Naeva-To Fight a Monster

Prologue

Radley Beck threw himself to the ground, just narrowly dodging as the creature blazed over his head. It hadn't slowed enough to properly see since he'd arrived in the outskirts of Therma, but he was pretty sure it was a Libra: a Zodiac Beast that, in his experience, was far more hideous than old rumors suggested.

He rolled to his feet just as the creature slammed into the ground, and Radley finally got a glimpse of its jagged, angular face in the instant it took to remove its foot from the shattered stone. Definitely a Libra.

I should let Valerian finish this one when everyone else gets here, he thought, sliding his hammer into its sling and pulling a short sword from his belt. The spoils of a Libra would seriously help him keep up with us. Cousin Valerian would be really happy with that; he was the only member of Lowly Champion who hadn't yet killed a Zodiac.

Libras, vaguely humanoid creatures with shimmering greenish-black bodies, had the ability to negate (or increase, if needed) almost all force being exerted on them, or so the legends said; this was Radley's first time fighting one. That ability made the likes of Radley's hammer useless, and his sword was barely any better. Maybe he could give it a paper cut if the stupid thing would just give him an opening.

Right then, typical weapons were useless. Maybe it was time he-

Another person slammed into the Libra's side at an incredible speed, catching it off guard and throwing it into a tumble across the ground. It got up and hissed chillingly as Erin Snell slid to a stop next to Radley.

"It won't let you do that again," he noted.

Erin grinned. "That's good, isn't it? It can't hit us as hard if it's padding everything."

Radley scowled. "You know it can direct forces one way, right? The fact that it's not compounding force just means it'll snap your bones rather than shatter them."

"Then I won't let it hit me."

Looking at that smirk, Radley couldn't help but smile back. "You're a smart aleck, you know. How have you survived with us as long as you have?"

"I'm very stubborn." With that, Erin zipped off and began blurring around the incensed Libra. Wherever it swiped, its claws only met air. Radley could occasionally see her properly for an instant, using the beast's abilities against it: Since it was negating force now, it wasn't thrown by her kicks like most monsters were. Erin used this to gain far more distance from her recoil, keeping her out of the Libra's reach. Her skill and adaptability were both incredible.

But it's still not enough, Radley observed. If this keeps up, she'll get tired. Then we'll be right back on the defensive. Why wouldn't that woman ever pick up a weapon?

Just as Erin started to slow, Polina Pastel appeared. She leapt two dozen feet over Radley's head and fired several flaming bolts at the Libra. Most of them just bounced off harmlessly, but one well-placed arrow managed to catch it unawares, cracking the shell over its back. The Libra shrieked, jumping into the air after Polina, but she sent out a small but focused burst of flame, propelling her just barely out of its reach. The blast doubled as a safety net, slowing her down before she hit the ground.

"Cutting things a bit close, yeah?" Erin called, using the opening to kick at the crack on its back.

"Thank me later," Polina replied, shooting more bursts of flame at the Libra. It hissed at the heat, its attention now fully on her arrows. If the legends were accurate, this thing couldn't negate extreme temperatures.

Dodging another swipe, Polina flipped back and gracefully landed next to Radley. While the Libra shambled toward them, she asked, "Are we letting Valerian finish this one?"