“Kerrin and Gayle made it through,” Jiron finally says, “and I don’t see anything.” He glances to James and continues, “Let’s take it slow and keep our eyes open.”
Nodding, James nudges his horse to move at a slow walk. Keeping his eyes open, he reaches to his slug belt and removes one, keeping it ready just in case.
Their horses continue to show signs of skittishness and at one point Jiron’s stops and refuses to go further. He kicks it a couple times in the sides and finally gets it moving. Glancing to James he sees the worry he feels mirrored in his face. Pulling a knife, he signals for James to wait while he proceeds ahead.
Nodding, James waits.
Taking it slow, he works his way slowly forward, eyes scanning the road and rocks ahead for any indication of what has the horses so spooked. He moves twenty feet from James when a black shadow lurches toward him from out of the cover of the rocks ahead and to the right.
Easily half the size of a horse and running like a dog, it charges with a growl. Jiron’s horse rears up and he vaults off the back, landing unbalanced on the ground. Falling to the ground, he rolls and quickly regains his feet. The creature sinks its teeth into the horse’s chest, literally ripping a large section out. With a scream the horse collapses in a heap.
James’ horse neighs in fear and turns, bolting back down the way they had come. It comes to an abrupt stop when another of the creatures enters the roadway and blocks its path. Eyes rolling white, the horse cries out again and bolts suddenly to the side, causing James to lose his balance and falls off the horse to the ground.
“James!” Jiron cries out. “What the hell are these?” The creature which had killed his horse stands there with a strip of the horse’s hide dangling from the corner of its mouth as it stares at him. It looks like a giant wolf or some kind of dog. Long sharp teeth fill its mouth and a malevolent intelligence stares from out of its eyes.
Moving slowly and never taking his eyes from the creature, he backs up to where James is getting himself off the ground. In the pits he never had the opportunity to fight animals. Though confident in his prowess as a fighter, the size and ferocity of this creature gives him more doubts about the outcome than he’s had in quite some time. A growl behind him causes him to glance back and see the other creature on the road and James making his way toward him quickly.
A sudden shimmering forms around them as James creates the barrier. As if that was a signal the creatures charge right at them and slam into the barrier. Knocked back for a moment they begin circling.
“Do something,” Jiron says as they continue moving around the perimeter of the barrier.
James takes the slug in his hand and launches it at one of them. It strikes the creature directly in the middle of the chest and seems to pass right through without causing any damage. “Damn!” he says in shock as the slug hits the ground behind the creature. It didn’t look as if the slug had any affect upon it at all, the creature didn’t even slow its pace.
“They’re not entirely real!” he says to Jiron.
“What?” he asks.
“The slug went right through them,” he explains.
“How is that possible?” he asks.
“I don’t know,” James replies. “But I doubt if your knives will have any effect either.”
The two creatures continue to pace around the edge of the barrier, their eyes never leaving those within. One comes to a stop and turns to face directly at the barrier. Raising one of its forepaws, the creature touches the barrier.
Aaaah!
James cries out from the sudden increase in magic being pulled from him to maintain the barrier. Despite the enormity of magic rapidly being taken, he watches in shocked amazement as the creature’s paw slowly inches its way through the barrier and touches the ground on the inside. The rest of the creature slowly begins to follow.
Jiron moves to the part of the creature on the inside of the barrier and strikes it with a knife. When the blade comes into contact with the creature, it sends a burning sensation through to his hand. Crying out in pain, he releases the knife and looks to find an angry red burn now upon his hand. The knife which had struck the creature lies on the ground and is glowing red.
He glances back to James who stares with eyes wide in surprise. “Get back here,” he tells him.
Jiron nods and returns to his side. “What are you going to do?” The creature’s snout has now begun to inch its way through.
James doesn’t reply, his mind is working too hard on the problem. He comes to notice the area where the creatures have been pacing along the outside of the barrier has been scorched from their passing. Add to that the reaction when Jiron struck it with his knife and he comes to a disturbing conclusion.
Creatures of fire? Hell hounds maybe? Where did they come from? Sensing the hand of Dmon-Li in this, he tries to come up with an effective attack. Already the creature has managed to get its head in and is starting to move its other foreleg through. It won’t be much longer before it’ll be completely inside.
Jiron puts his other knife in his belt. He knows it will be useless and there’s nothing he can do here. It all rests on James now.
How do you fight a fire creature? Cold? Water? Ice? Glancing above them to the clouds, an idea forms and he staggers slightly as he begins to implement it. Jiron puts an arm around him as he settles to the ground.
The clouds above become denser as they race together from all directions. James is beginning to sweat, the strain from maintaining both the shield and summoning the storm is rapidly draining his strength.
By the time the creature has its other leg and all of its head within the barrier, drops begin to fall from the sky. When they strike the creatures, hissing can be heard as they quickly evaporate.
The rain begins to fall in increasing intensity, but that’s not what he’s wanting. He hunts through the clouds above until he locates what he wants and pulls it closer. The strain of doing so brings black spots to his eyes and he’s not sure how much longer he’s going to last. Hopefully long enough.
The temperature begins to drop as he brings the system he wants closer and the rain changes to hail. Where the rain didn’t seem to bother the creatures, the hail does. As it strikes them, it almost appears to be causing them pain. Also the creature making its way through the barrier halts its progress. The pull of magic needed to maintain the barrier eases off slightly.
Watching the other creature on the outside, Jiron notices that where the hail is striking, dark patches are beginning to appear. “I think it’s working,” he says encouragingly. There was also a note of hope in his voice too.
James has his eyes closed and can tell that though this may be working to slow and bother them, he’ll have to do more in order to vanquish them. Besides, he’ll not be able to keep this up for long. The clouds above are fighting him as the winds in the upper reaches work to pull the storms away.
Maintaining the hail storm, he sends out an additional tendril of magic toward what’s already fallen on the ground around them. Ice pellets begin moving along the ground toward the creatures and begin attaching themselves. He also attempts to change the barrier, similar to how he did it another time long ago. Back then he changed it to fire to burn off an acidic ooze, this time he’s changing it to extreme cold.
As it begins to change, the temperature within the barrier drops dramatically and the creature caught in the middle of it begins to exhibit panic. It tries to get out but James continues to reduce the temperature of the barrier and it cries out from the pain being inflicted.
The other creature on the outside starts growling and snapping at the barrier but when it comes into contact with it, an audible sizzle sounds. The hailstorm still falls outside, the hail beginning to accumulate around them. The odor of sulfur begins to permeate the air as the creatures are struck by the falling hail.
James and Jiron begin shivering from the temperature within the barrier, it has to be below freezing now, way below freezing. The creature caught in the barrier starts thrashing about from side to side in a panicked attempt to free itself but is unable to extricate itself from the barrier. Finally, with a nightmarish cry, the half within the barrier comes away and falls to the ground. Erupting in a cloud of noxious black smoke, it disappears, leaving a charred area on the ground.
With the destruction of the one caught in the barrier, the strain on James diminishes dramatically and he’s able to concentrate on the other one. It’s visibly weakened from the ice coating it, steam rising in clouds from where it sticks to its side.
Releasing the clouds above he turns his attention fully on the ice lying upon the ground outside the barrier. He has to use his senses for the barrier now has a layer of ice upon it and nothing on the other side can be seen
