The storm beast's roar split the plateau like thunder.
Lightning crawled across its hide, snapping from horn to horn, spilling sparks into the air. Its body was massive, scaled like stone, with a mane of crackling light that hissed and snapped with every movement. Each step it took made the ground tremble.
The survivors froze. Someone whimpered. Another whispered a prayer that got swallowed by the wind.
Ravi muttered, pipe clenched in shaking hands, "Yup. Definitely should've retired. Maybe opened a tea stall. Nice and simple. No lightning monsters at the register."
The golden wind swirled around him in response, steadying his stance, almost as if it approved of his nonsense.
Across from him, Arjun drew his bow. The blue wind wrapped him tighter, coiling around his arm like a serpent. His expression didn't change, calm and razor-sharp.
The beast lowered its head, horns glowing brighter.
System text burned across their vision:
[Sub-Boss Encounter: The Stormborn Beast.][Objective: Survive until the winds claim victory.]
"Survive?" Ravi spat. "Not kill? Oh, that's so much better. Guess we're just lightning bait!"
The beast lunged.
Lightning arced across the plateau, blinding, searing. Survivors screamed as bolts struck, charring stone, blasting bodies into ash. Ravi dove behind a jagged rock, pipe clutched tight, the air sizzling where he'd just stood.
The golden wind surged around him, cushioning the blast, guiding his roll. He gasped, hair standing on end, but alive.
Arjun's arrow whistled through the storm. It struck the beast's flank, sparking harmlessly off scales—but the blue wind carried it, bending the lightning around him, shielding his path.
The beast roared, tail lashing, smashing a survivor into the stone like a rag doll.
"Alright," Ravi growled, forcing himself upright. "We can't fight it head-on. We play to the wind."
The golden current coiled tighter, tugging him toward a broken ridge. He followed, teeth clenched, and when the beast struck again, the wind pulled him just out of reach.
"Okay," he panted, pipe raised. "So you're my dance partner now. Fine. Just don't step on my toes."
Another survivor tried to rush the beast with a spear. The storm punished him instantly—lightning struck, turning him to ash mid-step. Ravi winced. "Yeah, pro tip: don't improvise."
The blue wind guided Arjun's movements with surgical precision. Every arrow he loosed curved through the storm, striking joints, eyes, weak spots. The beast howled, thrashing, but the hits slowed it, staggering its rhythm.
Ravi squinted through the storm, shouting over the thunder. "Oi, bowman! I think it hates you more than me!"
Arjun's reply was flat, calm: "Good. Then you live longer."
Ravi barked a laugh despite the fear burning his chest. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me!"
The beast roared again, rearing back. Lightning built between its horns, a blinding spear of energy aimed straight for them.
The system text flickered:
[Critical Phase: Combined Trial.][Use golden and blue winds together.]
The golden current surged around Ravi, pulling him forward. The blue wind wrapped around Arjun, guiding his bow. Their paths converged two currents spiraling into one.
"Wait, wait, wait," Ravi stammered, sprinting forward with the wind dragging him like a puppet. "What's the plan?! Someone tell me there's a plan!"
"Hit the horns," Arjun said. Calm. Always calm.
"That's not a plan, that's a suicide note!"
The beast unleashed the bolt.
The world turned white.
Ravi roared, swinging his pipe with everything he had. The golden wind amplified the strike, channeling light into the swing. At the same moment, Arjun's arrow shot forward, wrapped in the blue current.
Pipe and arrow met the lightning.
The winds merged gold and blue colliding, spiraling into a single burst of power. The bolt split, shattering, redirected into the beast's own body.
The explosion rocked the plateau.
The beast shrieked, its scales cracking, its body convulsing under the storm's backlash. Lightning tore through it, splitting horn, flesh, bone. With one final roar, it collapsed, crashing into the stone.
Silence followed.
Only the hiss of fading electricity remained. The golden and blue winds unraveled, dispersing into the air, leaving Ravi and Arjun standing side by side in the wreckage.
System text burned across their vision:
[Sub-Boss Defeated: The Stormborn Beast.]Reward: +2,000 Coins.]Bonus: Wind's Favor (Temporary Buff).]
The survivors who remained sank to the ground, trembling, wide-eyed.
Ravi dropped his pipe, chest heaving, hair still standing from static. He stared at the beast's corpse, then at Arjun.
"You know what?" Ravi rasped. "If we live through this, I'm opening that tea stall. You can guard the door. Silent, scary, perfect bouncer vibes."
Arjun didn't reply, but his eyes lingered on Ravi for a fraction longer than usual. Almost thoughtful.
The plateau rumbled again.
Ravi groaned, slumping. "Of course. Can't even get five minutes. What now? Earthquake? Sky collapse? Giant flying"
The clouds above split.
Something vast moved behind the lightning, a shadow with wings that stretched wider than the horizon.
Mystery thickened in the storm. Whatever game the system was playing… the wind wasn't finished.