"The attack of the beasts"

In the end the priestess decided not to risk it. We dressed hurriedly and left the store to join our companions.

Bob and Atannar had sleepy faces. The Geas had made them sleep too deeply and it was not so easy to wake up suddenly. Instead, Belerus and Belit were alert but showed sign of being tired, especially the barbarian woman. Tarnorie simply seemed to be irritated.

The hoot of Bear-Owl now joined to the howls of the wolves. They were almost here. There was not much time to exchange opinions but that was what my new colleagues were doing.

"Is there time to set traps?" asked the kender, armed with the characteristic weapon of his people, a staff that bifurcated in a Y-shape to become a sling with the help of a tight and tense fabric.

"Too late. The wolves are already running around the camp, "said the ranger.

"What if I cast a few fireballs? Would not that scared them?" The wizard said.

"Too much risk of lighting the rest of the trees. The forest could burn completely! " Atannar refused the idea.

"The best way to stop the pack for a while is if we kill or at least seriously hurt the alpha. Maybe that way another wolf would challenge him," said the barbarian female.

"It's a good plan," this time the ranger agreed, "But I am worried that there's something else out there besides the wolves. "

"Isaac says they are a Wolf-man and a Bear-owl."

The group of adventurers paled at the words of the priestess. These new adversaries were in a category completely different from the pack of wolves. They were mutants.

Everyone turned to look at me.

"Are you sure?" Atannar asked with a frown.

I pointed to one end of the camp. Behind an old oak was the huge figure of the Bear-owl approaching quickly. The beast it should measure more than three meters.

It was bigger and heavier than a common brown bear and the back of his body was covered with feathers as well as hair. But what was most striking at first glance was the glowing eyes that were in his owl's head.

At least, until he opened his beak and began to utter a quick paced hoot. The hooting quickly become ululating. It was known to most adventurers that the Bear-owl's ululation caused numbness and loss of balance in all those who heard it. Which was deadly during a fight. And our group had this beast in front and the pack of wolves behind.

So we all put our hands to our ears to cover our ears instinctively. But sadly, that was not a very effective countermeasure.

A few seconds later, a trickle of blood came out of our ears. The magician collapsed to the floor, unconscious, and the barbarian fell to her knees. The rest of us could hardly bear the painful consequences of the beast's attack but we stumbled at every step.

I prepared to intervene but surprisingly I did not have to. It was the kender who saved the group. With a lot of effort, Bob raised his staff and rotated it on a specific way and rhythm. From the staff came a high-pitched wail that countered the Bear-owl's sonic attack.

Immediately we felt better and the priestess healed the magician with a prayer to the goddess Vela. The female barbarian was able to get up and take out her huge broadsword. The others prepared their respective weapons too but the Bear-Owl was not willing to wait until we were ready. He had realized that his sonic attack had failed and getting on all fours charged to us at full speed.

"It's coming to us! Defense formation! " the ranger shouted as he drew his bow and prepared an arrow.

The muscular barbarian came forward in front of the group brandishing her giant sword with both hands. The kender stopped rotating his bifurcated staff and stabbed it on the floor. Then he took a pointed stone from the floor to use like a sling bullet, he put it on the cloth and aimed at the beast.

Meanwhile, the magician and the priestess retreated to take refuge behind the group. But that action put them within reach of the five closest wolves, which emerged from among the trees to pounce on them.

Both groups of people called for me at the same time.

"Isaac, help."

"Slave, protect us."

I took Annie and throw her hard against the Bear-Owl. The poisoned dagger hit it directly in one foreleg, which could not stand the impact and doubled over, causing the beast to stumble and fall sideways. The adventurers took the opportunity to launch the arrow and the bullet. Both managed to hit. The arrow pierced the other foreleg and stuck there while the bullet smashed the beast's chest.

Afterwards, I finally went to my "masters" but I made sure to be slow enough so the five wolves could achieve to attack them at least once before I arrived. The wizard launched a series of magical projectiles that fulminated one of the animals but the second one gave him a series of ugly bites on his left leg and Belerus fell to the ground among screams of pain.

In the other hand the priestess caught two wolves with an entanglement spell but the biggest of the five jumped on her and threw her to the ground with her claws. This time it was Tarnorie's turn to scream as the sharp claws of the wolf opened deep wound on her slim body.

Only then I deigned to give them the help they required. As these animals were not mutants or magical creatures, it was enough for me to cast a simple levitation spell in order to throw both wolves hundreds of meters up in a random direction. Gravity would do the rest.

I approached the bloodied priest and applied a simple curing spell to stabilize her wounds.

"Maybe you should help Belerus, Mistress. I only have one healing spell and I just used it on you, "I said, with feigned concern.

"But those two wolves are still there and my spell of entanglement begins to lose power" replied the dazed priestess.

"If you cure Belerus, then the wizard can throw magical projectiles at those wolves before they can escape. Quick, we do not have much time! "I pressed, not giving her even a moment to think about my instructions.