Aegis waited for a moment.
She risked a glance back at the village. At most, she figured their guards were alerting others to the ongoing fight. No way they'd send people to come and interrupt.
[... Right?]
The griffin made the first move.
It leaped forward, talons extended, and Aegis responded with Aether Pulse. A burst of energy rippled out from her body, hitting the griffin mid-lunge and sending it stumbling sideways.
[Good. That bought me a second or two.]
She closed the distance while it was off-balance, sword raised for an overhead strike. The blade came down toward the griffin's neck.
The griffin's wing snapped up.
Aegis's sword bounced off the limb like she'd hit a steel beam. The impact rattled through her arms.
[Ow, ow, ow, OW!]
Before she could recover, the griffin's beak darted forward and clamped down on her sword.
[What the—]
It wrenched its head to the side.
