Leyak
"Poci, check the body," Arjuna ordered Poci to check on the body before approaching it.
Poci reluctantly made his way into the burnt chunk of dirt armor. He sneaked a peek inside with his astral form and confirmed it was hollow.
"Nothing but ash in here," Poci looked back at Arjuna.
Arjuna undid the "Earth Armor" spell from afar. Once the dust settled from the crumbling dirt, the inside revealed the giant axe and armor, burned and bathed in moonlight.
"You said there was nothing but dust," Arjuna reprimanded Poci.
"I lied," Poci said in confidence.
"Well, at least you gained something from that fight," Kunti grabbed Arjuna's shoulder, trying to calm him down.
Arjuna opened his space bag and stored the giant axe and the burnt armor. Not long after, he returned to the village, hoping to rescue the villagers. When he returned, the fire had died, leaving behind a dark and empty place.
All that remained, though, were the footprints of the villagers who had gathered by the village center. They were taken somewhere else, somewhere deeper into the forest.
Arjuna kicked a pebble in frustration. The pebble went airborne before landing inside a barrel through its gap.
"Ouch!" a meek voice emerged from the barrel.
"Shush!" a deeper voice responded.
"Hm?" Arjuna looked back at the pebble he kicked, noticing the barrel.
"Ah! That barrel was the one who ratted us out!" Poci pointed toward the barrel.
"Huh?" Arjuna looked at Poci in shock.
"Yeah, the two brats in there blew your cover," Poci tried explaining with his hands.
Arjuna and the two spirits approached the barrel. When they opened the lid, they saw two young children, comforting each other.
He bent down, his gaze softening at the sight of the two young children. The older sister, around twelve, had disheveled hair and a smudge on her face.
In her arms, her younger brother, no older than six, clung to his sister. Tears ran like a waterfall. He flinched and looked away at the sight of Arjuna.
"Please don't hurt us," the sister pleaded with her eyes swelling.
Arjuna's gaze softened further. He lowered his wand and extended his hand. "I won't hurt you," he said.
"How can we trust you?" the sister asked skeptically, clinging tightly to her brother.
"Smart kid," Kunti complimented the sister.
"I'm here to try to save the villagers, and I need your help," Arjuna explained his intentions to the sister.
"What do you need?" the sister looked at Arjuna more comfortably.
"Clues, anything that might help," Arjuna took a cup from his bag.
"The bad guys said they were headed to a cave, then they went there," the older sister pointed at the small hill nearby.
"Thanks. Drink this; it'll help calm you down," Arjuna said, pouring tea into the cup.
"What if it's poisoned?" the sister pointed at the cup.
"It's your choice. Thanks for the information, though," Arjuna left the cup within reach of the siblings.
Arjuna delved deep into the forest, hoping to find more clues as he trekked the hill. After a while, he heard something chattering. Suspecting the sound to be bandits, Arjuna cast "Camo" on himself and investigated the sound.
There it was, the cave. In front of the entrance were two familiar bandits. Arjuna knew he had to be cautious, so he observed them from a distance before moving.
As he watched, he noticed the bandits were arguing about something, allowing him to sneak past them and enter the cave unnoticed.
Within, Arjuna saw a shimmer of light from the corner of his eyes. As he approached it, the temperature inside the cave began to rise, making it feel like an oven.
Arjuna ignored the discomfort and followed the light, leading him into the hostage room. The hostages were tied up and looked terrified, confirming Arjuna's suspicions.
He realized the bandits' goals weren't gold, but something sinister. He had to act quickly to save them from whatever fate the bandits planned.
Suddenly, a solemn tone echoed in the cave, bouncing through the narrow walls. Its low and raspy voice is an unidentifiable aura, similar to Poci and Kunti.
"Fortress," Arjuna cast an earthen wall between him and the hostages.
"There are unfamiliar smells," the sniffing sound grew louder as time passed.
"Ah, crap," Kunti realized the situation.
The temperature spiked within the cave, and a foul odor filled the air. Weird shadows that don't belong to a human appeared on the wall. An ominous figure revealed itself from the shadows, its form sending chills.
It was Leyak; the creature's head hovered above the ground, its organs and entrails exposed. Its long, unkempt hair shriveled like snakes. Its glowing red eyes detected Arjuna through his camo.
"A stowaway, huh," Leyak undid Arjuna's camo with its spiritual power.
He stared into the grotesque form of the creature and froze in fear, his back against the wall. The closer it came, the more Leyak emitted the stench of decay.
"Foolish boy," the Leyak cackled in front of Arjuna, still frozen.
"Damn it," Poci grumbled at the situation.
Poci grunted, gathering the spiritual power he'd collected since he was summoned. Slowly, he transferred his spiritual power toward Arjuna.
"Poci's grown soft," Kunti amazed by how the selfish Poci gave something away.
Without Leyak noticing, Arjuna slowly broke away from fear. His body surged with newfound power.
"What's this?" Arjuna looked at Poci in disbelief.
"Use it," Poci panted before disappearing into smoke.
Poci, exhausted from the transfer process, regressed into his astral form. He turned smaller, and his wrinkled, exposed body was wrapped.
"Oh? This familiar energy... I see," Leyak noticed the change within Arjuna's body.
Not allowing Arjuna to take in the spiritual power, Leyak lynched him with its sharp claws. Its entrails trailing like a rope.
"Careful, boy. Those things are nasty," Kunti stood from the backline.
After leaping back, he dodged the attack. With the help of Poci's spiritual energy, Arjuna cast an intermediary spell, "Flame Shot". The fire momentarily stuck on the Leyak before it dwindled.
"It's resistant!" Arjuna shifted to the side as the Leyak's entrails tried to choke him.
"Keep trying! You got this!" Kunti cheered from the sidelines.
Arjuna tried another intermediary spell, "Binding Roots". Roots of unknown origins sprouted from the grounds, attempting to restrain the Leyak.
"Pitiful," the Leyak looked below, charging at Arjuna with its claws.
"Aqua Jet!" A burst of water erupted from Arjuna's wand.
He successfully knocked back the Leyak. The creature hissed the moment it made contact with the water. Its exposed organs began steaming.
"Found it!" Arjuna's eyes sparkle with hope.
The Leyak, realizing it could lose, shifted its demeanor. Its eyes shone brighter than the stars. Its entrails swung in a fit of rage. Then appeared a dozen orbs, glowing neon green.
Before Arjuna knew what was happening, the orbs shot toward him. He cast "Fortress" to defend himself and "Wind Barrier" as a reflective measure.
"You suck," Arjuna taunted the creature behind his multilayer barriers.
In a blind rage, the Leyak threw all his orbs toward Arjuna. However, the "Wind Barrier" Arjuna cast reflected the orbs, turning its heading.
Arjuna took advantage of the situation and cast from behind his barriers, "Wind Burst". The orbs that were headed back received a sudden burst of speed.
The boosted orbs hit the Leyak on its vital spots: its face, organs, and entrails. The Leyak writhed in agony as it disappeared into nothingness.
Silence wrapped the cave, and Arjuna's sweat dripped tenaciously, leaving a puddle on the ground. He lowered his wand in relief.
"Phew," Arjuna dropped to the ground.
Arjuna glanced in the direction of the hostages. He undid the spell and then fell flat on the ground. The power Poci lent left him exhausted.
The villagers rushed toward Arjuna to thank him. Some ran, wanting to hug him with tears in their eyes.
"Well done," the sound of clapping echoed from the distance.