The wizard stood still as ice as they watched the monster do the arial equivalent of a lurching shamble. Obviously a manticore. Lions body, bats wing, scorpions tail. Yesenia made note of its size, rge but far from a full build. Possibly a juvenile or stricken with illness. No. Malnutrition. Grot cimed hunters had tracked it all the way from the Andren mountains, where the game is rgest. It’s unable to feed itself with the comparatively small game in the forests. But why.

  Yesenia mused a moment longer before taking their eyes off the approaching beast and locking them on their spell book. Flipping from page to page and skimming like a zy editor. When they found a page that met their fancy they dog eared it and continued their audit. They stood carefree as a song bird in the middle of the field. Ivy on the other hand was more like if a songbird had just settled down from a long day after work but only then remembered their egg still needed to be picked up from soccer practice. But now they find out one of their tires magically went ft as soon as they got home. And to make matters worse their partner refuses to let them use their car cause its low on gas. But they knew it wasn’t because they asked them for gas money two days ago. So, either they were lying about the gas being low or what the money was for but nevertheless they were lying. So now they’ll have to shamefully call and ask their mother if they can go and pick up their egg. And you know how their mother can be…

  But yeah, Ivy was stressed.

  “Is that a good read, Yesenia?! Just can’t put it down!?” Ivy unched herself into Lilys saddle, rocking the stout horse just a hair.

  “Quit. You sound like the barbarian.”

  Yesenia aimed their index finger into the sky. Without breaking from their tome they whispered a phrase, and their digit began to glow. Twin fmes erupted forth and spiraled around each other as they rose high up into the sky. They gave a white-hot glow as they flew and upon reaching sufficient height, Yesenia brought their hand down swiftly. Both fmes imploded, letting off a light that bathed the clearing along with a crack like lightning. The beast roared at the light and took a few moments blinking its heavily dited eyes.

  Heracles emerged from the cabin. “You missed.”

  “Heracles please.”

  “No, he’s technically right.” Yesenia flipped to a marked page and began another series of hand movements. Bending their fingers into near impossible shapes. “If he didn’t see the fre maybe the woodsman will find us just from his urge to belittle me.”

  The manticore dropped in altitude dramatically, skimming over the tops of trees. All was a hazy blur for the animal. Its muscles ached, its wings strained, hunger stabbed at its empty stomach and now even its eyes failed it. But eyes were not what led it here. It drank deep of the scent in the air feeling another rush of pleasure and calm wash over itself. It could only feel peace for a moment before more pain invaded its euphoria.

  “I…I hit it. I actually hit it!!” Ivy cheered from horseback, then fumbled to ready a second arrow.

  The beast staggered, coming to a shaky stop perched atop a pine. The tree bent and strained under the weight of the animal. The popping and cracking of the bark suddenly sent the manticore into a fury of cws and stinger. It tumbled from the tree, shredding every branch it could grasp as it fell. Even after crashing to the ground, its anger hadn’t been sated. Its vile stinger pounded into the tree’s trunk, every thrust injecting tarry corrosive acid into the innocent tree.

  “By the gods…” Ivy muttered as she watched in confused horror.

  Yesenias gaze darkened as they watched, never faltering from their complex incantations. “Don’t get close to it…” They began to take steps backwards.

  Heracles followed suit staring, pardon the pun, bug eyed at the thrashing creature. “Is… is it alright?”

  Ivy raised her loaner bow once more. “It matters not. It is our quarry. Sane or otherwise.”

  “Ivy wait!” Yesenia shouted, but they weren’t able to stop Ivy from loosing her arrow.

  It thudded into the manticore, smming deep into its haunch and scraping against its bones. The animal howled in agony, then rocked from the ache its own voice had inflicted on its head. Its enfeebled eyes darted in the direction of the pain. It was able to make out broad shapes once more and locked onto the rgest shape it could see. Pushing past the pain all over itself the manticore lunged towards Lily and Ivy. Maddened and starved it felt the barest tang of pleasure at imaging the blood wetting its dry tongue.

  Ivy hardly had time to get the surprised look off her face before a sound like thundercrack boomed through the forest. Heracles had leaped with insectoid speed to Ivys aid, smming his fist into the manticores jaw. His hammer fist shattered the mandibles within its papery skin and the residual momentum sent the rge animal flying into the tree line.

  Breaking from shock before their rider Lily charged after the creature. Just as the manticores back made contact with an unforgivingly hard tree, Lily set about her work. Rearing up onto her hind legs, nearly dismounting her rider, the mare smmed iron shoed hooves into the creatures’ ribs. Its parchment thin hide ripped as jagged bone tore through, and the beast screamed again. This time sounding more the proud hunters call then sniveling animal yelp.

  The manticore shed out brutally. Lily was rge but she was no war horse, she had made a critical error in her assault. Never leave your belly open. The manticore shielded its head and chest with its front paws while Lily continued to hammer at the enemy. With a frankly petunt kick the Manticore made good on Lilys mistake.

  Lilys shill cries pierced the woods deeper than the manticores ever could. Marco and Grots faces ran white with a bitter mixture of fear and shame. Capreva faltered for just a moment, tail straightening and eyes alert. Then completing their mental calculus deviated from Marco and Grot disappearing into the underbrush and away from the human friendly paths. Marco bit down his apprehension and repced it with a drive to not fail this family.

  Lily staggered backwards, her whinnies and whimpers cut with coughs and sputters. The manticore began to rise, a wicked too human grin forming on its feline face. Before it could strike again with killing cws, Ivy struck with one of her own. She roared as she brought down the halberd’s axe head squarely into the shoulder of the monster. Shattering the socket as it split through bone and tissue. The manticore rocked to the side, forcing the handle of her weapon into Ivy’s stomach and subsequently forcing her off her mount.

  The creature moved erratically, flinging the woman back and forth through the air. Luckily, the length of the polearm left the rider out of reach to the beast. Still her grip on the handle never failed, she knew it would cost her life, and once the beast paused panting, Ivy skidded to the ground with both hands firmly in pce. With all of her might she wrenched upwards, ripping the axe head free from its spot in the hard bone.

  Biting cold air touched freshly severed nerves within the bone before being soothed by flowing warm blood. Adrenaline made the pain dull and throbbing opposed to debilitating. This small concession of anatomy made the manticore thankful. Pain could wait for after it has quenched its cracking dry thirst.

  It lunged at Ivy, fshing mangled fang, cw and stinger. Cold fear made steam on Ivys red hot anger as she braced. The beast again was halted by the fist of the insect knight. His mighty blows pinned the struggling, startled animal to the trees it so feared. Powerful cws met glossy curved armor and slid off leaving only blemishes. Heracles’s fists met only frail scrawny hide leaving broken bones in his wake.

  Ivy, reinvigorated, ughed excitedly as she raised her weapon to strike with her friend. She was halted by the sight of how much thick red blood painted the man. Did he have that much before. It was mostly on his chest and stomach. Then Heracles spoke. The internal voice cking all mirth and boyish warmth he usually had. He spoke like a stone.

  Between thudding fist falls and batting away the beasts paws he said. “Your horse.”

  Ivy turned from her foe and broke into a run, dropping her halberd as she raced to her truest friend. Miss Naro and Yesenia were knelt before the mid-section of the whinnying, crying horse. They were nearly surrounded by a pool of crimson. Ivy colpsed at the neck of her horse and just stared shell shocked.

  The manticore had nearly disemboweled her. Her huge heaving innards were flowing out of three long incisions on her stomach. There was so much blood. Miss Naro was looking as stern as a school teacher while she worked but… Yesenia. Yesenia had lost their cool demeanor to a flood of tears. Their arms were slick with blood up to the elbows and they were shaking.

  Ivy shook free of her paralysis and fumbled over Yesenia and into her saddle bag. “The tea! H- Have you tried the tea!” Ivy found her bag empty.

  “Yes girl, we aren’t idiots!” Naro snapped. “Wound can’t close with her guts in the way. We have to… we have to push it all back in!”

  Miss Naro was doing a commendable job doing what really was the opposite of her profession, but the wizard was a shaking mess. Each time they pushed inside the horse they recoiled with reflexive disgust then poured out more tears from their shame. Ivy steeled herself and took them by their forearm.

  “The tea. Get the tea, my friend.”

  Yesenia looked as though they were just spshed with cold water. Like they hadn’t even noticed Ivy till then. After a collecting of thoughts they nodded and stood shakily. Ivy then pulled herself over to her horses’ outward innards. She stared bnkly at the mess before her. It was just so much. Then auto pilot had taken over, she began copying the midwifes movements. Tucking everything sloppily back in past the gashes. Gods, the inside was as hot as an oven.

  Yesenia had done their new part well, shakily removing the cap of the jar and pouring the contents into the rapidly fading horse’s mouth. They even attempted to sooth the animal through shockingly quiet tears. Brutally slowly the tea began to work its miracle. Working inwards Miss Naro and Ivy shifted to allow the wounds to seal themselves.

  As tempered relief began to flow into Ivy the sounds of the csh behind her came back into focus. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Heracles on the back foot. The manticore had adapted to the armored foe by forgoing its cws and began bludgeoning Heracles with the bulb on its tail. Like a fil of iron it fell with anger, cracking the thick hide of the fighter. Greenish blood oozed from the fault lines.

  The heiress looked once to her healing mount, then to the wizard who looked all the more of an overwhelmed child every second. She pulled a bloody hand from her friend and pced it on Yesenia’s shoulder, staining the grey cloak with crimson. The wizard jolted at the touch and looked to the rider.

  “Can you help him.” Spoken like a caring mother.

  The wizard stammered. “I.. I could… But I…”

  “Then do it.” Ivy pat Yesenia firmly. “I trust you.”

  Their eyes became saucers. They sat in silence until a sound like an egg shell being crushed underfoot rattled them. Their eyes darted to the boy. The manticore unched him into a tree leaving shards of carapace lodged in the bark. Seemingly reveling in the payback. Then Yesenia stood. The air got hotter. Grass began to shrivel under sudden summer heat. And Yesenia made the proper hand movements. Exquisitely proper.

  “Get out of there!” They shouted sharply. Their tone implied they would not be waiting long.

  Heracles only lingered for enough time to make eye contact with the wizard. Understanding immediately he pressed a foot to the tree behind him and unched off with grasshopper swiftness. The air around the creature began to hum softly once the pugilist was clear, slowly gaining in frequency. It had only the time to see a small frail creature cp its hands when its vision was once again engulfed in blinding light. This light was followed by pain unlike it had ever felt.

  The manticore yowled and shrieked in terror and agony all while Yesenia held the spell in pce. Their chest heaved with the effort of the magic. Fingers locked in a complex array that few would have the dexterity to replicate, and fewer could hold it with what felt like a mans weight perched on their wrists.

  The inferno they created burned high. Like a funeral pyre and with any luck that’s what it would be. But Yesenia knew not to let hope cloud logic. This thing was insane. It wanted to die fighting. Even now it was fighting against the fmes, unable to take immotion lying down. They came to notice rivulets of sweat running down their face. Their knees gave out, plunging into the dirt below. If nothing else their arms stayed firm, that’s all they really needed anyways.

  Heracles wrapped Yesenia up in his bulky cracked arms. “Hey bud! You can probably stop now!”

  “No…” Ivy walked beside Yesenia, leaving the midwife to watch over her recovering mount. “Keep holding. Make it pay.” She whispered the st bit.

  Light and screams filled the clearing as if a window into hell itself had opened up. Ivy continued to watch the monster writhe under the heat and pain. Its struggle was commendable, she had to give it that. But it was a monster, and she was a hero. Their rolls were clear. The rider walked to where her halberd y, never taking her eyes from the gruesome pyre. Just a few moments longer. Yesenia could hold out, she knew that for sure.

  “What’s happening!” Shrieked a barely audible voice at Ivys feet.

  She looked down to see Capreva clutching the hem of her shirt and looking at her as he always did. The only true difference was the terror in their eyes. Hope flooded her thoughts now. The hope for vengeance.

  “Capreva! Excellent!” She leveled her halberd at the fme-soaked creature. “Marco must be close, ay little warrior? He’ll hate to have missed this.”

  Capreva looked to the manticore as its roars became coarser and more strained. “M…Missed what!?”

  Ivy just smirked. “Yesenia!” She shouted over the hellish noise. “Drop the fmes my friend! We can handle the rest!”

  “We!?” Capreva croaked.

  Yesenia did as ordered, colpsing into Heracles’ arms. Hands twitching and hazy eyes filling with blood. At that instant the fire fell, revealing what was left of the manticore. Its skin bubbled into blisters, its wings were nothing but their boney supports, and cking hair its face seemed far more human than lion. Its breathing was hitched and bored but as its eyes raised to meet the creature of bone and wood before it, hate was its only driver.

  It raised its head and let out the st battle cry it ever would. Its cry was matched by the crimson warrior who sprang into a charge. She raised her weapon and buried it into the beast’s scorched bicep. It reacted in kind, sshing with its other paw at Ivys thigh. The warrior let out a scream that gave way to a rebellious ugh. Heaving her axe out of crisp flesh, the madwoman tucked and rolled under her foe. It tried to grab her but before it could, she jabbed upwards and spear tip met belly.

  Capreva watched in horror. This wasn’t like the fight with that amphiptere. Less terrifying. Or was it that he couldn’t see what the aphiptere was going through. They grasped an arrow. The manticore was mad. We put down mad things. Capreva knocked an arrow. They had a hard time telling who was madder though. They pulled the string back. Ivy or the Manticore. Their arrow left flew. They hoped it hit the right monster.

  The manticore barely noticed the tiny thing sink into its shoulder. Pain was a long-gone creature now. Survival wasn’t a question. One st meal. That’s all it wanted. One more time feeling weight in its stomach before drifting into oblivion. This small red monster would make a fine repcement for the horse it protected. After all, a small meal was better than none.

  Ivy dug her nails into the beasts burnt pliable flesh and hoisted herself upwards. Like mounting a horse. Stupid thing couldn’t even buck right. The manticore huffed in frustration trying desperately to reach Ivy. It was far more mobile than a horse though. The creature smmed down on its side, crushing Ivys leg beneath its weight. Through gritted teeth the rider refused to let go. Of the manticore or her weapon.

  More arrows peppered the craggy hide of the animal. Capreva scurried up into a tall pine to avoid the thrashing cws of the desperate creature. As fast as they could knock and aim they were letting arrow fly. The manticore was rge enough that even a novice could hit most of their marks. Frustration consumed the animal. Writhing and crying like a spurred toddler on the scorched grass. Capreva stopped listening to the cries and just let arrows fly like a grim automaton.

  Slowly and deliberately Ivy climbed up the beasts spine. She dragged her useless legs behind and had to make frequent pauses to brace for the monsters filing arms. But she made her way up anyhow. She was a hero after all. Heros endure. The sickening smell of burnt flesh became a reminder of her friends, of their power. And as long as arrows continued to fall, she knew she wasn’t alone.

  Capreva had to stop thinking. Arrow aim fire. The mess seemed so pitiful from above. Arrow aim fire. There was no heat up here, no struggle. Arrow aim fire. It felt too easy. Every mark sunk swiftly into crippled desiccated flesh. Arrow aim fire. They were going to help their friends. This thing wanted to kill them. Arrow aim fire. Capreva wasn’t going to let that happen. Even if it meant the rest of their life would be nothing but arrow aim fire.

  Ivy felt the remnants of a twisted charred mane in her bloody red fist. She reached the head. The rider held fast to the back of the beast’s neck, for she knew now she was out of reach of the worst of this things thrashing. It still went on thrashing, nonetheless. She braced for the final push. Pulling her halberd up to her side, she held it just under the metal head. With firm hands Ivy wedged the hook just under the Manticores neck.

  The cold steel sent a shock of realization into the manticore. It was going to slit my throat. This insignificant little morsel was going to slit my throat. It raged at the shear suggestion of this. Still on its side, the animal pushed all of its energy into one st powerful ssh at the parasite. It meant to open up Ivys spine. It never even considered her halberd haft.

  Acting as the power for the lever of its ruin, the manticore pushed against the halberd. Causing the hook to pierce his own throat. His eyes were wide with just how cold he felt. Was it the shock. The shame. No. No it wasn’t those. The red thing was smarter than he thought. His eyes slowly turned to the green foliage above. They couldn’t hurt him anymore, the vile trees. The speaking trees. He even thanked the red thing in the end. For the first time since the trees started speaking, he didn’t feel hungry.

  Ivy hoisted herself up onto the neck of the monster. Its breathing haltered then suddenly faded, along with its eyes. She panted, finally feeling her injuries dragging her into the realm of unconsciousness. By the time Marco had come into her blurring vision, she already knew she had won. She slew the monster. Finished the quest. She let herself fall into well earned sleep, never fearing her injuries would take her into The Pumas maw. Cause she knew with certainty that heroes don’t just die at the halfway point.