The world seemed to slow as Femi's vision darkened, the monstrous armored bear looming over him, its massive frame blotting out the pale twin suns hanging low in the sky. He could hear the crunch of snow beneath its paws, the deep, guttural growl vibrating through the frigid air like the rumble of distant thunder. His body refused to move, muscles locked in primal terror, his limbs heavy as stone.
Femi's mind went black
This is it. I don die.
But before the bear's crushing weight could slam into him, a blinding emerald light erupted from the side. A streak of unnatural brilliance cutting through the gloom and slamming into the bears massive body.
WHAM!
The bear roared as the green flame-like light slammed into its armored hide, the impact shifting its direction with enough force to spare Femi's life. The beast staggered, its massive claws gouging deep furrows into the frozen earth as it fought to regain balance. Femi stumbled back, his breath lost, his heart hammering against his ribs.
Varga stood between him and death, her legs wreathed in that same eerie green light, its glow pulsing. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, her injured leg trembling under the strain, yet she held Ova's massive axe with her single good hand, its edge shimmering with unnatural energy.
"Snap out of it, Femi!" she barked, "We are not dead yet!"
The bear recovered quickly, its beady eyes locking onto her with predatory focus. Vaga didn't hesitate. With a loud cry, she swung the axe in a wide, brutal arc, the weapon cutting through the air with a deadly hum.
The axe struck the bear's plated shoulder, sending a shower of sparks into the air, the metallic screech piercing her ears. The impact reverberated through her arms, the force nearly wrenching the axe from her grip. But she held on, teeth bared tight, even as the bear retaliated with a swipe of its armored paw.
CRACK!
The blow sent her flying backward, her body skidding across the frozen ground, leaving a dark smear of blood in the snow. She coughed violently, crimson splattering the pristine white. Yet, impossibly, she forced herself up, her injured leg somehow holding her weight.
How? She wasn't supposed to have been able to reach him in time, especially with her injured leg.
Wait....that emerald light wasn't just covering the axe, he saw it coiled around her legs and arm too. Pulsing like a second skin, its glow flickering with each labored breath she took.
Femi's eyes widened as his breath hitched. That's not right.
He hadn't seen anything like it since... since... could it be?
That light…
Memories flashed...a dark chamber, a monstrosity wreathed in crimson fire, a boss he had barely survived. The stench of blood, his echoing screams.
Varga's next words confirmed his thoughts.
"Kuros—"
She rushed at the armored bear with the ferocity of a beast unleashed, her movements unnaturally swift despite her wounds.
"—Partial Enchantment!"
The emerald aura on her legs faded, as she rushed forward.
"Axe swing!" she roared, as the weapon ignited with a bright emerald aura, its edge blazing like a crescent of green fury.
The bear roared, meeting her strike with its own armored forearm. The collision sent a shockwave through the clearing, snow exploding outward in a powdery mist, the force rattling Femi's bones. Varga was sent sprawling again, her body slamming against a tree trunk with a sickening thud. Yet she still gripped the axe, her fingers trembling but refusing to give in.
Femi staggered back, from the shock of realization.
Had she been hiding this power all along?
That green light around her was just like the skeleton boss he had faced in the dungeon. So Varga had this juju with her since then? He was shocked that he had never notic...No, those moments when her eyes had glowed faintly in the dark, the way she sometimes moved faster than he thought possible for someone to do.
I always assumed it was because she was a tall, slightly muscular green woman, but no...it was just juju. It all made sense now. He gritted his teeth. "I knew it wasn't natural, I should trust my guts more."
But he pushed aside his instinct to flee, knowing that Varga was still fighting for their lives. "This was not the time," he thought while analyzing their chances.
"Looks like she's still wants to fight, at least." Femi's mind raced with ideas, desperate to come up with a plan. "How was he going to do it? What could he do? What should he do?" He knew he had to think fast, and think smart, if they were going to survive this ordeal.
Damn, I have no idea what to do.
Femi's panic level was rising as his chest began to beat faster, and his breaths became shallow.
"What are we gonna do? Wait... what can we do?
We can't keep this up." His mind was a jumble of anxiety and desperation. "There's nothing, there's no plan, no allies. We have to fight this beast, but we're in no condition to fight. We have to run, but we can't?"
Just as Femi's mind was about to be overwhelmed by the weight of their situation, Varga's sharp words cut through his panic.
"Femi," she called, while still glaring at the amoured- bear. "Always acting cowardly at every sign of danger. This isn't the time to lose your head, it's the time to use it." She pushed herself up, swaying unsteadily. "Think. That's what you are good at, after all."
Femi's fists clenched.
"Leave the fighting to me," she continued, hefting the axe again, her voice firm and resolute. "I'll buy you time, so use that head of yours. Use it and get us out of this situation." Her voice softened, just for a moment. "I trust you to find a way."
She steadied herself with a deep breath, her damaged arm still bound and throbbing, but her other arm could still swing.
"But, if you can't come up with a plan," she added, her voice hardening once more, "then run and save yourself. My actions put us in this mess, and so I will bear the consequences.
With that, she was moving again, becoming a blur of green.
"Kuros—Partial Enchantment—Wind Walk!"
The air itself seemed to bend around her as she closed the distance in an instant.
"woosh"
She appeared in front of the bear, her axe swinging in a wide arc. The bear barely had time to react before her axe carved into its side armor, the green aura searing deep, the first real damage she had inflicted.
But the beast was relentless. It retaliated with a backhanded swing, and Varga barely twisted away in time, the claws grazing her ribs instead of tearing through her chest.
"What nonsense is this girl talking now?" Femi muttered to himself. "Should I leave her to die then? Will the Krags allow me to enter back into that camp without her?" He scoffed at the thought. "She thinks she has sense?"
"I know... I know,"he replied back to his own doubts in his mind. "If I leave her, I'll lose my only ally in this damn place. I can't really trust anyone. Whether she's good or bad, I'll have to manage her. No choice in the matter now."
Femi's eyes lit up, as he laughed at himself. "Ah, look at me, I nearly fell for their tricks," he thought. "Those evil people wanted me to think they had won."
"I cannot die to a dirty animal. I won't fall here. My name is Femi, and I will not fall. You hear me, you useless village people?"
With newfound resolve, Femi's mind raced with ideas. "How do we survive this?" he asked himself, determination etched on his furry face. He knew he had to think fast and come up with a plan to get them out of this desperate situation.
Femi's eyes scanned his surroundings frantically, his mind racing with thoughts of what to do next. "What to do, what to do?" he muttered to himself. He glanced up at the sky, estimating the time. "It's been a couple of hours, maybe more. They'll send someone to look for us, won't they?" He thought about the Krags, wondering if anyone would notice they were overdue.
Just as Femi was deep in thought, he heard the distant howling of wolves. "More trouble," he thought, his instincts telling him to be wary. But then he paused, his expression changing to one of deep amusement. He turned towards the direction of the howling, a hint of a smile on his face.
"Ah, the heavens have opened away," he said to himself, a glimmer of hope and excitement in his voice. It seemed that Femi had stumbled upon something, but what exactly, remained to be seen.