Rumble—!
The ground trembled fiercely, and the trees shattered.
"Ueeeekkk!"
A cry pierced through the forest as four pairs of eyes, no ordinary eyes, but orbs of ominous brilliance, flickered to life in the depths of darkness.
Like two beacons of light, they pierced through the inky blackness, their ominous gaze fixed upon the five figures that scrambled through the forest in panic.
"Haaa… Haaa… How much longer do we have to run?"
"We're almost there."
Joana responded, briefly glancing at the map on her watch.
"Haa… I… I'm starting to get tired."
"Just grit your teeth and continue running. Olivia and Sarah are both doing better than you so there's no reason why you can't keep up with them."
"Haa… But I'm carrying Lyla!"
"Just stop compl—"
Rumble—!
The towering trees behind them splintered into fragments as a colossal pillar violently impaled the ground, launching chunks of earth high into the air.
"Akh!"
"Run faster!"
If not for the fact that she had to control her speed to match the others, Joana would've already arrived at the designated location marked on the map.
However, according to the commands, they all had to keep the same pace for at least a couple of kilometers before the designated location, hence why she was still next to them. Presumingly, it was to help the girls in case they tripped or something went wrong. With her speed, she would be able to help them.
—Mia, hand Lyla to Joana.
A calm voice echoed in Joana's head.
—Once you get Lyla, run at full speed toward the marked point. I'll tell you what to do after that.
"Okay."
Joana didn't question the command at all. She turned to look at Mia, who looked back at her.
"Here."
She seemed almost relieved as she handed Lyla, but Joana didn't really have the luxury to check if she was seeing correctly. In any case, she could just check later.
"I handed Lyla… haa to her, what do we do now?"
—Sarah, Mia, and Olivia you girls keep running at the same pace. Olivia, activate Scent of Bloom if the beast locks onto Joana and Lyla.
"Hold on tightly Lyla."
With Lyla clinging to her body, Joana no longer needed to hold back. Tightening her calves, she surged forward with an impressive burst of speed.
WOOOM—!
Her body shot like an arrow, gracefully maneuvering through the dense forest, effortlessly avoiding each tree in her path.
It wasn't long before the two of them arrived on a narrow land that was completely flat and devoid of any trees.
"We're here, what do we do?"
—Have Lyla cast a simple frost spell on the ground. Leave a small trail that connects to the center.
"Ah, frost spell? Leave a small trail that connects to the center?"
Despite not comprehending the instruction, Joana instinctively nudged Lyla, who responded by raising her wand.
In an instant, a cold, luminescent light emanated from the wand, giving birth to a small blue magic circle hovering beside it. From within the circle, a beam of blue light surged forth, colliding with the ground and leaving a trail of frost in its wake.
The air around the two immediately grew cold and Lyla's face paled considerably.
"Is this enough?"
Joana anxiously asked, staring at Lyla nervously. It didn't seem she could hold on for very long.
—No. More. It's too thin. Have her build a small ramp at the center. About half a meter tall.
"What...?"
—Make it as dense as possible. Enough to withstand a powerful impact.
"I… Okay."
Joana bit her lips and once again nudged at Lyla who nodded her little head and pointed her wand toward the middle.
She was already starting to grow concerned over Lyla's situation, but seeing her still obediently following the instructions, Joana swallowed her words.
Following the instructions precisely, a ramp began to take shape, rising gradually before them. However, as they neared the end of the construction, Lyla's magic circle faltered, causing the magic to wane in strength.
Joana immediately grew anxious.
"Lyla, you can st—"
—Don't stop. Continue.
His words carried an icy coldness that seemed ever colder than the ice in front of her. It seemed as though he held no regard for Lyla's condition, showing a complete indifference towards her.
Yet, at the same time. For some reason, Joana felt a certain reassurance from them that made it hard for her to speak back.
Thankfully, Lyla was able to persevere and the ramp fully formed.
"What ne—"
Booom—!
"Oh, no."
Joana's face grew pale.
"They're here."
Rustle—! Rustle—!
The bushes around them rustled and Mia, Sarah, and Olivia appeared immediately after. Trailing behind them, the 'Mother' advanced with its eight legs, each step puncturing the ground with terrifying force.
"Aikkk! It's coming! Do something!"
Mia's shouts echoed loudly in the forest, and right as she stepped into the field, she almost slipped on the ice.
"Hiaaak—Why is there ice!?"
"There's a trail that's untouched follow that!"
Joana yelled, pointing at the untouched trail.
"Ah, I see it!"
Mia was just about to jump over when a certain voice rang in everyone's ears.
—No. The trail is only for Olivia. You guys run alongside the flatland. One to the left, and the other to the right. Look for a red smiley face on the body of the 'mother'. That's its weak point.
"Uh?"
—Do it.
"…Okay."
It looked like she wanted to say a lot of things, but Mia followed his command, and so did Sarah.
"Fucking shit… what is this supposed to be? Why does it look like I'm being selected as the sacrifice? Just you wait when I get out of this… I'll make sure to skin you alive…"
On the other hand, Olivia seemed rather hesitant, but after throwing a couple of curses under her breath, she rushed toward the small trail that led toward the ramp.
Right as she positioned herself there, she asked.
"What do I do now?"
—Scent of Bloom.
"Uh...?"
Her eyes opened widely as she turned to look at the 'Mother' who towered over her. It was only a few meters behind her.
"Are you out of your mind!? Are you asking me to die? Did… you perhaps hear what I said before? I was totally joking, there's no need to hold gru—"
—Do it.
"Fuck. Fucking fuck!"
Olivia grit her teeth. For some reason, she found herself unable to refute his voice and a rosy mist suddenly enveloped the area.
"Hieeek!"
The 'Mother's' enraged shout echoed throughout the forest and its eyes settled over Olivia who raised her hand and threw a middle finger at it.
"Fuck you!"
"Hieeek!"
As if understanding her gesture, the 'Mother' rushed toward her with alarming speed.
Rumble—! Rumble—!
The ground quaked with every step, and Olivia positioned her shield forward. At the same time, she didn't forget to curse at the coms.
"Hey, fucker! I don't know what you're planning on doing, but if that thing charges at me like that I'm going to die you fucker!"
—Get on your knees.
"The fuck!?"
—Get on your knees and position your shield over your left shoulder. Tilt it ever so slightly and cushion some of the force from its leg. Make sure you re-direct the attack to the ramp. Everything depends on how well you can cushion the attack.
"Ah...?"
Olivia's eyes opened widely. But before she could even process the information, the 'Mother' was already upon her. Or more precisely, its leg which directly shot in her direction.
Reacting purely out of instinct, Olivia swiftly dropped to her knee and obediently followed the instructions. She positioned the shield beside the ramp and tensed her muscles as she pushed the shield up a bit.
At that precise moment, the 'Mother's' leg forcefully collided with the shield, producing a resounding metallic clank that echoed through the surrounding forest.
CLANK—!
Sparks flew in the air.
"Akh! Fuck—"
—Redirect it.
'Fuck, you think I'm not trying asshole?' Olivia wanted to say those words so badly but she couldn't as a sweet sensation in her throat stifled her voice, rendering her unable to utter them.
The sheer force of the attack overwhelmed her, pushing her limits. Yet, she persevered, knowing that her task was to absorb and cushion the blow.
Just as she reached her breaking point, she tilted the shield ever so slightly, causing the 'Mother's' leg to glide down the icy ramp.
"Akh!"
Streaks of blood trailed down her mouth, but drawing upon every ounce of strength, Olivia grit her teeth and propelled the 'Mother's' leg down the slick ice ramp.
Whiiiing—!
The ramp withstood the tremendous force exerted by the leg, allowing it to slide along its surface even after reaching the end, still carrying momentum.
With a lot of its force absorbed by Olivia, the ramp and the ice beneath it didn't shatter and the leg continued to skid down, making the 'Mother' lose its balance.
The 'Mother' other legs quickly clamped onto the ground, trying to stop itself from sliding forward.
"Hiaaaaak!"
But the momentum was far too much. The 'Mother' slid forward, and a certain calm voice rang in everyone's ears.
—Joana. Now's your chance. Aim for the joints of its leg.
"On it."
She didn't need to be told what she needed to do. The moment she saw Olivia slide the leg down the ramp, she understood everything, and her body rushed toward the leg.
Cr…Crack!
With each one of her steps the ice beneath her cracked and she reached the leg in no time.
Bang—!
Joana propelled her body forward, her daggers finding their mark as they plunged into the 'Mother's' leg. In a swift, fluid motion, she deftly severed a section of the leg, separating it from the monstrous entity.
"Hiaaaaak!"
In response to the searing pain, the 'Mother' emitted a frenzied cry, its primal instincts taking over as it trashed around.
In a desperate attempt to regain stability, it instinctively reached for its severed leg, hoping to use it as support. However, the severed limb only served to disrupt its balance further, causing it to slip and slide uncontrollably on the icy surface.
—I found the smiley face.
Sarah's voice echoed inside of everyone's communications.
—It's on the sac. Right toward the bottom.
—Okay. You two sneak toward it. When I say so, attack it. Olivia, are you still there?
—Ugh… barely.
—Position yourself.
—What?! Psycho! Are you…Cough… going to make me take another hit? Because if you are, you can dream on. I can't take any more of those… Cough.
—Do you have enough energy to throw your shield?
—That? I… I think I do.
—Okay. Get ready.
—Throw where?
—Joana. Next leg. Same side. Attack it now.
—Hey...! You haven't answered me!
"On it."
Joana had already been at it before he even had to say anything to her. She was the oldest for a reason. Her experience wasn't for nothing.
Propelling her body forward, Joana dashed forward, her aim sealed on the 'Mother's' leg.
Bang—!
She had just left the ground when a calm voice suddenly echoed in her ears.
—Olivia throw your shield at Joana. Mia, Sarah. Attack.
Uh?
The command left Joana stunned. Not just her, but everyone else, but she didn't have time to dwell over it as the 'Mother's' body suddenly hunched. And that's when Joana suddenly felt dread
The spinneret was aimed directly at her, and she could see a silvery white streak head in her direction at rapid speeds.
Oh, shit!
It all happened so fast that she had no time to properly process what was going on, but she understood one thing. If that hit her… she was going to die. To make matters worse, she couldn't stop herself as she was in mid-air.
A streak of something ominous tore through the air, hurtling directly towards her. Glinting ominously under the moonlight, it maintained its trajectory, inching closer with each passing moment.
Never before did Joana feel death so close, and just as she was about to meet the streak, something crashed against the side of her body.
Bang—!
"Ugkh!"
Joana groaned as she felt her body twist in the air.
Boom—!
Her body crashed against one of the trees, and she felt several bones break upon impact. Even so, she kept her gaze ahead and that was when she saw a thin and long silky line. It pierced through everything in its path.
She nervously gulped when she stared at the line. Had it hit her, she would've died without a doubt.
"Uaaaakh!"
Her attention was quickly taken away by a certain scream and when she turned her head, her eyes opened wide as she witnessed Mia and Sarah stab directly at the 'Mother's' abdomen.
A green liquid quickly spurted out from the body of the 'Mother' as it trashed around, sending both Mia and Sarah flying away.
That's when Joana finally realized what had happened and she smiled bitterly.
'So... I was the bait.'
Right, it made sense. She was the one whom the 'Mother' was most wary of after what she had done to its leg.
Rumble—! Rumble—!
The Mother's rampage continued, leaving nothing in its wake unscathed.
Trees were uprooted, the ground was torn apart, and rocks shattered into fragments. However, the chaos was abruptly halted by a resounding 'thump', plunging the surroundings into an eerie silence.
Surrounded by an unsettling stillness, Joana's senses heightened, and she could feel her mouth growing dry.
Slowly, her lips parted, her heart unable to calm itself down.
"Did… we do it?"