From the fire to the volcano

I did, once, speak about how animals would help me after I had helped them.

It was, in a way, repaying debts.

One thing one has to point out, though, is that usually animals are not so similar to humans. They are not willing to, for example, haggle for an IOU, or to do actions that could lead to their deaths for no discernable reason, unlike humans who would happily die for stupid things like country or what colour of government they wanted to be in.

On the other hand, saving them, or saving their kids were a very good way for them to help you through thick and thin.

Case in point, a two hundred kilos bear charging a shadowy mage, roaring all the while, the ground shacking at each stride, while I myself stood behind.

Nothing in exchange other than a promise of help in case something bad happened, and if something worse, instead, take care of her cubs until they were able to walk on their own.

Small terms for risking to die, and I was surprised by those terms.

Maybe I should not be, but I was.

And so the Queen of the mountain, awoken by my mere presence and by the mess being made near her home, charged to battle, her cubs remaining hidden inside, the cold being kept at bay by the spirits, offering their energy without asking for anything in return.

A greater evil.

Slowing you would make it worse.

Weak evil, but strong enough to cause harm.

That last comment made me stop, spoken with rising tiredness from these otherworldly, invisible, beings, watching as the mage was able to keep up with a bear in a strength contest, the tentacles becoming an armour for but a moment, only for the next to just slam against the queen and making her stagger, her paws making scars in the snow, dirt and rocks.

And they called him weak?!

Oh, and he was doing that while also batting aside a pissed off elf who hit the gym worse than Schwarzenegger, and hit harder than Mike Tyson and meaner than a Parisian.

That while also he was being shot by the Small Death Ingrid from the forest line, if the small plume of smoke I could see rising up was of any information.

I ought to do something to add more to the odds, the problem is that…hmmm.

If the spirit would help me, despite their own weakness…

“Hugin, Munin! Come here, I need you to get me something from my house!” I shouted loud and clear, the two crows having gone for some trees, waiting, watching, and strangely silent.

Like two spectres, waiting for someone to die.

Only for them to caw happily and fly down on my shoulders.

They said “Nuts”, by the way, if someone is asking, and they cawed about pulling as well.

I decided to not answer and instead ask, the begging of a plan coming into my mind, still painfully throbbing from the day while the fight down there became harder and harder: “Could you please go to the house and bring some of the black, rotund black berries? Do not eat them, they are poisonous, just use the satchel they are in.”

They nodded with another unisonous “Nuts!” and, with a flutter of wings, they took off.

It would take them two minutes probably, and all I could do in the meanwhile was watch.

Two minutes from their return, the mage used on of the shadowy appendages to clasp onto Lucrezia’s arm and used her, probably after recognizing that she was that durable, as a club against the bear, only for her to be able to shake him off with a kick and land painfully on her back, rejoining the fight immediately after with a savage shout.

One minute and a half in, he lost some tentacles, but not enough for the queen of the mountain to hack off more than an arm that he quickly reconstructed, and used to, somehow graze the bear.

I could see her limping somewhat, no broken bones due to the lack of that snapping sound, but still concerning.

One minute in and Ingrid had to change positions after half of the shadowy appendages were free, after Lucrezia and the queen were rebuffed so strongly that for five heartbeats the mage took as many rocks, pieces of ice, sharp branches and anything solid around and threw them in her direction.

It would have been worse if she hadn’t been four hundred metres away, and if he hadn’t been immediately assaulted again by the duo of warrior elf and enraged bear.

Half a minute and this time it was the bear that was thrown aside, with no gentleness, and this time I did hear a snap from afar, and the growl and cry of pain from the queen, which made me cringe and run closer, hoping with all my being that I had been right with timing.

You are.

You were.

We can feel them.

We will empower it.

Hopefully it will be enough.

The spirits chimed in and, hearing the caws from above me, simple cries of recognition, I opened my hand while rushing, the mage having now all its tentacles but three, used to keep at bay the bullets being shot at the side, now encircling Lucrezia yet again, his deranged laugh picking up in pitch and volume.

Which is why he was not prepared when I, empowered by the spirits who had done something to his senses, was able to throw at him several belladonna berries, some that I had already spiritually and ritually to be used for pression.

One would be enough to put a person down, and I, aided by a wind picking up strongly from behind me, had been able to make at least four enter his mouth.

He may not have been human, but maybe-

It was in that moment that he exploded into a mass of shadows, something completely unholy and wrong, many eyes appearing on this unformed being screaming for the first time in pain and dismay.

I…may have done something I should not have, and the altar, close to where we had been fighting, lighting up like a beacon and creating was the only reason I was not squashed.

“What do we do now!?” I shouted towards Lucrezia, who was panting and recuperating, the beast focusing attacking with tens of appendages the barrier, while Ingrid, probably seeing that staying in her position outside the barrier was not a good idea, rushed towards the altar from the long way.

The lack of answer was not good, but hopefully the barrier would hold under t-

I saw a crack on the barrier, and the only thoughts I had were two: the first was “damn it”; the second was “why could I not stay asleep this night”.