Valen tightens his grip on his blade, channeling wind magic with every ounce of strength he can muster. A sharp gust howls through the camp as he swings his weapon, the force slamming into the blinded Thaxil.
The creature staggers slightly, its bladed limbs twitching as it braces itself, but it doesn't fall.Valen follows up with a blast of concentrated air, the impact rippling through the ground.
The wounded Thaxil emits a series of sharp, staccato clicks and communicates to the other where the attack is coming. The blinded creature twists its body with unnerving precision, evading the strike with ease.
Eska darts in from the side, her blood claws slicing toward the wounded Thaxil's legs. The creature hums sharply, its movements quick as it deflects her strike with its serrated limb.
She tries again, feinting low before aiming for its chest but the Thaxil anticipates her move, stepping back just enough to avoid the blow. Every time she closes the gap, its bladed arms counter her, forcing her to retreat before she can land a solid hit.
Valen channels his wind magic, shaping the air into razor-sharp blades that shimmer faintly in the dim light.
With a swift motion, he sends them hurtling toward the two Thaxils, their edges slicing through the air with a high-pitched whistle. The blades tear through the camp, cutting debris and dirt in their path but the Thaxils move with uncanny grace.
One creature twists effortlessly to avoid the attack while the other raises its bladed limb to deflect, shattering the wind blade though staggering the creature a few feet back.
"They're reading us," Valen mutters through gritted teeth, frustration mounting as each carefully aimed strike is countered or evaded with ease.
The Thaxils' rhythmic hums shift, growing sharper and more deliberate, signaling a change in their tactics.
No longer evading and countering for sport, they press forward with lethal intent. The uninjured Thaxil moves with unnerving speed, its serrated limbs forcing Valen back step by step, cutting off his angles of retreat.
His wind blades are swatted aside or avoided entirely, each of his attacks countered with ruthless efficiency. Behind him, Eska faces the wounded Thaxil, but its movements are no less calculated.
It feints weakness with a stagger, drawing her in, only to lunge with terrifying precision, slashing at her defenses and driving her into a tight corner near the camp's edge.
The pair of hunters, separated and surrounded, are left with no room to maneuver.
Valen's chest tightens as he glances toward Eska, seeing her frantically deflecting strikes, her claws struggling to match the speed of the creature's relentless assault.
"Why did I let her stay?" The thought crashes into his mind with brutal clarity. He had known the risk, understood the danger, yet he hadn't pushed her to leave when he had the chance.
Now, watching her fight against an opponent far more powerful, he feels a pang of guilt that cuts deeper than any blade.
The Thaxil before him lunges, forcing him to focus as he blocks with a desperate burst of wind, but the question lingers in his mind: Did I make a mistake I can't take back?
Eska's breaths come in ragged gasps as she parries another strike, her claws barely deflecting the Thaxil's relentless attacks as pieces of solid blood spark out of her hands.
Her mind races, panic clawing at her resolve with every swipe of its serrated limbs.
"Too fast. Too strong. How am I supposed to beat this?" She can't help but think to herself. The creature's glowing eyes seem to bore into her, reading her every move, its hums vibrating in her chest like a constant reminder of her helplessness.
Her footing slips as she stumbles back, her heel catching on a gnarled root hidden in the shadows.
"This is it," the thought flashes through her mind as she watches the creature's final slash arc toward her.
Time seems to slow as she draws a shaky breath, her gaze shifting at the last moment toward Valen. In her final action, her eyes lock onto his, an unspoken farewell reflecting in her yellow irises.
"No."
A commanding voice echoes in Eska's mind, pulling her from the brink. Her eyes snap open but the forest, the Thaxil and the battle are gone. Instead, she finds herself floating in an endless void, surrounded by nothing but darkness.
Her body feels weightless, her panic momentarily dulled by the strange stillness.
"You leave me no choice, Eska," the voice continues. "Facing a Titan Class was too much, too soon."
Eska turns her head in every direction, searching for the source but the darkness offers no answers.
"But you did well, regardless. Remember this as a lesson. As your mother said, we live tomorrow because we learn today."
The void around her collapses suddenly, folding in on itself as reality snaps back into focus. The forest returns, the towering Thaxil looming before her—but she is no longer in her body.
She hovers above, watching as her physical form acts without hesitation.
Her hands, now glowing with intricate blue and red lines of light, grip the Thaxil's bladed appendages firmly. Effortlessly, her body shoves the creature back, its imposing size seemingly irrelevant to her newfound strength.
"Watch closely."
The voice instructs her from the void.
"This is what I've been trying to teach you."
Eska's body moves with breathtaking precision, her claws piercing through the Thaxil's thorax with a fluid motion. The creature lets out a guttural screech, its head twitching in disbelief as it reels backward.
Eska's body leaps with startling speed, twisting in midair to land gracefully behind the Thaxil. With a powerful motion, her arms draw close to her chest, pulling threads of blood that shimmer with a faint blue hue.
The threads constrict around the Thaxil, crushing its thorax with a sickening crunch before snapping back to her glowing claws.
"Reinforcement is essential, Eska."
The voice says, its tone almost parental.
"Without it, anything will break—including your own limbs."
The glowing lines across her body pulse faintly, a testament to the stability granted by her newfound mastery.
Then, with a teasing lilt, the voice adds, "now we save your boyfriend."
The second Thaxil hesitates, its antennae twitching as it processes what just happened. Valen stands frozen, his eyes wide as he takes in the sight before him.
The remains of the first Thaxil lie in a gory heap behind Eska, its greenish ichor dripping from the shimmering threads that now recede into her claws.
The difference is undeniable and for a moment, even the unrelenting Thaxil appears to question its next move.
The creature bolts toward Eska with terrifying speed, its bladed arm slashing through the air. But as it nears, Eska flicks her hand with an almost casual motion, effortlessly deflecting the strike.
The impact sends the Thaxil staggering, its glowing eyes widening in what could almost be confusion. Before it can recover, Eska grips its other blade, her fingers wrapping around it as a thin, crimson veil flows outward, encasing the appendage in shimmering red.
"This one's a freebie."
the voice echoes calmly in her mind.
"This is what I mean by 'limitless.'"
Eska doesn't respond, her focus locked on the creature as it tries to bend its arm. But the veil holds firm, unyielding.
The Thaxil recoils, pulling back to gain distance.
Its bladed limb thrashes against the veil, the sharp hums of its antennae growing panicked as the creature struggles to break free.
Then, with a sickening crack, its arm bends the wrong way, the carapace shattering under the veil.
The Thaxil lets out a piercing hum, its antennae twitching erratically as it claws at the veil in desperation. The red veil spreads, shifting toward the creature's shoulder as the pressure mounts.
The arm collapses inward with a grotesque crunch, folding into itself as the veil holds its contents in place, preventing even a single drop of its insides from spilling. The creature falls to its knees, its antennae drooping as its glowing eyes lock onto Eska's.
There is no defiance now—only fear.
Eska's yellow eyes gleam with an otherworldly intensity, a faint four-pronged star now etched at their center.
The crimson veil begins to creep upward, flowing toward the Thaxil's head. It tilts its head downward slightly, as if resigned to its fate, the panicked hums falling silent.
The forest grows eerily still as Valen watches, frozen, his expression a mixture of awe and unease. With a final, decisive motion, the veil tightens and the Thaxil's head collapses inward, its lifeless body crumpling to the ground.
Silence envelops the camp, broken only by the faint rustle of leaves in the wind.
In the empty space, Eska feels a crushing wave of emotions—fear, power and something she can't quite name—all colliding at once.
Before she can process it, the void shatters and in the blink of an eye, she's back in her body.
Her breath catches as she looks down at her hands, trembling and slick with a mixture of her own blood and the green ichor of the Thaxil. She stares at them in disbelief, the memory of what she just did replaying in her mind.
Slowly, her knees buckle and she collapses to the ground, her gaze fixed on her stained hands.
Her eyes lift hesitantly, meeting Valen's across the clearing.
His expression mirrors her shock, his mouth opening as if to speak.
"Are—" Valen begins, his voice faltering as the image of her tearing through the Thaxil with impossible speed and ease flashes in his mind, her power both awe-inspiring and terrifying.
His breath hitches, a knot tightening in his chest as he takes a step toward her. His thoughts swirl—concern for her clashing with the realization of just how dangerous she truly can be.
Valen stops, his gaze sharpening as he takes in the way she shakes. Her wounds aren't bleeding any worse but something deeper seems to have taken hold.
Her breaths are shallow, uneven and her wide eyes stare at her bloodied hands as if they don't belong to her.
Concern floods Valen's chest but it's quickly joined by something darker, something colder.