"Found you," as soon as she heard the words, she felt the air around them vibrate violently.
(What is this immense pressure!?)
If not for Eisen, she would have fallen to her knees instantly.
(A monster?)
She was unsure of the nature of the man/creature in front of them. Its aura is similar to a monster, but its form appears human. It wasn't long before she noticed the two, pointed ears.
(Elves?)
Elves are a race of demi-humans that are akin to guardians of the forests. Their laid-back but secretive nature made them one of the most mysterious demi-human races in existence. Since they prefer to avoid contact with other races as much as possible, you would rarely see one. That, and the fact that their nation is further west, makes it virtually impossible for them to show up in such an unexpected place.
As Fei was contemplating the identity of the infiltrator, she failed to notice a beam of energy coming toward her. A loud explosion soon echoed throughout the hall as the two were sent flying to the other end. The strength of the beam was so intense that bits and pieces of the decrepit chamber are scattered everywhere.
"Urrggh...."
Fei groaned as soon as she felt the pain from the earlier collision. The attack was far too quick for her to react on time. The last thing she remembered was something blocking her from the attack.
"Eisen!"
That's when she remembered Eisen. She quickly searched for him, only to find him buried under some rubble. With disregard for her own injury, she immediately went to check on him.
"Eisen! Are you OK!? Answer me!".
It's no use. He is not responding to any of her calls.
"Dos Ciura!" she cast healing magic.
As soon as the glowing green light surrounded his body, he started coughing up blood. She felt instant relief at the fact that his companion is at least alive.
"Oh boy! We have a hero here! Woo-hoo! Way to go, Mr. He-ro! Hahaha!"
The dust has finally cleared, revealing a man in a dark outfit. His robe was pulled back, revealing his two pointed ears. His eyes, like a cat's, shined golden in the dimly lit room. His bulking physique would make any adventurer run for his money.
"A shame if you would have been done for just from that!" he added.
"You fiend! Who are you!"
Anger wells up within her as the unknown man not only launches a sneak attack on them but also has the nerve to ridicule her companion.
The man looked at her, his eyes glistened even brighter.
"Hoooo~, we have a fighter here! Now that's something you don't see every day!" the man shouted excitedly.
"Now. Will you dance with me, little lady?"
The man extended his right hand towards Fei as if asking for permission from a lady to dance. She looked at Eisen. His breathing is now steadier than it was before.
(Good. He's in stable condition for now.)
She slowly lowered his head, careful not to wake him up. She swiped the dust from the hem of her skirt, before facing towards their assailant.
"If it's a dance to the death, then you are more than welcome to, you fiend!" she declared with unmistakable fury evident within her eyes. She quickly launched her counter-offensive.
"Terra!"
A stone wall came rushing towards the man. Even though Terra isn't an attack magic, the way she manipulates its movement could still be used in an offensive of some sort.
"That's more like it!!"
However, it can only exert as much power as one would expect from a stone wall.
With a single swing of his massive arms, the man demolished the stone wall in no time.
"Is that all you got little miss!?" he shouted. However, Fei was nowhere to be seen, as if she had suddenly vanished.
"Terra".
There, right in front of him, was Fei as she cast Terra in point-blank range.
(No matter how strong he is, he can't evade this at point-blank!)
The stone wall she conjured landed straight into his abdomen.
"Buwaaggh!", with a groan, the man was tossed vertically into the air.
"Don't think this is over yet!"
A stone wall sprung forth from the ground, pushing the man upwards at an incredible speed. Above him is a similarly-thick stone wall, falling in the same direction.
*Crash*
The chamber was filled with a loud sound the moment the two pillars met. Fei was exhausted from casting Terra multiple times, evident from her labored breathing.
"Did I get him?"
She stared at the column that she made. It was small, but cracks started to appear across it, before suddenly bursting into pieces.
"Haha! I felt that!"
Far from her hopes, her opponent only had his robe torn apart, revealing his scar-riddled body. Someone who remains unscathed from such an exchange is surely leagues above her.
"You monster!"
Is it her good luck or is it just a coincidence that the area has plenty of materials to use Terra? She doesn't know.
"Terra!"
She conjured yet again several stone pillars, all of a scale larger than before, from four different directions. She was able to box her opponent inside her makeshift cage. Then, to seal the box, she made a giant cube of dirt fall in the space between, perfectly pulverizing what was within.
The conjured block fits perfectly, forming a cube. But as soon as the cube was formed, it started glowing red. It started in one single point, before slowly expanding, enveloping the whole polygon.
"!"
Sensing the danger, Fei cast several layers of Terra to protect herself. Just as soon as she finished her chant, a familiar beam of light shot through the makeshift cuboidal prison.
"Arrghh!"
The intensity of the attack was too strong that the layers of Terra protecting her started to melt. Before she could be hit by a beam that easily exceed temperatures beyond what humans can tolerate, Fei sidestepped from her position.
"Peek-a-boo!"
But right in front of her, the man's face suddenly appeared, his hands curled up into a fist. With the sounds of air being sliced, the man unleashed his charged-up punch toward Fei.
(Oh no!)
Fei can only close her eyes as she awaits the attack to land. But to her surprise, no attack ever landed.
"I'll take it from here,"
She opened her eyes as soon as she heard that voice. Eisen was there standing between her and the man, his sword blocking the man's fist.