Every hit against the monsters recoiled, for their hides were made of something stronger than steel. Although I tried reinforcing my sword with energy, I couldn't pierce the things. I couldn't even make a dent on their armored hide. 

If I had Sylens's Fragment, I would have sliced their hide's time energy and made short work of them. Unfortunately, Sylens couldn't perceive the energy as well as I did. He couldn't open the creatures deep enough to extract the crystal ball that powered them. So we moved to the next best tactic. 

Friede would power me up. Using her healing magic, she could give me a short boost during which I was invulnerable to damage. Every hit I received would instantly heal. Sylens would then run behind me as I approached the creature. He'd slow time as we approached, then I would slide underneath the four legged monster and extract its core. 

By the time we were done with the six that surrounded us, Friede's face had grown pale. She was barely capable of making a step further. Using spells that require lots of energy expenditure hit one's conduits pretty hard. We surrounded Friede until she managed to recover then we went deeper into the forest. 

It was still dark, still eerily silent within the woods. We were following a stream that would lead us to the lake beyond which Rimbaldi's lab was located. It took us more time than expected to actually find the stream. Rimbaldi was controlling the trees, making them move and change the way we perceived the paths we were walking. 

It was only after walking three full circles that we realized the farce. That was when the insects had ambushed us, and this was also when Heda had understood the scientist's ruse. We opted to follow the stream by then. It flowed toward the lake, there was no way Rimbaldi could manipulate water flow. 

We encountered more insect-like creatures and swiftly dealt with them. Friede spent less energy on her boosts, and Sylens became more efficient with time manipulation. By the time we reached the lake, we had collected more than twenty crystal b.a.l.l.s. 

They all had thin streaks of light travelling from the center of the sphere to its extremities. They looked like lightning, dancing within the sphere. 

"This is Neutral Energy, isn't it?" Heda asked.

I nodded. "Neutral energy is difficult to come by. Rimbaldi must have it in abundance if he's willing to send all these beasts our way." 

"Can we use it?" Heda asked. 

"Yes, and no," I dryly replied. I looked at the last sphere I collected, inspecting it from all angles. "It's quite tricky, getting used to siphoning neutral energy. Here, try it." 

I handed the crystal ball to Heda. "Try a basic spell. Hold the sphere toward the stream and whisper 'Na'ar.' Project your energy into the sphere as you say it." 

Heda held Rimbaldi's sphere in her hand and did as I said. She frowned and her face contorted into different shapes as she repeated the spell over and over, but nothing would come out of the sphere. She handed it back to me, frustrated. 

I held the sphere toward the stream and whispered the spell. A thin streak of fire left the crystal ball and landed on the icy water, causing it to hiss and protest. I turned to the champions, grinning from ear to ear. "You people are used to the energy that flows within your Fragments. It's much more difficult for you to perceive neutral energy, let alone use it properly." 

We kept following the stream after my brief demonstration. All the champions had fallen silent on the way. Each one had their own thoughts. I didn't know what the others had in mind, but I was trying to understand the mad-scientist's motives. 

I had a strong suspicion the scientist was testing us. He wouldn't deliberately lose all those crystal b.a.l.l.s, filled with neutral energy, if it weren't the case. He knew champions of the Primordials were coming to see him. He must have also seen that I could use it, especially when I managed to repel the Roosa'al. He wouldn't give us such an advantage unless he had an ulterior motive. 

Absorbed in thought, I didn't notice that the sun was getting brighter. I looked around, seeing things around us clearly for the first time that day. The trees surrounding us began thinning. We were getting closer to our goal. 

Was Rimbaldi going to let us reach him that easily? 

Perhaps he was weaker than I gave him credit for...

Just as the thought crossed my mind, we heard a loud roar behind us. We were facing the lake by then, searching for a way to cross it. The roar was immediately followed by loud stomping noises. They got louder and louder as whatever lurked in the darkness made its way to us. 

We soon saw the thing in all its glory. It was a beast with the head of a lion, albeit thrice the usual size. It stood on its gigantic hind legs, from which sharp claws protruded. It had deep blue skin that glowed against the sunlight. 

It was as tall as a city gate. Its muscles were lean and well toned. I could see big veins popping on its huge legs and arms. It bared its sharp fangs at us then roared. Its deep voice penetrated our souls, made us feel as though we were staring at the living incarnation of terror. 

Heda cursed under her breath. "This thing is too fast. It's Rimbaldi's strongest creation. It chased us last time. We made it across with a boat I found, but I can't sense anything of the sort around us..." She kicked a stone in front of her out of frustration. 

I turned to look at Sylens. "Does this monster have invulnerable skin like the others?" 

Sylens shook his head. "Its magic is very strong though. I suggest we hightail it for now then plan our next move once we're in a safe place." 

"Heda? What do you think?" Friede asked. 

The beast didn't give the oracle any time to think. It hurled a giant boulder our way. We all managed to avoid it, but we were separated from each other in the process. I ended up facing the beast alone. I felt significantly small next to its gigantic feet. 

'No matter how big they are, your foes will always have a weakness,' Omega's words rang in my head. 

The beast brought its wide paws down toward me. I jumped backwards just in time to avoid its sharp claws. The beast didn't stop at that however. It used the hand it smashed toward me as leverage, stood on it then whirled around with surprising speed. I saw a whip whizz before my eye. Then I felt my feet leave the ground. 

I felt wind burst out of my lungs as the beast's tail hit me right in the stomach. I flew backwards and crashed against a tree trunk. Once more, air exploded out of my open mouth and nostrils. I slid down to the ground, dizzy and breathless. My ears rang, and I was seeing double.

With the corner of my eye, I saw Heda argue with Sylens. The girl shot me a desperate look then turned away and disappeared in the trees. The beast had eyes only for me at that time. It was their perfect chance to get away to safety. 

I heard the beast's snarls approaching. My shaking knees protested as I stood. I fought to regulate the mess inside me. One hit from the beast's tail was enough to wreak havoc inside my conduits. 

Energy was flowing inconsistently all around my body. I had to regulate it before I could think of a counter measure. I wouldn't be able to defend properly if I couldn't channel my energy to the right places, on the right time.

The beast had gotten close to me. I had to find a way to deal with it, and quickly, before I caught up with the others. I knew they had something in mind. Now I knew they were leading me to an ambush. 

Heda admitted to facing the beast and running from it before. They were just using me as bait to reach the scientist. Lucky I didn't tell them how the cauldron works... 

Even if they managed to get their hands on it, they would never be able to use it without my help. 

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