handed me a cane for support, and every step was an ordeal.
Outside the shelter, I noticed several silhouettes in the distance. There were giants and semihumans gathered, all watching me. Gronn's voice was unmistakable. "Well, well, look who's up." Before I could respond, something nudged me gently from the side. Startled, I turned and saw Aeryn.
"Aeryn! You have no idea how grateful I am. Without you, I wouldn't be here." With my free hand, I stroked her in gratitude.
"This bird hasn't left your side, waiting to see if you'd recover," Eldrek commented. "I'm in your debt," I said sincerely.
"Sorry to interrupt, Darius, but we need to know exactly what happened there," said an authoritative voice. It was the chief of the village, Thalrik, who was responsible for the needs and decisions of the semihumans.
"Of course." I took a deep breath and began recounting what had happened. I first shared my theory: perhaps those creatures were under a spell, victims of someone else's plan. I told them there was a leader commanding them, and just before being rescued, I'd heard him speaking respectfully to someone else.
That other figure had cast a spell that dispelled my magic, which led me to believe they must be someone with advanced abilities. Maybe that person was even controlling the scaly creatures through some sort of enchantment. Everyone listened intently, and soon murmurs broke out, as they started exchanging their own theories.
Eldrek raised his voice. "If that's the case, they might be capturing more people to turn them into those scaly creatures and keep them under control." Most nodded, and some began to exclaim:
"Then what do we do?"
"We can't just sit here and do nothing!"
"Are you crazy? We're not a warrior village! How will we fight them?"
The debate ignited. Some wanted to flee, others argued for staying, and a few said that running would only lead to a life on the run. Gronn, by my side, whispered that both sides were right; these villagers were workers, not warriors. An idea immediately came to me—perhaps a bit rushed, but I felt the urge to share it.
"Friends!" I raised my voice, and everyone quieted down to look at me. "I have a proposal for everyone, not only for the semihumans here, but also for the giants present." The giants who had helped me escape on the Skarnill were among the crowd. Eldrek, curious, was the first to encourage me. "We're listening, Darius. What do you propose?"
"I propose we join forces: semihumans, giants, and anyone else you can call upon. I'm not suggesting everyone fight them, but that we fortify ourselves. You, the semihumans, are artisans, builders; the giants are expert forgers and also skilled in construction. This village is the closest to the creatures' camp, so it makes sense to prepare here."
I let my words settle over them. After a few seconds, the semihuman chief, Thalrik, was the first to speak. "I think it's a good idea. We'd need to start enclosing the village and see if we can contact nearby villages to support us."
Eldrek nodded. "I agree. If we work together, we wouldn't take long to put up something strong. Besides, those creatures probably won't come right away; they'll likely act more cautiously now."
I nodded with relief to see my idea accepted. I took the opportunity to ask another question. "Perfect. Ideally, we should start as soon as possible. And while we're here… do you know of any place or anyone who could help me heal faster?"
A semihuman woman standing a bit away approached, somewhat nervously. "Uh… well. There's a village about a day's journey to the north."
"You mean the nagas' village?" Thalrik asked, frowning. The woman nodded.
"Is that information reliable?" I asked, a glimmer of hope in my voice.
Thalrik seemed to hesitate. "Look, honestly, I can't guarantee it. We don't know much about that village. Nagas have a reputation as witches in many places, and they make potions of dubious repute. We don't know much about their ethics."
The same semihuman woman, now more confident, replied, "Well, one of them treated my son for a severe illness some time ago. So I can say from personal experience that it's real. Besides, don't you think right now we should worry less about their ethics and more about our survival?"
I couldn't help but smile at her response. She'd left the chief speechless, and I couldn't agree more. "Then I'll head there immediately. If I'm to be of any use, I need to recover quickly. I'll just need someone to guide me; I'm not in the best shape."
"Gronn, you could accompany him," Eldrek said firmly.
"Huh? Why me?" Gronn complained.
"Because you know the area around that village well, and I need to stay here. With my magic, I can start fortifying this village faster."
"Fine, fine. It's decided then, shorty! Let's head to that crazy village," Gronn said with resignation. "With the Skarnill, we'll get there sooner."
"I'm counting on you, Eldrek. Take care of everything here in the meantime," I asked.
Eldrek nodded, and immediately began organizing with Thalrik and the other semihumans. While he took charge of the village's defense, I prepared for a new journey, hoping to return stronger to face whatever awaited us.