Atlas watched the club fall toward him, 'Am I going to die already? Well, it was fun while it lasted.' he thought just as he tried to cast Void Guard to defend himself.
But a purple blast struck the weapon, deflecting it from its trajectory and sending it careening toward the earth beside him. Atlas watched Amethyst emerge from a thicket, her form bathed in a radiant purple aura as she fired off a stream of spells.
Arrows flew into the Orc's face, stopping its attack on Atlas and causing it to bellow in pain. He could see she was angry as the aura around her flared like a roaring fire. She didn't stop there and sent what looked like a Cosmic Blast at the monster that burned a basketball-sized hole in its body.
It fell back dead, causing Atlas to let out a breath of relief as he collapsed as the pain riddled his body. When the battle was over, he pulled out a High Health Potion as Amethyst rushed over to him in a panic.
''Atlas! Oh my god, you're hurt,'' she panicked while checking him over.
As she did this, he popped the cork and downed half before pouring the other half on his injuries. Thanks to his regeneration and the potion, they started to heal faster, causing him to release a breath of relief.
Amethyst sighed in relief as she hugged him tightly; Atlas smiled before asking, ''How are you? The monster sent you flying.''
She grinned while letting him go before puffing out her chest and exclaiming, ''I am a powerful Cosmic Phoenix; you seem to have forgotten that fact.''
Atlas chuckled, ''Would it be okay to see your status? I want to compare the two off ours.''
''Okay,'' she held her hand out while mumbling something, and a blue screen appeared before him.
Name: Amethyst
Age: 14
Race: Cosmic Phoenix
Class: Cosmic Mage
Level: 25
Rank: Novice
Experience: 870/5000→400
Affinity: Space
___
Attributes:
Health: 264→268
Mana: 1200→1210
Strength: 284
Stamina: 562
Charisma: 310
Intelligence: 198→200
___
Mana Core:
Core Rank: Low Novice
Core Points: 800/10000→300
Body Tempering Level:
___
Spells:
Attack: Lv-1: Cosmic Bullet (2) Lv-1: Stellar Arrow (3) Lv-2: Cosmic Blast (4)
Defence: Lv-1: Cosmic Barrier (4)
Support:
Utility:
___
Skills: Phoenix Form (Locked) Cosmic Wings (2) Cosmic Sight (4)
When Atlas saw her status, his eyebrows raised surprisedly, ''You're strong, Amethyst.''
The phoenix girl beamed, but he wrapped his arms around her in a spur of the moment as it felt right to do; while doing this, he whispered, ''Thank you for saving me. If not for you, I'd be dead.''
She nodded with a beautiful smile, which made his heart flutter; Amethyst replied sweetly, ''Don't worry about it, Atlas, it's what partners do for each other.''
''We're partners now? Does that mean you want to be my girlfriend?'' Atlas replied with a smirk that earned him a slap to the arm.
When Amethyst heard this, her whole face went bright red. She tried to answer, but only a string of unintelligible noises came out. Atlas smiled while hugging the Phoenix girl as she finally spoke, ''I would like that, Azhar'Zul.''
A shock ran through his body when he heard that name, causing him to let Amethyst go as he was freaked out, ''What did you call me?''
''The Azhar'Zul Prophecy,'' she said. ''It's a legend that our people's shamans and Azharites priests spread all over Aridonia.''
Atlas sat down on a nearby log as she joined him while continuing, ''Al-ladhī yursheed al-tareeq means the one who points the way Atlas, the Saharaelians worship the Azhar'Zul, which is who I think you are.''
''What does Azhar'Zul mean?''
''The Chosen Messiah who leads us to paradise,'' she answered. ''I am part of the Flameheart Tribe of the Southern part of the Blue Dune Desert. Our people answer to the Great Mother who awaits the Azhar'Zul's return.''
''Why do you think it's me?''
''You're eyes and magic, it's nothing like I've seen before, but all the stories speak of a beautiful azure color,'' Amethyst answered. ''If I concentrate, I can see the glow of your eyes, which is a dead giveaway that proves you're the Voidwalker, the Azhar'Zul, the Chosen Messiah, the one who unites the tribes and leads us to victory against the Achaemenidians who destroyed our people and scattered us to the desert.''
When Atlas heard this, he didn't know how to feel, but it made sense when he remembered the impending chaos invasion. It would be useful to have an army of fanatical warriors who could fight against the monsters.
As he was staying quiet, Amethyst panicked, causing her to reveal the truth, ''The last Voidwalkers first wife was a Cosmic Phoenix just like me, Atlas! And you rescued me from those slavers!''
She jumped up as excitement overtook her. ''It's destiny at work! The Azhar'Zul and a Cosmic Phoenix in the same place at the same time? It's fate.''
Atlas looked at her, ''Maybe you're right? But if we get together, we'll take things slow?'' he said. ''I've never been in a relationship, so it's new to me, but I ain't going to rush into anything and ruin us.''
Amethyst blushed even deeper than Atlas thought possible, her voice barely above a whisper as she asked, ''So... you want to be with me?''
Atlas smiled warmly, his words gentle yet filled with sincerity. ''Yes, you're beautiful, kind, and... well, I'd like to discover more about you as we journey through this land together.''
Before Amethyst could respond, she leaned in and kissed him, surprising them both. They pulled back, stunned, a shared sense of disbelief hanging in the air. Amethyst touched her lips, her voice tinged with astonishment. ''Fate's Connection.''
As they rose to their feet, Amethyst embraced him tightly. "From now on, take care of me," she whispered.
''I will, my phoenix girl,'' Atlas replied before the two separated as he continued. ''Let's do more hunting after I collect the cores.''
Amethyst nodded, ''Okay,'' she said with a pretty smile. ''I will watch your back while you cut them out.''
"Thank you," Atlas replied gratefully, pulling out his dagger and advancing toward the Orcs.
"Now, where would the core be?" he pondered aloud.
"In the chest," Amethyst said from behind him.
Atlas turned to find her twirling around the clearing with a radiant smile. He couldn't help but feel warmed by her happiness. Shaking his head in amusement, he cut out the 5 orange Monster Cores, stowing them away in his Dimensional Storage before preparing for the next hunt.
Once Atlas finished that, he checked his status to see his new gains.
[Level Up: 20→21]
[Experience: 150/1000]
[Experience Gained: 600]
[Health: 216→224]
[Mana: 1044→1048]
[Intelligence: 214→216]
[Core Points: 13150→13600]
[Core Point Gained: 450]
After that, they continued hunting in the Wailing Woods and ran into a pack of twenty Icefang Wolves relaxing in a clearing. Atlas stopped behind a bush as Amethyst crouched beside him, ''What's the plan Azhar'Zul?''
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, ''Are you going to keep calling me that?''
The phoenix girl grinned, ''That or my Amore.''
''What does that mean?''
Amethyst went red again, but he could never get tired of seeing it as she answered, ''A name. It's a name a wife calls her husband in my tribe.''
Atlas beamed when he heard this and pecked her on her button nose, which made her giggle. But then they got down to business as he explained the plan: ''You move to the right, and when I have their attention, attack them from the rear.''
''Okay,'' Amethyst got ready to move, but she grabbed his hand. ''Promise me you'll be okay?''
He nodded, ''Of course, my phoenix.''
After hearing that she moved through the bushes like a mouse, Altas turned back to the wolves sniffing the air, causing him to jump out, casting Void Bullets at the monsters and catching them off guard.
The azure projectiles sliced through the air and pierced the creatures' skulls. Four of them dropped instantly as Atlas pulled out his dagger and tomahawk. Just as a wolf lunged at him, he cast Void Guard.
It crashed against his shield, allowing him to stab the wolf in the head as another crashed into him. However, Atlas used his tomahawk to keep the monster's jaws away from his face before casting Void Bullet into its head, causing it to flop on top of him.
Atlas pushed the beast off him before casting several Void Arrows into the circling Icefang wolves, hitting three of them. Just after his attack, purple bullets peppered the creatures from behind, causing them to yelp.
He sprang into action as soon as Amethyst entered the fray, their combined efforts swiftly decimating the wolf pack and drenching the clearing in a morbid display of monster blood due to their battle.
Once it subsided, she settled beside a tree and gestured for him to join her, patting her lap invitingly. With a small smile, Atlas approached and took a seat, but before he could settle in, Amethyst gently guided his head onto her lap, her fingers threading through his hair.
Curiously, he inquired, "How many wolves did you kill?"
"Eight," she replied. "That leaves twelve for you. You should've leveled up again."
Atlas chuckled and checked.
[Level Up: 21→22]
[Experience: 350→1000]
[Experience Gained: 1200]
[Mana: 1048→1060]
[Strength: 210→212]
[Stamina: 216→218]
[Charisma: 292→294]
[Core Points: 13600→14800]
[Core Points Gained: 1200]
''I leveled once,'' Atlas revealed. ''What about you?''
Amethyst smiled before showing him her gains, ''I also gained a level, which is quicker than I'm used to,'' she said in a happy tone.
[Level Up: 26→27]
[Experience: 70/1000]
[Experience Gained: 800]
[Mana: 1210→1212]
[Strength: 284→286]
[Core Points: 1100→1900]
[Core Points Gained: 800]
When Atlas saw her status, he asked, ''What's the standard status?''
''Erm, I believe human children usually are born with seventy in every attribute, but when they train, it increases, but that is different to the one hundred and fifty elves receive, or the eighty dwarves get.''
Atlas nodded as they relaxed for a few more minutes before returning to monster hunting to level up even more.