45. Voidling

The voidling crouched low on the slope, its back barely reaching a man’s knee. Its body looked like polished black stone stretched into the shape of a predator. Long limbs held it close to the ground, ending in hooked claws that caught the light like honed metal. Its head was narrow, its mouth too wide, and a thin tail curved behind it with a hard edge that looked more like a blade than flesh.

Both mounts fought the reins, hooves scraping against stone and damp soil as they tried to turn away from the thing on the slope. One jerked so hard that Seeker nearly lost his grip. The other tossed its head and sidestepped toward the drop beside the path, forcing Misgiver to pull it back before it slipped on the wet stone.

The shock from seeing the creature had already passed through Alistair. So, he forced control into place. Misgiver stayed with one mount, holding Flinch open through the shared senses of the others. Seeker took the reins of the second and focused on keeping it from bolting. Rattler dropped from the saddle, crossbow already rising, using the mount’s flank and the curve of the path to keep distance.

Survivor moved before the voidling could choose a target. He jumped from the saddle into the broken ground below. Improvise caught the fall before thought finished forming. Survivor twisted away from a loose patch of stone, hit the slope with one shoulder, rolled through the impact, and came up with a throwing knife already in hand. The voidling’s attention was still on the mounts when his arm snapped forward.

The knife struck its back and sank in, forcing a scream out of the creature.

The sound was too thin to be impressive, but it was still disconcerting. It cut across the slope like metal dragged over bone. The voidling bucked once, claws digging into the ground, then turned without slowing.

The exchange taught Alistair several things. The hide could be pierced. The knife had gone in cleanly, proving the creature was not protected by some over-hardened shell. But the wound did not weaken it the way a wound that deep should have weakened an animal of that size. If it had anything like human stats, VIT and END were the problem. It could be hurt, but hurting it and stopping it were different things.

Then the voidling rushed Survivor. It came low and fast, skittering across the slope instead of charging straight toward his legs. Survivor pulled the staff from his back and stepped into the angle Improvise gave him. The first blow caught the creature along the shoulder and knocked it partly aside. He used the recoil to turn, shifted his grip, and drove the other end of the staff down toward its back.

The second strike landed harder. The voidling screeched and slashed without turning. Its tail whipped sideways, the bladed edge cutting through the space where Survivor’s thigh had been a breath earlier.

Flinch had warned him first.

Survivor jumped back, boots sliding over loose dirt. The tail passed close, cutting a line through his trousers without reaching skin. The miss changed Alistair’s understanding of the fight. The creature did not need to face him to kill him. Its whole body was a weapon, and its shape made ordinary timing dangerous.

The voidling turned for a frontal attack when a bolt struck its neck.

Rattler had found his angle from the lower path. The shot buried too shallowly to kill, but the impact twisted the voidling’s movement. Its forelimbs scraped stone as it fought to recover. The narrow head snapped toward Rattler, mouth opening in a black, wet hiss.

Survivor struck its skull from the side. The staff cracked against the head and shoved the creature back toward the slope. It did not fall, but its attention broke away from Rattler. Alistair felt the rhythm of the fight settle into place.

Survivor lacked the strength to overpower it. Rattler lacked the angle to kill it quickly from range. Misgiver had to hold the warning open while controlling a panicked mount. Seeker had to keep the second animal from bolting if they wanted avoid losses. Together, however, they could keep the voidling from committing to one target.

Survivor pressed close to threaten. Rattler punished every turn. Misgiver warned before the worst mishaps became reality. Seeker fought the reins and kept the search party from collapsing into panic.

The pattern worked for three exchanges. The voidling lunged for Survivor, and Survivor turned the attack aside with the staff instead of trying to meet it directly. Rattler fired when the creature twisted, driving another bolt into the side of its neck. The voidling recoiled, then snapped its tail backward. Flinch struck through Alistair’s mind, and Survivor dropped low before the edge cut across his ribs.

The staff came up again and struck the voidling under the jaw. It stumbled, claws tearing lines through the dirt.

For a moment, Alistair thought the rhythm would hold. Then the creature changed.

Instead of turning toward Survivor after the next blow, it flattened itself to the ground and burst sideways toward Rattler. The movement was so sudden that the crossbow clone had no time to aim properly, only to retreat with the weapon half raised.

Survivor was beyond staff range. His hand went to his waistband instead. He drew another throwing knife and launched it in the same motion, but this time the angle was poor and the skill pressure insufficient. The blade did not sink into the voidling’s back. It scraped across one shoulder and skipped away, leaving a dark line across the hard hide.

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The hit was poor, but it served. The voidling checked for an instant, head snapping back toward Survivor in fury. That pause gave Rattler time to step away from the direct line and set his next bolt.

The shot came as the creature turned. This bolt struck near the upper back, but the voidling barely reacted. Either rage carried it through the pain, or Alistair had already used the easiest interruptions. It came for Survivor with its mouth open and claws spread wide, no longer feinting toward the mounts or Rattler.

It meant to kill the body in front of it. Survivor avoided meeting the charge. He rolled aside, following the slope instead of fighting it. Claws struck the ground where his legs had been, biting so deep into packed soil that they threw chips of stone. Survivor’s hand closed around a loose rock as he came out of the roll. Improvise guided the motion, turning the ground into an impromptu weapon.

The stone hit the voidling’s side with an nasty crunch. The creature shrieked and kept coming.

Another stone followed. This one struck lower, glancing off one forelimb. The voidling’s step hitched, then recovered. Its tail lashed across the slope, forcing Survivor back again. He felt the edge brush his sleeve and cut through cloth. Another handspan closer, and it would have opened his arm.

Rattler fired. The bolt hit one of the rear legs just as the voidling pushed forward. The shot alone would never have stopped it, but the timing did what the damage could not. One leg failed to land properly. Its body dipped. The claws of its front limbs skidded over loose stone, and the creature pitched forward.

Survivor moved before the opening vanished.