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. He could hear the crunch of snow beneath its paws, the deep, guttural growl vibrating through the frigid air. His body refused to move, muscles locked in primal terror.
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, slamming the bears massive body
WHAM!
The bear roared as the green flame like light slammed into its armored hide, the impact shifting it's direction, sparing Femi's life. Femi stumbled back, his breath ragged, as Vaga, her legs wreathed in that same eerie green light, stood between him and death.
"Snap out of it, Femi!" she barked, Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, her injured leg trembling, yet she held Ova's massive axe with her single good hand, its edge shimmering with unnatural energy. "We are not dead yet!"
The bear recovered quickly, its beady eyes locking onto her. Vaga didn't hesitate. With a guttural cry, she swung the axe in a wide, brutal arc. The weapon struck the bear's plated shoulder, sending a shower of sparks into the air. The impact reverberated through her arms, the force nearly wrenching the axe from her grip. But she held on, teeth bared, 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. She coughed violently, blood splattering the snow. Yet, impossibly, she forced herself up, her injured leg somehow holding her weight.
How? she wasn't suppose to have been able to reach him in time, especially with her injured leg.
Then he saw it, the emerald light weren't just around the axe. They coiled around her legs, her arm, pulsing like a second skin. His breath hitched.
Femi's eyes widened. 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 the same crisom fire. A boss he had barely survived alive.
Vaga's words confirmed his thoughts.
Kuros-
She rushed at the armoured bear with the furiousity of a beast.
-Partial Enchantment-
The emerald aura on her legs faded, but it seemed to be enough.
Axe swing!
she roared, as the axe burned with bright emerald aura.
The ignited axe became, a blazing 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. Vaga 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 refused to give in.
Femi staggered back, his mind racing.
Had she's been hiding this power all along.
That green light around her is like that, skeleton boss he faced in the dungeon, so varga had this juju, with her since.He was shocked, that he never noticed..no. Those moments when her eyes had glowed faintly in the dark, the way she sometimes moved faster than she should.
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 reasoned. "I should trust my spirit more."
But he pushed aside his instinct to flee, knowing that Vaga was still fighting for their lives. "This was not the time," he thought.
"She's still fighting, at least." Femi's mind began to racing 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 was palpable as his chest began to beat faster.
"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, Vaga's sharp words cut through his panic.
"Femi," she called glaring at him through bloodied lips. "Always acting cowardly at every fight. This isn't the time to lose your head, it's the time to use it." She pushed herself up, swaying . "Think. That's why I picked you 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 steady herself with a deep breath, her damaged arm still bounded and throbbing, but her other arm could still swing.
"But, if you can't come up with a plan". She added. "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, a blur of green. "Kuros-Partial Enchantment-Wind Walk!"
The air rushed past her in a soft "woosh" as she appeared in front of the bear, her axe swinging in a wide arc.
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 amour, the green aura searing deep, the first real damage.
But the beast was relentless. It retaliated with a backhanded swing, and Vaga 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 with determination 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 won.
"I can not 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 began to racing 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.