"I hate this damned thing!" Olivia cursed, holding the great weapon in her hands.
It was a mix of a bow and a ballista, but it was truly massive, having a length of more than four meters.
Just its weight was hundreds of kilograms, making it impossible to use, and its draw weight was probably approaching the thousands.
It was never meant to be used by mere mortals, by mere humans.
Yet Olivia did the impossible… by paying the price, of course.
She screamed as just holding the bow in place made her muscles scream in pain.
She had put one side of it to the ground, making it easier to aim—if what she was experiencing right now could be called easy, that is.
Biting her lower lip, she tried to keep her voice down, fearing her screams might attract the nearby monsters.
Drawing the bow, Olivia felt her muscles begin to tear, her bones beginning to crack, her organs begging to bleed internally from the stress.
But this was not even the worst part.
As she slowly drew the string, a big, menacing bolt of about three meters began to materialize.
Olivia let out a suppressed scream, as she felt her mind begin to split apart from the stress.
She was able feel the blood streaming from her eyes, running down her cheeks.
Taking a deep breath, she aimed and let the bolt fly.
It traveled at such speed that it broke the sound barrier, piercing Olivia's ears as they began to bleed.
The shockwave from releasing the bolt was so great that the feeling of multiple bones breaking made her already bleeding eyes widen in pain.
The ground around her shook and began to break, unable to take the shock.
"Still, this is nothing. Compared to his situation, this is a walk in the park," Olivia muttered under her tired breath, staying conscious by sheer will and determination.
Her companion was moments away from dying, so she couldn't pity herself.
'I swear, if you dare die after what I've gone through, I will go to hell to beat the shit out of you,' she thought.
All she could do was grit her teeth, take another shaky breath,
And begin to draw the cursed thing again.
*****
"I am getting closer!" Eric muttered. He was currently standing on the bolt that Olivia had managed to fire.
'What kind of weapon is she using to be able to damage such a strong creature?' he asked himself, but he couldn't focus on the thought as he was currently too busy.
Standing on the foothold that Olivia had so generously provided for him, he slashed, pierced, and stabbed the monsters that were slowly climbing the body of the guardian.
Another massive roar was heard as another inferno fell to the ground, turning more monsters into nothing—not even ashes remained, that's how hot the guardian's breath was.
'It's still kneeling on one knee and not using its powers over time and space. Is it possible it's getting weaker?' Eric asked himself.
Then the next actions of the guardian made his eyes widen in horror.
The giant opened its jaws, another inferno attack getting ready to be fired, and then…
It looked up.
The next second, its flames shot high into the sky.
And then a rain of inferno began.
Unlike before, this wasn't concentrated—it covered a massive area, meaning…
"There's no dodging this one," Eric muttered as he was forced to shift his gaze downward, feeling hands beginning to grab at him.
His body shuddered, he wanted to look up, to see how long it would take for the flames to reach him, but if he did, the monsters below would be able to drag him down.
Olivia, after the first few shots, had slowed down significantly—probably because she wasn't able to use her weapon for much longer.
To be able to wield such great power, she must have paid a heavy price.
Shifting his gaze for a moment to glance into the distance, he was vaguely able to make out Olivia's body. She looked like she was breathing heavily, struggling to draw the string of her weapon again.
Eric cut a weird, slithering snake-like creature, only to be hit in the shoulder by an arrow launched at him.
Something grabbed his foot, but before he could even register what it was, he had already cut the creature's hand.
"Not yet," he muttered as he felt the air above him becoming hotter, most likely due to the approaching flames.
His heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to explode, but he forced himself to remain as calm as humanly possible.
"Not yet."
The body of the giant shuddered. It seemed that it was finally getting ready to rise, meaning most of the monsters on its thighs would fall any minute now.
'Now,' Eric suddenly rotated his body so fast that the monsters below him didn't have any time to react.
He didn't possess a shield, so the only thing that could protect him from the falling flames was his sword.
Positioning it above him, he held it firmly with both hands, holding his breath, waiting for the moment of truth.
The next second, everything around him turned red as the flames began to fall from the sky.
Somehow, Eric managed to keep the sword in place while the deadly inferno rained down, burning everything around him to a crisp.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the flames cooled off.
The first thing Eric did was glance downward. The monsters that had been following him were all burned to a crisp.
Next, he glanced at the forest. It seemed that the army of monsters that had been pursuing him all this time had already entered the field, as there was nothing exiting the forest anymore.
Glancing upward, he saw that there was one more bolt for him to use.
He was about to jump when the guardian suddenly stood up, now free from the countless abominations that had climbed it earlier.
All Eric could do was cling with all his might to the bolt, trying not to be thrown off.
The moment the fierce wind died down a little, indicating that the giant had fully risen, Eric jumped toward the bolt embedded in the guardian's body.
"I have a path," he muttered as he reached the highest-positioned bolt. From here, he would be able to jump to the creature's shoulder, giving him easy access to its head.
That was his plan until the guardian's eyes locked onto him, and Eric was suddenly moved.
One moment, he was standing on a bolt close to the guardian's shoulder, but now he was positioned on the giant's outstretched hand. The movement was instant, leaving Eric dazed for a moment or two.
Once his eyes regained focus, he realized just how high in the sky he was.
"Falling from here means death," he muttered, shifting his gaze.
The next moment, his eyes widened in horror.
The guardian was staring directly at him, slowly opening its jaws.
It seemed it had moved Eric to the back of its hand with the intention of melting him with its fiery breath.
Eric gulped loudly before speaking.
"Now what?"