Story Prt. 40

Jintaro and Katarin walked through the edge of the forest. They both could feel the presence of the forest around them. It was unmistakable. This was definately a magical woods.1

Katarin knew where she was going, though she had no clue where that was. Her feet were just leading her in a direction she knew was right. "Careful Jintaro there is strong and plentiful magic here," she warned him.2

"Thank you Katarin, even I can feel it. It makes my sindai bristle. Can you tell who or what is the source of it?" He inquired.3

"No but it is very close I can tell that much," she admitted.4

There before them stood an unthinkable beast.5

It was teeth, and claws, and fur, and not much else. Three of its four legs were on the ground, the other was pawing the ground menacingly. Its long claws digging small ruts into the turf. Its head was the size of Jintaro's chest, and it's bite looked a lot worse than his would ever be. It growled and it sounded like a castle wall tumbling to the ground. Just crashes and rumbles in a smooth rhythm. Its fur looked almost metallic. The fur almost looked like fine silver filaments. The air got chilled around them. They couldn't tell if it was just their fear or if this beast had some local control over its surroundings. Its ragged breath was now visible in the air, plumes of mist coming from its flared nostrils. They had their answer, it was not their fear though they were both scared nearly witless.6

"Jintaro, what do you think we can do?" Katarin asked.7

"This is a beast the Rannek fear. It is called the Quintaro by us. That translates to human as 'slayer of all'. It has no known weakness to us." He concluded forbodingly.8

"Well let's see if we can't find us a weakness then, what do you say?"9

"That sounds like the best plan I can think of Katarin," he confided.10

"Let me strike first with a magical blow of force. I need to weave my arts first and it will give you some time to think before we initiate anything," and with that, intelligent speach ceased to come from Katarin. She was going into a deep incantation. The hand on her staff was clenched with ferocious might for such a small girl. Jintaro thought the wood was actually compressing in her grip. Her other hand was making small swirls and symbols written on air. They seemed to float in the air before her. Symbols dancing before her, fading away as she kept signing new ones on top of the old.11

An ear piercing sounds split the silence that had ensued. There was a shriek of energy that went wailing towards the quintaro. It exploded with triumphant fury upon the chest of the beast. The beast skidded back on all four paws raising a small cloud of dust in its wake. "It Beginnnssss," the beast growled, making its first intelligable noise.12

Jintaro moved in a blur towards the beast, fingernails extruding to three times their normal length. He circled directly behind the beast and pounced on its back.13

Katarin had started another incantation already, and was weaving much different symbols than last time.14

The quintaro rolled onto its back to displace the pest that had lodged itself there.15

Jintaro huffed as the beasts full weight was pressed onto his chest for a second. It felt just as it sounded, like a castle wall crashing down, full brunt on Jintaro's chest. He was up on his feet instantly circling with the beast.16

The beast was keeping it's eyes on Jintaro. Feeling the magical threat of the woman could wait till this more noticable threat was dealt with first. It feinted a leap to the right. It never leaped in any direction though.17

Katarin's spell went through the air. A field of energy formed around the beast from inside this field there came a gurgling sound. The bubble around the beast was filling with water. Katarin had cast 'aqua muerte sphyx' or 'drowning globe'. The beast's supply of oxygen was running low.18

The quintaro sensing its environment altering around him, altered to match it. It started to gulp water from the globe, and pass it through the gills that had formed amid the fur hackles on it's neck. Laughter bubbled back to the two people outside the globe of force.19

"It isn't working Katarin, the Quintaro is too strong. We must get out of here while it is occupied," he pleaded with the magi.20

"No Jintaro, this is a fight we have started that I for one intend to finish. If you wish to leave me to fight for myself you may do so. I will tame this beast with my staff and my magics," she said, as she rallied her powers around her.21

"If Katarin stays then Jintaro stays with her."22

The beast meanwhile had frozen the ball of water around its head and was in the process of chipping off layers of it against a rock on the ground. Growls could be heard escaping through cracks in the ice. The ice chips were falling off but were still being contained by the magic energy field. The beast knowing this wasn't a prevalent strategy changed it's focus. The ice melted almost instantly as sparks started to fly from the beasts fur. The water was still being contained but it was being boiled into a white froth. The globe started to fill with steam. The globe was seen to stretch and bend under the violent force of energy it was trying to contain.23

The globe shattered under the force. Mist spewed forth. In an incredible display of magical agility the beast altered it's focus yet again and returned to it's chilling aura. The mist hung in the air slowly enveloping everything in a thick as blood ice fog. Katarin had lost sight of Jintaro before the ball had burst because he was on the other side of the beast. Now she couldn't even see the beast.24

The beast growled a laugh at them. "Youuu Can't Possiblyyy Defeat Meee." It growled with as much glee as a child could muster. The voice sounded to her right. She shot off a small but potent fireball. The mist sizzled in the air and through the hole it pierced through the mist, it was seen to hit a tree, with no sign of the beast at all. The mist wrapped back around the wound it had just sustained.25

"Katarin watch out you almost hit me with that one," Jintaro warned. He had to close his eyes in order to fight in this mist. He needed to trust his other senses as much as he trusted his vision. He was listening for the crackling of branches and leaves under the paws of the beast. He was sniffing the air for the taste of energy that was coming off the beast. There. Something brushed a branch to his left. He leapt with all his might.26

He had to retract his claws to avoid doing damage to Katarin. That was the noise he had heard.27

Lightning cracked when Katarin saw Jintaro leap at her. She heard in her mind 'beware the man posing as a beast'. Then she lost conciousness.28

Jintaro held Katarin as she collapsed to the ground. He placed her down very carefully and made sure her staff was still in her grip. He saw that he had down no damage. Maybe he had just shocked her. Jintaro turned to face the beast.29

"Not nice tricks you play Quintaro. I almost didn't realize it was her. Now let's settle this like we came to do. I do not intend to walk away from this fight until your blood is under my feet, or my spirit is walking the ethereal plane," he intoned bravely.30

"Veryyy Big Words For A Veryyy Littllle RANNEK!" The beast leapt at Jintaro with blinding speed.31

Jintaro was crushed to the ground. He had rocks and roots digging into his back. The beast was trying to bite Jintaro's face off of his head. It took all of Jintaro's might to keep the beast safely off of his head. "Why do you want to kill us Quintaro?" Jintaro asked of the beast.32

"Whyyy Do You Attempt Entry To My Sanctummmm?" The beast shot back.33

"We seek only the orb of nature we believe is here," he explained.34

"Iiii Asked Why Youuuu Sought Entry, Not The Womannnn," it responded35

"I am compelled to help her in her journeys."36

"WHYYYY"37

"I don't know. It is just what my Rannek senses tell me I should be doing."38

"WHYYY"39

"Because I want to keep her safe!"40

"WHYY"41

"Because..."42

"WHY"43

"Because I have come to love her"44