Chapter 8: Savannah Showdown

Shazeen and her team of magi focused their energy and magined their creatures.

They resembled a large crustacean with a black armored carapace. Their limbs that were woven lengths of withered grass, two of which ended in heavy crushing pincers while the others were tipped with large hooked claws.

'Whoa, that's some nasty crabgrass you've got there,' Leoric exclaimed with a smirk.

'Joke all you want, but you won't be smiling once the Shenaera get a hold of you,' Shazeen sneered.

'No need to get crabby, jeez you're uptight,' Nadeshiko said as she magined her Herbadan, Leoric magined a trio of Lightning Braggle, and Vriss magined his Grim Shryque.

The Shenaera advanced, and the magi sent their own creatures forth. Both the Herbadan and Cragadan left a mass of shattered shell in their wake as they drummed their hooves on their opponents' backs.

'Ha! These creatures aren't so tough' Nadeshiko bragged as the defeated creatures vanished back to the dream plane.

'You would think that,' Shazeen replied as her own Shenaera seized the Herbadan in its claws, the creatures touch causing its captive to wither until it exploded into a cloud of dust.

The Shenaera then stalked Nadeshiko, its claws raised for a killing blow. However, as it came within striking distance the dream creature stopped and began to furiously scratch itself as fresh shoots of grass grew from out of its shell, which then turned bright green and its limbs lost their withered texture, becoming green and glossy.

Shazeen snarled as the ring vanished from her finger, and Nadeshiko smirked and held up her hand so that the Dreshi could see it adorning her own.

Vriss's dream creatures cut a swath through the hoard. However, the more they mowed through, many more returned.

'Time to change tactics,' he called to the others, and sent his Grim Shryque to attack the opposing magi.

The Withered Root magi were caught unprepared as the dream creature dove down from above and lashed out with its scythe-like wing blades, and its blood curdling screech, that caused many to fall to their knees, or flee in terror.

With their masters in disarray, many of the Shenaera retreated to the dream plane; those who remained to fight were dealt with swiftly.

Still standing in the remains of the grove was Ardriss; the Weaver stood staring in disbelief as his forces collapsed into chaos round him.

'This is impossible,' he gasped

'And you're a moron if you never expected something like this to happen.' Leoric said sending the braggles to herd him over to where the remainder of his group now stood, bound together back several lengths of rope supplied from Vriss's backpack.

Leoric turned to Nadeshiko, 'We'll keep an eye on these guys, how about you head back to Russet Frond and get the word out about the bandits' location.'

The Weaver nodded and took to the air on the back of her Herbadan.

'Trusting sort isn't she?' Vriss remarked.

'Not really, 'Leoric replied and holding his arm so the Kybarite could see the Binding Collar, 'if I try to make a run for it she'll have this thing shock me six ways from sundown.'

Vriss nodded; 'Funny that you should talk about running,' he said, 'as we still have our own little issue to resolve.'

Leoric sighed and glanced around. Never before had he felt so drained, and Vriss was still rearing to go. As he pondered his options, sunlight flickered off something near his foot; he picked it up and realized that it was a shard of Fisel Animite.

'How about we cut a deal,' he said, 'take the animite; it belongs to an entirely new type of dream creature. Might make a profit in the Weave and in Cald.'

Vriss considered and undreamed his creatures, and picked up a shard.

'It's a deal,' he said, 'but I am warning you that the guild may not be mollified by this offering, they could still send someone after you. Particularly if the little missies' village insists in using you as their errand boy.'

The blast of a trumpet rang out through the remains of the camp and the pair glanced skyward were the guardsmen of Russet Frond rode in upon the backs of Grass Hyren.

'You keep taking like that, you're going to have people think that there really is honor among thieves,' Leoric said, and gestured to the grove, 'look around you heard what they said, stuff like this is happening all over the place. Do you really they're going to bother with someone like me when this is going on?'

Vriss snorted; 'No, probably not,' he said and turned to leave, 'they'll be too busy trying to make a profit off of it.'