35 - Mana Beast

“This place gives me the creeps.”

“Yes, yes. We get it Estelle- wait. Was that you, Edelweiss?”

“Yeap.”

“How rare. You’d usually go “how fascinating!” and start prancing about the place.”

“I don’t want to get jumped by a mana beast. I can prance about after we’re done.”

The Dark Forest was unnerving. Although it was still winter, the trees in here somehow managed to preserve their leaves, albeit a dark, brownish color. They were so tall and clustered together, light barely managed to pass through, leaving us in a perpetual twilight of gray and blue.

Despite seeing several pairs of faint, yellow eyes in the shadows stalking us, the forest was dead silent. No swaying of leaves, no footsteps, only silence.

Silence.

“Foo… foo…”

“Ricolette, calm down. Let’s not antagonize them, yeah?”

“Huh?”

I didn’t even realize my hands reaching for my back, shakily grasping the blade handles.

“Auu…”

“Is okay, Fokko.” I let go of my blades, choosing to pet Fokko instead.

“Hope that little fox is good in a fight, we’ll need all the help we can get.”

“Fokko, no leave Riko.”

“Guess we’ll have to carry our own weight then.” Mars grinned, but I could see a sweatdrop trickle down his face. “Geez, is it just me, or has the temperature gone up…?”

“Definitely you. In fact, it’s gotten colder for me…” Estelle shivered.

Thud.

We turned to the source of the noise, frozen in out tracks.

It was a pebble.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

We watched as it bounced off a low cliff, rolling onto the ground before us.

“They’re moving.”

I rested my hand on my weapon along with everyone else.

Shing-

The sound of steel against sheathe resounded in the forest, as Estelle and Mars very slowly drew their weapons. Edelweiss clutched her wand with both hands, the manatite crystal beginning to glow red.

“Foo… foo…” I began to breath heavily, the sound of my heart in my ears.

We proceeded onward, deeper into the woods. There was no set direction, no clues to follow. We simply walked on, for we knew whatever we were looking for would come looking for us. And those eyes observing our every move would serve as its eyes.

Just follow Mars’s plan.

It begins once we enter. If it truly is a mana beast, it’ll find its way to us. We avoid any confrontation unless necessary, find a strategic location, and wait.

Just follow Mars’s plan.

“… Crap, we’re deviating.”

No sooner did Mars start cursing under his breath, I realized too late what’d happened. We’d passed by a large clearing; a rare, open area for us to fend off attackers in all directions, denying them ambush opportunities.

We couldn’t stop, for the eyes in the shadows ushered us in deeper and deeper still, denying our preferred position.

“What should we do, take the initiative?”

“No, Edelweiss. The target hasn’t appeared. If we take down the lackeys, it might not show. We proceed onward.”

“This isn’t gonna end well…”

“Don’t jinx it, Edel.”

The tension in the air was suffocating. With every step I took, I had to resist the urge to turn tail and run, or to scream and lash out at the shadows.

Mama, did you also go through this? Alone…?

Soon, we arrived at another clearing. This time however, it was the end of the road. There was no other path; a dead end.

And in that dead end, it lay. It stood up at our approach; we were just in time to witness its awakening.

A great wolf, it’s fur a jet black color. It was perhaps three times larger than the ones I saw a year ago, or perhaps it was simply nerves skewing my perspective. Its body emanated a visible, menacing dark aura, identical to the one I’d seen in my dreams. Instead of yellow eyes like its kin hiding in the shadows, it had one good eye in the color of a black void, the other shut tight with a great scar. The beast snarled at our approach, prowling about its territory.

It’s the mana beast.

“Whew, that’s one big guy…”

“Riko, leave that one to us, alright? Focus on defending yourself. Riko?”

My gaze was fixed on the beast. Suddenly, the choking sense of fear disappeared. I took a step forward.

“Riko, what’re you doing?!” Estelle hissed under her breath as the hiding wolves emerged from the shadows, surrounding us.

As expected, they were identical in appearance to one I encountered all that time ago, but I wasn’t interested. Even as the others scrambled around me into fighting positions, I stared at the mana beast.

It was battle-scarred. Its fur was rough, with visible deep cuts across its entire body. While it only had one eye, it was plenty menacing. With its snout bashed in like that, it was a wonder how it was able to breath at all.

I can see why it took a year to recover.

With eyes wide open, my gaze fell onto something stuck on its back. No doubt, the strings got tangled up in the mess of black fur. It was a small, white pouch, completely stained a dark red with dried blood.

How did I know it was white before? It’s because-

I made that pouch. It was the first item I’d ever made myself, a special present for someone.

How beautiful…! Did you make this for mama? Thank you-

I drew my blades.

“Riko, come back, get back into position!”

“Mana beast, Riko’s.”

“What’re you saying?!”

“Riko kill mana beast herself, finish mama’s job.”

“Why?!”

“Because… it is… HIGHLANDER’S DUTY!!”

Channel all my mana, focus on the legs-

“HWAT-TOH!!”

I kicked to my left, thwarting an ambush from a pouncing wolf.

Crack!

The impact of crushing bone reverberated through my feet, as the wolf was sent flying back into the shadows from whence it came.

“Combat ready!” I heard Mars call, and I darted forwards.

“Casting Icicle-!”

“Strong Avatar-!”

“HYAAH!”

Thunk!

A downward slash met with the mana beast’s head, only for my blade to immediately snap into two. The glint in the mana beast’s black eye gave away its intent as it began to howl, which I met with a knee to its jaw.

“SHUT IT!”

THUMP!

Just as it opened its jaws to reveal sharp, lethal teeth, I forced it shut from below. It reeled its head back for a second before recoiling, stumbling over backwards. It pushed down, good eye wide-open in shock as its battered snout curved into a snarl-

WHAM!

“I said SHUT IT!”

Another kick to the face sent it stumbling right. The mana beast drooled uncontrollably; I could literally feel rage emanating from its eye.

“Fok-ko!”

A burst of flame erupted from Fokko’s mouth, setting the mana beast’s mane a blaze.

As it frantically tried to put put the flames, a wolf pounced towards me from behind the mana beast, jumping over it with its jaw wide open ready to bite my head off-

“WAAAAAAAAAGGHHH!!”

My scream blasted it off the air, throwing it onto the ground-

“Icicle!”

A spike made of ice penetrated it, embedding it to a tree.

“Edel-!”

“Watch your front!”

“GRAWRR!!”

The mana beast howled, or rather, it roared. It was a sound no wolf should be capable of making, and hearing it pissed me off.

“GRAWRR-”

“AT-TOH!!”

Wham!

I punched it right in the snout. For the third time, I interrupted its show of power, like interrupting a villain's monologue during the final showdown. By now the mana beast must be totally enraged, but I didn’t care. In fact, I felt no fear whatsoever. I could feel mana surging through my body, seemingly without limits.

By now I should have been exhausted from the sheer amount of strain I forced upon my body, throwing blows at maximum power. But it was as if my body-

“AHH-TOH!!”

Had been given new life-

“WAATAAHH!!”

To dish out-

“WAAAAHHTAHH!!”

Maximum-

“HWAT-TOH!!”

Punishment-!

“HYAAHOO!!”

It was barely even a match. I was beating the mana beast like a ragdoll, running on pure adrenaline. I couldn’t even tell what everyone was doing behind me; all I knew was they were doing a fantastic job making sure none of the wolves could interrupt my bout with this-

Thump thump.

“Wha-!”

A strange wave of dizziness came over me.

Not now…!

“Fokko…!”

A stream of blue flames illuminated the air before me, keeping the mana beast at bay as I tried to regain my footing.

I shut my eyes for a second, determined not to falter at this crucial stage. I could hear the snarling and growling once more as the mana beast approached, no doubt to use its fatal weapons in the form of wicked teeth to end me-

I opened my eyes, gripping my remaining blade. I kicked off the ground, twisting my body just narrowly avoiding its jaw. With its back to me I raised my blade-

“HYAAA!!”

And plunged it straight into the beast’s back-

“Gawoo-!”

For the first time, the mana beast’s roar turned into a pitiful whine. I jumped back to gain some distance, but it wasn’t necessary. The mana beast panted, standing in place. The bone blade stuck out on its back, dark red oozing from the new wound, so dark and lumpy it might as well have been sludge instead of blood.

“Riko!” Estelle rammed her body into an ambushing wolf.

I staggered forwards, panting heavily. Another wolf came flying in, and this time there was no one there to save me.

“Ahh… toh-!”

I punched it away, but my strike was weak. The next thing I knew, sharp pain spread across my arm. I’d been bitten, and the biter wasn’t letting go, its eyes sharp and narrow-

“Ugh…! Let… GO!”

With great effort, I swung my arm wildly. The wolf finally released its grip, but not before sending a stream of blood from the puncture wound it inflicted.

“Argh-!”

“Fok-ko!”

A spew of blue flames erupted from Fokko’s mouth- no. That’s ice…?

The wound on my arm was quickly covered in frost, numbing the pain.

Fokko’s… still with me? Good job hanging on…

“Hah… hah…”

I stepped forward, only the mana beast before me. It growled wearily; though its eyes were still filled with unimaginable rage, its body was no longer able to keep up.

Wham!

I threw a punch, its head reeling to the left, but it still stood strong. I dug in both feet, anchoring them into the snow with my remaining mana-

Wham!

Another punch.

“Aaaaa… aaahhh… HHHHH!!”

Wham! Wham! Wham!

Left, right, left, right, left, right…!

I unleashed blow after blow, unrelenting, unforgiving, unstopping-

“Auu!”

The frost on my arm crumbled away, splattering the mana beast with my own blood. But I didn’t stop. Fokko held on for dear life as my swings got wilder and wilder, packing more power with each strike. Keep going, keep going-

Whamwhamwhamwhamwham-

Keep… going…

Wham. Wham. Wham…

Go… ing…

Wham.

Wham…

Wh… am…

My knees finally gave way as I collapsed, gasping. The mana beast made no move, no opportunistic grab for victory with its jaws. How could it? With the amount of blood pouring from its mouth, I was surprised it still towered above me.

Then it finally fell over. Unable to hold its own weight, the mana beast’s legs buckled. With a great crash that shook the earth, the mana beast was felled.

Upon witnessing the defeat of their leader, what remained of the wolves unleashed panicked whimpers, scattering away once again into the shadows. This time, their yellow eyes stalked us no more, vanishing into the woods for good.

“Hee… hoo… hee… hoo…!” I gasped.

No matter how much I breathed, it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t get enough air.

“Riko-”

“Don’t touch her, Stelle. Let it run its course… watch out for any further ambushes.”

“Hee… hoo…!”

I couldn’t think. Though my eyes acknowledged the frost Fokko applied to my mangled arm, I didn’t feel anything. My vision brightened, darkened, brightened, darkened… I couldn’t speak, I couldn’t move, all I could do was gasp.

I didn’t know how long it’d been, but by the time I took hold of my bearings, my first thought was, “did I do it…?”.

Of course I did. The great corpse in front of my eyes was proof… then it began to dissolve. The mana beast’s body was crumbling, as if the sky was siphoning away its very existence, until all that remained was a large manatite crystal.

My whole body screamed in defiance, but I forced it to move anyway. I took one step forward, but immediately buckled.

“Ah-”

Strong hands grabbed hold of me, helping me forward. Slowly, I reached the manatite crystal, close enough that I could grab it with my trembling hands.

I reached for the bloodied pouch half-buried in the snow. I was too exhausted, my fingers couldn’t get a good grip. A gloved hand reached out and closed my fingers for me, and I was finally able to grasp it in my hand.

“Riko, do you recognize this?” Estelle’s voice rang in my head.

“… Mama’s…” I wheezed.

“Edelweiss, get the mana potion, quick. The one we got from Basil; it worked before so it should work now.”

“I already got it right here.”

A glass bottle was placed at my lips, Edelweiss’s reassuring face nodding at me. I took a sip, coughing and spluttering. I took another sip, and another. It was quite a miracle; my exhausted body slowly regaining a little strength, enough for me to at least clench my fist, securing my keepsake.

It was at this time I started to regain feeling in my limbs, and the pain slowly crept in.

“Ah… owww…”

“There we go… pain’s finally setting in. That’s a good sign.”

“Ugh-!”

“Oh sh-”

“The heck are you doing, Mars?! Don’t smack her on the back!”

“Sorry, force of habit-!”

I was able to force a smile, just barely. As I recovered from my stupor, I felt a strange sensation in my chest. A tight, constricting feeling, almost like there was a string pulling at me. Yes, it did feel like that. Actually, I could physically feel it, tugging at my heart.

I turned to the direction of the tug. Beyond the cluster of trees, in between the thick trunks, I could see light ahead. I would’ve missed it if I hadn’t turned to look; a small glade in this infested forest.

My lips trembled as the feeling in my chest got tighter.

I began to crawl towards the light, my body focused solely on this one task.

“Riko?”

“… Important… help Riko, please…” I muttered.

I was helped to my feet, stumbling forward. The mana potion was working; I could walk again with the support of everyone. As we made our way past the trees, we arrived at a glade, piled thick with snow.

Here, it was so thick everything was completely covered in a sea of white. It was as if time had stood still here as the seasons changed, preserving everything inside.

Someone called out my name. But I ignore them.

I walked forward, alone this time. Alone…?

Fokko… I told you not… to leave my side…

Fokko had left my shoulder and was pacing beside me, urging me on. I moved my heavy legs forward. Left, right, left, right…

I fell to my knees in front of the pile of snow, onto a patch of dark red. I reached out to brush off the snow atop the pure white hair, half-buried and camouflaged. Her face was ghastly pale, frozen in time. I brushed off more snow, until I had to dig them out with my bare hands.

Her blood-soaked clothes were torn by nasty claws, a fatal gash across her stomach preserved in ice. It was as if she’d stopped time, right before-

“… Mama.”

I held her hand in mine, pulling it towards me. It slipped and flopped onto the snow, unmoving. I tried again, and held her hand to my cheek. It was ice cold, so cold it hurt to touch.

“Mama…”

I shook her shoulders, willing her to move again. To see her smile again, to see her laugh again, to hear her call my name again.

“Maaamwwaaahh…”

I hugged her lifeless body, held her close, desperately hoping to hear a heartbeat inside the lifeless shell pressed against my ear.

“Maaamaaaaaaaa… Uwaahhh-! Mamaaaa…!”

I didn’t wail or scream. My voice was soft, muffled. But in that moment, I truly understood what anguish felt like.

When I didn’t have tears left, I finally began to wail, to compensate for my inability to grieve. I felt the warm touch of life holding me firmly, hands I’d learned to trust over the past month.

But the one I yearned for the most was cold to the touch, never to be given the warmth of life ever again.