Fenrin's lightning arrow hit the rage demon's arm as he brought his massive sword down on Tara's crumpled figure. The shot flew true but failed to penetrate the creature's skin. Instead, the arrow splintered into shards of wood and metal, barely leaving a mark. Fortunately, the elemental energy proved marginally more effective. The hulking monster flinched at the eruption of lightning and his strike went wide, making a small crater in the ground beside Tara and sending up a plume of dirt and sparking, magical essence.

  The wounded tek'kalla had the wherewithal to roll away as Luis and Fenrin charged to help her, bolstered by Naomi's Fleetfoot melody. Luis got there first, exchanging a series of blows with the demon while Fenrin placed himself between him and Tara, continuing to launch elementally charged arrows one after the other.

  "I'm working out how to stop this!" Tara said, raising her voice to be heard over the crackling hum of the Core. The sound was growing louder, and the bolts of energy it was launching into the sigil more frequent.

  That can't be good.

  "We'll keep him away from you!"

  Fenrin said that with all the conviction he could muster, but the demon was already overwhelming Luis. The monster's sword strokes held none of the technique or finesse he was accustomed to seeing in powerful swordsmen. This creature's strength didn't come from mastery, but rather from the sheer speed and power of his strikes. Kra'lyx struck again, his arm blurring as a trio of strikes smashed into Luis's guard. He deflected one on his shield, absorbed another with his bubble-like barrier, and was sent tumbling away by the third.

  Fenrin growled, circling around to draw it away from Tara while firing another pair of arrows straight for its head. Kra'lyx didn't even bother dodging, simply intercepting the arrows by raising his bare forearm.

  "Is this all you can do?" The demon spoke for the first time. His voice was deep and powerful, like grinding stone. "Pathetic. Reducing your worlds to ash will be a mercy."

  He charged Fenrin, closing the distance in a flash.

  "We'll see about that!"

  Fenrin channeled his Ride the Wind talent, launching himself skyward on a column of air and sending another lightning enhanced arrow straight into the crown of the demon's head at point-blank range. This one elicited a roar and Kra'lyx pivoted, leaping after Fenrin and swinging a blow that would've bisected him if he hadn't shaped the wind again, blasting himself to the side. Naomi's speed boost saved him, but even with the buff Fenrin still took a glancing blow. He spun out of control and crashed to the ground, air rushing from his lungs in a single 'oomph'.

  The rage demon landed heavily beside him, impacting with enough force to shake the ground. Luis was on him before he could continue the attack, and the brief clash of steel on steel bought Fenrin time to scramble to his feet. He'd lost his bow in the fall but there was no time to search, Luis was already being overwhelmed. His family's training was all that allowed him to push through the paralyzing fear and draw his shortsword. He charged back into the fray to aid his friend, accompanied by a series of flaming projectiles launched by Naomi. They struck home to no visible effect just as the demon kicked Luis to the ground again. He turned, but not in time to prevent Fenrin from ramming his energized blade straight through his back.

  Or rather, that's what he intended to do.

  SNAP

  Fenrin froze. He couldn't help it. He stared numbly at the broken half of the sword he still held in both hands, unable to process how it had happened. The last of the lightning imbued along its length fizzled and faded as the shattered remains of the rest of the sword fell to the ground between them. The fragmented tip of the blade remained lodged in Kra'lyx's side, penetrating a mere inch into his steely flesh.

  "How amusing." The demon ground out. His form blurred again and, suddenly, Fenrin found himself lying on his back in the grassy clearing, staring up at a sky dominated by the floating, crackling Core.

  What…?

  He stared at his left arm. It was surrounded by a rapidly expanding pool of blood. It also, he belatedly realized, wasn't attached to his body anymore. How strange… it barely even hurt, like his body hadn't realized it yet. The demon was standing over him, preparing to strike again. Naomi and Luis were running towards him, but they wouldn't get there in time. He fumbled with his remaining hand for a dagger, a knife, anything-

  A multicolored blur streaked from the sky, flying straight into the rage demon's face. He grunted, swatting at Mirella as the flutterbeak clawed and pecked at his eyes, screeching her fury as she continued her assault.

  "Enough!"

  Kra'lyx swatted Mimi out of the air with an open palm, slapping her to the ground with enough force to make her bounce. He raised a boot, wiping blood from one eye.

  "No!"

  Fenrin scrambled towards his familiar, an arrow clutched in his hand. He flung himself forward-

  And was too late.

  CRUNCH.

  The demon's boot smashed down on Mirella's frail, feathered body with a sickening squelch. The mental connection he shared with her, something that had been with him for his entire adult life, snapped. The last thing he felt through it, before the link faded into oblivion, was a sense of mournful satisfaction. She had protected him. She had protected her best friend.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  The sense of loss bit soul deep. It was worse than losing a limb. It was losing part of himself.

  Rage the likes of which Fenrin had never felt burned through his veins like lava. He surged to his feet just as the demon turned to face Luis and Naomi, an arrow still clutched in his fist. Lightning crackled along its length, coalescing at its tip as he poured the last of his mana into the talent Discharge. He leapt for the monster and stabbed the arrow with all his might. His aim was true. The shaft plunged directly into his already wounded eye, lightning arcing through his head as Fenrin drove it deep.

  "Graaaaahh!!"

  Kra'lyx roared in pain and fury, dropping his sword. It fell to the ground with a heavy thud as his mighty fist grasped the arrow and wrenched it free in a spray of blood. His other fist flashed and, the next Fenrin knew, he was flying through the air. The last thing he saw was Mirella's broken corpse, reduced to a smear of blood and feathers. Then he smashed into a tree, and all went black.

  Luis didn't recover in time to stop the demon from ravaging Fenrin and he felt a pang of hurt and anger in his gut as he noticed the crushed remains of Mimi's corpse. He picked himself up, charging back in with all the speed his powers could lend him. Grieving could come later. He still had friends to protect.

  The demon knelt to pick up his sword and turned towards Tara, who was manipulating the runic sigils inscribed in the magic circle with rapid motions of her wand. The greatsword glinted in the blue light of the Core as Kra'lyx raised it again, bringing it down in a flash.

  Only for it to meet Luis's shield.

  The blow drove Luis to his knees, smashing him hard enough to sink him several inches into the soft ground. Tara stumbled away, staggered by the near miss as energy coursed from Luis's enchanted shield into his sword. The shield, which he had received for conquering the stronghold near Lysara, channeled the energy of blocked attacks into his own weapon, empowering it for a mighty counterattack. On his knees and off-balance Luis was poorly positioned to strike, and the slash he aimed at the demon's thigh was weak compared to his normal attacks. It didn't matter, not when his sword pulsed red with converted essence. The attack unleashed a blast of energy that sent Kra'lyx staggering back and sprayed black blood over the ground. It sizzled when it met the carved magic circle, crackling and hissing as power continued to accumulate.

  "Almost there!" Tara said, wiping blood from her mouth as resuming her work. "I'm figuring it out!"

  A flash momentarily blinded Luis as a bolt of arcane lightning pierced the ground right between them, leaving a sizzling crater that belched black smoke.

  "Is it safe here?!" He asked, rising to his feet and sparing her a concerned look.

  "Not at all! This ritual was terribly designed!"

  "Are-"

  "Just keep him off me! I can do this!"

  Luis hadn't known Tara for long, but he trusted her. With a nod he was off, charging the near-invincible foe as he slashed at Naomi. She narrowly dodged the strike and it hit a tree beside her, cleaving it in two and sending the trunk crashing down between them. A sonic boom pushed the demon back several feet, giving her time to get away.

  "Luis!" She shouted, eyes panicked. "I don't think we can-"

  "We got this, chica." He said, forcing a grin.

  He couldn't show the fear he felt. Not in front of his team. They needed reassurance. Hope.

  "What do we do?" She asked, still tense. But he could sense the fear receding somewhat. They were in this together.

  Luis felt his smile grow a little more genuine. It was time to pull out all the stops.

  "Double tap."

  "You got it."

  Naomi switched her tune from the energetic beat of Fleetfoot to a calmer, more soothing melody. Luis felt the magic sink into his body, easing his aches and, more importantly, restoring his mana. A great deal of it had already been burned by his mana shield, and for this next part he'd need every ounce of magical essence he could scrape together.

  Kra'lyx was coming for them again, and Luis stepped between the charging demon and Naomi. Fenrin was lying at the base of a tree nearby, unmoving. Luis couldn't tell if he was merely unconcious or dead, but the slowly expanding pool of blood flowing from his missing arm made for a grim sight. He set his jaw, determined.

  "Come here!" He called, glaring at the snarling demon. He pointed his sword directly at him, taking strength from the simmering anger pent up deep inside. "?Te tengo algo, hijo de la chingada!"

  The demon roared in rage at the insult, slamming his massive weapon down in a crushing blow. Luis raised his shield again and met the attack with as much force as he could muster. Pain blasted through his arm as the sword smashed home, cracking his enchanted shield and sending sparks flying as something splintered in Luis's arm. This time, Luis kept his feet. He ignored the wound, channeling the power of the blocked blow into his sword and chopping in an overhead swing as he activated Avalanche, the most powerful weapon talent in his arsenal.

  The enhanced ability, imbued with compounding boosts that filled his sword with so much energy that it physically buzzed with barely contained power, was the single strongest attack Luis had ever unleashed. It hit right between neck and shoulder and sank more than half a foot into his chest. The demon roared in pain and fury, eyes flashing with murderous intent, but Luis wasn't done yet. He wrenched his curved blade free in a shower of blood just as Naomi pressed her palm against his back.

  "Encore!"

  Power flooded him, flowing from her enchanted guitar and into his soul. The ability reset the cooldown of Avalanche and greatly enhanced its power for the next few moments. Before the demon could recover he slashed down again, flooding the attack with all the might he could muster. It crashed into the same wound he had just carved into the demon's impossibly tough body, gouging deeper, carving another foot through his form. Sinew snapped, bones cracked, and blood gushed from the jagged wound like water from a hose. Luis sagged, completely spent. His head pounded with a low mana headache, and he staggered back, held up by Naomi.

  Somehow, Kra'lyx was still standing. Half of his torso was sliced through in a gash so complete Luis could actually see a slice of green jungle foliage through the demons torn body. The wound went straight through where a human's heart would have been, but the monster didn't fall.

  "Your best wasn't enough, human." He spat, blood bubbling from his lips to drip down his chin. "Now, you die."

  A powerful kick sent Luis crashing into Naomi. They both fell to the ground in a heap, the bard's melody abruptly cut off as he collapsed atop her. Kra'lyx lurched towards them, swaying on his feet, dragging his mighty sword behind him. He was three steps away. Two. Luis met his eyes defiantly. He raised his bloody sword in a shaking hand, unwilling to give in. He would fight to his last moment. Even if he fell, Tara could still-

  A blast of blinding, blue lightning struck Kra'lyx in the back. He howled, clutching at his chest and spun, turning to face the Core. Tara stood there, one hand stretched towards the demon, the other drawing power from the ritual circle itself. Chaotic dimensional energy erupted up from one of the sigils, entering Tara's hand and flowing through her body to gather in her other palm as she charged it up for another attack. Even from this distance, Luis could see the charred, blackened skin of her hand as she continued to siphon the violent, dangerous energy.

  "For the record…" She said in a strained voice that was barely audible over the crackling hum of the Core. "This counts as an explosion."

  The blast of magical energy struck the rage demon directly in his open wound. His red body pulsed, flashing with blue energy as Tara pumped a stream of raw dimensional power into him. The demon screamed, light pouring from his eyes and mouth until, finally, he blew apart.