The lukashi moved first, flowing through the trees as if it were galloping on a practiced trail. Despite its bulk matching the Keeper of Tirion’s Grove, the pointed tips of its massive antlers didn’t so much as graze the trees around it. This was its territory, and it knew every inch as well as it knew itself.

  What it didn’t know was just what had entered its home.

  Naroe moved quickly, grabbing hold of the darkened dragon on his shoulder before throwing him up into the tree canopy. He had noticed the change in the dragon then, but understood now wasn’t the time for questions.

  As for White, his brother’s quick thinking had snapped him from his concentration and broken the spell. By the time he had settled in the branches, his scales were already reverting to their original shades.

  In that same moment, Avira’s presence in his mind transformed as she gulped down one of the blackened vials. White could feel a fresh darkness erupt from within her soul as her mind began to work at speeds even he couldn’t easily follow. Her thoughts became dense with information, like icebergs in the current of her sea.

  White’s sight grew even stronger in the dark as he tried to trace her movements, desperate to catch a glimpse of what he was sure she was planning to do.

  The lukashi was somewhat visible now, having closed the seemingly lengthy distance as fast as Naroe had acted, but it clearly wasn’t expecting its prey to come to it. A mass darker than the shadows around it sprung from the brush with unnerving silence and the massive predator barely reacted quick enough to duck its head into the blow. There was a crash like hardened glass on steel as both attackers bounced back from the impact.

  White’s enhanced eyes struggled to make out Avira’s shape through the gloom, but he could just make out her poised figure amongst the shadowed forest. Her once simple and worn metal plating had transformed completely into something more akin to what the Umbrans of the Order would wear. The metal had grown and reshaped itself into a full set of darkened armor with a crowned helm that was trailed by a dark veil of stars. In her hands was a similar glaive to what she had used to duel Naroe, though the feeling it gave White made the previous weapon seem more like a stage prop.

  Her opponent, now far more visible to White in comparison to his sister, was just as large as he had felt. It was certainly shaped like a deer, but that was its only similarity.

  Its shaded coat was the same green of its forest, covering a body of pure muscle right down to boot sized hooves. A downward angled muzzle was curled back into a snarl, revealing a line of carnivorous teeth. Amethyst eyes crackled with arcane energy as its heated breaths turned into mist before its face. Tipping its crystal-like antlers were streaks of semi translucent material that had begun growing emerald power.

  White felt the change in Naroe next, his flame condensing into a miniature sun as he burst through the trees, lighting the darkness around him in a halo of golden light. He looked just like he did when White first met him, skin crackling with golden energy and a wild smile on his face. His excitement at the fight before him was made manifest by the glowing energy that now encased his fists. When those fists made contact with his target, their thundering impact sent the beast skidding backward.

  The lukashi took the hit seemingly in stride before charging at the newcomer, head lowered with sparking antlers set to impale. Avira lept, her glaive raised high, but the predator hadn’t forgotten her.

  Without stopping, green lightning lept from one antler to the next, chaining nearly instantly before launching off the creature’s side at Avira. She swung her weapon early, the black blade clashing with the arcane energy before deflecting it off to the side and through one of the thick trees, leaving a smoking hole in the still standing bark.

  Despite the failed attack, Naroe was ready for the charging beast. At the last second, he slipped around his attacker and delivered several crackling hits into the lukashi’s side as it passed, but the creature barely seemed to register the blows. Its back leg kicked out just before Naroe left its range and he barely dodged with a sharp bend backwards. He had expected as much.

  When the two of them had been planning, Naroe had explained to Avira everything he knew about their target. Their hides were thicker than most armor and their bodies were tougher than the trees they lived around. Blunt attacks and shallow stabs weren't going to do much of anything in terms of real damage and the arcane energies powering their bodies made death by blood loss almost impossible. If they wanted to kill it, they needed to aim for vitals. And in order to reach those, they needed to wear it down. That was Naroe’s job.

  So even as the lukashi dug its hoof into the ground to pivot from its charge, Naroe was rushing it down. The beast swung its antlers out at him, but he reached out and caught two of the glowing pointed tips. Despite the distance between them, the dilution of their connection from the brand link, and the miniscule time of contact, White could feel the smoldering pain that enveloped Naroe’s hands in that instant.

  There was a short burst of fear and worry in the dragon’s chest for his brother, but Naroe himself hardly gave the feeling any thought as he lifted himself off the ground and kicked both his feet into the lukashi’s head. He squatted into the landing before launching off, pushing the disoriented beast back.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Avira materialized from the shadows at its side then, driving her glaive forward into where she had seen her fellow apprentice strike. The black blade bit deep and Avira pushed with her full, altered weight into the stab. Her glaive sunk further in, but the beast recovered before she could reach her target.

  It swung its head again, its antlers already glowing brighter for another arcane bolt, but Avira had already guessed her attack wouldn’t be enough and she had already seen the attack once. That had been enough.

  With one flowing burst of movement, she separated her glaive into two pieces and ducked under the crackling energy as it erupted from the antler closest to her, taking out another chunk of a tree. Keeping her momentum, she swung her baton up into the beast’s jaw, feeling its bones crack beneath the impact. It staggered back, caught off guard by the sudden counter attack but quickly regaining itself.

  Still, it was enough for Naroe. His body ignited with a burst of power, the sudden flash disorienting the nocturnal hunter further. Naroe never stopped moving, his body lowering into a crouch directly beneath it and launching a rising fist directly into the lukashi’s stomach. The sound of the impact was dulled by muscle but still sent the hulking beast multiple feet into the air.

  Avira was ready to capitalize on the opening. Her baton’s end having grown and reshaped into a mallet’s head in her hand as she leapt into the air the instant Naroe made contact. Raising the newly shaped weapon above her head, she brought it down right into the haft of the glaive still impaled in the lukashi’s side. There was a solid clang as the two made contact and White watched the black blade erupt out the other side of the beast as it came crashing back to the ground.

  Yet still, it staggered back up. Avira’s attack had done clear damage, but had just missed its mark. Both apprentices felt their time running out. This would be their last chance to bring it down.

  Luckily, they had one more plan that had already been prepared.

  Naroe charged and Avira broke off to flank their prey. The lukashi lowered its head, every bit of its antlers now alight with an energy that had begun to condense into a bolt even larger than Naroe. It fired, bracing its body against the kickback of its last resort, and the ball of flaming jade shot out towards its charging attacker.

  Naroe had expected this trump card, but he hadn’t expected it to be that large.

  He skidded to a halt, arms out and legs planted wide with a massive grin on his face, as if he was a child playing a game and daring his opponent to attempt a score. The bolt collided with his body, nearly enveloping him in its size and threatening to burn him more than the lukashi’s horns ever could. Yet all White felt from his brother then was satisfaction.

  White watched in bewilderment as Naroe was pushed back through the forest debris, grunting in effort as he forced himself to stop and hold onto the attack. Then the bolt began to shrink and White realized Naroe was pouring his power into the arcane energies. More than that, White could feel the light working within the turbulent power, breaking it down piece by piece and turning it into something else. Its green shine began to turn gold as it shrank into a size small enough to fit in the palm of Naroe’s hand. Then, with a grunt of effort, the apprentice threw the golden ball back at the lukashi.

  The entire counterattack took only a few seconds to prepare and the speed at which it flew took the winded lukashi completely off guard. The golden bolt slipped by its antlers before impacting right between the beast’s wide eyes.

  Even from his vantage point, White could feel the heat and power from the detonation as it erupted into a golden fire that enveloped the beast. But he could also still feel the lukashi’s presence.

  Sure enough, as the light dimmed and the dust began to settle, it was revealed to be still standing, but only barely. It had been pushed back half a dozen feet, having sacrificed its left antler to shield its face from the attack. And though much of its upper half had been badly burned, White knew it hadn’t been broken.

  Avira seemed to materialize beside it, her black armor having hidden her presence perfectly as she slammed the pommel of her mallet into the first real wound she had inflicted. White felt the darkness in the weapon reach out and reconnect with its other half still lodged in the other side of the beast. Then, with a twist of her wrist, Avira’s reforged glave shifted its shape again, its embedded form growing a new blade from inside its target. And this time, Avira’s aim was perfect.

  The lukashi’s bright amethyst eyes widened in dim recognition of what had just happened. Its body teetered, then collapsed on the forest floor with a heavy thud. And as the last of its life began to drain away, White felt its soul one last time.

  Not only did he feel it, he saw it. Green wisps began to flow from the corpse, stretching and condensing in the air until it formed the same jade eyes he had seen before. They were a predator’s eyes and they hung in the air, looking down at the seemingly oblivious killers. Then they noticed the one being who could actually see them.

  White was surprised to see the eyes held no anger, only frustration.

  This predator, this force of nature, had been bested in its prime. It had taken life many times before, both from beasts and people, and it had grown stronger from each one. That had been the nature of its world and now its own life had been taken in turn.

  It had known that this was to be its fate one day, as that was the fate of all that called the forest home, it just wished it had been given more time. It had never found a mate. It had never gotten the chance to pass on the strength it had grown.

  Then, as the spirit looked into the eyes of this small creature who it had been sacrificed for, White felt a question form in those eyes.

  Would its death mean something?

  White nodded. This experience had been a lesson for him and he intended to learn all he could out of respect for the fallen beast. The meat that would be gathered will help the small dragon grow strong and allow him to fulfill his own nature, whatever that may be. This was what White promised the spirit in that moment.

  Something changed in the spirit in the face of that promise. Its frustration melted away as the spectral jade eyes lost their predatory shape, growing softer. Almost younger.

  Then, with a feeling of grateful satisfaction, they faded from that world forever.