Chapter 82: We can’t win like this!!

Chapter 82: We can’t win like this!! The creature’s rage rippled through its reforming body, water flowing and hardening into something less elven, more monstrous with each passing moment. Its limbs elongated, fingers stretching into claws nearly a handspan long. The silver hair writhed around its head like living tendrils, and its mouth—now a gash across what remained of its face—opened unnaturally wide. "Get to the horses," Nari gasped, clutching her shattered ribs. "We can’t win this fight." Seril staggered to her feet, blood matting the intricate patterns on her scalp. "Captain, I don’t think I can—" The creature struck with the speed of a striking viper. One elongated arm shot forward, extending impossibly as water flowed and propelled it. Claws sliced through the air where Seril’s head had been a heartbeat earlier, the warrior barely managing to throw herself sideways. SWISH! The claws continued their arc, slashing into the trunk of a nearby silver-bark. Five parallel gashes appeared in the wood, deep enough that sap immediately began to flow. SCHHHKKK! Nari seized the moment, driving her remaining dagger into the creature’s extended arm. The blade sank deep, but the creature merely flowed around the weapon, water momentarily parting before closing again, undamaged. "The horses!" Nari shouted again, desperation edging her voice. Both warriors scrambled toward their mounts, which had retreated to the edge of the clearing during the battle. The gray stallion reared in terror as the creature’s attention turned toward the animals, sensing easier prey. "No!" Seril cried out, but it was too late. The creature leapt, covering the distance in a single bound that no natural being could have managed. It landed directly in front of Nari’s stallion, water streaming from its body to encircle the terrified animal. NEIGHHHH! The horse’s scream was cut brutally short as the water tightened like a vise, crushing its ribcage with a sickening series of cracks. Blood sprayed from the animal’s mouth and nostrils as its eyes bulged, life extinguished in seconds. CRACK! CRACK! SPLORCH! "By the forest," Seril choked, horror momentarily overriding her training. The creature wasn’t finished. It plunged clawed hands into the horse’s still-warm body, tearing through flesh and bone with equal ease. Blood mixed with the water swirling around its limbs, creating a grotesque crimson mist that clung to its silver hair. "Seril!" Nari’s voice cracked like a whip. "Focus! The other horse—now!" The younger warrior tore her eyes away from the grisly scene. Her chestnut mare danced nervously nearby, ready to bolt. With practiced movements despite her injuries, Seril swung herself into the saddle, then extended a hand to her captain. The creature lifted its head from the mutilated horse, sensing their movement. Its face—now barely recognizable as humanoid—twisted into something that might have been a smile. More water gathered around its hands, but this time, the liquid was tinged pink with the stallion’s blood. "Hold on!" Seril commanded as Nari grabbed her outstretched hand and pulled herself awkwardly onto the horse behind her. "Formation Seven!" Nari understood immediately. As Seril urged the mare into motion, the captain pressed both hands against the forest floor, summoning one last surge of elemental energy. The soil erupted behind them, a wall of earth and roots rising to temporarily block the creature’s pursuit. Seril added her own element to the barrier, a concentrated sound wave that vibrated the newly-formed wall at a frequency that hardened the soil to near-stone consistency. VRMMMMM! "That won’t hold it for long," Nari panted, arms wrapped around Seril’s waist as the mare galloped through the moonlit forest. "We need distance." "The mare can’t carry us both at full speed for long," Seril replied, guiding the horse through the dense undergrowth with expert skill. "And we’re leaving a trail even a blind tracker could follow." Behind them came the sound they dreaded—a crash followed by the crumbling of their hastily-erected barrier. The creature had broken through. CRASH! CRUMBLE! "We need a better plan than running," Nari agreed, mind racing despite the pain clouding her thoughts. A wet, tearing sound behind them turned both warriors’ heads. The creature had returned to the horse carcass, ripping a leg free from the body with a sickening wrench of bone and gristle. SCHLORP! CRACK! "What is it doing?" Seril whispered, horror evident in her voice. The answer came in the form of the severed horse limb hurtling through the air toward them, thrown with such force that it whistled as it flew. WHSSSSSSS! "Down!" Nari shouted. Both warriors flattened themselves against the mare’s neck just as the grisly projectile passed overhead, missing them by inches before crashing through the branches ahead. CRASH! SNAP! The creature was already separating another piece from the carcass, readying another throw. "We can’t outrun it," Nari said grimly. "And we can’t fight it directly. We need to trap it somehow—buy enough time to reach Thornvale territory." Seril nodded, her mind already working through possibilities. "There’s a ravine two hundred paces ahead. Narrow enough that we could collapse the sides..." "Perfect," Nari agreed, gathering what remained of her strength. "Get us there. I’ll handle the rest." The mare responded to Seril’s urging, putting on a fresh burst of speed despite her double burden. Behind them, another wet tearing sound announced the creature had armed itself with more grisly ammunition. SCHLUUURP! The next projectile—what looked horribly like the horse’s head—flew past them, closer this time, nearly clipping Seril’s shoulder before smashing into a tree trunk with enough force to embed itself in the wood. THUD! CRACK! "There!" Seril called out, pointing ahead to where the terrain dropped abruptly, forming a narrow chasm perhaps fifteen feet across. "The ravine!" Nari didn’t waste breath responding. She closed her eyes, connecting once more with the plant life surrounding the ravine. Roots ran deep here, binding the soil of both sides together far below the surface. If she could sever those connections at precisely the right moment... "It’s gaining!" Seril warned, glancing back. The creature moved with unnatural speed, no longer fully bipedal but flowing across the forest floor like a wave of sentient water. Its silver hair streamed behind it, the only solid feature in a body that seemed increasingly fluid. Water and blood mixed in its wake, leaving a glistening trail behind it. "Almost there," Nari murmured, gathering her elemental energy for one final effort. "When I give the word, turn the horse sharply left and don’t slow down." Seril nodded, her face set with grim determination. The ravine loomed ahead, a dark gash in the moonlit forest floor. At their current speed, they would reach it in seconds. "Ready..." Nari whispered, feeling the roots beneath the ravine respond to her call. "Ready..."