Not knowing about the argument within the Fire Hive, the humans continued their battle with the tentacles. The surprise attack from the Boss had caught out the humans but a warrior holding a sword and shield soon put things in order. The warrior stepped forward and banged his shield with his sword. Like a moth attracted to a flame, all the tentacles began focusing on the warrior and he fought back. Showing amazing skill, he blocked the first tentacle with his shield and cut the second one. He then used his shield to bash a third tentacle and then stab at a fourth that was trying to wrap around his ankle. However he was just one man and the Fire Hive was confident their Boss could defeat him. Tentacles began attacking the warrior with the whip-like attacks and the warrior was pushed back. Just as the Fire Hive thought success was on the cards, an arrow of fire hit one of the tentacles. It was only then that the spirits of the Fire Hive discovered that the warrior had already done what he wanted; he had bought time for the humans to get organized!

Just like that, the momentum of the chaotic battle turned. Several other warriors with shields came forward and took their place beside the first warrior. The shield wall blocked the tentacles while hunters and mages began shooting arrows and spells behind them. The Water spirit controlling the Pond Watcher decided to change tactics. Tentacles tried to go around and above the shield wall but the warriors were having none of that. The warriors hit their shields one after another, drawing the tentacles towards them. The Fire spirits within the Fire Hive moaned in disappointment. They had seen human warriors doing this before. It was a skill some human warriors had called “The Wall”. It draws attacks from their enemies even when their enemies don’t want to attack them. It was a defensive skill and it looked to the Fire Hive that all the warriors in the shield wall had it.

“Retreat!” One of the Fire spirits advised the Water spirit controlling the Boss. “Go back into the water. You’re just getting killed out here.”

The Water spirit wanted nothing but to continue the attacks but it was also smart enough to know that the Fire spirit was right. The Boss was losing. With little choice in the matter, the Boss withdrew the tentacles. Once under the water however, the Water spirit discovered an unexpected sensation; it was healing! The strange effect was totally unexpected and the Water spirit wondered how this Boss got a healing effect as the Fire Hive never thought of giving it such a skill. The answer came from the Fire spirits.

“Like we told you guys before; we are geniuses!”

All the Fire spirits within the Fire Hive laughed. When the Fire Hive was first formed, there were only Fire spirits within. Since then the Fire Hive had absorbed other kind of spirits and the Fire spirits had been dutifully informing the new spirits on what the hive was and how great it was to be in a hive. Of course the new spirits don’t take the Fire spirits’ words as gospel and there were always doubts. However the information that spirits were all geniuses seems to be correct. After all, how else could anyone explain this unexpected but very useful healing power?

“Get up above the water. That mage called Luc is talking to that warrior who was giving you problems. Let’s hear what they are saying.”

The Water spirit heard the hive but it didn’t want to go back up while it was still healing. Then it realized that the Boss it was controlling may have other powers the hive didn’t know about. It decided to experiment and stick a tentacle up above the water. Another proof of their geniuses became evident. Even though the tentacle was a distance away from the shore, the Boss could hear the humans. As a Water spirit, it knew that sound travel better over water than it does over land but had wondered if the Boss could hear. It seems that a tentacle that could suck the air could hear sound as well.

“…Boss?”

“Yeah!” The mage called Luc replied to the warrior. “According to our spy in Yachium, that’s what these big monsters are called. They were built to guard certain important areas that the monsters want to protect.”

“Well your spy is wrong because there’s nothing to protect here. There’s nothing around!”

“Who knows? They believed it and maybe this…lake is important to the monsters in some ways.”

“This small lake wasn’t even here a moment ago.”

“Yes, amazing really. To be able to create this in just moments, the skill and power...”

“Don’t go on another lecture on magical theory please, I’m not one of your students. And there’s nothing to guard here! Why would the monsters create a Boss all the way out here? We’re still days from Mount Morningstar?”

“Maybe it’s some sort of scout or guard or…it could be there’s something important in this place.”

“Great! So this lake Boss is some sort of watcher or guard and we have no way to know which it is! You’re sure about the competence of your spy?”

“Yes but considering the source of the information...”

The warrior who had bravely stood alone against the Boss shuddered. “Death Magic. What would you crazy mages think of next? It’s…an abomination!”

“They called it Necromancy and you will have no argument from me on that.”

“Are the rumors true? They used magic on a beheaded head?”

“Not just any head,” Luc shook his head as he said this. “It was the head of The Grand himself. The monsters defeated and beheaded him, and then somehow managed to teleport his head pass the magical defenses straight to the Mage Tower in Yachium.”

“How did the monsters managed that?”

“No idea but it was a show of force that got everyone in Yachium shaking in their boots. So much so that the Duke himself authorized that Necromancy to be done on the head of The Grand but most of what they got from it were strange gibberish. What the hell is a dragon anyway?”

“And now the problem has come down south.” The warrior gave a loud sigh. “I missed the days when all I had to worry about was you city folks and your warmongering ways.”

The warrior and the mage both laughed and the mage answered back. “I would say the same about you barbarians. Who would have thought that all it would take for us to join forces was a common inhuman enemy?”

“Haha…well, if this place is important to the monsters then we shouldn’t leave it undefended.”

“What do you propose?”

“We leave a detachment here, maybe even setup an outpost. Anyway we don’t want to be caught between this Boss and the volcano.”

“An outpost here might not be a bad idea especially if the water is drinkable but that Boss might return.”

“So you city folks do what you do best; built a wall and stay behind it. I think I can convince the tribes can send some warriors and shamans to help with the defense. Who knows, maybe this outpost could be the start we need to finally get out people to put aside their differences for good.”

“An Outpost of Light in this land of ash,” The mage’s smile got even wider. “I like that. I like that a lot!”

“And when we finally defeated the monsters, our names will spread to the four corners of the world. We will be known to the very edge of Ioplon and maybe even to the Great Beyond!”

The mage could only smile at the boasting warrior. “Never thought the great warrior Mazo was one of those questers who are searching for the edge of the world.”

“Oh where’s your sense of romance? Don’t tell me even when you were a child you never had the dream of seeing the Beyond and taking that fateful step off the edge of the world?”

As the warrior and mage continued their banter, the spirits within the Fire Hive went into their discussion and argument conference. From what they heard, the spirits had three main questions to answer.

1) Why do the humans call this a lake? It’s a big pond!

2) Why do the humans think Bosses are only created to guard things? Can’t the hive create the Boss for fun?

And most importantly 3) What is this edge of the world the humans were talking about? Isn’t the world round?