sounded like a style that would suit her. The elves claimed that even powerful Earth-based weapons wouldn’t work on the monsters, but she wasn’t sure she believed that. Simon didn’t. The last time she had seen him, he had been shopping online for materials to make explosives, proclaiming that all of the components were perfectly legal to own.
“The attrition style will likely be a necessity with the jibtab . Vital targets may not be obvious, and what appears to be a neck might not carry blood.”
Yes, the creature they had faced before hadn’t even seemed to have blood. Simon and Delia had speculated that it was more robot than being, though even that hadn’t been a very accurate classification. “Burying it under a million tons of rock and water worked.”
“In that instance, yes, but you will not always be able to choose the place where you face a jibtab . And it, too, may be different each time, made from different raw materials, depending on the whims of its creator.”
The way he spoke authoritatively about creators and materials made Temi wonder if he and Eleriss had been telling the truth, that they didn’t know who was making the monsters.
“With that sword, you’ll cut through muscle and bone much more easily than you would with mine.” Jakatra waved the blade he had brought with him, the same one he had been training with all week. “The attrition style should prove effective.”
An eerie sound drifted through the forest, something between a groan and a howl. It made the hair on Temi’s arms stand up.
“Next test?” she asked.
How many battles would Jakatra expect from her that night? With drying sweat and blood caking her, all she wanted was a shower and a bed. She already felt as if she had played an entire match, and full darkness had yet to fall, something that would add a degree of difficulty to her encounters, glowing sword or not.
“The saru ,” Jakatra said, his pointed ears tilted toward the noise. “Odd.”
“How so?” Other than the fact that those howls made her want to crawl into a bank vault and lock herself in.
“They compete for territory with the uruv-neshi .” He pointed at the dead animal. “They’ll fight if they encounter one another, so it’s unusual to find them within ten miles of each other.”
Another howl stirred Temi’s arm hairs. “Maybe this one knows this territory is newly available.”
“Perhaps.” Jakatra didn’t sound convinced. She tried not to find that disturbing. “Regardless, a saru would be a good test. They are much faster than the uruv-neshi .”
Temi still didn’t know how she had fared on the last test. Was killing the beast and surviving enough for a satisfactory rating? Or would she lose points for being smashed under a corpse?
A second howl joined the first, this one an even higher and creepier pitch. Temi wanted to remain calm. She had fought one creature and won, so she could handle this new challenge—she knew she could—but she could feel her heart racing in her chest, hammering against her ribs. Aside from the howls, the forest was so still that she could hear her own breathing, short, quick inhalations. Damn, she wasn’t calm at all.
“Two?” Jakatra frowned. “Even odder. They are not pack animals.”
“Are they drawn to the smell of blood? Maybe we should move away from the corpse.”
“They prefer that their food still be alive when they dine.” Jakatra did walk away from the first dead animal, though, heading toward the open area where they had waited for their first attacker. “Come. I will assist you in this next battle.”
Well, that was something anyway.
Temi jogged after him, sticking close. The howls were continuing. And they were growing closer. “Do you want to use this sword?” she asked, having the sense that his wasn’t magical or specially powered or whatever it was that made hers glow.
He gazed back at her silvery blade. “No, it is yours to master.”
More howls joined the
“The attrition style will likely be a necessity with the jibtab . Vital targets may not be obvious, and what appears to be a neck might not carry blood.”
Yes, the creature they had faced before hadn’t even seemed to have blood. Simon and Delia had speculated that it was more robot than being, though even that hadn’t been a very accurate classification. “Burying it under a million tons of rock and water worked.”
“In that instance, yes, but you will not always be able to choose the place where you face a jibtab . And it, too, may be different each time, made from different raw materials, depending on the whims of its creator.”
The way he spoke authoritatively about creators and materials made Temi wonder if he and Eleriss had been telling the truth, that they didn’t know who was making the monsters.
“With that sword, you’ll cut through muscle and bone much more easily than you would with mine.” Jakatra waved the blade he had brought with him, the same one he had been training with all week. “The attrition style should prove effective.”
An eerie sound drifted through the forest, something between a groan and a howl. It made the hair on Temi’s arms stand up.
“Next test?” she asked.
How many battles would Jakatra expect from her that night? With drying sweat and blood caking her, all she wanted was a shower and a bed. She already felt as if she had played an entire match, and full darkness had yet to fall, something that would add a degree of difficulty to her encounters, glowing sword or not.
“The saru ,” Jakatra said, his pointed ears tilted toward the noise. “Odd.”
“How so?” Other than the fact that those howls made her want to crawl into a bank vault and lock herself in.
“They compete for territory with the uruv-neshi .” He pointed at the dead animal. “They’ll fight if they encounter one another, so it’s unusual to find them within ten miles of each other.”
Another howl stirred Temi’s arm hairs. “Maybe this one knows this territory is newly available.”
“Perhaps.” Jakatra didn’t sound convinced. She tried not to find that disturbing. “Regardless, a saru would be a good test. They are much faster than the uruv-neshi .”
Temi still didn’t know how she had fared on the last test. Was killing the beast and surviving enough for a satisfactory rating? Or would she lose points for being smashed under a corpse?
A second howl joined the first, this one an even higher and creepier pitch. Temi wanted to remain calm. She had fought one creature and won, so she could handle this new challenge—she knew she could—but she could feel her heart racing in her chest, hammering against her ribs. Aside from the howls, the forest was so still that she could hear her own breathing, short, quick inhalations. Damn, she wasn’t calm at all.
“Two?” Jakatra frowned. “Even odder. They are not pack animals.”
“Are they drawn to the smell of blood? Maybe we should move away from the corpse.”
“They prefer that their food still be alive when they dine.” Jakatra did walk away from the first dead animal, though, heading toward the open area where they had waited for their first attacker. “Come. I will assist you in this next battle.”
Well, that was something anyway.
Temi jogged after him, sticking close. The howls were continuing. And they were growing closer. “Do you want to use this sword?” she asked, having the sense that his wasn’t magical or specially powered or whatever it was that made hers glow.
He gazed back at her silvery blade. “No, it is yours to master.”
More howls joined the
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