Nowhere to Run.

Kiaan woke to the smell of smoke and a sharp pain shooting up his right arm. Panicking, he shot out of the bed and looked around. His arm throbbed suddenly. Kiaan winced and looked down, eyes widening as he saw the tattoo glowing blood red.

No… he thought. Kiaan felt the heat and saw the orange-red light glowing from downstairs. Embers floated in the sky like butterflies. The mind protection spell still flickered on his hand, indicating that it was still active. He hadn’t slept longer than the timeframe. So the mark detected I was in danger because of the smoke and fire, Kiaan thought. It hadn’t removed the protective seal though. He made a mental note of that and grabbed his clothes then the bag he had traveled with. While he was planning which way he’d go, he heard yelling outside and sucked his teeth. It sounded like a group of men and Silvia.

Exhaling sharply, Kiaan reached out his hand, using umoya to draw the fire and heat at his door into his body. He fused the external source of energy with his Iké then opened the door. Outside of the room, the fire still violently raged and Kiaan covered his mouth as he dove over the bannister and ran outside. When he reached the door to the inn, he found that it was barred.

Seemed whoever was outside was willing to kill guests in the building. Kiaan sent up a silent prayer to the gods for Silvia then unlocked his ara, increasing his strength tenfold at the base level. With a kick, the inn door flew off its hinges and crashed into the dirt path that led into Sogros’ heart.

Kiaan stepped outside to the shocked faces of a few armed men and Silvia. His eyes went over them all, five big men in armor and wielding longswords. They didn’t seem to be new swords with chipped edges and their armor was rusted and smudged. There were no emblems on it that Kiaan could see so he settled on the conclusion that they were outlaws of some kind, however burning the inn didn’t seem to have a purpose.

The men turned their bodies to face him, swords drawn. Kiaan decided to try to deescalate the situation or at least see what they intended to do. The outlaws began to spread out and encircle him, gritting their teeth. They were trying their best to look tough, Kiaan had to admit.

“Nice little fire you started,” Kiaan said. “You woke me up from my nap.”

“Was only meant to smoke you out, you little rat,” came the gruff response. Kiaan nodded. A stocky man in steel armor stepped forward, resting an axe on his shoulder. Markus had returned.

Noted, Kiaan thought. He looked around and didn’t see any of the townspeople around. In the distance, he could hear the pounding of drums and chants. Perhaps they were still in the circle dancing and drinking. None of them seemed to notice the only inn was burning. So at least for now, Kiaan would have no support. Silvia looked panicked in their grasp and Kiaan sighed softly. He had to get her away in case things took a turn for the worse. “So, since you went through all this trouble to get to me, how about you let her go?” Kiaan asked. He didn’t expect them to do it and prepared himself.

He predicted it correctly and Markus shook his head. “The problem started with her and she deserves—”

Kiaan let the fire build into his left hand before he let it fizzle out then shot it forward in a spray of sparks. It wouldn’t hurt Markus and his men too much, but it was enough of a screen that they backed away. Silvia slipped free and Kiaan rushed forward and put himself between the men and her. He turned his head and nodded quickly.

“You need to go into town and alert the villagers. I’ll hold them off,” Kiaan said. Silvia gulped, lifted up the tails of her skirt and ran away.

“Bastard!” Markus shouted as he rushed forward, his men following closely behind him. Their weapons glinted in the moonlight and Kiaan dropped back into a lowered stance, opening his palm and keeping his balled right fist at his hip.

He needed to stay calm.

Markus raised his axe over his head and Kiaan jabbed forward at his exposed throat. The man staggered back, gagging while his men surrounded Kiaan. On one side, a spearman thrusted and while a swordsman swung at Kiaan’s head.

In a smooth ara enhanced motion, Kiaan kicked the spear away and ducked underneath the sword then twisted in the air. His free leg kicked the spearman and punched the swordsman in his temple. One man aimed his crossbow at Kiaan and his eyes widened. There were two crossbowmen. His eyes flashed to where Silvia was running and he saw the last man preparing to fire.

Stay calm.

Still in the air, Kiaan shot two fire blasts in separate directions, one directly into the sight of the crossbow aimed at him and the other at the crossbow the other man held. Both crossbows burst into flames and the men reacted by blocking them. Before Kiaan had a chance to celebrate the small victory, he felt a sharp pain in his calf.

He turned and saw the spearman had stabbed through him. The adrenaline rush hit him full force and he struggled to still himself and his emotions and continue fighting and planning his next move. The spear through his leg kept him in place and it’s wielder made sure it did by driving the point into the dirt. Kiaan tried to grab the swordsman’s arm before he could slash his ribs and was only able to keep the blade from slicing deep into him. However, the cut still caused blood to spill through his clothes. He dropped to one knee and struggled to breathe. He could feel his heart rate quickening and the strength of it pounding in his chest.

His vision grew hazy as Markus walked toward him, a giant grin on his face. Markus’ axe rested at Kiaan’s neck now and he lifted Kiaan’s chin.

“I told you. I would be the one to kill you,” he said. Kiaan narrowed his eyes as the pain in his calf was replaced by the massive pain in his right arm that spread over and under his skin. The slight headache he felt told him what his arm already did.

The Basima curse had been activated.

Kiaan opened his eyes and could see the Iké particles flowing in the air from everything in the vicinity. His own Iké was visible to him, wild as an uncontrollable flame. The men backed away from him and the spearhead left his leg.

The blood flow slowed near instantly and the wound closed just as fast. Kiaan looked up and grit his teeth as the pain in his arm began to become unbearable.

The Iké had built up to the point of explosion and it was going to be Markus’ men or Kiaan’s arm. The young man chose the former and released the building Iké out of his palm into a roaring fire that engulfed two of Markus’ men closest to Kiaan. Their screams were deafened by the sound of the combustion.

With wide, quivering mouths, the remaining survivors pointed. “He’s a Maalum!” one of the survivors cried.

Kiaan grit his teeth and didn’t try to control his Iké, despite its heat and intensity causing the grass near him to shrivel and become dehydrated. Doing so would be too much effort and wouldn’t change the inevitable.

The hairs on his neck stood up and the pain in his right arm felt like he was being repeatedly stabbed by lightning bolts from the sky. His headache nearly made his curl over but his mind protection spell staved off the worst of the pain. With his Basima enhanced eyes, he could see a tear appear in the middle of the path.

And it climbed through.

A skeletal hand reached through the void, followed by another hand that expanded the hole. A skull peeked through, saliva dripping from its jaws as the beast continued forward. The horse-sized creature was covered in raven-black fur and it’s body ended in a long prehensile tail. Wheezing softly, the creature titled its head ninety degrees and watched everyone. The Huzuni was bigger than the last time Kiaan had encountered it, when it had only been about the size of a wolf.

The creature stood in front of the men, It’s teeth chattering as small sparks of lightning shot between its jagged teeth. Kiaan and the monster locked eyes.

Out of fear, one of Markus’ men tried to run and his movement attracted the Huzuni’s attention. Before the man could take two steps, the Huzuni’s jaws ripped the man in two. In the shower of blood, Kiaan ran away.

He started towards the inn, but turned quickly on his heels as a bolt of lightning struck just over his head, adding to the fire. Kiaan didn’t turn, only adding ara to his legs as he raced forward. He heard the Huzuni wheezing and chattering its teeth behind him. No matter how far away he thought he was from it, the chattering of its teeth ran in his ears.

Kiaan continued down the main road then cut towards the lake. It was his only option if he wanted to combat the Huzuni’s lightning cloak. He turned quickly and saw the Huzuni skidding to a halt. For a moment, they stared at each other, then the creature lifted its head and stared down the road. Kiaan heard the music and the beating of the drums.

Damn it. Without a second look at him, the Huzuni darted down the road. Kiaan sprinted after it and stood in the middle of the street, watching it go. At this range, he could stop it and potentially save the people from a horror they had no idea existed.

Or, he could turn back and get Tamas Vadas’ dissertation…

Within the burning inn, his book and notes were at risk of catching aflame, no matter what magical seals and binds naturally encircled them. The key to finding a way to rid himself of the Huzuni for good lay inside the details of that dissertation. Was a small fishing town in the middle of nowhere worth losing everything he had fought to gain to this point?

He needed the distraction and took it. Feasting on the bodies of humans would give the Huzuni a boost in its Iké potency and power. Even so, it wouldn’t be enough to be something Kiaan would have to worry about. At least he hoped so.

The fire had spread to the entrance and belched out like a dragon was in the lobby of the inn. Kiaan exhaled sharply and form an Iké barrier around his body and rushed into the inn. The building had begun to crumble from the heat of the fire and Kiaan could barely see through the black screen of smoke surrounding him.

At least not physical things.

There was a trail of Iké in the air, shaped like a small trail of blue mist. His Iké swirled up the stairway and back behind the wall. Kiaan followed it up to the top floor of the inn and to the back hallway where his room was. Once he grabbed the book, he’d secure it and seal with an extra protection spell. Kiaan turned the doorknob and entered the room.

A lightning bolt passed by Kiaan’s face and exploded to his left, sending him flying through the wall. He tumbled through the branches of tree and landed with a thud at the base.

Kiaan groaned and looked up to where his room had been and saw nothing but flames dancing and smoke billowing. He felt the hairs on his neck raise and heard the near inaudible hiss of the Huzuni as it approached. When he turned, he saw the demon bathed in shadow with sparks of lightning coming from its body. To Kiaan’s chagrin, the Huzuni did look slightly larger.

It crept towards him, head low and mouth open. Kiaan forced himself to his feet and exhaled softly as the Basima healed his injuries. When he stood, the Huzuni stopped suddenly and stared at him. Kiaan narrowed his eyes and decided to go on the offensive. He just had to lead the demon back to the water.

He launched a fire ball at the Huzuni and it pounced towards him. Kiaan rolled underneath it’s leap and made a break towards the lakefront. Instinctively, it seemed, the demon chased him, galloping like a horse behind him and just as fast. The Basima boosted Kiaan’s speed just enough to keep him ahead.

The moonlit lake was ahead and out of the corner of Kiaan’s eye, he could see Sogros’ square was on fire. When he was at the lakefront, he whirled on his heels to face the Huzuni. It had stopped further away, chattering it’s teeth and hissing as it stalked towards him. Lightning crackled against the shadowy cloak that was its fur and its skeletal fingers gripped the ground as it prepared to pounce.

Kiaan narrowed his eyes and grit his teeth. Come on. His right arm had gone numb with pain and he knew the demon could sense it. A plan sparked in his mind. He quickly dropped to one knee and placed his palm into the ground. Before he could raise his head, the Huzuni burst forward. It moved like a blur, zigzagging so fiercely, it left a cloud of dirt in its wake. It was moving much too fast to quickly stop and that’s what Kiaan had hoped for.

Internally, he chanted the incantation for a fire spell he had learned before he started his journey. He closed his eyes and listened for the Huzuni. In the words of the ancient Maaluum, he said, “Great ghost flame, unleash your power and explode!”

When he opened his eyes, the Huzuni was nearly upon him. Kiaan grit his teeth and snapped his fingers. The fire seal at Kiaan’s feet exploded, igniting the barrels of fish oil on the docks. The fire lifted the Huzuni from its feet, carrying it far above his head and over him. Kiaan did his best to guide it with his umoya Iké but the best he could manage was ensuring the Huzuni hit the lake.

The lake illuminated and Kiaan saw the water crackle with electricity. There was a shrieking howl and he saw the Huzuni’s skeletal hand lift from the water before it suddenly dissipated into the air.

The Basima retreated up his arm and the pain receded. Kiaan let out a hard breath and fell to his knees. Tears streamed down his cheek and he tried best he could to control his breathing. When he regained his strength, he leaned up.

In front of him, the shaman stood in front of him naked and scorched by fire with some batches bleeding with bone exposed. Kiaan and the woman locked eyes then the shaman fell to her knees. She lifted her index finger, bent and broken, to point at him.

“You cannot hide,” she said. Then her head fell and her body went limp.

Kiaan looked to his right and saw that Sogros burned and his chances at finding a way to defeat the Huzuni with it.