"CONTINUE WITHOUT ME! I'LL KEEP THEM BUSY!" Ether's serious voice ordered.
Crystals went down Valentine's left leg, shattering the moment he stepped. Each crystal eroded into the snow before erupting into several sharp crystals meant to hinder the chasing beasts.
Noticing the lack of resistance, Ether slowed down. Tellendor hummed to life, empowering itself from its short nap. Each letter engraved onto the weapon glowed a faint blue color.
Heavy, beastly stomps lingered inside his ears. His small frame turned around to greet the forces with a dead glare. This was his life to lose.
Yinmars rose on their hind limbs, ready to crush the challenger. Exposing their white, powdered underbellies. They hung there, enticing the defensive Zesher.
With one heavy blow, Tellendor penetrated the thick hide and dug deep into the Yinmar's gut. Ether continued to push, allowing him to throw the beast back to its allies.
As it tumbled and drifted to death, another beast came to take its place. This time it was a Cemtrin. It brought down its open palm, hoping to crush Ether on impact.
He dashed back, dodging the blow before leaping onto the hand. Ether scaled the creature's arm, until he reached the shoulder.
One large hook-like tooth hung outside the beast's mouth. It tried striking fear inside his mind, but got sucked into the black hole that replaced it.
Using his right shoulder, Ether charged at it. Striking the beast's tooth and sending him over its head. Ether readied his weapon, it understood the command.
It felt terrible pain as the tip of an empowered weapon dug into its rough skin. But not deep enough to cause interior damage.
While Ether battled for his allies' escape, Pearl watched in shock and horror. She stepped forward, hoping to reach her mate before he got seriously injured.
Suth caught her. The motherly grasp of her mentor snapped her out of her dark visions.
"Do not go after him, Pearl. It's better to let him handle himself rather than going over there and getting killed. Now let's hurry back to Terron so we co- "
"I am not leaving without him," Pearl replied, hysterically.
Risk walked beside the two Thawed. Head tilted high, picturing himself in Ether's situation. A crooked smile curved the sides of his jaws.
"Listen to the spiritual ice lady. It's better to lose one than two," Risk doubled down.
Pearl pushed away her mentor's arms. "I've dealt with so much while with Waveknocker. Do YOU know how it feels to become a nobody? How about being forced to standby idly while eating leftovers?"
Trauma tainted her voice. "Do you know how I felt every time the 'leader' tried to hit on me? I felt horrible. And that Zesher up there made me forget all about it while giving me a life I love. I will go up there and fight alongside him."
She detached an executioner's sword from her back. The same one Ether asked the Armory to make for her. It weighed down on her arms, she studied the unusual feeling of a weapon she never used.
In front of her, the Cemtras Ether controlled thrashed and bashed those around it. The creature became enraged by a permanent pain. Not enough to cause agony, but enough to bother it.
"PEARL, GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Ether howled.
She ignored his order. Determined to retreat at the same time as her mate, Pearl lowered herself to prepare for a vicious battle.
Realizing it wasn't possible to control her, Ether tilted the Cemtras' head sideways. One orange eye turned to look at him, witnessing its attacker drive a powerful strike to the side of its head.
The Cemtras tumbled, falling onto a Yinmar. A sickening crunching sound haunted Ether's eardrums as he landed on his feet right in front of Pearl.
Tellendor sensed the situation, it knew things could end up horribly. So it instinctively gifted Ether with power. A surge of adrenaline and numbness washed over his body like water.
Pearl spun around, helping her weapon gather momentum. One beastly arm crashed down in front of her, securing the Yinmar in place to swipe its prey with the other arm.
Just as it came down with full force, Pearl effortlessly cut its arm by the elbow. It collapsed, head facing up before getting crushed by a Cemtras' foot.
Purple encased Ether's legs, helping him jump with more force. The same dark purple aura captured his arm as he drove it into the Cemtras' jaws. Shattering it completely.
Blood poured from the serious wound. Ether grabbed onto the inside of the creature's jaw, swinging him above it. Using his other hand, he struck the top of its head. Purple encased that limb too.
Shattering the beast's crown, exposing its brain. The Zesher got a hold of a piece of its skull, keeping the object in his hand for a brief moment before driving it into its brain. Killing it instantly.
While killing the Cemtras, Pearl put her weapon to good use. Fur, armored skin, bone. Everything was paper compared to the blade designed to execute.
"Okay, okay, we had our fun here. Let's go, Pearl, return to Terron," Ether tried to talk to her.
In response, she flicked mystic-blue blood off her hand. "Now that you're here with me, let's go back home... defeated."
Despair lingered in the air, taunting Ether for not being enough to turn the tide after they fell into the trap. Purple tainted stones covered him, planting the Zesher in place. Allowing a Cemtras to smash it to bits.
Completely unaware of Ether being right above it now. Each stone tried to go through the Cemtras, realizing it couldn't, it tried harder. Until it succeeded in going into its skin.
The beast howled in agony as they went deeper into its body. It collapsed as it went all the way through, reconnecting with Ether on the other side.
He leapt off, holding his own hands above his head. Which hardened and glowed as they collapsed on the ground and shattered. Forming several larger spikes around him.
Penetrating through those unlucky to stand in their path, and finally putting a halt to their advance. Giving Ether enough time to pull Pearl away to a nearby Sky Beast.
Suth whistled it over to them. The beast understood her command and leapt to action. Four wings flapped in perfect harmony, gently reminding them it was safe now.
It threw them onto its back before flying back to the main group. As the spikes were fading, the retreating Legion lifted off.
Wind smacked against their faces. Playing a rough tune that pained the survivors. No one spoke, not even Risk's Ferals. But he was an exception.
"So quiet! Come on, speak! I mean... I know it will hurt our throats later if we hung our mouths wide open in the sky, but come on. The Nine gave us a mouth and throat for a reason, dammit!"
Everyone ignored his request. They focused on each other, hoping to catch injuries before they got too nasty. Although the nasty wound of defeat was fresh on their minds and confidences.
"Damn Light Legion... everyone will bite my blade. Heads severed, lives extinguished," Pearl manically whispered to herself.
Understanding some of the fault fell on him, Ether tried to comfort her. His arms wrapped her torso in a caring hug. One only she could recognize.
"I should have never been left in charge. What am I other than Suth's lackey? Not meant to fight, meant to rot away in my own home..." Pearl's voice began to crumble.
"Don't say that. You're my mate, meant to be by my side. Living the life I do now would be a death sentence if you weren't here," Ether hugged her tighter. "You make these fights easier to digest."
Hearing his response provoked a feeling of shame. She felt embarrassed for saying stuff like this out loud. Especially where her partner could hear her.
She quickly shut her mouth, not allowing anymore nonsense to fly out of it accidentally. But her hidden side was already revealed. Not just to him, but to Suth and Risk as well.
Deep down, Pearl was also struggling with herself and the aftermath from leaving Waveknocker. Something she tried to hide, and successfully did so for some time.
Wind continued to flow past them, progressively warming up as they got further away from Digon. While the ride persisted, Pearl found herself alone.
She looked around to see Cerus staring down at her across a dark room in her mind. A dark moment in the team's history, one no one dared to speak about.
That fresh memory resurfaced in her mind. The morning before it happened. How she carelessly slid across the kitchen preparing her breakfast.
And even hearing Talis walk in and his reaction to being home alone with her. Down to even how the event unfolded and the sound of the door opening again. Cerus' reaction and his instinctive reaction.
An unexplainable urge to tell Ether about that day poisoned her mind. She wanted Talis dead, just as much as Ether did.
"I have a story to tell you when we get home," Pearl whispered.
Ether nodded, trying his best to be a source of comfort for her. "I'm excited to hear it. And for our meal, I'll cook. Just want to prepare you something special."
Before turning her attention to the world below once again. "But don't bring Orako or Jakery inside our room. This story is something I'll bring with me to the grave, and you're lucky enough to hear it." She added.