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Ithelas was taking samples of various plants and herbs and saved them with great care and attention in his bag. Mithir sat quietly against the trunk of a tree to make some notes in a small notebook while Thost grabbed timber and tried to make a fire. They didn't know how long the others would take, or whether they would have to spend the night in that place, so it was good to be prepared. Although they didn't need the heat of the fire, considering the climate of the place, it would help them scare off some animals, and it was also necessary to prepare food.
Thost used the flint and tinder that he had brought, but even with that help, he was struggling to light the fire. The wood, and everything around them, was quite humid. That was when they heard a roar. There was a strange beast in the middle of the small clearing where they were. They didn't understand how the animal had been able to reach then without anybody noticing. The beast was like a panther but had six legs and was quite larger. Its skin was a curious dark purple color.
Ithelas stood up and reached for his mace as he veered toward the center of the clearing. Thost was surprised. The beast was practically at his side, although it did not look at him directly. How could it have appeared there? Thost drew his sword without a clear idea of what to do next. Mithir took the bag of reagents as he sat up and began to prepare a spell.
The beast began to move slowly toward Thost but it seemed not to approach him directly. It was as if it was going to pass him from the side. Anyway, Thost didn't trust this and was prepared to use the sword if the animal got too close. The young wizard then released his spell and the others watched surprised; they could suddenly see five Mithirs next to each other. Ithelas began moving slowly toward the center of the clearing, wielding his mace to be able to flank the animal with his father's position.
The beast was already very close to Thost and then stopped. It gave a small jump with its mouth open, as if it were ready to attack. But the jump moved it away from Thost slightly, who did not understand what was happening. Ithelas suddenly cried out in pain, something was biting his left arm, but he didn't see anything. He felt it let loose, but the pain was still unbearable. A gaping wound, which occupied his entire forearm, was bleeding profusely.
The five Mithirs ran perfectly synchronized to Ithelas' position while they all indicated to Thost to stay where he was. The young magician was preparing another spell while walking. When he reached the cleric, he stopped and completed his spell. An animal appeared before him. It was a kind of gorilla, but a bit smaller. Its eyes were lit in an unnatural red. The gorilla ran to attack and launched against the beast and tried to hit it as it reached it. But the blow pierced the space occupied by the monster as if there was nothing there. The gorilla almost fell to the ground, unbalanced by the momentum of the blow that didn't hit anything.
“What I feared,” Mithir said by gestures. “Thost, join us. Defensive position!”
Thost did as they asked without understanding what was happening. In a few strides he came to where the two young men were and put his back against Ithelas', while the five Mithirs watched with them.
They saw then as the animal bit again, but this time no one screamed in pain. However, one of Mithir's images disappeared instantly. The gorilla kept striking the beast without reaching it. It was as if the monster was an illusion.
“Ithelas, Thost, look at my images. Look at the next one that disappears. When that happens, imagine that there is an invisible beast right beside the image that has vanished and attack it relentlessly. Pay attention!” Mithir mysteriously commanded.
Thost and Ithelas didn't understand much of Mithir's gestures, but that they did have to look at the disappearing images and prepare to attack. Everyone waited impatiently. Then it happened again. Another of Mithir's images disappeared and the knight and the cleric launched against the void left in its place. Ithelas punched the air with his mace, making an effort because of the pain that the injury caused him. But he got nothing. Thost threw a few punches, trying to cover the most ground as possible. The first one cut the air uselessly. The second one hit something.
Mithir then released his magic missiles spell, and four orange balls flew at high speed and crashed into whatever Thost had hit. The knight then launched another blow, trying to nail the sword, but his enemy was no longer there. They saw the beast moving through the center of the clearing, ignoring the gorilla, which was going crazy trying to fight his rival.
Another of Mithir's images disappeared, while the strange panther roared and bit. This time it was the cleric who managed to hit the enemy with the hammer. Then Thost continued searching the place where Ithelas had managed to hit, nailing the sword decisively. They saw a patch of blue blood that began to sprout around the sword. Blood was painting a sinister surface that now appeared in midair.
Mithir came and released a new spell. Fire sprang from his hands and projected forward like a flame focused where the sword had pierced. This made a much larger surface suddenly appear. It was the back of an animal. They could see what looked like burned hair. Thost saw the panther in the center of the clearing scream and have much of its back scorched.
Thost had endeavored not to let the prey get off the sword and now everyone could see the hidden animal; at least a part of it. The knight retired the steel blade to strike again, harder this time. Ithelas did the same and hit the monster with his mace. They both got two impacts. The gorilla joined them then, blocking the way of escape that was left, and struck fiercely with both fists raised.
The beast got to lock the gorilla by an arm and watched as it began to bleed and couldn't move it. Father and son took the opportunity to launch a new series of attacks until they finally heard the monster collapse on the ground. Then the whole animal was revealed. It was identical to the panther they had seen at the center of the clearing and they couldn't see now.
“What the hell was that?” Thost asked angrily.
“A tugrim,” Mithir said.
“A what ...?” said the knight, not understanding Mithir's strange gesture.
“I've read about these beasts,” Ithelas said. “They have a kind of hiding ability. They're not really invisible, but they project their image to another nearby location, so it's very difficult to know where they really are. I think they're called tugrims.”
“Exactly,” confirmed the young magician.
Ithelas began a short chant, and everyone saw as the horrible aspect of his arm suddenly improved. However, it was obvious that the arm would need extra care. Ithelas' face, which had been flushed with pain from the bite, relaxed, slightly relieved.
They checked up on the body of the strange beast. The skin had a curious texture and was very soft. Mithir gestured and the images that were left disappeared, leaving a unique figure in the scene. He then approached the head of the animal and, with a dagger in hand, carefully removed both eyes and kept them with great care. Ithelas asked him what he was doing, but couldn't understand Mithir's explanations.
At that moment, they heard a kind of owl hooting. Ithelas then imitated the sound, reproducing it accurately. Again, they heard the owl that sounded closer and again the cleric replied. After a few iterations, they saw Samar and Erion walking into the clearing.
“Wow! What happened here?” Erion asked.
“It attacked us by surprise and we had some difficulties,” Thost explained.
“Why does the animal have no eyes?” Samar asked.
“Mithir just extracted them. He has tried to explain why, but we haven't understood,” clarified Ithelas.
“Some alchemist will pay a good amount for them. It's our first booty in this adventure. The skin also has an important value, but I think we can’t afford to waste time skinning animals, especially one as big as this,” explained Mithir, this time accurately translated by his brother.
Erion and Samar updated the group on what they had been able to find. They all agreed that they should be off immediately, and try again to get closer to the depression i
n which the cave was before dark. Moreover, none of them wanted to stay at that clearing, if there could be other animals like that.
Ithelas cured himself and left his arm placed in a sling; mostly for it to rest, as he explained to the others. He also applied some curative ointment Samar had bought in the city. They began, then, to walk in the direction that the elf indicated. Samar and Erion were leading the way, with Thost in the rear. Ithelas and Mithir were in the middle, with the latter pulling the mule that carried their gear.
They walked for a few hours when they noticed that the terrain slightly shifted and began to descend. It was already dark, and the visibility was now very low.
“We can't continue, not with so little light. We should camp here,” Thost said.
Everyone agreed that it was wise. So, they took part of the gear and set up two tents. They made a fire and organized the guards for the night.
Mithir entered his tent, carrying his backpack. As he did every night before bed, he opened it and took out his most precious possession: his spell book. In it he had recorded all the magical knowledge he had managed to accumulate over the years, and he was just beginning his career as a magician! He opened the book and began to go over the pages quickly while deciding the spells he would study for the next day. Like all magicians, he needed to perform this ritual and this study to be able to use its magical energy.
The next day the group would go through the cave and reach the valley where the castle was located. Mithir didn't know exactly how long it would take, but it was reasonable to assume that the assault would take place the next day. Therefore, he decided to concentrate on attack spells and added some defensive ones, too. He began preparing spells with maximum concentration.
Thost entered the other tent, where Ithelas was performing his daily prayers.
“How's your arm?” asked the knight.
“It still hurts, but it's much better. I just applied another dose of ointment. I hope that tomorrow it'll be practically recovered,” replied the young man.
“Good. We will need everyone in top shape.”
“I know. That's why I haven't spared in the use of our precious and expensive ointments. At least I didn't use any potion,” said the cleric.
“Don't worry about using what you need. Your healing spell repaired most of the damage in any case. Today we have been very lucky. Mithir's images enchantment avoided a catastrophe. We probably would have beaten the beast, for it was only one, but in the process we would have had more severe wounds. Or worse, some of us could have died. We will have to be vigilant in this region of the country,” Thost said.
“Yes, surely there are many dangers out there. Now I must return to my prayers,” Ithelas said as he knelt again.
In the same way that the magician must study his spell book each night to use its magic on the following day, the cleric must perform a series of prayers to be able to use his. In addition, like the magician, he had to choose carefully what spells he would prepare within the limits of his magical energy, always thinking about which would be most useful during the following day.
Erion said goodnight to Samar and went into Mithir's tent. He decided not to bother him, seeing him so concentrated on his enchantments. He took off his light and flexible leather armor and lay down. It was difficult to sleep with that sticky heat. The climate approximated that of a sultry summer evening on the coast of Bor. Their bodies were accustomed to the rigors of dry and cold autumn in Bor Central and, suddenly finding themselves in that tropical forest, hadn't had a chance to get used to it. It had also been a long day: four really eternal days from his adventures in the mansion of the Commander of Andon. So, gradually, fatigue overcame him and he eventually fell asleep.