18 Harvest Festival IV

Ezra's eyes widened as he took in the monstrous form lumbering towards them. It was a hulking, misshapen beast, easily nine feet tall with gray, leathery skin. Sharp claws tipped its massive hands and its face was a gnarled mess of fangs and bulging eyes.

"Run!" Ezra yelled, pushing Enid and Wednesday back. "Get to the festival and find Weems. I'll hold it off."

Enid hesitated, her eyes darting between Ezra and the advancing monster. "But-"

"Go, now!" Ezra insisted.

Wednesday grabbed Enid's arm, her face pale but determined. "We have to warn the others," she said sharply, pulling a stunned Enid along as she turned and sprinted back towards the festival lights.

Ezra watched them flee for a brief moment before squaring his shoulders and stepping forward, wand raised. He had no idea what this hulking, misshapen creature was, but he couldn't let it reach the oblivious students and townspeople enjoying the festivities at the Harvest Festival.

"Alright, ugly," Ezra muttered, steadying his nerves. "Let's see what you've got."

The beast roared ferociously, baring its sharp fangs as it swiped a clawed hand at Ezra. He dove and rolled swiftly, barely avoiding the creature's razor-sharp talons as they sliced through the air. As Ezra sprang back to his feet, he fired a powerful stunning spell directly at the monster's broad chest. It impacted with a bright flash, but the hulking beast merely staggered slightly with an angry bellow before continuing its menacing advance.

Ezra's eyes widened in dismay as his spells seemed to have little effect on the hulking creature advancing towards him. He had tried binding its limbs, blinding it, knocking it back - even an explosive blast of fire - but the beast shrugged it all off, its gray, leathery skin seemingly impervious to magic.

As the monster lashed out with its claw, Ezra barely dodged the blow that likely would have caved in his ribs. The glancing strike still sent him flying backward, pain exploding through his body as he crashed heavily into the dirt several feet away.

Grunting with effort, Ezra pushed himself up, spitting blood from his split lip as he glared at the creature. Gritting his teeth in determination, he fired off several more spells in quick succession, channeling all of his magical force into the attacks. A blinding flash of light erupted from his wand, momentarily obscuring the monster's vision. A powerful knockback jinx slammed into the beast's barrel-like chest, driving it back a few staggered steps. Fiery explosions detonated around its feet, scorching the ground and singing the creature's tough hide.

But still, the hulking monster kept coming, shrugging off Ezra's desperate barrage of magic. Its charge slowed momentarily, then it let loose an earth-shaking roar of anger and resumed its relentless advance.

Ezra's mind raced as he tried to think of something, anything that could stop the creature's implacable onslaught. If brute magical force wasn't working, he'd have to try something more clever. As the monster bore down on him, massive fists swinging, Ezra cast a duplication charm, surrounding himself with identical copies. The beast smashed through them, roaring in confusion as the illusory Ezras winked out of existence. From the safety of the treeline, the real Ezra sent a tripping jinx at the creature's feet, finally causing it to topple over with a ground-shaking thud.

Not wasting the opportunity, Ezra conjured thick black ropes, binding the creature where it lay. But with another angry bellow, the beast flexed its massive muscles, snapping the cords. Lumbering back to its feet, it seemed only more enraged.

Ezra knew he couldn't keep this up forever. He had to find the creature's weakness and exploit it fast. As the monster charged him again, Ezra sent a probing spell skimming over its body, searching for any vulnerability. When the spell reached its eyes, the creature recoiled slightly with an irritated shake of its head. Ezra's eyes lit up - maybe its eyes were sensitive!

He fired two blinding fire spells directly at the beast's face just as it swung its massive claws toward him. The creature's razor-sharp talons sliced across Ezra's chest, tearing through his shirt and leaving a deep, bloody gash. Ezra cried out in pain but managed to unleash the flames at the same moment.

The spell hit the creature's eyes dead on. The beast reeled, clutched at its face and unleashed an agonized, furious roar. It staggered back a few steps, shaking its head violently as if trying to clear its blinded vision.

Seeing his chance, Ezra pressed the attack, firing off more flashes and bursts of fire aimed right for the creature's eyes. With another bellow of pain and rage, the blinded monster turned and lumbered away, crashing through the underbrush as it retreated from the searing light.

As the adrenaline faded, Ezra became aware of the fiery pain radiating from the deep slash across his chest. Feeling lightheaded, he sank down to his knees, barely staying upright. His wand slipped from his trembling fingers as his strength rapidly faded.

Ezra's breath came in ragged gasps as he clutched at the deep gash torn across his chest by the monster's razor-sharp claws. Warm blood seeped between his fingers, soaking through the shredded remains of his shirt.

Ezra's head swam, he no longer had the strength to remain standing. He could feel his life force faded with each rapid heartbeat that sent more blood pouring from the injury.

Ezra's unfocused gaze drifted down to take in the severity of the damage the creature had inflicted. His shirt hung in tattered ribbons, offering no barrier or protection for the deep laceration that cleaved across his chest from shoulder to hip. The edges of the wound glistened wetly in the moonlight, a stark reminder of just how much blood he was losing by the second.

Fear and despair gripped Ezra as he realized just how dire his situation had become. Alone and critically injured and weakened from blood loss and the fierce battle, he was in no shape to defend himself if the monster returned to finish him off.

Ezra's head began to feel dizzy, his vision beginning to gray at the edges as his rapid heartbeat pumped more of his precious lifeblood out onto the cold, unforgiving ground. He blinked heavily, struggling to remain conscious through the threatening veil of blackness encroaching on his mind.

With a monumental effort, Ezra tried to gather the will to push himself up, to find help before he bled out completely. But his limbs felt leaden and useless, refusing to obey his increasingly sluggish thoughts. The slightest movement sent fresh waves of agony ripping through his rent chest, stealing what little breath he had managed to draw into his starving lungs.

As his strength rapidly failed him, Ezra could feel the cold hand of fear closing around his heart in an icy grip. He was alone, possibly dying, with no idea if anyone would find him in time. Would he simply fade away here in the dirt without anyone ever knowing what had happened?

Darkness encroached further on Ezra's vision as his body gave out, no longer able to sustain the blood loss or agony. With a soft groan, he sagged limply to the side, barely conscious as his cheek came to rest against the cold earth. His eyelids fluttered weakly as he stared at his wand, so close and yet hopelessly out of reach.

A profound sorrow filled Ezra in what he feared may be his final moments. To have survived the magical world of his past only to meet his end alone in the dirt in this strange new realm seemed a tragic injustice. He had just begun to build a life here, and started to form meaningful connections. And now it was all slipping away, his hopes and dreams bleeding out onto the uncaring ground.

As his vision started to go dark Ezra closed his eyes, but then he heard something in the distance, the barely audible trill of a phoenix's song.