We had fought countless monsters already since leaving Samantha's, and surprisingly, we were not as tired as I would have expected us to be. We still hadn't had a chance to use the antidote on one of the monsters, though, because Ash had made good on her promise to Fawn. She had doubled the number of adventurers in the guild, and it seemed like there were parties everywhere. Every time we stopped to help with a monster attack, one of us just delivered the final blow, and we were on our way.
A trio of some type of monster caught my gaze below us, and I squinted my eyes as I tried to discern the source of the commotion near the river. A cloud of dust rose into the air, accompanied by echoing roars.
"Vision clear, like eagle's flight, unveil the world, with newfound sight. Spirits of Hexarium bless," I muttered.
A shimmering energy enveloped my eyes, enhancing my vision with an improved sight. For just a few moments, the world around me took on a different hue as details became clearer, allowing me to perceive what was rushing below us.
Three grocketts emerged from the cloud of dust, their rock bodies powerful and gliding through the land as their grass back and head camouflaged them.
They were headed for the village just north of Hex's Pass, and they lookedfurious.
I tightened my grip on the broomstick, and with a swift motion, I accelerated to intercept the oncoming monsters.
Fawn seemed to know exactly what I was doing because she was right by my side.
With a burst of speed, we flew straight through the sky, racing against the wind as we lowered ourselves toward the grasslands to cut the monsters off.
We landed and discarded our brooms to form a defensive circle as our magical energies intertwined.
Fawn held up her hands, creating what looked like a shimmering barrier of protection.
"I wish I was able to do that without an incantation," I blurted out.
She turned to smile briefly at me while keeping the barrier up. "It takes more power this way, but sometimes it's necessary. It'll come to you on instinct with time."
Sometimes I forgot how powerful she was and that she had been around long enough to learn certain things we hadn't yet. I couldn't wait to learn from her over the years.
The ground beneath our feet trembled, causing the blades of grass to sway with dreadful anticipation.
"Bastian." Fawn's voice brought me back to the situation. "Now is the time to try your antidote!"
I nodded, lifting my arm up and reaching into the rune to grab an antidote and pulled the vials out just in time.
The ground erupted, and the three massive rock monsters burst forth, their eyes glowing with primal fury.
Grocketts were formidable opponents. But they didn't usually seek out a fight when they were outnumbered. It was clearly the effects of the rage potion. I guessed it didn't really matter either way, though.
I moved my arm back and tossed the antidote at the grockett in the middle, and the glass shattered.
A golden cloud of smoke rose from the ground, and the grockett inhaled it through its nose. It bellowed out, shaking its large head back and forth before it lost its balance and crashed to the ground, momentarily stunned.
"It worked!" I cried out in glee, but the other grocketts on either side of that one were not deterred from the potion and seized the opportunity to strike.
Their bodies smashed into the ground, sending shockwaves rippling beneath us.
Silas lost his footing and fell back by the force of the strike. "Fuck!"
"I've got you." Fawn wiggled her fingers and used wind magic to help get him on his feet again, keeping the protection up to shield us from harm as the other grocketts thrashed themselves at the barrier.
I grabbed two more vials of the antidote and smashed them at the bottom of each monster. "Spirits sake, calm down already!"
The smoke went into their faces, and they stumbled back, losing mobility for a moment just like the other one did.
Suddenly, the three of them seemed to look at each other before glancing back at us, and then they burrowed into the ground and went back the way they came.
It was as simple as that.
Fawn dropped the barrier and swayed on her feet before Jasper caught her by the waist. "Now I've got you, goddess."
