The Siege

Lights hovered in every direction Klein looked, their eerie glow casting long, shifting shadows across the camp. He had been right—the earlier attacks had been nothing more than a test, a way for the creature to gauge their strength. 

"W-what do we do?" Roland asked, his voice tight with fear as the group tightened their formation, shoulders brushing against one another. The air was thick with tension, the faint hum of the hovering lights filling the silence.

Before anyone could answer, the lights began to move. A few at first, then more, until a dozen or more balls of light hurtled toward the group, their trajectories erratic and unpredictable. They zigzagged through the air, darting between trees and rocks as they closed in.

The clash of steel rang out as Klein, Roland, and Astrid raised their weapons, deflecting the attacks as best they could. But it wasn't enough. One slipped through, streaking toward Garrett.

"Garrett!" Roland yelled, his voice raw with panic.

Garrett dropped his bow, raising his hands to cover his face. The ball of light slammed into his Gravesilver bracers with a deafening *crack*, the force throwing him backward. He hit the ground hard, but the bracers had done their job—he was bruised and shaken, but alive.

"Garrett!" Roland shifted his weight, ready to break formation, but Klein's voice cut through the chaos.

"Stay in formation!" Klein barked, his tone leaving no room for argument. "If we break rank now, we're all dead!"

Roland hesitated, his jaw clenched, but he stayed put. "Garrett, are you okay?" he called, his voice strained.

"I'm fine," Garrett grunted, pushing himself to his feet. His face twisted in pain as he reached for his bow, nocking an arrow with trembling hands.

"Lina, is there anything we can do?" Klein asked, his eyes darting around the clearing. The lights that had attacked them were already being replaced, their numbers seemingly endless. "We can't stay on the defensive. We either have to attack or draw it out."

Klein waited for Lina's response, but it was Selene who spoke up, her voice shaky but determined. "I may be able to rework one of the night creature sigils," she said. "Instead of keeping them in, it will keep them out. B-but it will take time."

"Do it," Klein said without hesitation. "We'll make sure you're protected."

---

Volley after volley came their way. Klein raised his sword, deflecting two balls of light in quick succession. The force of the impacts sent shocks through his arms, leaving them numb. "Selene, we could really use that barrier!" he shouted over the chaos.

"I'm trying!" Selene snapped, her hands trembling as she scanned the sigil. Each layer, each rune, had been designed for one purpose—to trap night creatures. It had taken her years of study and the help of her professors to create the first version, which hadn't even worked properly. Now, she had to completely rework it on the fly, or—

"Ah!" Roland's scream cut through the air as one of the attacks struck his shoulder, knocking him back. He writhed in pain, his sword slipping from his grasp.

"Roland!" Klein yelled, but there was no time to help him. The attacks were coming faster now, their numbers increasing with each volley. If she didn't act soon, they were all dead.

Selene's breath came in ragged gasps as she worked, her quill scratching furiously against the parchment. Line by line, rune by rune, she reworked the sigil, her hands moving with desperate precision. Her mind raced, her thoughts a blur of calculations and prayers. Please, please let this work.

Finally, she rose to her feet, the parchment glowing faintly in her hands. "Please," she whispered, her voice barely audible. Then, louder, "Please let this work!"

She slammed the sigil into the ground, and a massive circle of blue light erupted around the group. The barrier rose like a wall of fire, the incoming attacks slamming against it with a series of dull *thuds*. The ground trembled beneath their feet as the barrier solidified, its light casting an eerie glow over the camp.

Selene collapsed to her knees, her chest heaving. "Roland…" she gasped, her voice weak.

"I think we're good," Roland said, lowering the tip of his sword. He let out a nervous chuckle, his face pale but relieved. "My freaking arms are numb," he added, taking a deep breath. "You okay, Klein?"

"Yeah, I'm good," Klein said, his eyes scanning the treeline. He lowered his sword slightly, his muscles aching from the strain. "Lina, are we safe in here?"

"Seems so," Lina muttered, stepping toward the wall of light. Its surface shimmered faintly under her gaze. She ran her fingers just shy of its edge, her eyes narrowing as muted purple mist curled against the barrier like ink spilling through water. "As long as we stay inside the circle, we should be fine," she added, her voice calm despite the unnatural weight pressing against the air.

The mist thickened.

Then—

*BANG!*

The impact was thunderous. A massive blade slammed into the barrier with the force of a falling mountain, sending a rippling shockwave through the light. The ground shuddered beneath them, cracks spiderwebbing outward from the point of impact. The force alone sent dust and loose debris scattering into the air, the resulting wind whipping through the group.

Beyond the barrier, something shifted.

At first, it was just a silhouette—a towering mass lurking within the thick mist, its shape twisting unnaturally as it coalesced into existence. The air around it hummed, vibrating with a sound that felt more like a presence than a noise, as if reality itself was straining against the weight of something that did not belong.

Then, the mist peeled away—and the creature finally materialized.

It stood nearly twenty feet tall, a grotesque fusion of human and insect, its form a perversion of natural anatomy. The lower half was that of a colossal ant, its glossy black exoskeleton glinting beneath the eerie glow of the barrier. Six razor-sharp legs, segmented and jagged, clicked against the ground, shifting with an unsettling grace. Its elongated abdomen pulsed faintly, as though something inside still twitched and writhed, unseen.

The upper half was worse.

A sinewy humanoid torso jutted upward from the insectoid frame, its flesh warped and fused with jagged plating that climbed its spine like a parasitic crown. A chitinous helmet had seemingly grown over its skull, ridged and smooth, its surface studded with clusters of violet-red eyes. They blinked out of sync, twitching and adjusting, watching everything at once. Long, tangled strands of black hair spilled from beneath the exoskeletal helm, swaying as though caught in an unseen current.

It did not move at first. It simply watched.

One by one, its many eyes flicked between them—not with the mindless hunger of a beast, but with something worse: curiosity.

It lingered on Lina first, its helmeted head tilting slightly, as though considering her presence. Then, with a slow, unnatural shift, its gaze drifted across the others.

Roland.

Selene.

Klein.

Garrett.

The creature's gaze shifted to the middle of the circle, but there was nothing there. Its head whipped around, scanning the area, confused. Klein glanced around as well, his heart sinking as he realized what—or rather, who—was missing.

Astrid.

She was gone.

Klein's gaze darted across the clearing, and then he saw it—a flash of green darting out from behind where Lina had drawn the sigil earlier. Astrid moved with predatory grace, her daggers gleaming in the dim light. The creature's attention snapped to her, its massive body shifting as it prepared to strike.

"Get down," Lina said, her voice calm but commanding. Everyone in the circle dropped immediately as a massive spear of ice crystallized in front of her. Without a word, she sent it flying toward the creature.

The creature tried to dodge, but it was too late. The spear of ice slammed into its side, shattering chunks of its exoskeleton and knocking it off balance. Astrid closed in, her daggers crossed, her face a mask of determination.

She leaped forward, her movements fluid and precise. The creature raised its right arm—if it could even be called that. Where a hand should have been, there was only a massive, jagged blade, an extension of the creature itself. The weapon pulsed with sickly red-violet veins of light, its surface subtly shifting and warping, as though alive and waiting.

But Astrid was faster.

With a swift, calculated strike, she severed the creature's blade arm at the elbow. The limb fell to the ground with a deafening *thud*, the creature letting out a guttural roar of pain as it stumbled back, clutching at the stump.

For a moment, it seemed like she had pulled it off flawlessly. But then the creature's remaining arm lashed out, its jagged claws slicing through the air just inches from her face. Astrid twisted her body mid-air, narrowly avoiding the strike as she landed in a crouch, her daggers still gleaming with the creature's blood.

The creature's violet-red veins pulsed erratically, its many eyes narrowing as it locked onto Astrid. But even in pain, its gaze wasn't filled with fury—it was something closer to recognition, as if it was finally seeing them as a threat.

"Ice wall!" Lina called out, and the river rose once more, forming a massive barrier of ice that cut off the creature's escape route.

The creature slammed its remaining arm against the ice wall, jagged claws screeching against the frozen surface. For a moment, the mist pulsed around it, thickening—as if it were about to force its way through.

"No!" Selene screamed, her voice sharp with urgency. She reached into her back, pulling out a small stone. It was perfectly rounded and smooth, with a single rune etched into its surface, mirrored on each side. She channeled essence into the stone, causing it to glow a faint blue. "We can't let it turn to mist again!" she yelled, stumbling to her feet. But her legs gave out, and she fell back to her knees, her breath heavy.

Her gaze darted to the left. "Garrett!" she called, tossing the stone to him. "Throw it!"

Without hesitation, Garrett caught the stone and flung it toward the creature. The stone landed at the creature's feet, and the mist immediately began to dissipate, as if sucked into the rune. The mist around its form churned violently, trying to reform—only to be pulled inward, collapsing into itself as if swallowed by the rune's power. The creature let out a guttural growl, its claws flexing in frustration before its gaze flicked toward them.

"I-it can't phase now," Selene said, her breath ragged. "But it will only last for a few minutes."

Klein's eyes darted between his companions. They were battered, exhausted—but still standing. "A binding stone? Nice," he said, a flicker of approval in his voice. He exhaled, steadying his grip.

"Astrid, strike from the flanks. Lina, keep it boxed in. Roland, with me—we keep its attention. Garrett, keep it pinned down!"

He paused, his gaze locking onto the creature. "We finish this."

"Alright, you all ready?" Klein asked, his voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through him.

"We'll support you," Lina said flatly, raising her hand to form another spear of ice.

Klein couldn't help but chuckle. "Let's go."