VII

One Hellion sprinted past Chungha on all fours, grabbing the soldier next to her tent between its huge jaws. The soldier screamed, then she heard the bones in his skull crushing under the force of the bite. Two more Hellions ran through the camp, stomping on anyone that was in their way. The few that were lucky enough to escape would meet a worse fate, as a third Hellion was right behind the other two, slashing and biting and painting the ground with blood.

They were smaller than the one she encountered in the marshes, resembling bears more than humans. The way they were assaulting the camp matched the viciousness of the Hellion she confronted.

Chungha ran in the opposite direction, away from the camp where the Hellions gathered and closer to the makeshift wall, now full of holes from where the Hellions burst through. If she had any chance of winning the fight, she had to keep her distance. Too close and she could easily lose again, and there was no mysterious mage user that could save her.

With her staff hovering above her head, magic surged through her veins. It formed a triangle between the three glowing points: the staff’s tip and her two hands, arms stretched on either side. Chungha froze at the sound of another roar coming right from behind her. She turned to see a Hellion jump over the wall, mouth opened wide and claws twice her head ready to maul her.

She shouted from the depth of her chest. An electrical current crossed her entire body and left her fingertips, joining the tip of the staff. The Hellion was pushed back in an instant by an invisible force. It fell on its back, the side and was back on its four feet, shaking its head dumbfounded.

Chungha placed her left foot behind and her right foot in front, her arms creating a circle of light. She leapt back just as the Hellion dashed to her, the circle pushed forward. It coiled around the Hellion and dragged it to the ground, snapping it into place. The light surrounded the Hellion, and no matter how much it struggled, the Hellion couldn’t advance.

Chungha touched her forehead with her index and muttered sacred words, and the light went out, leaving behind thick chains that locked the Hellion on spot. She knew it might not be enough, but one incapacitated Hellion was better than none.

“Chungha!” Seulgi yelled. Chungha spun and saw the other Hellions were still wrecking the camp. The Knight ran over, holding her shield. Chungha’s staff floated back in her grip and she held onto it as Seulgi glanced at the chained Hellion. “Can you immobilize the others too?”

Chungha nodded and moved closer to camp again, while Seulgi dashed in the other direction, helping soldiers get up or recover their weapons.

Chungha sent her staff above her head, higher than before, thus ensuring the triangle was much wider too. Chungha let out the same yell and all Hellions were pushed back. She repeated the spell configuration perfectly, just as she was taught early on in her days as a mage pupil. Left foot back, right foot forward, but instead of one circle, she formed several, and soon, all Hellions were trapped, growling and struggling and in exasperation.

Seulgi walked over, breathing a sigh of relief.

“As I’ve said,” she gave Chungha a crooked smile, “I am glad to have a magic user on our side.”

Chungha watched soldiers slowly approaching the Hellions, considering what to do next. The creatures had a lot of fight left in them and didn’t flinch once from the way the chains tightened around them the more they struggled, cutting into their rotting flesh.

“The chains won’t last long,” Chungha observed. “We must act quickly.”

Seulgi opened to speak, only for her words to be swallowed by another roar, much deeper and louder. It echoed throughout the entire village and above the marshes, the ground trembling. Chungha lost her balance for a second. Seulgi’s arms were around her shoulders, steadying them both. They turned together and watched the monster emerging from beyond the darkness of the forest.

It was taller than anything Chungha had ever seen, effortlessly towering above the highest building in the village. What frightened Chungha was not its size, but how grotesque it looked the closer it got. Barely any flesh, mostly entrails and bone and gore. As if several human bodies had been crammed together to create something vaguely humanoid.

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