Enne reached the other end of the city in due time as the rumbling of the thunder drew closer. She hoped she reached them in time before a necrobyte-infected creature would. The howling wind startled the horse as they entered the edge of the forest.
"This is as far as you go," Enne calmed the horse before tying it to a tree.
The half-elf looked down the beaten path, seeing the footprints of Derek's sons. She rushed into the thick of the trail, trying to hear if they were around. The trail led into the reported area, where a vast field and forest hugged along a stream. There was no mite-like noise, a trait of necrobytes searching for a host. Gunshots rang ahead of her.
The wind violently picked up as she neared an open field of rye. The half-elf looking off at the distance of the wavy expanse. A bear let out a distorted roar with gunfire that followed over the whispering wind. She dashed to the source of the roar.
Let's hope that's just a regular bear, she thought.
Her heart raced while cutting through the thick stalks. The gunfire grew erratic before a bloodcurdling scream carried with the gust. Enne arrived at a clearing, seeing two men keeping their distance from a massive bear. The necrobytes took over its host. Its veins burst through its fur, giving it a glowing appearance, signifying the necrobyte infection. It was only a matter of time before it became more problematic for the half-elf to handle. She readied herself for another dash.
Dammit, why a bear? She sighed.
Running toward a large boulder by the river bed, she catapulted herself high into the air. Her adrenaline surged as her body soared, creating an opportunity to attack. She dove toward the mutating bear, delivering a hefty dropkick. The bear slammed into the trees behind it, rendering it under the pile of trees that crashed upon it. Enne elegantly flipped backward, landing on a handstand before standing up straight.
"I definitely should work on my landings," the half-elf huffed.
"Enne!" A lanky man by the name of Jeb called out, holding his morbidly injured brother. "Sean, h-he's lost a lot of blood."
She turned to Derek's sons who his in an enclave, rushing toward them as she saw the trail of blood. The half-elf stood aghast to find his arm ripped off with blood seeped from it. She took control of the situation, knowing time was of the essence.
"All I can do is cauterize it," She said.
She held the bloodied arm stump toward her, summoning a small fireball in her palm. Jeb's brother agonized as his flesh simmered from the fireball she held to it. Enne didn't flinch to his pain. The bear recovered from the impact underneath the broken trees stacked upon it while she was well within the cauterizing process. She looked up at a distraught Jeb.
"Sean is going to be okay," She said. "He's lost a lot of blood though, you need to hurry back to town. There should be guardsmen waiting at the gates. Please hurry."
"And how about you?"
"I've got a job to do. Why didn't you just run when you had a chance?"
"We weren't trying to bring the bear with us," He answered, meeting her nod.
"Get out now."
The half-elf turned to find the bear clawing from underneath the broken down trees. The brothers retreated as Jeb looked back at the courageous woman. The necrobyte-infected bear emerged, bulkier than before and veins bursting with blue fluid. The lengthened distortion of its roar blew away small debris surrounding the half-elf. Adrenaline coursed through her as she smirked with excitement. Her body tensed in anticipation.
"It ain't often you could stare down an apex predator," She said. "Especially if it's infected with necrobytes. Oh boy, this is going to be-"
The bulky bear swung surprisingly quick, slamming its enormous paws into the rocky ground. It shattered the smooth rock into jagged pieces as Enne evaded it. The half-elf ran against its lodged arms, delivering another kick into the side of its head. She heard its skull shatter from the strike. But she knew it wasn't enough to take it down.
Enne jumped onto a higher tree branch as the bear sniffed her out. She saw its caved-in skull restructuring from a blow that would've killed a normal bear. Necrobytes take over their host, zombifying them while gracing them with powerful strength.
This will be a tough one to crack, she cited as rain droplets hit her fair skin.
With the bear's paws still lodged into the bedrock, it forcibly razed through it, sending shards and boulders at her. She evaded its surprise attack in time.
Wow, that was pretty slick, She commented.
She guided herself onto a nearby tree branch. The dust kicked up from below, blocking the visual she had on the necro-bear. The full-sized necro-bear burst through, meeting her grin before slamming into her with its entire body weight. She gasped for air as she tumbled away. It smacked her into the ground with its massive paws. She softened her landing before slamming into the grassy area.
"Woo!" Enne exclaimed, stumbling onto her feet as the bear landed on the shattered bedrock, shaking their surroundings. "Is that all you've got?"
Her body was in extreme pain despite her excitability. No human would've survived such a brutal attack, but she stood up confidently. Standing on its hind feet at a massive 18 feet, the infected grizzly bear looked down upon her menacingly. Her eyes looked back with glee as the thunder drew closer. The wind picked up under the increasing rainfall.
"This is totally-" the emboldened woman ran at mach speed to deliver a powerful strike from her palm. "Worth it!"
The giant bear faltered, being knocked back a few yards away. The ground beneath its sturdy feet razed from the grinding friction. The bear groaned as the daring half-elf postured herself, looking on with a smile.
The gift of the necrobyte infection, she smirked. Crap, this isn't good.
Her body was slowly succumbing to the damage the bear dealt. She stumbled forward, clutching her abdomen in pain. The bear charged at her, but she wasn't able to move. She braced for impact, being slammed into a tree behind her. The thunder was followed by lightning strikes in the distance as the chilly wind intensified.
Ack, she grunted, feeling the branch protrude from her lower ribs.
She felt her warm blood dripped along her side before forcibly snapped it off. She collapsed helplessly as she clutched her wound in subdued agony. Her braid became undone from the fall. The bear walked toward the injured half-elf.
"I really fucked up," she tried to stand on her feet, slumping against the tree.
She gazed directly into the bear's bloodshot eyes as it reached her. Arrows struck it from its side, halting its progress. It looked over its shoulders to find Jeb aiming its bow aimed at it. Enne's heart dropped, knowing his attempts were futile. Jeb looked at her anxiously while caught between looking between her and the bear.
"Jeb, go!" She ordered. "What are you doing?"
**
"Good one, champ," Someone called from up top a tree. "I can handle the rest from here!"
Enne looked up, spotting a man standing on a tree branch. He shot an electric shot at the ground beneath the bear. She looked upon the floor disparagingly when she saw nothing happened. The bear redirected its attention to her.
H-he missed, She thought. What's this?
A barrage of roots shot from the earth underneath it before it could take another step. She watched as the roots effortlessly wrapped around the bear's swollen body, subduing it from being able to react. The wanderer jumped down next to her. She looked at him with a smile.
"My hero!" Enne teased.
The wanderer rolled his eyes. The confident damsel could see the concern expressed on his face when he saw the protruded branch. He carefully helped her up onto her feet. His attention was divided between her and the subdued bear.
"Can you walk?" He asked.
"Y-yes," She answered, slowly taking the branch out of her side. "Thank you."
"Thank Jeb, he showed me the way."
She wondered how she was going to end the fight while the wanderer conjured up a plan to eliminate the bear. Enne staggered forward, determined to finish what she started.
"Strange," He said. "If you had a necrobytes in the area, they evaded the cabin like the plague."
"Pfft, I wouldn't go near you with the way you smell," She grinned as she stood by him.
"Nice to see you've still got some fire in you."
"Oh, there's more where that came from," Enne spoke into his ear.
The wanderer blushed as she leaned away from him. The vines' binding reached their breaking point. The half-elf only had little left in her, but it would take tremendous effort to eliminate the threat.
"Buy me some time, will you?" She asked, leaping higher into the trees above before the wanderer could respond.
He traced her movement, wondering what she was about to do. He knew he had to trust her, so he complied. The necro-bear needed to be stopped at all costs.
"All right, if it's time you need," The wanderer spoke.
The bear broke from its restraints. It thrashed about before acquiring the wanderer as its new target. The rain was coming down heavily. The bear stood on its hind legs, bellowing another roar.
"A-all right… Damn, this bastard is huge," he panicked.
The bear charged at the wanderer, surprising him with its speed, which he barely evaded it. The bear slammed into the tree, painfully turning toward the wanderer. The infection had frighteningly overtaken the bear's physiology as its veins pulsated. Its saliva drenched down its jaws with eyes that were bloodied red. It snarled angrily at him.
"Ooh, this must be its final form," He said. "Let's hope the storm aids in the sword's power."
The wanderer parried the barrage of strikes that the bear delivered in rapid succession. His reflexes hadn't dulled as much as he believed with adrenaline pushing him further. He summoned his plasma sword from thin air after seeing a window of opportunity. The wanderer slashed away, countering the bear's aggression. It drove back the hostile bear as the heat of the plasma sword set fire to its damaged fur. It roared in defiance while keeping its distance.
"Come on, you son of a bitch," The wanderer taunted nervously. "I'm sure a little guy like me isn't too hard to handle."
The bear threw its body at him in a brutal display of force. He slid under it, driving the heated energy blade under its side. It writhed in pain as slammed into the rocky ground. The wanderer created distance from the bear.
I've gotta say, he's a quick one for his age, The half-elf observed the entire fight with satisfaction. She cauterized her wound with a small fireball. Smoke steamed from her wound while she grits her teeth. Damn, my favorite dress too.
"All right," The half-elf called from the rock behind the wanderer.
He turned to find her holding a bow and arrow with a distinct glow. The wanderer realized it was mana-based as only elves could summon such artifacts. Enne had a sinister smile on her face as she drew the bow. Particles converged with the tip of the arrow.
"Here goes… Nothing!" she said as she let go of the arrow.
The wanderer observed in amazement as electrical charges channeled into the arrow. It struck the bear with a blinding flash of light, letting out a loud crashing thunder that shook the area and rivaled the storm. The flash subsided, leaving behind a blazing fire. Enne collapsed onto her knees, satisfied by the results of the battle. She clutched her wound again. He discharged his sword before coming to her aide.
"H-hey," He said. "Hang in there. You did well."
"Damn right I did," She answered with a pained smile.
She tried to pick herself up, but begrudgingly accepted the wanderer's help as they looked on.
"That was really something else. What was that?"
"It's called God's Reach."
She looked at the haggard wanderer whose eyes fixated on the blazing fire.
"No way!" her jaw dropped.
The scorched bear crawled out the blaze with flesh hanging from it.
"That attack would've killed anything else," The wanderer admitted. "We can still get away."
The half-elf expressed disappointment.
"It'll follow us back."
"You gave it your all. If you overdo it, you'll only harm yourself."
"I have people to protect."
The wanderer saw the determination in her steely gray eyes as she looked ahead. He couldn't help but admire her fighting spirit. Even in her disposition, she was willing to fight tooth and nail. She was more than a pretty face.
"Fine," He conceded.
Enne summoned another bow and arrow with the little strength she had left. He mimicked her position, pressing firmly to her body. He felt her warmth, but he kept a cool head. She looked at him, unable to utter a word.
"W-what the hell are you doing?" Enne flustered as his hands held hers.
"Lending you my strength. I can infuse spells into attacks. This would incinerate the necrobytes."
"I-"
Enne was reluctant to accept his help, as though she were too weak to handle it on her own.
"Just take the help where you can, Princess," He sighed.
"I was about to say you smell horrible," She lied.
The wanderer chuckled as the bow and arrow formed between them. He channeled his energy into the constructed projectile. With their combined power, the arrow would be more than enough to destroy the bear. Lightning and fire fused into the arrow as it was positioned at the bear, which was ready to charge at them. They could feel the ground shake beneath their feet as more mana converged.
"Hey," Enne caught the wanderer's attention. "I got another name for this bad boy."
"And what's that?" The wanderer asked.
"The Bad Touch!"
The half-elf winked at him before releasing the arrow. They didn't take their eyes off each other as they heard a loud explosion ahead of them. She smiled, looking toward the impact zone, seeing a path carved through the rye field. The necobyte-infected bear was incinerated in a fiery display of power. Their hands still held the other after the bow had dissipated into the air.
"Uh, you can let go now," The wanderer tried to let go, finding excitement in her eyes. "Uh, Enne?"
"That was real fucking magic," she looked at him with the same curious expression. "We should do it ag-"
*
Enne collapsed into his arms. He looked around, confused by her words. The storm subsided as it traveled west, away from the city. From behind them was a horse running through the path, Jeb had returned in time to check on them.
"I-is it over?" Jeb asked, seeing the devastation behind the pair. "Aw hell, she used the Bad Touch, didn't she?"
She really calls it that? The wanderer thought.
"Yeah, no need to worry about that necrobear," The wanderer assured.
"I swear that woman. She always pushes herself so darn hard."
Jeb looked upon the passed out half-elf, relieved the deed was done. The wanderer cradled her into his arms. Her head nestled into his chest.
"This- Wasn't the only time?"
"Enne is a real fighter, but this was definitely a close call. If it weren't for you-"
"She would have pulled through."
Jeb paused, intrigued by the wanderer's tone. His amber eyes made solidified as much.
"It makes sense," He said.
"What does?" The wanderer questioned.
"Your eyes. You're a wanderer?"
"Yeah, I am. But, I'm sure you already knew that."
"Well, it doesn't matter much to me."
The wanderer was surprised by his direct response. Jeb led the way back onto the path as the rain lightened. The wanderer carried the delicate half-elf through the muddy path.
"It's a good thing you showed up when you did," Jeb continued.
"Same," The wanderer said. "How often do you have necrobytes here?"
"Rarely. But, when they appear, they're a real hassle."
"Considering the size of the city, good thing they haven't occupied part of it. They infest abandoned areas rather quickly."
"Gardenia? We've never had that problem. We're pretty fortified for an outlier. The worst we've is got asbestos and other things you probably shouldn't breathe in."
"Uh, sounds lovely."
The wanderer followed him, occasionally looking upon the woman he cradled. Her head nestled against his chest like a child with a faint smile. The amount of energy she dished out amazed him. If this was the power of a half-elf, how was the full-strength of a full-blooded elf? Using mana to an extreme often led to bad outcomes. Her will overshadowed her limitations. Perhaps it was because he was there to help but he knew she wasn't a damsel in distress.
She was far from it.
The clouds parted as the wanderer looked up, and the storm trailed far away.