Drifter

The boy reached them and quickly got behind them. He looked no older than seven or eight years. His hair was completely white, and his skin was spotted with wide circular red patches, like a cat with colored spots all over its body.

He looked at them with big, pleading eyes. "They want to eat me. Help, please!"

The beasts were getting closer at an alarming rate.

Aaron turned to Sofia. "I'll try to get them into the woods, lead them in a straight line."

"No, You don't even know if you can fight. You're not leaving me out again," Sofia growled.

Aaron raised a hand. "I wouldn't dream of it. I can't deal with those things by myself."

She nodded. "What do I do then?"

He turned to the boy. "What's your name?"

"Sylvian," he said.

"Alright, Sylvian, do you have a place you can run to?" Aaron asked.

"Yes, my village is just beyond the bridge," Sylvian said.

"After we get the beasts' attention, you run for the bridge and don't look back, you hear?" Aaron said.

The boy nodded.

He turned to Sofia. "I'll lead them into the trees while you disappear behind the bushes. Once I split them up, you pluck their eyes. Then, I'll blow them to oblivion."

Sofia nodded. "Team work."

"Ready?" Aaron asked.

She shook her head. "But I will be."

He smiled. "That's the spirit! You go first, hide behind the bushes and follow me."

She nodded then disappeared into the trees. One of the insects noticed Sofia running and screeched. It jumped in the air. Its armor cracked, and wings sprouted out of its back. Then the beast went after Sofia. Aaron cursed under his breath then ran after it.

Unfortunately, the other insect had read through Aaron's move. It nimbly jumped and landed before him, tall and imposing.

Aaron squeezed his fist. "Get out of my way!" He screamed then hurled a punch at the beast's upper torso.

The gauntlet landed.

The beast didn't even flinch.

"Oh crap!" Aaron cursed as he slowly looked up at the mantis.

The boy was still standing behind him, frozen in fear. Aaron clenched his mechanical fist. "Kid, I'll hold this one off. Run like the wind on my signal."

He didn't hear the boy's reply as the mantis struck with its right arm. Aaron reacted with speed that surprised him. His gauntlet blocked the blade.

With the corner of his eye, Aaron noticed the runes shine. He smiled at the beast then pushed energy through it. Sparks triggered around it, then a kinetic force pushed the mantis's claw away.

"Go! Now!" he screamed at the boy, who didn't need to be asked twice.

He ran past the beast and up the hill, toward the bridge.

The beast growled then swung again. Aaron reacted before it could land a hit. He aimed his hand and hurled a kinetic push at it. This time, its chitinous armor cracked, and the beast flew backwards until it crashed against a tree trunk.

Green liquid splattered over the tree bark, and the insect slumped down to the ground, unmoving.

The boy let out a frightened squeal then looked at Aaron. "Drifter!" he screamed, then doubled his pace toward the bridge.

"Sofia!" Aaron screamed, his head darting in all directions. "Sofia! Where are you?"

He heard her angry screams deeper in the woods then a beast screeched. He ran after the sound at full speed. "Sofia! Hang on!"

She growled and screamed in response. Bushes in the distance rustled. He squinted at them, and despite the fog, he managed to make out the shape of a gigantic praying mantis. Sofia's screams came from that direction, and Aaron doubled his speed.

He reached a small clearing where the beast had Sofia pinned to the ground. Blood smeared her face and clothes, gushing out of her arms and legs. Yet, she kicked and cursed at the beast, which had its sharp swords raised in the air, pointed at her.

"No!" Aaron screamed then ran for the monster.

He saw its arms fall toward her in slow motion. He waved his gauntlet. The rings clicked, but no spark ignited around them. The beast's arms were still falling. It pinned Sofia to the ground with its six legs, and was preparing for the slaughter.

The beast's arm still fell toward Sofia, ever so slowly, but inevitable.

"Nooooo!" Aaron screamed at the top of his lungs. He was still a few feet away from them. He wouldn't reach her on time, he knew it. "Hey, fuck face! Look at me! Look at me!"

Sofia roared. She kicked the beast in its midsection and sent it flying upwards. She crawled away from her spot, breathless.

Aaron's eyes were fixated on her, more specifically, on her legs. They had grown to triple their usual size, stretching her pants and slowly tearing them.

The beast crashed beside Sofia. She reached for its forearm and pulled with both hands. She grunted, and her arms doubled in size. The beast screeched as she wrenched its arm off with ease.

She aimed the blade at the beast then struck at its head. With a metallic ring, the blade bounced off of the mantis's strong head. The beast turned to her, its small almond eyes red. It screeched, causing Sofia to retreat, then got up.

Aaron reacted before the beast could catch her off guard. He got between them and blocked the beast's swing with his gauntlet. The rings sparked, and he grinned. He willed energy into them and blasted the mantis's arm aside.

A shadow flew over him as Sofia jumped and landed nimbly on the beast's back. She furiously stomped on it. The beast's chitinous armor cracked. It hissed then flailed its arm, hoping to reach her.

She grunted then punched the beast's cracked armor. Her oversized arms pushed her fist through the creature's armor, sending splinters all around.

She wiggled her arms inside and the beast wailed and thrashed.

The mantis, in a last ditch effort, jumped high in the air to shake her off. Sofia slipped away before the beast took flight, and landed next to Aaron. The mantis hissed and screeched as its wings sprouted out of its broken armor. They fluttered weakly then fell limply on its back.

Gravity pulled the beast down as Aaron aimed his gauntlet. "Shouldn't have messed with us." He released a kinetic blast right as the mantis bounced off the ground. The invisible wave squished it against a tree, painting the area with its blood.

He turned to Sofia. "Are you hurt?" he asked.

His eyes landed on her enlarged muscles. He counted at least a dozen cuts in her arms, and a dozen more in her legs. Her clothes were but tatters, filled with blood and dirt.

She let out a long sigh of relief, then her muscles deflated. She returned to her original size, panting, her eyes barely open. She gave him a wry smile. "Thanks for having my back," she said then collapsed.

He knelt beside her and inspected her wounds. The beast cut her all over. Although the cuts weren't deep, blood seeped out of them non stop.

His vision blurred, reminding him of the poison in his veins, and in 'hers' now too.

"Sofia! Can you hear me?" He shook her. "Sofia!"

He held her head up, her blood smeared his clothes and hands.

Sofia groaned. "Dude, you're loud!"

He chuckled then wiped his nose. "Sorry! I thought the poison took you already."

Her smile got warmer. "I'm tougher than I look. You were right though…" she coughed a mouthful of blood.

She'd grown pale, and her fingertips were cold to the touch.

"Don't talk, let me take a look at these wounds," Aaron said.

"Silly, I told you, you were right," she said.

He frowned at her. "Right about what?"

"The bracelet, it didn't disappear," she said.

Aaron frowned. "Who gives a damn about that bracelet now?"

She tapped him on the head with weak fingers. "I do! It's strange…" She coughed again. "I don't feel like dying."

Aaron raised an eyebrow at her. "What are you saying? No one's dying on my watch!"

She waved weak fingers at him. "Step back for me, would you? I can feel it, something's happening."

Aaron gasped as a golden light shot out of Sofia's chest and into the heavens. Her back arched as she levitated above the ground, like that girl from the exorcist. She rose with the golden light and came to a stop a head higher than Aaron.

She let out a painful howl as the light intensified.

"Sofia!" Aaron ran to her, but the golden beam suddenly expanded. It hit Aaron like an invisible magnetic wave and sent him flying backwards. He hit the floor and rolled over bushes and leaves before he finally came to a stop.

He jumped up, dizzy, searching for Sofia.

When he found her, she was standing in the clearing, checking her body for injuries and blood, but none remained.

Aaron frowned at her. "Sofia? What happened?"

She looked at him dazed and confused.

Before she could say a word, the tree branches above them rustled. Shadows fell from up top. Aaron looked around, surprised, unable to process everything that just happened.

His head turned, and he was barely able to stand. He took another look at the shadows and his eyes widened.

At least a dozen men in leather armor surrounded them. They had their bows aimed at them, arrows nocked and ready. They all wore cloth masks that hid their faces, reminding Aaron of ninjas.

"Hands where we can see them," one of them screamed.

He squinted at him, but his vision blurred again. He rubbed his eyes, but his vision didn't clear.

He turned to Sofia. He could tell she was facing him, but he couldn't make out her features anymore. She looked like she was falling, but the ground was not getting any closer to her.

His ears rang as he hit the ground, and darkness instantly followed.