Seed Of Speed

Celita and Horsin stood on the point of the Void Conch Crab's shell, staring northwest. Diego was due to start his diversion any minute, and everyone was ready to go inside. She could not help but question the decision to send him with just a pup to defend him. Without Diego's help, Zedava was bound for a fate just like Radosta.

"How could Rozama even consider sending him to the other worlds before he helped bind Zedava to the holy tree? Why was I dumb enough to agree? And now he is even out of my protection, what in the abyss is wrong with me?!?" Celita silently berated herself.

Horsin gave a knowing chuckle, and said, "Tirano is stronger than you think, they will be fine."

"And if this Greater Demon decides to check on the ruckus in its prized garden?"

"The old snake is still l.i.c.k.i.n.g his wounds and can't leave the lava for long. No, I'd guess he send his kids to check it out while he went about harvesting the flowers. They are just too important for his recovery," Horsin said, giving his expert opinion.

"I don't like guesses, I need that boy alive, or my world will end up like yours. Rozama is getting old, she can feel it just like I can. She won't live to see the next one's birth," Celita growled.

"Peace, Celita, I understand your concern, but we all agreed to the risks. Tirano has the potential to outclass me in a hundred years once he is full grown. He is literally the hope of every beastman on this world when his power can match the Greater Demons. Why don't you admit the real reason you are so concerned."

She chuckled darkly as her eyes narrowed and she asked, "Oh, what reason do you think that might be?"

"You can not deny a certain atmosphere around you two, the teasing banter and stolen glances... next, you will tell me the two of you are living together," he chuckled with no fear of the chilling aura Celita was releasing.

Her brow twitched with annoyance at the accurate statement, but rather than confirm his guess, she retorted, ��All of my children are at least two hundred years his senior, most over five hundred."

"When did age become a factor for you? I seem to recall young Ashwind Wyrm who you…" Horsin teased, but before he could finish, Celita kicked him off the shell.

"That's two different things you're comparing and you know it," she snapped.

A stream of water from the sea rose up and caught Horsin before gently returning him to his spot. "As do you know my point," he said with a smirk.

Before they could continue, both of their heads pointed northwest as the sky overhead grew quiet. Despite the great distance between them, they heard the echoing thunder of the Lightning Trial as it carried through the clouds. Horsin jumped down and hopped into the inner world of his pet.

Celita remained behind, staring into the distance, and mumbled, "You better be in one piece when you get back."

‐------------------------------------------

From a distance, a black snake was slowly making its way across the yellow-gray sand, in and out of the yellow mists that hung over the region. Up close, the black snake was actually the trail of beastmen making their way through the Timpia Expanse. Horsin and Celita lead the group with Khan protecting the back. Nala was placed in the center while the twins, Zajo and Zozo, patrolled the flanks of the long train.

They had already spent half a day marching without stopping because everyone wanted to take advantage of the time Diego and Tirano had given them. The elderly were still managing the fast pace, but the youngest were slowly being picked up and carried by the other members of the group. So far, everything had been going smoothly without so much as an imp coming into their sights, but unfortunately, there were more dangers than just the demons.

As the front section of the passed through a thick patch of yellow mist, a cry of pain and fear broke the peaceful atmosphere around the convoy. Celita remained at the head of the group, but Horsin rushed back while Nala ran ahead. Khan and the twins also kept their positions to prevent anything else from taking advantage of the situation.

Inside the pocket of fog, visibility was reduced to just a few meters, and without a version of mana-sight, no other method tracking could be used since the mist blocked scent and heat signatures. Because of this, the beastmen had been moving in a long line, only two or three people wide. Combine that with the fact that the few able-body warriors in that stretch were all carrying children, it was too tantalizing for the Fog Reapers to ignore.

It happened before anyone knew what was going on. A flame kobold, who was carrying a young Sahuagin, was trudging along and then suddenly, his head went flying. The child was not left unscathed as she had two gashes across the back of her head and the three fins crowning her were mangled. It was her pained and frightened cry that alerted everyone to the danger.

Despite their fear, the beastmen gathered together just as their leaders had drilled into their heads. They were quick, but the Fog Reapers were too. Seven more people were killed before the forty in the mists could come together, but that did not mean they were safe, only that the reapers had a harder time.

A pair of Fog Reapers circled the herd, just on the edge of visibility to instill fear in their prey. Only flashes of their long, sleek bodies could be seen as they zoomed through the mists like a fish in water. They could almost be confused for a snake except for the lack of scales and two, powerful arms with three fingers. A twenty-centimeter, razor-sharp curved talon topped each finger and interlocked perfectly for slicing limbs off cleanly.

Before they could directly attack the group, a stream of water shot out and created a thin bubble around the group. The Fog Reapers could ignore the acidic nature of the water, but sensing two powerful figures rushing their way, they simply merged with the fog to wait for another chance. They were ambush predators with enough intelligence to recognize strength and enough patience to wait for opportunity.

Horsin left his bubble over the group in case the reapers made another move on them, but he knew it was doubtful. He felt Nala enter the bubble, so he did too and headed for the center where the wounded should have been gathered. Just as he had guessed, Nala was already healing those who had been hurt. The worst was a young boy who had lost a hand and the rest were just cuts, but considering that reapers always struck out to kill, they were just collateral damage of the initial attack.

"How are they?" Horsin asked.

"They'll live... so, what's the plan now?" Nala replied without looking up from her patient.

"Diego's plan seems to have worked, so we can slow down some. We'll split into groups and I'll take teams through the mists. This will hopefully be the worst of it," Horsin said after a moment of thought.

"Let's pray that you're right," Nala sighed.