how many!?

As we creep through the nest, I find its far worse than I expected. Not that I knew what a 'Manticore Nest' would be like - maybe something out of a spooky story Kieran used to come up with when we were kids. 

The vines overhead are so thick they blot out the sun, twisting and tangling into grotesque shapes that feel almost...deliberate. The dim light that bleeds in from above coats the dripping walls in eerie, teal light. It feels claustrophobic, like I'm being eaten alive by a plant monster. The walls themselves feel violent - like the vines could jump out and strike, a swarm of snakes ready to eat. 

It reeks, too. Like something big and dead has been left to rot for weeks. I'm trying to breathe with my mouth, but it doesn't help much. It burns my throat, and makes my eyes water.

"Stay close," I whisper, glancing at Kieran. He's a few steps ahead of me, his eyes darting around frantically, absorbing every detail. His blond hair is matted with sweat, but he looks steady. Prepared. His emerald eyes glimmer in the dim light.

Behind me, Decoy is wiggling in her boots, each step a precarious clomp forward. She's gripping her magicked boomerang in both hands, her eyes darting between her feet and whatever's directly in front of her. 

"This is a scary nest, huh?"

"You're the one who was skipping here! Why are you scared all of a sudden?"

"Mmm, normally it's not so scary because the great Sage of Clouds is with me...he can do anything! I'm not so sure about you two..."

"I'll have you know, Rav said you could kill a Manticore all by yourself!" I smile at my little Ferin friend. 

"You know...you're right, Auggie!"

"Auggie?" I repeat.

"I can do it all by myself, so I don't have to worry about how weak you two are!" she says with a wink.

"Focus, you two," Kieran says, his voice sharp but not unkind. "It's here."

He's right. I feel it before I see it. The rattling, low growl of a magical beast. Vibration that's more felt than heard. The snaking vines around us retreat, and the stink carries a different scent - one of blood and burnt fur. My hand tightens around the hilt of my sword, and I step closer to Kieran.

"August," Sola's voice hums in my mind, calm and steady as always. "Manticores are magical beasts. Your magic won't be able to destroy them. I recommend using the Ignition Blade."

Not only that, but this is a confined space. My explosions could harm Kieran or Decoy. I wouldn't dare risk a high-power blast. Ignition Blade it is.

"Stay on the move, August. Watch the tail."

'Noted,' I think back.

Then it appears.

The Manticore shimmies out of the rustling vines, but as they fall away I see the beast's head is covered in a shaggy mane of dark green bristles. I see what Decoy meant. The Manticore hair looks just like the vines it's emerging from. 

What's under the foliage is far more fearsome. Thick crimson skin emits burning smoke. A writhing mane cascades around its muscular shoulders. Its tail, tipped with a barbed stinger, lashes behind it, cracking against the ground with enough force to shatter stone.

"Spread out!" Kieran barks.

We move as one, each of us taking a position. Kieran takes the vanguard, and I keep a step behind. Decoy keeps to the right and twirls her boomerang. It flickers with fiery light. I hope she's not planning on using fire magic in here. We'd light the entire place up.

I hold back for a moment, my heart pounding, my sword heavy. I can't rely on my Explosion Magic for that same reason. I focus on my sword, infusing it with my magic - the Ignition Blade. 

"Be precise," Sola advises. "An imperfect strike can backfire on us, too."

No pressure.

Kieran is the first to engage. He ducks under the Manticore's sweeping claws, his movements quick and fluid. His sword flashes as he pierces its flank, but the creature's crimson hide is tougher than it looks. His blade barely leaves a mark.

"A little help here?" he shouts.

"On it!" Decoy calls. She hurls her boomerang with a triumphant yell, and the weapon streaks through the air like a comet. It slams into the manticore's shoulder, exploding in a burst of yellow fire. The beast roars in pain and anger, its mane writhing wildly. The smell of burnt hair fills the air.

"Nice shot," I say, darting forward. The manticore's attention is split between Kieran and Decoy, which gives me an opening. I continue channeling, focusing all my magic into a sliver of Explosion Magic, enough to make the blade rattle with energy. Sola's guidance echoes in my mind: precise, controlled. Piece by piece.

I leap, bringing my blade down on the Manticore's foreleg. It passes clean through, filling the Manticore with piercing light. It roars again in anguish, but I don't blow its leg off. Manticores are magical beasts - the only way to kill them is to disperse their mana. As such, this is a battle where we need to land as many hits as possible. 

The Manticore staggers backward, snarling, and lashing its tail out. I barely duck in time, the barbed tip whistling past my head. Too close.

"It's on you now, Auggie!" Decoy yells, recalling her boomerang with a flick of her wrist.

"I can see that!" I shout back, darting to the side to avoid another swipe from the manticore's claws.

Kieran lunges for the beast's other side, his long sword piercing through the thick hide. He holds on tight as the manticore bucks and thrashes, trying to dislodge him.

I slash through the Manticore again as it's distracted with Kieran. I get one, two, three solid hits in, each one passing clean through the beast and bursting it from the inside with magical energy. The light in the Manticore's fiendish eyes begins to fade, slowly but surely. We're getting close. 

Decoy's boomerang smashes into the Manticore's head, and I dart back, letting Kieran tag in to get another good strike in. As I step back, I hear a slight sound of growling behind me. 

I turn around. In the commotion of the battle, I hadn't even noticed - three more Manticores have followed us inside. This wasn't just a nest. It was a whole family. 

"Uh, hey, hey," I panic, looking over to Kieran and Decoy. "There are three more behind us!"

"How many!?" Kieran says, slashing through the original Manticore. He finally dispels its energy, and the Manticore falls to the ground, leaking out prismatic light. Its mana is dispersing back into the atmosphere.

My breath catches as the three Manticores emerge from the tunnels and begin stomping toward us. My grip tightens on my sword, knuckles white. This is bad—too many, too fast. But there's no time for fear. Kieran's counting on me, and Decoy...well, she's counting on all of us.

At least we don't have to fight four at the same time. We each face one of the Manticores, and the beasts' attention divides between the three of us. 

"One for each of us."

Kieran narrows his eyes, looking down the length of his blade. "Must be nice to have magic at a time like this."

I smirk back at him. "Why don't you try out that Arcanic I got you?"

Kieran stretches out his fingers, his hand gravitating toward his pocket. "Not a bad idea, Auggie. Not bad at all."

"You're calling me Auggie too?"

Decoy's Manticore strikes first. It's the smallest of the group, probably a child. It swings its claws at her in an attempt to mow her down, and she ducks under the attack, rolling backward. It tries to strike again, clapping its hands together - Decoy evades into the air, backflipping over the attack and throwing her boomerang at the height of her jump. It strikes the Manticore on the forehead, and the beast lurches back, immobilized. That's the power of Decoy's magic and her boomerang - she can seal her opponents for a short amount of time.

As her Manticore is distracted, Kieran moves in to subjugate his. It's about the same size as the first one we'd fought, but he has an extra layer of focus and aggression he didn't have before. The Arcanic whizzes in his right hand, ready for deployment. Kieran slashes the Manticore's hand and thrusts the Arcanic into its maw.

He wears the Arcanic on his wrist, though it functions more like a projectile than a bracelet. The Arcanic hums to life as Kieran thrusts it forward. Its sleek, metallic frame locks onto the Manticore's face with a sharp click, and a pulse of ultraviolet light erupts, searing the beast's eyes. It howls, thrashing blindly, and Kieran moves in for the kill.

Decoy and Kieran have both incapacitated their enemies, and it was only a matter of time before they were finished off. All that was left was for me to deal with my Manticore - the biggest and burliest of the bunch. This is likely the Manticore's leader.

The ground quakes as the huge Manticore steps forward, its bulk dominating the narrow space. Its crimson hide radiates heat so intense it's like standing too close to a roaring fire, and the air itself feels heavier with its presence. This isn't just a beast—it's a force of nature.

"We still should refrain from a full-out Explosion," Sola warns. "We can use the Ignition Blade once more for a definitive strike."

I swing my sword, taunting the beast, and then I charge. It heaves one of its muscular, deadly arms at me, and I leap up, landing on the arm as I pull my sword back for a powerful thrust. Sola and I infuse every iota of my sword with reverberating magic. It's filled with so much magic the sword itself is on the verge of exploding. I grab the sword with both hands and thrust it into the Manticore's head. Even for a magic beast, the head is a spot of vulnerability. The energy discharges from my blade into the beast, and I retreat backwards. Waiting a moment. One...two...

I don't manage to count to three before the magic activates. A captivation swirl of magical amber light shoots out of the Manticore's forehead and a wave of oppressive heat washes through the air. The unstable Explosion Magic unleashed into the Manticore expands, imploding the creature from within. All of the mana held within the creature is corrupted in an instant, and the Manticore falls back, fading into a shriveled husk as it falls victim to the power of my explosions. 

The sealed Manticore attacking Decoy attempts to make a run for it, but not before Decoy's boomerang swings back around, severing its head and releasing the Manticore's magic. And at the same time, Kieran plunges his sword into his Manticore one final time. It heaves its last exasperated breath and tumbles over.

My eyes look over the room. The amount of mana pouring forth from the four dead Manticores is unlike anything I've ever seen before. Normally, magic never gets so 'thick' in the air that is can be visible, and yet in this moment, we're surrounded by an aurora of shimmering chromatic light. It's haunting, and beautiful. Almost captivating enough to forget about the chilling and odorous nest we're still standing in.

"Nothing to worry about for us, even with four of them," Kieran says confidently as he wipes Manticore muck off his blade and sheathes it. 

Decoy hops into the air, pumping her fist. "Yup yup! And this brings my total number of Manticores up to eleven! Looks like yours truly is about to become an official Sage-in-Training!"

All that remains of the Manticores is a fang each - all magical beasts have a component part that remains bound to the physical world. For a Manticore, it's the fang, and they can be used for a variety of purposes. We pocket our spoils and (gladly) leave the nest, eager to return home and wash up. Although I don't think any amount of cleaning is going to get this Manticore smell out of my clothes...

As we step out of the nest, the cool, fresh air hits me like a wave, washing away the stench of blood and rot. The aurora of mana lingers in my mind, a lingering reminder of the raw power we just faced. It's over, but my muscles stay tense, my grip on my sword tight. This is not even part of the 'Wild Lands', not yet. I shudder to think what horrors might await deeper in the foggy forest.