The Northern Forest trembled with each clash. Trees shook. Leaves whipped in the air. The ground beneath Liora, Nellie, and Garth was torn and scarred from the ongoing fight.
The S-Rank beast, a towering mass of bone and armor-like hide, snarled with primal rage, its crimson eyes tracking every movement with terrifying intelligence.
Sweat dripped down Liora's brow as she darted in again, blade flashing in the fading light. She struck at the beast's flank, her sword skimming off the hardened muscle, but it didn't slow the monster. It turned toward her with a guttural roar.
"Left! Now!" Nellie shouted.
Liora trusted the voice, leaping back just in time as Nellie's twin daggers whirled past her and embedded in the beast's exposed side, drawing blood. The creature roared again, staggering, just for a breath.
"Go!" Nellie barked. "That's your window!"
Without hesitation, Liora surged forward, swinging her blade down with everything she had. The edge tore into the wound Nellie had opened, deeper this time, forcing the monster to recoil.
But it was barely enough.
All the while, Garth stood his ground at the front line. His massive body, used like a shield, had taken the brunt of every charge, every claw swipe, every bone-crushing blow.
He gritted his teeth, blood trickling down the side of his face, chest heaving with exhaustion, but still, he held firm.
Every time the monster roared, Garth roared back louder.
"You're not getting through me!"
They were in perfect rhythm. Nellie distracting, Liora striking, Garth protecting.
But even perfect rhythms break.
The monster, bloodied but not broken, roared with a new fury. Its muscles tensed, then it lunged, not at Liora or Nellie,
But straight at Garth.
Garth brought up his hands and braced his feet,
But the beast was faster.
It twisted mid-leap, claws glowing with some unnatural energy, and struck a devastating blow against his side.
CRACK.
The sound echoed like a tree snapping in half.
Garth was thrown like a ragdoll across the battlefield, crashing through the underbrush before slamming into a tree with a sickening thud. He slumped, motionless.
"Garth!!" Nellie screamed.
Liora froze for half a second, fear slicing through her like a blade.
The beast turned its head toward her now. No more distractions. No more shield. Just her.
But before it could leap again,
Liora planted her feet.
Her fingers tightened on her sword. Her eyes narrowed.
"You're not getting past me either."
The battle was far from over.
But now, the stakes were higher. And help was still on the way.