Chapter 22 [Locke's Debut]

Shimmering glows littered the forest floor, almost blinding in the shade cast by the late afternoon sun. So as not to be distracted by the many marks, I willed my Tracking Ability to end before its limit had been reached, then leapt to a nearby branch.

There you are…

I watched from my new vantage, tucked behind a dense cluster of leaves, as the Toxic Lepus we’d tracked shimmied into a small burrow. Far below me—and behind the trunk of the massive tree—a jittery Locke stood wringing his hands. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet while staring up, waiting for me to give the signal.

Aurora stood next to him, her eyes shut tight and sweat beading on her brow as she attempted to force Precognition to work for her. None of us were sure how the Card would react, but she’d said she was determined to predict Locke’s casting as best she could. I frowned as I watched the girl. Though I hadn’t known her closely for very long, I felt as if something was off in the way she’d been carrying herself lately.

They’ll be fine. She’s got the wit needed to carry them, and I believe that young Locke has the determination to see this through. We’d talked over a few of his Spells while tracking the Beast and chosen a few that seemed safe to test—regardless of the casting’s outcome. His repertoire was really something, and I couldn’t help but wonder just how much assistance Nick had received from the Order in building the boy’s Deck.

Such a fascinating Origin Card. As much a hinderance as it is a boon. I adjusted my grip on my cane and patiently watched the mouth of the den while thinking of my own Origin Card from my previous life. I just couldn’t help but compare the two. How would my life have turned out should I have received his instead?

“Heh…” The answer to that was obvious—I still would have suffered a gruesome death in the end, one way or another.

Right, it’s getting late. I tugged on the thin chain hanging from my suit’s inner pocket and flipped open the small watch on its end. Almost time.

“David, are you in position?” I asked through our mental link.

“Here, Boss!” The boy’s enthusiasm could almost be felt through the transmission. “You’ll never guess what I found!”

“Oh?” I chuckled softly. “I can only assume you found the big one?”

“You were right, Boss. There’s a big one here…” David’s voice faded slightly. “But it’s not alone. There are two of them!”

My brow rose slightly. “Is that so? Hold steady whilst I inform Nathaniel.”

Without turning, I raised one hand in the air and pointed my thumb to the side. Less than five seconds later, I felt a large hand lightly grip my shoulder.

“Two Fallen.” The words were spoken so softly that I hardly felt my breath on my lips. I wasn’t concerned whether the young man could hear me, his Perception was high enough. “It’s unusual for two of such Rank to share the same region, let alone the same burrow. If I had to guess, there’s a male and female hiding within. We can’t let this opportunity pass. I want you to cast Tame Creature on the female as soon as she emerges, I’ll cast on the male.”

“Hmm. You can tell them apart?” His voice was slightly louder than mine—at the perfect volume for my own Level of Perception.

It’s astonishing how easily he can adjust to others depending on their Levels. I nodded in response to his question and breathed out, “The Academy taught that males and females of different species are affected differently by the Plague, but never went into detail unless you took that course as an elective. We aren’t at a high enough Floor to notice any drastic changes, but the female’s maw will open wider while the male will have more appendages.”

“If I do recall, you were in the Party Tactics elective with me at the time that particular class was taking place…” I could almost feel Nathaniel’s gaze burning into the back of my head as he spoke. As usual, he left his question unspoken.

I could only grin as I looked down at the old pocket watch. “It’s time. Make sure to cast before either of them can get injured.”

“David. Go.”

I’d scarcely finished giving the order when a sharp chill cut through the stagnant air. A sudden burst of wind whipped by as the hot and cold collided, causing the leaves to rustle and the forest to come alive. Far below, I heard Aurora and Locke both gasp as the pressure from David’s Minor Fear followed closely behind his Frost Field.

As the motion of the forest died down, the shrill wails of terrified Beasts replaced the sounds of the swaying branches. I took a long, slow breath and watched as the first of the Rodents tore out from the earthen entrance.

Another soon followed, and then another. More and more Rodents came darting out from the shadows until so many were packed in the entrance that they struggled to break free.

There are far too many… could this burrow be housing a spawn zone? I frowned. It seems I’ll need to prioritize obtaining equipment over Leveling my Cards once we return. I’m not sure if my companions would fare well should this have been a more formidable Class of creature. For these Beasts, however… they’ll be fine. David’s on standby in case they need him.

Thanks to the chaos caused by David’s Minor Fear, the blind creatures had lost all sense of direction. Their exceptional hearing had become a detriment rather than a boon, making the cunning Beasts easy prey for Aurora and Ivy while young Locke supported the two and used his Spells to keep the chaos going.

Through the frenzy, my eyes never swayed from the shadows leading down into the Beasts’ lair.

***

Locke’s jaw hung loosely as he stared at the hectic scene before them. Dozens of small gray and black furred creatures bounced around, headbutting one another with their razor-sharp antlers and lashing out with their strange, worm-like appendages. Some staggered as odd mixtures of red and purple blood gushed from their wounds while others looked to be more aware and had their heads tilted to the side, ears twitching as they listened.

He gulped and glanced at the pretty girl standing in front of him. To his astonishment, she didn’t look to be the least bit worried. She stood tall and observed the scene with a determined gaze. Even the tiny, slithering Beast wrapped around her forearm didn’t shy away from the danger before them.

Amazin’… Locke’s reluctance was replaced with a strong compulsion to impress the young miss in front of him. If a pretty lass like ‘er can stand ‘er ground, then so can I!

With a shake of his head, he cleared some of his jitters and squared his shoulders. “Right. We doin’ this, are we? Jus’ gimme the go!”

Aurora held up three fingers and nodded toward the closest Toxic Lepus. It was one of the few that had regained its calm and was slowly creeping away from the noise. Locke glanced at the shimmering sphere around them.

“Lil’ bugger’s headin’ right at us. Yer sure this here bubble is keepin’ the sound in, aye?” he asked dubiously.

“My Sphere of Silence is fine, but it will rupture if that Beast makes contact,” she replied hastily. “Now, do what I asked.”

Locke concentrated on the approaching creature and considered casting Enhance Perception, hoping to achieve the opposite effect to further disorient the Beast. One of Aurora’s fingers dropped instantly, and he stopped his contemplation in time to see the tail end of a pained grimace vanish from his comrade.

“No. Next,” she hissed.

Locke thought went through the motions again, this time thinking of casting Minor Debilitate, hoping to cripple the figure. Once again, Aurora’s finger dropped, and she jerked as if she’d been struck in the side. Before he could ask if she was alright, she raised her hand to show the last of her standing fingers.

“Again.”

He took a breath, and this time focused on a spot in the center of the mass of confused animals. The young lady next to him clenched her fist before he’d even finished the thought.

Tha’s the go-ahead! Locke grinned and raised both arms so his palms pointed at the spot he’d picked. He felt his body weaken as a red glow formed around his hands and a small blue orb appeared in the center of the field. Oohh hells! Was she wrong? It ain’t s’posed to be blue!

The dozens of creatures stopped their carnage and turned toward the blue glow. Locke grit his teeth but didn’t let up. Rowan told him to follow the young woman’s instructions and the last thing he wanted was to disregard the man’s orders on his first day.

As if they’d all received the same command, every Toxic Lepus that had left the burrow charged toward the ball of light… and ran antlers first into the others. Blood arced into the air from the initial impacts, but the Beasts didn’t stop there. Locke watched in awe as the entire swarm of rodents scratched, bit, and rammed into the rest in a bid to push the others away from the blue sphere.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Aurora make an odd gesture, distracting him and causing his Spell to falter. The frenzied Beasts came to their senses the moment Repel was broken, but not before the Sphere of Silence burst and a whirlwind of dirt, pebbles, and branches rose from the ground and lurched toward the bunched together pack. None of the creatures escaped the torrent of debris that crashed into them.

“Whooo weee! Look at it go!” Locke clapped his hands and whistled at the carnage caused by his partner’s Spell. Not one of the Beasts remained standing. They were either dead or too injured to do more than drag themselves along the ground.

Aurora didn’t seem to share his enthusiasm, however. Her eyes were dark as she slipped the small knife from one of the straps on her pack. “Your Spell was brilliant, Locke. Mine, one the other hand… It wasn’t clean. There’s no need to let the poor things suffer. Let’s go finish them off.”

“Right away! But what about…”

“They can handle themselves,” she snapped. “Now let’s get this over with. And don’t forget to harvest the Essence.”