Fear

"Teacher!" Skia called out in a panic. "We have to help her!" Skia was the only one who could hear her teacher's voice from the shadows. She felt a great sense of dread as she tried to convey the message to the group.

"Something happened to Onyx, she sounded hurt, we have to go help her!" She tried to remain calm but her face was like an open book. Panic and desperation consumed her. 

Welsher on the other hand looked calm if not a little worried. Even he could not hide his worry. "We don't have any information on the threat at hand. If we go rushing in we could be in the same problem as her."

"So we are just going to leave her then!" Skia turned to go in the direction that her teacher was last seen. "I am not leaving her behind." A courage that had never been seen in Skia was beginning to surface. Or at least bravado. 

Nyssa grabbed her hand and held on tight. "Don't. Not yet." 

Skia tugged away but could not loosen the grip held on her. "Let me go, Nyssa, my teacher…My teachers in trouble!"

Doric spoke finally and tried to be respectful to Skia's wishes. "Welsher is not telling us we can't save her. He is saying we need a plan before we rush in head first. I agree with him. Let's come up with one quickly so we can go save Onyx."

Skia stopped for a moment as tears weld up in her eyes. She was so desperate to save her friend that she almost charged unknowingly head-first into danger. She stopped resisting and quietly nodded her head.

"What do we do then?" she said as she calmed down a little. Doric looked to Welsher and nodded.

If I had to guess, we are dealing with a predator species that commonly hunt these creatures. They are very and I mean very dangerous." He paused for a moment worried that he could be sending this group to their deaths.

He had a pit in his stomach that seemed to grow with each word he spoke. "It's called a Za and it's very strong. If we are not careful it will tear us apart. If it is a Za you need to let me handle it."

The group nodded and prepared themselves. Doric sighed a little as he realized not only was this not a relaxing hunt now it was seriously a life or death battle coming up. He had died multiple times before but it was in a safe environment without any fear of final death.

He thought of all of his current powers which were very limited and he also thought about using his special ability should the time come. He shook his head as he decided that was not an option. They all began slowly making their way towards where Onyx was heading. Welsher leading the way, and Mauve in back to keep an eye on their rear.

Welsher would pause from time to time and cast a spell while looking around. A sigh could be heard from time to time from him as he shook his head and dispelled whatever he was casting.

Moving along it took them to an area that just felt different. 

The air was thicker with something that they could not describe it was as if a weight was starting to crush them. Doric felt it less than the others but it was still there. They all paused for a moment and Welsher whispered to the group.

"It's as I feared. A Za. We are in its territory now. Whatever you do, I want you to stay calm. It feeds off fear. This aura you feel is it exerting its presence to grow stronger. If you let it consume you it will kill us.

They all nodded and Skia felt very faint. Nyssa grabbed her shoulder to steady her.

"I'm alright, thanks," Skia responded to the help and smiled weakly. "We need to find Onyx."

Nyssa smiled and looked to Doric who was deep in thought. He popped on his monocle for a moment and saw around him. There was a thick magic residue that held the magic formula.

Symbol- Mana, Death

Tags- Fear, Area of Effect, massive, power, accumulate, Investment, absorb, passive

This was a very intricate ability and he saw a few tags he had not seen before. He studied them as they walked and bumped into one of the other sprites' backs as they suddenly stopped. Welsher raised his hand

"We are here. He spoke quietly as he pointed through the woods towards something. They all stopped and looked. It was massive.

This creature stood at a massive 10 feet tall its body was covered in scales, its teeth were jagged and its claws were covered in blood. Surrounding it were the remains of the Zologs it had killed. Among them, Onyx could be seen lying still. 

Welsher looked worried as he scanned Onyx. "She is alive but we need to be very careful. This thing probably knows we are here already and is waiting for us to make a move."

Welsher looked to the group and whispered. "It can sense magic so be careful how you use it. Abilities and pure strength are our only options. But its scales pose a threat to our attacks. When I give the signal we need to coordinate our attacks on its neck, that is its weak point.

They all nodded and waited for the signal. As Welsher prepared himself with killing intent the creature looked directly at him and hissed. He waved his hand and they all surrounded the creature. Within moments they had their weapons drawn all charging in unison at the creature but it was faster. Swinging its claws it took out a few of the sprites with ease. It then lunged towards Welsher who quickly kicked back and flung himself away from it. The fight had begun and it was already looking one sided. Skia ran towards Onyx and pulled out a red potion to feed her. The creature noticed the moment of weakness and turned it's attention towards her.