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At first, they were breaking out almost immediately, but then the offspring struggled more and more, until they seemed to be truly captured. And the metal boxes flew over to Lord Goffe and started orbiting around him.

The chaos of the battle slowed as the enemy's numbers steadily dwindled, and at length, the Beast stepped forward--but not to attack, seemingly.

It let out a low, grumbling roar, and in unison, its remaining children pulled back and huddled around it. There were still dozens of them.

"Aura warrior," came the Beast's human-sounding voice. "You wish to speak with me, no?"

There arrived a long silence as Pauline continued circling the battlefield from above. Lord Goffe was at the front of the party, eyeing everyone at his back, no doubt making sure that they were okay.

A few had sustained injuries, Pauline noticed, but they were healing. One of the Lorentians had fallen and twisted his ankle, and another had a gash on his arm, but someone was already bandaging it up.

More worryingly, the four reapers were all wounded. To her eyes, they were small, phantasmal skeletons gripping short spears. Their eye sockets glowed softly with a dark gray light, and they had long, ethereal chains wrapped around their necks.

She hadn't seen very many of them over the course of her life, but she knew that they weren't supposed to emitting that black-and-white smoke from the cuts on their "bodies."

Everyone was frightened. Pauline could sense their fear, both psychically and just relying on her eyes. Several of the Lorentians were trembling and uttering hushed reassurances to one another.

Pauline didn't fault them.

The Lord Hector Goffe stepped closer to the Beast. "How did you know I wanted to talk?" he asked.

"Your kind always wishes to talk," the Beast said. "I rarely wish to listen."