"He's keeping the Bugbear busy so I could come asking for help," Toby replied, still struggling to catch his breath.
Naisha immediately turned and bolted.
"Wait here for Felix and Imar!" She shouted back at Toby.
Draven followed closely behind, sprinting to keep up.
Naisha moved like the wind, weaving through the trees with increasing speed.
"You ran so fast for a Verdant." Draven abruptly commented. "Your quiet movements. Your breathing. You're different from others."
He was impressed by her agility, and he couldn't help but grin.
"That's my girl."
"I trained hard, just to protect my brothers," Naisha replied, without slowing down. "Still, I failed to protect Ran."
Eventually, Naisha abruptly stopped.
Draven skidded to a halt behind her. His eyes widened as he took in the scene ahead.
A 3-meter massive Bugbear towered over the clearing.
This creature is covered in thick, shaggy dark fur. Its glowing eyes shine ominously, and its sharp teeth form a menacing snarl.
It also carried a massive spiked club that appeared capable of smashing anything in its path.
Gil was darting around the beast, firing arrows in quick succession. But they bounced harmlessly off its thick hide.
The Bugbear snarled and swung its club, destroying some trees in half.
Gil attacks and escapes. He was just luring the Bugbear away.
Draven's expression became excited.
He got the Morphos from his back and gripped it tightly.
"Gil, over here!" Naisha shouted, signaling for him to move toward them. "Go back and stay with Toby!"
Gil nodded and darted toward their direction, narrowly avoiding another swing from the Bugbear's club.
Naisha turned to Draven and gave him a determined look.
"Can you confront it head-on? I'll flank it from the side."
Draven smirked, spinning Morphos in his hand.
"As you wish, my lady."
Without hesitation, he charged forward while Naisha disappeared into the cover of trees, circling to the Bugbear's flank.
The beast roared. Its glowing eyes locked onto Draven as he moved straight toward it to attack.
Both sprinted toward each other, weapons raised.
Morphos met the Bugbear's massive spiked club with a resounding…
"Bamm!"
An enormous wind exploded from them as the weapons collided.
Draven strained under the strength of the creature, the ground beneath his feet cracking from the impact.
'This thing's strength… it's much stronger than Gorvex,' Draven thought.
He pushed back against the beast.
Naisha, now in position, emerged from the shadows. She swiftly slashed the backs of the Bugbear's knees and merged again in the trees.
The Bugbear let out a guttural roar. It lifted its spiked club again and smashed down on Draven.
Draven evaded, sidestepping the blow.
The club smashed into the ground and left a deep crater.
Draven seized the moment, using the embedded club as leverage to leap high into the air. With Morphos raised, he brought it down onto the Bugbear's head.
"Smack!"
The beast roared in pain and stumbled backward. Forced to retreat several steps, it momentarily wavered. But it quickly regained its footing and prepared to attack again.
Naisha again emerged from the shadows. Her daggers flashed lines in the air as she delivered a swift cut to the back of the Bugbear's legs.
"Shunk!"
'She knows the timing of its attack. She can work with me even without communicating with me,' Draven thought, impressed.
The Bugbear howled in pain as it stumbled forward, momentarily turning its glowing eyes toward Naisha.
Draven charged in with Morphos raised high.
He gave its torso a powerful strike, making it fly backward.
The massive beast crashed into the trees, breaking branches as it slumped to the ground. It was momentarily stunned by the two who were consistent in their nonstop attack.
"Did we beat it?" Naisha asked as she approached Draven.
"Nah, it doesn't feel like my hit landed solidly on its body," Draven replied, inspecting the Bugbear. "Maybe the fur is too thick."
"You're right, I remember now. Its fur can absorb impact. Maybe you need to hit it on the head," Naisha suggested.
The Bugbear stood up again, furious and growling, charging at them once more.
Naisha quickly hid in the trees again, disappearing like a shadow.
"Its attack was easy to read. Its shoulder, arm, and elbow were always directed to the side," Draven said as he ran.
He met the Bugbear. And the beast swung its massive club to the side as he expected.
Draven jumped straight toward it, aiming Morphos for a decisive strike.
Just as he was about to land his attack, an unexpected move happened.
The Bugbear moved its torso backward, evading the blow.
"Whoa!" Draven exclaimed, surprised by its agility, despite its massive size.
Seizing his hesitation, the Bugbear caught him by the ankle in mid-air. With incredible force, it hurled him until he flew through the air.
Draven's back crashed into the trees, almost breaking them.
'So its attack was a trap,' he thought.
He wiped a trail of blood from his mouth.
"Are you okay?" Naisha asked.
She was perched on a tree branch.
"Of course. I was just shocked by its reaction," Draven replied.
"Beasts are the smartest among all the predators. They can think individually," Naisha explained. "Be careful. Think of them as humans."
"I see," Draven nodded before he grinned. "Thank you for caring for me."
"Hmph, whatever." Naisha left again as the Bugbear drew near to him.
The Bugbear jumped, raising its massive spiked club high into the air. It positioned itself to smash downward with tremendous strength.
It aimed directly at Draven, who was still sitting on the ground.
The impact of its spiked club on the ground made the earth tremble. Nearby trees were uprooted and fell.
As it lifted the club, it expected Draven to be dead.
However, Draven was no longer there.
The Bugbear looked around.
Draven had already leaped into the air. With Morphos raised high above his head, he brought it down with great strength.
Before the Morphos hit the Bugbear, Naisha seized the opportunity for another sneak attack. Her daggers sliced deeper into the back of the Bugbear's knees.
The beast staggered from the blow. But despite the wound, it tried to recover as he felt that a more dangerous attack was coming.
As it saw Draven's pipe, it immediately countered it with its spiked club.
However, Morphos shattered the club into pieces.
"Crack!"
The remnants of the weapon clattered to the ground as Draven's strike connected directly with the Bugbear's head.
The Bugbear stumbled and was knocked down.
Draven stood as the beast lay on the ground, panting and leaning on Morphos for support.
Naisha emerged from the shadows and wiped her daggers clean. She eyed the Bugbear making sure it was defeated, before looking at Draven.
"You beat the bugbear with just pure strength."
"Thanks to you. You helped me."
"No. Even if I didn't help you, I knew you could defeat it."
Draven and Naisha walked side by side in silence for a moment.
Then, Draven abruptly spoke. "I was thinking..."
Naisha glanced at him. "Thinking about what?"
Draven smirked. "How strong do you think our kids would be someday? I mean, look at our strength and skills…"
He shook his head and smiled as he imagined their future children.
Naisha rolled her eyes but didn't argue. Instead, she glanced around.
"Let's hope there aren't more of these nearby. One was enough trouble."
"What is that thing again?"