Perspective : Conrad Garnier
Escaping from our first line of defence, a few wolves slipped, they rushed towards Yuna, I bet they saw her as an easy pray, but we couldn't let them reach her.
My hands were full dealing with the once which were pouncing on me.
Someone had to stop them.
I guess, she couldn't quite control her anger, that bad luck streak, she figured out that she couldn't just cry her way out of this situation now, if she wanted to save her brother, she had to do that on her own.
And I know, sometimes if you need things to be done, the best course of action is to do them yourself.
So, She stopped hiding behind our backs, she stood up to fight for her brother, to be honest I respected that.
That's how things should have been from the beginning,
why bothering begging in front of a deaf audience?
It was pointless and she figured that out, finally.
Sheela casted the spell "Flame Sphere."
Dim sparks of fire ignited in the air close to the wolves resembling tiny candles.
I knew what was that?
It was a trap.
As sneaky as her I'd say.
And those animals fell right in.
Ignoring the flames, the wolves continued to advance, but as they approached those small flames unbeknownst to them they transformed into sizable spheres of flame, exploding, engulfing and incinerating a bunch of them at once.
It wasn't that impressive but I'd say, good for her.
Then she casted the spell 'Floating Embers.' Small embers of fire began to hover in the air.
as same as before
Once those flames made contact with the wolves, all of them simultaneously burst into flames, burning until they all died.
I could see the content on her face.
However, she wasn't out of the woods yet, because holding on, in the front line, was getting quite difficult.
Each second I felt like I took one down, more took their place and more got past me. At that point, preventing them from breaching our line, was far from hard, I'd say impossible.
we needed something that would have eliminated a ton of them at one go. We needed more room to breathe, It was getting overwhelming.
Some sort of attack or a spell, that would kill a ton of them, giving us a moment to catch our breath, something like she did.
Federica Exclaimed ,
"Thornbane Quill"
and she firmly struck the ground with her staff, that's when I felt that, a burst of energy surged from the staff to the ground, suddenly tiny sharp thorns emerged from the earth, piercing the head of about 22 or so wolves at once.
Talk about efficient.
I wasn't that far either, in that subtle moment of distraction, I took the opportunity to dispatch a few of them myself.
I could hear it, that "thud" sound when it lands, that "swoosh" sound when he swings it and that "slash" sound when he cuts those wolves. I could hear that all.
He was swinging that massive great sword like crazy,
That thing was so massive and there were so many wolves that, I bet even he swinged it blindly he would probably keep killing them.
But I gotta wonder, how much strength does one needs to wield a weapon of that caliber. Probably all those nutrients went straight for those muscles.
However, that looked cool as heck.
I saw him executing a powerful sweeping motion that effortlessly dispatched over 30 to 40 wolves easily, It was literally raining wolf blood on him.
simultaneously.
All of a sudden, we heard a haunting symphony of wolf howls which filled the air, It wasn't a good sign, that howling was followed by the appearance of a more hundreds of wolves. Perhaps the howling was some sort of primal call for reinforcements.
I don't understand. But the gist of it was that, once again we were overwhelmed.
Brandon clearly annoyed, exclaimed,
"Damn those wolves ... they keep coming .... for fuck sake".
Which was followed by a thunder cracking sound and I knew who that was?
It was him. I pegged him for dead, it would have been nice, but he was still kicking.
As I saw those Wolves approaching him, Thor Gild stood firm in his feet clenching his grip on his sword, the first wolf lunged forward, teeth bared, but Thor Gild Instinctively sidesteps, as if he was showing off, for fuck sake that annoying piece of shit, another wolf pounces at him, and he stands there, perfectly parrying the attack with a swift movement of his sword, and then with a calculated thrust he pierces those wolves chest, pinning them together in his sword, like some kind of weird wolf skewers.
As more wolf pounces at him Thor Gild spins with perfect agility, his sword cleaving through the air severing their heads from their bodies.
Creating a trail of red blood and severed head following his blade.
And then it came, a massive onslaught of wolves.
Finally he was going to die, I was going to witness it happen in font of me, what an honour it was.
What I didn't expect was, he would be standing still, calm and breathing controllably.
I saw no hint of terror in him.
As he faced those wolves, he tapped into his magic, as those wolves leapt into the air, I witnessed it myself, there was no way he could have survived that, there were wolves everywhere, to his left, to his right, to his back, to his front, literally every direction, how many could have he been able to take out, 4 maybe 6 of them, at best he could kill 10 or 12 in that short timeframe, but 30, no way, surely one will get him at some point, his chances were slim.
However, Thor Gild, he raised his sword high, and it happened, the sky crackled and the thunder fell directly on his blade, harnessing the power of lightning, he swung his blade charged with lightning, he twirled seamlessly dispersing bolt of lightning all around him as his sword left a trail of striking bolts, hitting the wolves with a lethal surge.
Sure it were wolves, but we had never faced an onslaught this massive before.
To be honest, we were barely hanging on to our lives, every second we executed our moves perfectly, If we'd messed up even once, we were done for.
My job wasn't just surviving on my own, I had to protect Regina as well, but thankfully for me, she was doing the job of guarding our rear just fine.
Her spells were on point and precise, they were not that fatal, but their range were wide.
Wolves were surrounding us, howling at us, I was incinerating them left and right, with out even stopping for a bit.
But It wasn't enough, we were still getting overwhelmed, I think that was when she stopped for an instant, leaving herself open, as soon as they saw that opening, three wolves pounced on her, their fangs ready to dig in her skin.
I quickly took them out.
Her eyes were closed, I thought she had given up,
At that moment, she opened her eyes and exclaimed,
" Grand Icicle blast",
The ground shook, frost fumes began to rise from the snow, the wolves momentarily stopped, confused in their tracks, I had heard that spell before, but that never happened, out of nowhere huge icicle spikes erupted, impaling almost most of the wolves attacking the both of us.
Giving us a bit of time to catch our breaths.
However, there were still remaining wolves startled by that sudden attack, hesitating for a moment,
That was the window, they were still and open for a strike, just the problem was that there were so damn many of them. Without wasting a moment I continued slashing them relentlessly, but It wasn't working, there were still more.
Regina seizing that opportunity, waved her staff, as snowy wind started to flew violently, but it wasn't effecting us, only the wolves, freezing the surrounding and slowing their movements down. Then she swiftly maneuvered through that snow, avoiding their attacks while pelting them with additional shards of Ice,
It was genius. a perfect strategy.
To wrap all of that up, she concluded by casting a spell,
With her staff raised high, Regina exclaimed,
" Icicle spear",
Frost gathered, they became snow, turning in to ice and becoming huge pointy spikes, in an instant.
And then she started hurling those colossal spears in perfect synchronisation, aiming for each wolves separately, , Impaling all of them simultaneously. By the time she was done, we all had been through the worst of it and survived.
Thor Gild too survived, I wasn't disappointed, I reckoned there would be a lot of chances where he would eventually loose his life.
[ Yuna Chanting :
"With reverence and focus, let us now recite,
The incantation that unleashes this icy might.
Frozen Stasis, we call upon thee,
Preserve what's cherished, for all eternity".]
And Yuna was done, we were on the clear for now.
A delicate snowflake gracefully fell into Ron's open palm, as his fingers gently clasped around it, a flurry of snow swiftly emanates from his hand, covering his entire body and creating a truly beautiful icy sculpture out of him. He had become of more worth than he ever could have become, a magnificent statue of ice, capturing the surroundings, inside his mirror like-glitter.
And I guess she wasn't lying either, as soon as she saw her spell work, she lost consciousness, Yuna fell into the snow, giving us a huge handicap and baggage to carry, thanks, really needed that.
Elkdrack as he saw her, exclaimed,
"I think she is done".
One thing I could say about that blabber Kyle was, that he always was true to his word, he did what he said, and I couldn't deny that.
It's a real quality most people lack.
As he had promised, he gently carried unconscious Yuna on his back, and muttered,
"Just as I said ..... I would".
Sheela, at that point, I didn't know whether she was faking it, or was actually serious, she insisted the impossible,
"Let me carry Ron".
And she actually attempted to lift Ron's Icy body, however, as it should be, despite her best efforts the weight of Ron's icy figure proved too much for Sheela's fragile frame.
Totally expected that.
And Nothing new there, Thor Gild offered his help,
"Let me .... carry him".
I don't know whether that was a part of her act, or she was genuinely worried about him, she asked,
"But your leg".
Thor Gild answered,
"That is just a minor injury .... I can still carry him".
To display her gratitude, Sheela bowed to him.
Eeekh bleh !
She actually bowed to that piece of shit.
I couldn't and wouldn't do that in a million years. That is just gross, outright disgusting.
It was better, if she would have left Ron behind.
Naturally he couldn't do anything on his own, he just had to drag others in his mess.
Thor Gild asked for Elkdrack's help,
"Hey Elkdrack .... help me tie him to my back".
Naturally, Elkdrack reconfirmed, whether he was truly up for doing that moronic thing, it's not like it will hold him back or anything,
Ohh wait carrying a whole person does.
He asked,
"Are you sure mate .... ".
Naturally Thor Gild replied,
"Yes I am".
There was literally no point in reasoning with an mentally insane person.
Elkdrack responded a bit concerned,
"Don't say ... I didn't warn ya .... carrying that heavy thing around while fighting will take quite a toll on you".
Thor Gild replied,
"I know".
"Now help me".
That garbage fished out a long and sturdy rope from his item box. I was surprised he wasn't drained yet.
I think he still had it in him, enough energy to become an Idiot one last time.
To ensure a secure and effective setup, Elkdrack employed the rope's precise control over his limbs, to weave the rope around frozen Ron's body and Thor Gild's douchey body.
He was a dwarven worrier after all, I had heard that they are supposed to be really good at those kinda stuff.
Elkdrack strategically tied knots and loops, ensuring a tight and dependable bond.
Thor Gild reminded Elkdrack,
"I will need to fight too ... so keep that in mind".
Elkdrack affirmed,
"Yeah .. yeah I know".
So he did knew, maybe he wasn't trying to be a annoying piece of another baggage.
So, as he asked, not like that would do any good for him, but still my friend Elkdrack tried his best.
To further enhance stability during combat, Elkdrack reinforced the rope with additional fastenings such as straps and buckles to provide extra security.
Now he was able to move, a bit restrained but still mobile enough for combat.
Elkdrack after finishing tying Ron up to Thor Gild, he said,
"It's done now ... you should be good to go".
Thor Gild responded thankfully,
"You sure ... If he falls during battle ... it's on you".
Elkdrack replied with a sarcastic look at his face,
"That's a nice way to say that you are grateful ... isn't it?".
While Elkdrack was tying Ron up with Thor Gild,
Me, Emilia, Marcus, Robin and Brandon were defending them from those fierce wolves.
Yes, they were back again.
That is why, it was such a pain in the ass.
We had formed a circle around them, Regina and Kyle were taking care of Yuna, Elkdrack and Thor Gild were busy doing their own thing meanwhile, Sheela, she was on her own plain of existence, she just stood there vacantly staring at Thor Gild, what was up with her?
Not like we were being attacked, right!.
Emilia was taking care of our rear.
She Exclaimed ,
"Is it done now!".
Thor Gild responded,
"Yes, let's get moving".
Me being extremely exhausted by fighting wolves non - stop, I asked Emilia, as I saw a shield tucked in the back of her armour, but for some reason I never saw her using it.
"Hey Emilia .... If you are not going to use that shield can I have it .... I need it ... now".
She responded by throwing that shield towards me,
I caught it and thanked her,
"Much appreciated".
As more wolves lunged at me, Instead of attacking I responded by raising that sturdy shield I just got, It was a change of pace, and I kinda admit, it was working,
Using the shield, in return deflected the wolves assault, giving me that opportunity where I thrusted my blade with precision, impaling a couple of them on it.
As I mentioned before, those critters were very cunning, smart, and quite adaptive If I add.
Those wolves sensing danger attempted to flank me, but I was already expecting it, I had seen them learn before, and I had learnt that myself,
I swiftly whirled, using my shield as a weapon, I delivered a powerful blow, sending those wolves sprawling on the snow.
But it was far from over,
I wasn't done yet, I wanted to show them that they were not the only ones learning, we studied them too, I kept engaging those wolves blocking their attacks with Emilia's shield, never letting them have the drop on me, and by relentlessly thrusting my sword until all of them were impaled upon its deadly tip.
I was so in it, that I didn't realised, I had dropped that shield.
Maybe I didn't needed it to fight, my usual way was just fine.
And I realised that the shield really wasn't my thing, so, I returned it to Emilia.
I think she felt a bit suspicious of me, I'd be too, because I had returned that thing after my first use, maybe she thought I had broke it or something along those lines.
She asked,
"Don't you need it".
I responded honestly,
"Too much restricted movement".
And she agreed with me,
"That makes two of us".
It was over,
After that the wolves halted their assault and withdrew back into the shadowy woods, yet their growls still resonated in our ears.
It was uneasy.
And quite unsettling to be honest, I never let my guard down.
And precisely that's when it occurred, in a moment of reprieve, just as Sheela was staring at Thor Gild, a wolf suddenly lunged at her.
Probably one straggler we had missed.
I'd say, she shouldn't have done that, but it wasn't my call.
But, right at that moment, Federica Exclaimed,
"Earth lance!"
And a sharp lance of earth pierced through the wolf's head, saving Sheela from dying.
It was a moment of shock and restraint, where I was really holding myself back from throwing that bitch on to the wolves.
But just to add cherry on the top, that happened,
In the blink of an eye as Sheela was about to say something to Federica, probably thank her, we saw an enormous shadow looming behind her.
I think,
It was a gigantic bug catching plant, far bigger then the ones we fought earlier, even before we could react to it, with a single swift motion It gobbled up Federica's upper body, from her head to her chest, causing torrents of blood to gush in the air, covering us in her blood.
I was unexpected, for a moment there, I didn't quite understand what had just aspired before me.
[(Not a part of Conrad's narration)
As the grisly scene unfolded before sheela's eyes, Sheela stood frozen in sheer horror, her face contorted in a mix of disbelief and terror. Her mouth agape, she could feel her heart pounding against her chest, as if trying to escape that nightmarish reality that had befallen her dear companion, Federica. Her eyes, wide with shock, filled with tears that refused to spill over, as if her very being was paralyzed by that gruesome spectacle.]
It was as if time itself slowed down, My mind just Couldn't process
"What just happened?".
The moment became etched into my very eyes.
Relentlessly repeating itself, and I still couldn't snap out of that trance.
I questioned to myself, we checked, we fought relentlessly, there shouldn't be any of those things around, I didn't see any sign of it before.
It couldn't just appear out of thin air.
Then I realised, normal rules didn't apply there, it was a place where the common norm was to either eat or be eaten, and in that rule, human life didn't matter much, we might as well be abug before those things.
It was all her fault, if it wasn't for her, we wouldn't have had that momentarily distraction where we just couldn't spot that huge thing approaching us,
Federica's blood was on her.
Her face was completely covered in Federica's blood, she screamed in terror.
Her scream was the only sound we could hear because,
It was a complete silence, no one spoke, only Sheela's scream echoing in that forest.
At that moment, maybe it thought we had given up, that plant lowered it's ugly head as if it was mocking us, and just as it was about to snatch Sheela, Elkdrack briskly stepped in, rescuing Sheela at the last moment, narrowly avoiding the clutches of its menacing bite.
He should have left her there.
And then my dude freaked out,
He shouted loudly,
"Holy shiiiit ....".
I can't tell whether that was intentional or not, but
that snapped everyone of us, out of our state of disbelief.
It was on, not a moment of break for us, maybe the forest wanted to break us before killing us.
Make us really suffer for intruding its hallowed ground.
I can still feel it, that frustration I felt, that anger I held, as those things reared from the snow, those ugly vines, I just wanted to cut them to slashes,
I know, I wasn't thinking straight.
No one was.
But Kyle, he knew what to do?
He ordered,
"Regina .... Quickly the crystal".
Upon hearing it, Regina rushed towards it,
And I followed her.
I can still feel it, that feeling of having something right at your reach, just a bit out the touch of your fingers , but you couldn't grab it. You were too late.
I was too late, Regina was too late, and that thing reached it.
those huge vines swiftly destroyed that Icy crystal, disintegrating it into a cloud of dust,
and with that our hopes of survival.