heena attack!

"Uh, Rav," I panic, waking up to the sound of growls. "You said nothing can get through this barrier, right?"

I look over to my mentor. He's fast asleep. Damn it.

I stand up. It's the early morning - shouldn't these things have gone to sleep by now!? I can see we're surrounded. While I don't see any of the Heenas yet, I can see glowing yellow eyes visible in the fog. They're everywhere.

Kieran leaps to his feet, his sword flying into his hand. "Oh, hell," he gasps when he sees what's happening.

"Get Rav up, now," I command him, drawing my sword as well. Sola flutters from the heavens and lands on my shoulder.

"Twenty-four of them," Sola remarks quietly. "Quite a large pack. This is very strange..."

I swing my sword with a flourish. None of them have attacked yet, but they're going to. The barrier doesn't look to be holding them at bay any longer.

"So, what's the move?" I ask. "Any good spells for this?"

Sola thinks for a moment. "They are fast and small. Attacks that target them individually will likely be dodged. I don't normally recommend this, but...I think perhaps the best option is to let your magic run wild. 

Reckless explosions as far as the eye can see? Count me in.

"Well, Rav, this will wake you up."

I slam my free hand to the ground as burning glyphs appear on the hard soil around me. I'm quickly surrounded by an array of circular glyphs, and as I push more mana into the ground, each one draws a chunky rock out of the earth and surrounds it with pulsating, explosive power.

"Here goes nothing!" I shout. I command the rocks to release, and they go flying in every direction, hurtling toward the glowing Heena eyes. I hear frightened yowls as my bombs pepper the crowd, blasting several of the Heenas to bits. It's nowhere near enough, though, and now they're officially disturbed. The dog-like Encephalim begin charging through the fog in droves, descending on the camp.

I point my hand at one of the first to break through and manage to catch it with my magic, surrounding it in barbed, fiery light before blasting it to smithereens. God, my magic is cool. And then I turn and point my finger like a gun, shooting a burst of magic through another Heena. As soon as my magicked bullet passes through the fiend, it shatters into nonexistence.

Time for some new tactics. The Heenas are in attacking range. I swipe my sword at one that's mid-jump, cleaving it through the air. As the broken pieces land in front of me, its enough to discourage a second Heena from attacking my flank. For the first time since we started fighting, I'm able to get a decent look at one of these things. 

The Heena are all covered in mangy gray fur, with a spiky mane running down their spine. Their teeth chatter unsettlingly - pearly white fangs that barely fit in the fiends' mouths. 

I eye one, locking eyes with its malevolent yellow gaze. This one seems frightened, but it is no less of a threat. Oversized paws and black claws skate on the ground as it decides whether to fight or flee.

As the dog hesitates, I see a violet flash of light. Kieran activates his Arcanic and uses it like a grappling hook, dragging the Heena toward him and letting him smash it down with a decisive blow.

I see Rav is awake now, but he's snaked up a nearby tree. "Did I mention I'm kinda scared of dogs?" He yelps. Yeah, you sound really convincing, Rav.

I take advantage of another Heena's cautious nature and fire another bullet, knocking the fiend's head clean off its ratty shoulders. 

"Nice hit," Kieran says, gravitating to my side. We stand back to back, surrounded by hungry Heenas. There are still well over a dozen left, and they're too close for me to do any large-scale magic. At this distance, I'd either hurt Kieran or myself if I tried.

"Let's add firebreathing to your arsenal."

Sola, what!? I can breathe fire!?

She doesn't answer, but images fill my mind. These are past holders of Explosion Magic. I see, now. They draw mana in from their Vessel, as much as they can, and then release it in a fiery burst from their mouths. This will take a lot out of Kieran, but it's the perfect ability for our predicament.

"Kieran, brace yourself," I caution him as I start to draw mana in. I feel him falter behind me, but he stays on his feet, ready to defend against an attack. I only need a little bit more...come on, Kieran. We can do this.

I inhale so much I think I'm about ready to burst. As I stand there, trembling and full of mana, I visualize the technique that Sola shared with me. Time to breathe some fire.

I exhale in a mighty roar, turning my head from left to right in a big circle, raining fire on my opponents with brutal fervor. In moments, I've torched several of the Heena and reduced them to embers. As I do, Kieran grapples another Heena behind me, cleaving it through and striking another with his sword immediately after. We're just about done with the little ones, when a larger Heena steps out of the fog.

This one is five times the size of the others - a massive beast. Rav, Kieran and I could all ride it if it weren't trying to eat us right now. It's heaving heavily, mouth agape, as it starts to wiggle and shake, and cruel, sadistic laughter escapes its rotting mouth.

"Finish these up, Kieran. I got the big one."

Kieran nods and braces himself against the three remaining Heena, while I size up their leader. If only the Ignition Blade worked better on Encephalim - for the most part, it's used against Magical Beasts only.

"You can do it, August!" My Guide is encouraging. Sola believes in me. I can do this.

I swing my sword at the giant Heena, testing out its reflexes. I'm surprised when the fiend snatches my sword in its teeth, unbothered by the sharpness of the blade. I break away as the monster chomps at the blade in an attempt to get at my arm. As I pull back, I launch a spell at the Heena - the same spell I used against Leoni. The Heena's head is knocked back but its no worse for wear. Damn. This thing is a lot more durable than I thought.

I pepper it with a few more explosions, but they're not getting in as much damage as I'd like. I can't just keep blasting it in perpetuity - every spell I use drains Kieran's stamina. I've already used so much magic here.

"Having trouble, Augs? I suppose I can step in."

I blink and in that moment, Rav lands in front of me, infinitely graceful and still, one foot barely touching down on the ground as his flowing robe falls around him in the still, cool air. It's like he just materialized out of nowhere. Is he really that fast?

Rav turns his head and swings his fan once - or at least, I think it was only once. And yet in an instant, the giant Heena explodes into a dozen pieces, each one a perfectly clean and angular cut. 

It's overwhelming. His speed, his power - and he didn't even cast a spell. Is it really possible for someone to be this strong?

He flicks his fan and covers his face. Not even a drop of blood on it. Those were some devastatingly smooth cuts.

"Next time, you're on your own, boys. I hate dogs. Oh," he says, looking off to the left. He throws his fan into the swirling cloud barrier and though I don't see anything, I hear the wail of a Heena being cut down. Rav's fan flies back into his hand and he clacks it closed, returning it to his robes. 

"So much for that barrier," I scoff.

Rav grins to himself. "Seems I underestimated just how much those Encephalim want to eat you, August. I'll be a touch more cautious next time."

I sheathe my sword, as the danger has subsided. Kieran is covered in sweat and is out of breath, but he'll be okay. He's a lot more drained from my flagrant display of magic than he is from fighting.

Rav's words haunt me. Was this really because of me? It's been a while since I've been somewhere so remote and out in the open. We have protections from Encephalim at the mountain summit, but here, all we had were Rav's clouds. Even they weren't enough to push the Encephalim here off of my scent...why me?

Could the Flamekeeper possibly be controlling the Encephalim? No...there's no way. 

"I may be able to find the answers you seek," Sola notes. "But I will have to leave you for some time. Will you be okay without me?"

I think to Sola. 'Do you really think you could find something like that out?'

"Of course," Sola replies. "I will find the Flamekeeper's Guide. That should be sufficient."

You can do that!?

Sola hovers off of my shoulder. "Shall I assume this is what you want, then?"

I nod. "It's good intel. But...you won't be in any danger, will you? How long will it take?"

Sola's wings give off an irradiant sheen. "A day or so. I will find this Guide in the realm between. And worry not - we Guides do not battle amongst ourselves."

On that note, Sola flutters away, into the sky. To think she had the ability to do such a thing...

I turn to Rav, who's looking like he has something to say. "Just a dude talking to a butterfly," he jests.

"You had a Guide too once, didn't you? You know how it is."

"And yet, everyone always thought I was a wacko for talking to her, too. Well, boys - it reeks of Heena here, and we've got places to be. Let's get a move on, eh?"