*******************************************
Sylanwood, Diremaw: The Frozen Slopes: Treasure Room, Time: 2:00 PM
*******************************************
The battle raged on as Mianne and James struggled to evade the pinecone dragon's deadly claws. Mianne voiced her frustration, "We can't land a single hit on it!"
C2, doing her best, unleashed a barrage of crystal attacks at the dragon, but they simply bounced off its resilient scales.
James attempted to suggest the chaos, "Maybe if we could..." He had to break off his thought abruptly to dodge a searing icicle laser.
"You kids have been running your mouths long enough!" Alwin, clutching the orb, interrupted them. The sphere began to glow ominously.
In a sudden vision, Mianne saw James about to be impaled by a massive icicle above him.
Panicking, she yelled out, "JAMES, ABOVE YOU!" Her warning prompted James to swiftly evade as the icicle crashed to the ground. Mianne was left bewildered by the experience.
She pondered, 'Did I have a glimpse of the future? But I'm not a vision mage or even a mage who can see the future...'
Her thoughts were interrupted by James's urgent voice, "Mianne, look out!" She snapped back to reality as the dragon lunged toward her, attempting to devour her whole.
"Stand back, Master! I shall vanquish this foe!" C1 proclaimed with determination, intervening to halt the dragon's advance. However, the dragon abruptly lifted its head, leaving C1 muttering a helpless curse.
The colossal beast clamped its enormous jaws around C1, and she cried out in terror and agony, "Oh gods, this beast is devouring me! I'm going to become its meal! HELP ME!!!" The dragon swung her around like a ragdoll, its grip unrelenting.
As C1 struggled helplessly in the jaws of the pinecone dragon, Mianne couldn't help but facepalm in frustration. "Have we tried targeting the helmet?" She asked, feeling like they had been attacking the dragon's body fruitlessly.
"I did, but I couldn't get close enough," James replied, his eyes locked on the dragon. Alwin clutched the orb, and it began to glow ominously, prompting him to conjure an enormous iceberg.
James quickly adapted, using the iceberg as a platform to reach the dragon's helmet. He delivered a powerful kick, causing a crack to appear on the helmet. His successful maneuver was met with surprise.
"Oh!" James exclaimed as he skillfully dodged an incoming icicle, landing safely on the ground.
With a newfound idea in mind, James turned to Mianne, his voice filled with determination. "I have an idea. What if we both target the helmet... together?"
Mianne, evading a swiping tail from the dragon, paused and considered his proposal. After a moment, she burst into laughter.
"God, this is why I like you," she muttered softly, her cheeks flushing slightly.
James, slightly puzzled, asked, "Huh?"
but Mianne quickly brushed it off. "Nothing!" she replied, her focus back on the battle.
Standing side by side, Mianne and James prepared for their coordinated duo attack, determined to take down the formidable foe.
James and Mianne stood side by side, determined to bring an end to the menacing pinecone dragon.
James wielded his halberd, charged with the Thunderbird rune's electric power, while Mianne held her cleric staff, channeling the energies of her Trio of Crystal rune.
They shared a nod of understanding, their teamwork honed through countless battles together, "Let's go!" Both of them said in unison.
The dragon, distracted by its attempts to deal with C1, was caught off guard as James and Mianne coordinated their attack.
With a synchronized battle cry, they surged forward, their weapons aimed at the helmet that had been their primary obstacle, "You fools! What are you doing?!" Alwin tries to stop their attack, but his frail body can't withstand the force of the attack.
"Haaah!" James swung his halberd in a powerful arc, the weapon crackling with electrical energy.
At the same time, Mianne thrust her cleric staff forward, sending a barrage of crystal projectiles soaring toward the dragon's helmet.
The halberd's blade and the crystal projectiles collided with the helmet, creating a dazzling display of sparks and shards.
The combined force of their attack proved too much for the dragon's helmet to withstand. With a resounding crack, the helmet shattered into pieces, leaving the pinecone dragon momentarily stunned.
It let out a deafening roar of pain and frustration before collapsing to the ground, exhausted.
James and Mianne stood victorious, panting from the intense battle but relieved that it was finally over.
They exchanged triumphant smiles, their bond stronger than ever. The pinecone dragon had been defeated, and Glacial Vigorous' threat had been quelled.
As they caught their breath, Mianne couldn't help but tease James, her cheeks still flushed from her earlier slip of words. "Looks like our teamwork paid off, huh?" she said with a playful wink.
James chuckled, his cheeks tinted with a hint of a blush. "Yeah, it did. But you never finished that sentence earlier..."
Mianne laughed, deciding to change the subject. "Let's just say, I like you for your battle strategies." They both shared a lighthearted moment, however for someone...
"NO! I WON'T ACCEPT DEFEAT FROM CHILDREN LIKE YOU!" Alwin was furious, his plan was ruined and everything was falling apart. Mianne and James could only glare at him in anger.
Alwin attempted to shoot them with another projectile, but C2 swiftly set up a barrier that deflected it, sending the projectile careening toward the chain of Princess Elowen's cage and causing it to plummet.
"Elowen!" James yelled, attempting to get up, but his injured leg gave way beneath him. Elowen screamed as the cage descended, threatening to crash to the ground with her inside.
In the nick of time, C1 managed to get up and declared her triumphant action, "Haha! I have distracted the dragon, and now my master is safe--"
Before C1 could finish her sentence, the cage landed on top of her with a resounding crash.
Elowen, albeit shaken, was safely on the ground. She slowly opened her eyes to find herself unharmed and quickly ran to James and Mianne, seeking refuge in their embrace.
"YOU DAMN OUTSIDERS AND ROYAL, I HATE ALL OF YOU! GUARDS, GET DOWN HERE AND SURROUND THEM!" Alwin bellowed with frustration, and the entire army of GV soldiers descended from above.
Mianne scanned their surroundings, realizing that they were effectively trapped with no clear escape route. 'Ah, crap basket.'
James shared her concern, his mind racing to find a way out of this dire situation. With Alwin's reinforcements and the blocked exit, their prospects seemed bleak. 'Ah! Crap basket!'
Alwin, in the meantime, reveled in his apparent triumph. "You have nowhere to run! You have no allies to help you now!"
The odds were stacked against them, and it seemed like they were at their wit's end.
Suddenly, a surprising turn of events unfolded. Knocking echoed on the wooden door, and a voice called out, "Hey ho! Italian cuisine delivery!"
The unexpected delivery announcement left everyone puzzled, as they had not ordered any food.
Before they could react, the door burst open in a dramatic explosion, shrouding the area in a cloud of smoke that knocked several nearby GV soldiers off their feet. Emerging from the smoke was a group of soldiers with peculiarly colored makeup patterns, dressed in striking red samurai armor.
"Well, well~ Look who we found here?" a confident voice declared as its owner stepped forward. It was none other than the Red Archsentinel, Freya.
Her presence sent shockwaves through the room as she addressed Mianne and James. "It's The Lucky troublemakers! Guess the distress call was right about a guardian group already going to save the princess."
Mianne was left utterly flabbergasted, while James, despite the dire circumstances, couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
The GV soldiers quaked in fear at the sight of the ArchSentinel, while Alwin clenched his fists in anger. Elowen clung to James even tighter, her emotions a whirlwind of fear and relief.
Freya explained her unexpected reinforcements. "I was about to come alone, but King Nina said that I should bring her army along." Her arrival brought a glimmer of hope to their dire situation.
Elowen, seeking reassurance, turned to James with a quivering voice. "Are we safe, Mr. James?" James, with a warm smile, nodded in response, bringing tears of happiness to Elowen's eyes as she clung to him.
Mianne, watching this touching scene, couldn't help but reminisce about her past, five years ago, when she, Ace, Ezra, and James had cried together.
She quickly refocused on the background of her past, noticing an orange-haired woman observing them from the doorway.
With a smile on her face, the woman seemed pleased with the unfolding events.
Mianne snapped back to reality just as Freya's soldiers began arresting the GV soldiers.
James and Mianne exchanged glances, their spirits lifted by the unexpected turn of events. They shared a fist bump and couldn't help but smile. It seemed that their luck was finally turning around. "Guess we are the same, huh?"
************************************