Willow managed to recover from her near-death experience before long, and Leo and Taylor once more found themselves venturing into the unknown. This time, however, they had three new faces to keep them company.

  Leo hadn’t been sure exactly what to expect from the trio after watching their antics under the mushroom back in the other plane, but one thing was for sure. When push came to shove, they functioned surprisingly well.

  “No heat signatures, we’re good,” Ember declared, sweeping their surroundings with glowing-red eyes as they walked. It turned out, the fire-skill holder had a skill that allowed him to physically see temperatures, which was the trio’s primary method of ensuring nothing snuck up on them. So long as Ember wasn’t distracted arguing about what path to take, or their opponents weren’t cold blooded or absent of heat entirely, it worked wonders.

  “Did you three ever end up fighting any of those dual-mouthed wolf beasts?” Leo asked, curious as to what skill the beasts held. He and Taylor had done their best to avoid running into another pack of those beasts, lest they were forced to use their ridiculous combination maneuver again. Leo was pretty certain Taylor wanted to do it just for fun, except he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed about running around with her dangling upside down on his back like that.

  “A few times now,” Steel nodded. “They’re pretty much the least threatening thing in this plane for us, what with Ember’s command over fire and Willow’s precise shooting. They drop a low-Grade biting skill, nothing to write home about.”

  “That’s pretty much what I figured. What’s the worst beast for you then? The spiders?”

  “No, if we see them coming, they aren’t too bad,” Steel said, shooting a quick glare back at Ember who merely shrugged cheekily. “It’s the large beavers. We try to avoid those magical beasts because Ember and Willow’s attacks barely even seem to faze them. I can beat them one-on-one, but it takes a good while, and if I make a single mistake I can get seriously hurt. I was going to mention earlier,” Steel said, raising an eyebrow as he nodded toward the makeshift gauntlets on Leo’s forearms. “...I see you encountered one yourself.”

  “Broke my sword on one of its bone spurs. Needed a new weapon,” Leo shrugged, lifting a gauntlet and turning it this way and that. “Bound to my arm with spider silk. Works pretty well for something we threw together pretty quickly!”

  “Impressive strength you’ve got there to fight with those things tied to your arms,” Steel remarked. “Skill synergy?”

  “Yep. Though looking for a replacement. One of them is the Rage skill.”

  “Ah, say no more,” Steel said, sighing as he looked off into space. “I tried the Rage skill for myself once upon a time. Nearly ripped the head off of my old mentor during a practice bout. I decided I didn’t have the willpower for such a skill and replaced it as soon as I could. You want my advice? Get rid of it.”

  “That’s what Taylor told me,” Leo begrudgingly admitted, looking back at Taylor as she chatted with Willow in the rear. He didn’t know what they were talking about, but Taylor looked equal parts confused and curious, and Willow was giggling as she continued whispering into her ear.

  That probably wasn’t good.

  “I don’t mean to pry, but seeing as we’re working together now, even if only for the moment,” Steel began, clearing his throat and taking a step closer, lowering his own voice. “Are you and Taylor an item?”

  “An item?” Leo repeated, shaking his head at the absurd question. “No, not at all. We’re just partners.”

  “You two don’t exactly act like you’re ‘just partners,’” Steel said, giving him a pointed look as he stared at him.

  “We’re close, that’s all,” Leo said, frowning at the inquisitive man. “What does it matter, anyway?”

  “Emotions can cloud logic and sound judgement in the thick of battle,” Steel explained, hooking a thumb over toward Ember. The man was still on watch-duty, keeping a heatseeking eye out for magical beasts as they walked. “Have you forgotten who I have to deal with on a regular basis? I know Ember and Willow will make stupid decisions if they think the other is in any sort of danger, and I factor that into my decisions and call outs. I just wanted to be prepared now that you’re fighting beside us.”

  “We’re close,” Leo repeated, careful not to smack himself with his own gauntlet as he scratched his neck sheepishly. “We both… There’s a lot going on, alright? It’s complicated.”

  “Leo, if you seriously just hit me with ‘it’s complicated,’ that basically means the same as ‘yes,’” Steel chuckled. “When it comes to Willow and Ember… with those two idiots, I’d say it’s complicated. We haven’t exactly known each other for long, but you and Taylor acted like an old married couple the first time we met. A weird one for sure, but still a couple nonetheless. We all just figured you were together.”

  “If you’re not together, then I’m still kinda pissed you stopped her from taking her shirt off,” Ember muttered in front of them, just loud enough that they could hear. Rolling his eyes, Steel reached out and bonked him on the head with the flat of his greatsword, causing him to jump and start cursing the large man out.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  As the two of them whisper-fought about what was ‘appropriate conversation,’ Leo shot another glance back at Taylor. While she was clearly still paying attention to their surroundings, Taylor’s eyes were largely locked on Willow, who was continuing to speak in hushed whispers and with intermittent giggling to the feral woman. To Leo’s utter shock, Taylor actually blushed slightly at one point in their conversation, which was something he didn’t think he’d ever seen her do before. Normally the only time her face got red was when it was splattered in magical beast blood after she’d torn something’s throat out with her teeth. And if the blush wasn’t strange enough, her eyes actually flicked over to meet his own for a moment, causing the redness in her face to deepen slightly before she immediately looked away.

  What could they possibly be talking about?!

  Fortunately, it was at that point Ember held up a hand, causing Steel to stop arguing with him and all five of them to stop.

  “Heat signatures. Dual-wolf pack, and a big one at that, coming in fast.”

  “Leo, Taylor, just like I said earlier, backs in a circle, guard the two on either side of you,” Steel said, instantly snapping into leader mode as he motioned for them all to take up positions. “Get ready!”

  Barely after they’d gotten into position, a giant pack of what had to be nearly forty dual-wolves burst out of the nearby underbrush, howling and snapping their many jaws as they began swirling around the small group like a living whirlpool of fur and teeth. Before the brave ones could even think about rushing in to try and land an early bite, Steel’s team struck first.

  With a flick of his wrist, a sphere of fire half the size of his own head blasted out from Ember’s hand, crashing into one of the dual-wolves and exploding on contact. The force of the blast sent three of the beasts flying, their fur blackened and charred as they crashed to the ground. At the same time, Willow let fly arrow after arrow, each one slamming into a different dual-wolf’s vitals. Leo didn’t know what sort of material her arrow heads were made out of, but she didn’t have the slightest issue putting the different wolves down.

  Barely five seconds after the dual-wolves first surrounded them, they’d managed to kill over half-a-dozen, without Leo, Taylor, or Steel having to lift a finger.

  Of course, that could only remain true for so long.

  As if realizing those two needed to be dealt with, four of the dual-wolves darted forward, snarling as they lunged for Ember. At the same time, another small group attacked Willow on the opposite side, attempting to split their focus. Leo had Taylor on his left and Ember on his right, and knowing Taylor could fend for herself, he darted in front of their literal firepower. Bringing his arms together, he blocked the first dual-wolf’s lunge with his gauntlets, before lashing out with a powerful kick that cracked something in the beast’s chest and sent it flying back into the pack. The next two were met with twin smashes from each arm that slammed each beast straight down into the ground hard enough to either stun or kill them entirely, but he wasn’t sure which. He was a bit distracted by the fourth beast, who managed to time its lunge just so to slip under Leo’s defenses and go for Ember’s leg.

  But rather than sink its teeth into the man’s flesh, the only thing its mouth ended up filled with was the metal of Steel’s greatsword.

  With a grunt, Steel cleaved the fourth wolf in half, swinging his sword about much faster than Leo thought should have been possible. In that same slash, he angled his sword the other direction, cutting through one of the beasts that had gone after Willow on his right. A quick look at the two wolves already lying on the ground with their throats torn out revealed what Taylor had been up to, and Leo exchanged a quick grin with her as he made sure she was alright.

  “One more ranged burst, let’s scare them off!” Steel ordered, pointing forward with his massive sword. “Let them have it!”

  With twin nods, Ember hurled another large ball of fire at the same time Willow began firing more arrows, and another large chunk of the pack fell to the gem holders’ onslaught. Just as Steel had predicted, the dual-wolves came to the rather quick conclusion that this wasn’t a fight they wanted to take after all, and with a chorus of angry howls, what was left of the pack quickly broke off and ran in a different direction.

  “That’s right, you better run you freaky furballs!” Ember shouted after them, hurling one last fireball for good measure that detonated against a tree and earned a scared yelp from the last beast in the pack before it vanished. “Lords, that was awesome! We’ve never taken on a pack that large before!”

  “That was terrifying,” Willow muttered, fanning herself with a hand as she took a few deep breaths. “When I saw Steel focus on protecting Ember, I thought I was done for… right before Taylor tore those beasts to pieces with her bare hands. It was like you were a magical beast yourself!”

  “Natural Weapons,” Leo hurried to say, not wanting the trio to get any ideas about just how unique Taylor was. “You’re not wrong, she pretty much fights just like a magical beast most of the time.”

  “That’s not a popular skill,” Steel commented, clapping Ember on the back and congratulating him for his well-placed shots. “Not a lot of people are willing to get so up close and personal with magical beasts.”

  “I am,” Taylor shrugged, leaving it at that. Looking around at the dead beasts, her eyes lit up, and Leo’s stomach sank in the same moment. Before he could even suggest they keep moving, she turned and grinned at him. “We didn’t try these ones before! I’ll get some wood!”

  “Why do we need wood?” Ember asked, looking confused as Taylor ran off. “One of you break something?”

  “No,” Leo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to think about which of his spices would make the gamy dual-wolves taste the least horrible. “It’s… something of a tradition we have. Taylor likes eating magical beasts.”

  “What, like the super rare ones that actually taste good?” Willow asked, furrowing her brow as she looked up from where she was retrieving her arrows. “I don’t think these ones fall under that category.”

  “No, she likes eating all the magical beasts we fight,” he tried to explain.

  The trio looked at him like he was insane, and Steel cleared his throat, looking like he was choosing his words carefully. “But don’t they taste… well… bad?”

  “You have no idea,” Leo chuckled, pulling out some flakes of dried pepper that would hopefully do enough damage to his tastebuds he wouldn’t even be able to taste the foul, spoiled meat he was eating. Shaking the vial at them, he offered them a weary grin. “...You guys wanna bite?”

  Patreon

  Discord