She had to get back! Mila felt cold and scared. She had to get back to Isabel. Her body refused to listen. She had to get back to Isabel. Mila almost tripped over the debris while trying to peer through the mist of dust and flashing lights resulting from the intense fights.

 

Mila heard another scream of pain and frustration. Even through the chaos and loud booms, she wouldn’t mistake Isabel’s voice for anything else. She had to get back to her girl. Isabel was in danger.

 

The enemies behind her didn’t let her leave. Mile cursed in frustration as she was forced to dodge flames and ice. Her cloak caught fire, forcing her to roll in the blood to extinguish them.

 

As another Isabel’s roar reached Mila, it was drowned out by a much more powerful coming from the hall's centre. There, the creature started to rampage, attacking everything and everyone. Just one controller was down, and already the two others failed to keep it in check.

 

Mila saw the creature attack the blood reservoir in its blind anger. But she didn’t have time to feel happy about the sudden luck. Her girl needed help. She had to get to Isabel.

 

After another attack at the reservoir, the creature realised the metal was too hard to demolish the structure quickly. While the container had started to leak from the damage, the creature lost interest in the inanimate object. It turned its head to look for easier targets to satisfy the anger.

 

The Inquisitor buzzing around the Creature’s head was annoying, but she was more occupied with attacking the reservoir. Its attention fell somewhere else - to a place where a group of much slower and showier fighters were engaging in a desperate battle.

 

And while Mila could tell the giant ball of energy had shifted its attention and was watching her group, she herself still could not see them after the battlefield had been messed up by ice, fire, debris, random boulders, piper leaking blood, bodies and more.

 

That changed the next moment. While Mila still did not see the fight, she did see translucent tentacles whipping through the air, stabbing and sweeping at the enemies on the ground.

 

“Oscar!” Mila gritted her teeth and made her protesting muscles obey. She moved faster. It hurt, but Ugum could fix that. And if she was left with permanently damaged legs, it was still better than having irreversible happen to Isabel.

 

Suddenly, Mila saw the fight. Her eyes immediately searched for Isabel, finding her limp on the ground with her shield held in front, barely holding off the tentacles.

To Mila’s horror, Isabel’s barrier had no effect on the creepy attack. Oscar stood several meters away, his nostrils blaring and eyes bloodshot. He didn’t move himself and stared at Isabel with unending hatred. More tentacles shot out from behind his back.

 

Behind Isabel, Amy lay on the ground with Ugum healing her. Verte and Virr did their best to hold back the other attackers while Laura was bogged down by the elite fighters. She was winning but helpless to help the others for the moment. Agata shot arrow after arrow at Oscar, who didn’t even look at the projectiles, swatting them away like annoying flies. The rest were fighting, too, with only Mortimer covering in the corner and the Messanger missing.

 

“No…” Mila muttered. Isabel wouldn’t be able to defend herself. She could see her girl was bleeding. Isabel won't be able to hold back the descending attack. “OSCAR!” She yelled, abandoning all stealthiness. “I KILLED THAT GIRL!”

 

The reaction was immediate. Oscar froze, his head snapping towards her. The tentacles grew in size and gained more colour. They became almost tangible. “YOU!” He spat out, barely able to speak. “I’LL KILL YOU!” He looked back at Isabel. “BOTH OF YOU!”

 

“Shit!” Mila continued forward. She had managed to gain only a moment, and now everyone was aware of her presence.

 

Including Astra. The Inquisitor spared Mila a glance between bombarding the experimental abomination and the blood reservoir, which now had holes in it. And with the glance came an almost invisible attack.

 

If not for Mila expecting it, she would have missed the energy signature approaching her. She barely managed to move out of the way, only to be ambushed by a couple of other fighters.

 

But they were not Mila’s match. She tore them apart with only a couple of stabs, leaving them behind. And to her relief, she saw Isabel being dragged back by Virr while Mortimer was struggling to bring away Amy’s injured body. Laura had managed to interrupt Oscar’s attack. She now stood between him and her people.

 

But what had happened to Isabel? Mila had not stopped running towards her girl for even a moment. Even while killing another obstacle, she moved forward. Mila watched Viola appear next to Isabel and exchange words with Ugum while Raran tried to raise a wall of dirt to protect them from flying bits and pieces resulting from clashes, as well as actual projectiles.

 

After another moment, Viola gave Mila a sign, then mouthed a sentence - ‘Isabel was in no danger.’ 

 

The sudden relief almost made Mila collapse on the spot. Her steps turned wobbly before she remembered who had done it. Oscar had hurt her girl. He had injured her. Oscar had to pay.

 

The same wrath-filled gare was returned to Mila by Oscar, who was moving towards her. Not very gracefully, slipping in the blood several times. But it didn’t matter. His tentacles moved almost instinctively. 

 

Even without Oscar seeing her, Mila was forced to avoid several of the stretching appendages that stabbed at her over several meters of distance. It was as if they had a mind of their own.

 

And they felt strange. Mila’s senses were confused by what they were sensing. They did register the tentacles, but not quite as mana constructs. The familiar energy was just a part of what they were.

 

It was enough for now. Mila weaved through the attacks, trying to get closer to Oscar. From time to time, their gazes met, and they exchanged hate-filled messages meant only to each other.

 

‘You killed the woman I loved.’ Conveyed Oscar’s glare.

 

‘Then come after me, not my woman.’ Mila beamed back.

 

Despite Mila doing her best, she couldn’t get close enough to Oscar to strike. But neither the teen had any success in striking against her.

 

Anger-filled howl broke out of Oscar’s chest as he failed again and again to hit Mila. He finally took out his sword and readied himself to come closer, which suited Mila just fine.

 

“CALM DOWN, OSCAR!” Astra’s voice brought the teen back to earth. “DODGE!”

 

The warning came just in time. Not just for Oscar, but for Mila, too. The creature rolled towards them, forcing the two opposing groups to split. Two, because the defenders were all dead - the surviving ones leaving after losing control over their experiment and failing to protect the reservoir.

 

Astra’s attacks pursued the creature, pelting its enchanted skin and leaving bloody marks. But it didn’t go down. It grew angrier instead.

 

There was no intelligence in the creature's single remaining eye. Mila turned her head away. The boy was a fool. While she was angry, it was not the point of losing herself.

 

The same could not be said about Oscar. The boy exchanged howls with the creature and plunged his appendages into Its body.

It was a grave mistake. Now, the creature's attention was wholly on the boy. Mila was surprised at just how deeply the tentacles had dug into the monster's flesh. It was clear that Oscar was uniquely talented in overcoming defences. And as the boy’s anger grew, so did the tentacles - gaining more details and texture.

 

Mila now knew what they were made of. Emotions and mana. How that would even work, she had no idea. Just like with Isabel and Andrew, Oscar had something special about him - something that defied everything she knew about magic.

 

Forcing herself to look away from the fool, Mila searched for Isabel. Behind a flimsy-looking rock protrusion, she could sense her group backing away. Only Laura kept watch openly, glaring at the possible opponents who were stronger than her.

 

But Laura didn’t have to worry. The two strongest beings were once more embroiled in a desperate fight as Astra struggled to keep the creature away from Oscar, who foolishly kept stabbing the monster with his tentacles.

 

“We have to go.” Mila reached Laura and forced herself over the impromptu wall made by Raran. “While they are still busy with each other. The creature won't hold for long.” She could feel the monster's mana flow deteriorate and grow chaotic. It didn’t mean it was growing weaker, just that it would likely die soon in a very sudden and possibly explosive death.

 

“What about the reservoir?” Laura looked at their previous target.

 

“It’s done. The Inquisitor ruined it.” Mila landed on the ground and immediately ran towards Isabel. “How is she?” She pushed everyone else but Ugum aside. Mila’s heart almost stopped when she noticed Isabel was unconscious.

 

“Injured. Several cuts on her body.” Ugum brushed his palm over the long gashes extending over Isabel’s torso. The flesh crawled and tried to knit together, but it was happening too slowly. “She saved Amy,” he whispered. “I am very thankful for that.”

 

“How severe is it?” Mila gingerly tried to touch Isabel’s hand. She had never been so afraid to hear an answer to a question. Her fingers brushed against her girls, and she grabbed her hand.

 

“It’s bad.” Ugum didn’t sugarcoat. “Her head was hit, and she lost a lot of blood before I could stop the bleeding. She won't die, but getting her up is not something I can do, nor would I attempt.”

 

“What’s the holdup?” Laura landed behind Mila. “You said we have to go.”

 

“We are-” Mila hesitated to let Isabel’s hand go. She needed to, but it was so hard. “Just-” Mila leaned down and gently hugged Isabel. Carefully to not interrupt Ugum’s healing. “It will be alright.” She muttered. “I am here. We will get out. You owe me a date. Don’t forget that.” She kept whispering.

 

Then Mila rose to her feet. “I am ready.” She lied. Her eyes refused to leave Isabel’s sleeping form. “Ugum, can we move her?”

 

The healer nodded. “Virr will take Amy. Verte her.” He kept healing.

 

“Any suggestions where we should go?” Mila asked the Messanger, who had appeared just outside of where Astra could notice him. She finally managed to look away from Isabel.

 

“After the overseers and the controllers of the beast.” The Messanger whispered while glancing over the wall at the bitter fight.

 

Astra hadn’t been able to shoot her bolts at them for a while now. The creature was growing wilder as it neared its death.

 

“Why?” Mila questioned.

 

“It’s the fastest way. We are running out of time.”

“It’s also the most dangerous way.” Mila pointed out, but her eyes were resting on Isabel’s contorted face. Her girl was suffering. She was hurting…

 

“It’s the only way we know for sure is going to where we need to.” 

 

“Do we? The Military is VERY capable.” Mila’s words dripped with malice. She had never wanted to hurt someone as bad as Oscar.

 

“Not with the Sage watching them. They won’t succeed, but they won't stop us.” The Messanger began to fade.

 

“Why?”

“Because more than the ritual, they want more people who could join their cause.” With those words, the Messanger vanished. And just as he did, the stone wall raised by Raran was smashed apart.

 

Mila rushed to shield Isabel from any stray debris.

 

“So?” Laura yelled over the noise.

 

Mila gritted her teeth. “We go after them. Raran will block the way.” Hopefully. She didn’t say that part aloud. “NOW GO!” Mila sent one last look at Oscar. The teen would survive the encounter.

 

This time… But when they encountered each other next time…