Shards of Felwyn

The Grand Trials

The ferocious insect stood six feet tall when rearing on its hind legs. Its deep obsidian black scales armored hundreds of spindly legs. The head of the beast wielded two pincers, each the size of Elias's sword. Its red eyes glared at Cosmo and a long tail whipped through the air, flashing a deadly stinger that dripped with venom. Making a disgusting garbled hissing noise, it charged Cosmo, baring its face to the ground and its stinger towards Cosmo's chest. Paralyzed with fear, he watched as the monster charged him. He couldn't move a muscle.

"By Tatiova's light, shield me from the darkness." Cosmo heard Elias mutter behind him. "Schrank!" Elias yelled, stepping in between the beast and Cosmo. A net of bright light formed a shield around Elias's wrist and the monster bashed its head into it, dazed. "Move, Cosmo! And don't look into its eyes!"

Cosmo looked down to find his legs once again functional. Frantic, he looked around the arena to make sure Lysander was okay. What is this thing? Do they really expect us to best it? And, most importantly, what happened to me? Just a look from its beady eyes surely isn't enough to lock up one's muscles... Cosmo thought to himself, even though he knew it had to be true.

When Cosmo spotted Lysander from across the battlefield, he was surprised to find that his cousin was not fleeing from the beast but fighting it. Sparks flew in every direction as he slashed at the insect's scales with his scimitar. His face was contorted with bloodlust and even Cosmo felt fear just from the sight.

As wild and disorganized as Lysander's strikes were, Elias was practical and confident with his sword strokes. Using a combination of shield magic and precise sword swings, Elias seemed to be fighting the creature effectively with his falchion. The trading of blows between the insect, Elias, and Lysander seemed so perfectly balanced, Cosmo knew not when to insert a powerful magic attack. However, the boys quickly became tired from the relentless attacks from the monster. Cosmo saw its tail whip towards Lysander and saw his chance, sprinting closer to the battle.

"Eisio!" Cosmo exclaimed, reaching his hand out in front of him, clutching Dragon's Focus. The ethereal gauntlet formed once again and he felt the energy drain from his body. In a split second, the air around his body turned ice cold and the water in the air around him froze so quickly, he could hear it crack. A sharp icicle had materialized in front of his outstretched hand. Quickly, he released his grip on the flow of mana and the air warmed around him, sending the icicle soaring through the air, directly into the tail of the insect.

Shrieking, the creature flung its head into the sky and writhed in the sand. The tail sprayed venom across the arena as the creature howled and the three boys retreated quickly. The acid hissed and sizzled into vapor as it made contact with the sand, blackening the ground. Just when Cosmo began to hope that they had emerged from the battle victorious, the creature snapped its face towards him.

"Don't look into its eyes!" Elias ordered from beside him. Cosmo did so, attempting to track the beast's movements through his peripherals. "I could recognize that beast anywhere." Elias continued as they moved about the battlefield, evading the creatures lunges towards them. "Informally, it is known as a Heartstopper. They typically find their unsuspecting prey in the middle of the jungle, attacking them swiftly with their stinger. Ironic as it is, its infamous venomous stinger won't actually kill you."

Elias paused, combating said venomous stinger with his falchion. Cosmo launched a second icicle spear at the legs of the beast, snapping a few with a gut-wrenching crunch. The Heartstopper wailed, giving Cosmo and Elias some time to retreat. Lysander attacked it from behind, swinging fervently at the creature's tail, maiming it severely.

"Instead," Elias continued, panting. "The venom will slow one's heart rate so dramatically-" He paused as Cosmo sent a swirling flame towards the monster's head, causing it to flinch and miss Lysander with its stinger. Cosmo was beginning to feel drained. "This makes you easy pickings for its children or itself. It never feasts directly after a kill."