Colossal Beetles!

We had been walking for hours without a trace of life when Lyris finally broke the silence.

"Look! They're Colossal Beetles," she said quietly, her gaze fixed on the creatures moving in the distance. "There are too many of them to face head-on. It would be better to go around them."

I nodded, trusting her judgment. We crouched behind some large rocks, moving stealthily as we tried to remain unnoticed.

The rocky and arid terrain made the advance difficult, with loose stones making every step risky and noisy. The intense sunlight was also beginning to burn our skin, draining our energy with every passing minute.

Suddenly, a strange sound. A few stones fell from above, landing with a thud near where we were.

I stopped dead, confused. There was no wind, no cliffs nearby that could have caused those stones to fall. Where the hell had they come from? The confusion distracted me for just a moment, but it was enough to alert the beetles.

Though they were far away, their reaction was immediate. The swarm of Colossal Beetles began moving toward us, their shells gleaming in the sunlight. The suffocating heat only intensified the claustrophobia as we watched them advance, quickly covering the ground.

"Run!" Lyris yelled, and we both started running, desperately searching for an escape. But the beetles were too fast, and soon, they surrounded us, forming an impenetrable circle.

The hypnotic buzzing they emitted began to resonate, clouding my thoughts and making it harder for me to focus on a strategy. I could feel my movements becoming sluggish, like my feet were growing heavier.

"Darius!" Lyris called out, as she launched an orb of vital energy toward one of the beetles.

"Their weakness is in their coordination! If we disorganize the group, we can defeat them. Aim for the alpha, the largest one. If we take it down, the others will lose control."

I gripped the hilt of my magical sword tightly, feeling the chaotic energy flow through it. The swarm was closing in, and the alpha beetle was enormous, its shell reflecting the sun like an impenetrable barrier, blinding me at times.

The heat was overwhelming, and the rocks made every step difficult. I took a deep breath and charged toward it, but the scorching heat and the insistent buzzing were starting to disorient me.

I managed to land a hit with a magic-infused strike, but its shell absorbed most of the impact, and the force of the blow sent me stumbling back, as if my strike hadn't been strong enough.

The alpha beetle emitted a louder buzz, and suddenly, two more beetles attacked me from the sides, their reflective shells causing me to lose sight of my target. Their claws scratched my arms, and one of them managed to tear through my cloak.

"It's not going to be that easy!" I exclaimed, as I dodged attacks from the other beetles, who kept firing bursts of hypnotic buzzing at me, disorienting me more and more.

Lyris was struggling too, dodging attacks and keeping her distance, but she couldn't get close enough to help me directly.

"Stay calm! We need to focus on the alpha!" she shouted, her breath ragged, as she fired a blast of vital energy at the smaller beetles, trying to keep them at bay.

The buzzing in my head was becoming unbearable, and I could feel my movements slowing, like gravity was pulling me down. I couldn't focus solely on the alpha while we were being attacked from all sides.

"I can't get close without being surrounded!" I shouted to Lyris.

She reacted quickly, raising her hand toward a nearby rock and channeling her magic. The rock glowed and shot toward the alpha beetle, hitting it right in its weak spot and distracting it just enough.

I took advantage of the distraction and, with all the strength I had left, charged at the alpha. This time, I aimed my sword at its underside, where the shell was more vulnerable. The strike, infused with chaotic energy, finally pierced through.

The alpha beetle staggered before collapsing heavily to the ground. The hypnotic buzzing that had clouded my thoughts disappeared instantly, and the remaining beetles, disorganized and directionless, began to scatter.

Panting, I turned to Lyris, who was also exhausted. "It cost us, but we did it," I said, feeling the relief slowly replace the adrenaline.

Lyris gave a faint smile, though it was clear she was worn out. "Yeah, good job. I knew we could do it."

As soon as the beetles scattered into the distance, three shadows suddenly leaped at Lyris. Darius, who was a few steps away, realized too late.

One of the attackers, a dagger in hand, lunged at Lyris and stabbed her in the stomach, causing a profuse bleeding.

"Lyris!" I shouted, running toward her, but I didn't get there in time.

There were two humans and a half-human. As I rushed toward her, I saw how Lyris, still weakened from the battle, used what little strength she had left. Just as she had done before with the rock, she extended her hand and pushed the three attackers, hurling them far enough to land within reach of the beetles.

In an instant, the beetles didn't waste the opportunity. The swarm pounced on the fallen bodies, their jaws tearing through flesh and bone in a merciless frenzy.

The sound of their screams mixed with the crunch of bodies being torn apart, as the beetles devoured the attackers without hesitation. It was a brutal scene: blood and entrails splattered across the rocks, and the ground turned a deep red under the scorching sun.

I looked away for a second, knowing there was no time to lose. I rushed toward Lyris, who was losing a lot of blood and quickly growing pale.

"Don't move!" I told her, pressing hard on the wound, but the blood wouldn't stop flowing. Desperation started to take hold of me, and I didn't know how to save her.

Lyris, pale but still conscious, gave me a weak smile.

"Watch and learn," she whispered.

With the little strength she had left, she charged mana into her hand and gently placed it over the wound. Slowly, her skin began to heal, and the bleeding, which seemed unstoppable, began to subside. Color started to return to her face, though faintly.

"Dammit, Lyris! You're incredible!" I exclaimed, astonished.

"Not only were you key in defeating the beetles, but you also managed to get rid of those three attackers and heal yourself!"

Lyris, humble as ever, responded as she tried to recover.

"It was them… they were probably the ones who threw the stones to alert the beetles to our presence. I'd bet they were planning to feed on us."

I nodded, realizing it all made sense. Those three had orchestrated the whole thing, but the creatures had ended up being their downfall.

Although Lyris had managed to close the wound, she wasn't fully recovered. The blood loss had been too great, and her steps were unsteady. Without hesitation, I crouched down and lifted her onto my back.

"Come on, let's find somewhere safe to spend the night," I said, as I began to walk. We couldn't risk staying there, not after everything that had happened.