She responded with speed and agility that belied the magnitude of her challenge.
As she dove to the side, her boots crunched against the snow as she came dangerously close to being hit by the deadly hail.
When the shards hit the ground, they scattered the snow into small sprays that flew into the air.
She rolled over onto her feet, her breath steaming and her eyes lighting up with adrenaline as she did so.
Even though the confrontation had not started yet, it was abundantly clear that the fight against the Ursus Glacialis could probably be her last.
Ava made her way over to Marcus just as the icy chaos erupted all around them.
The man was unconscious and strewn across the snowy ground, his breathing choppy and erratic.
The power of the beast's blow had catapulted him into the air like a ragdoll, sending him crashing into the frozen ground with such force that the impact could be heard all across the battlefield.
Ava knelt beside him in a hurry, her deft fingers moving quickly to examine the extent of his wounds.
His once bright eyes were clouded with pain, and a thin line of blood trickled from a gash on his forehead, staining his hair a jarring crimson color.
The harsh and irregular rise and fall of his chest indicated that he was struggling for every breath, and the grimace etched into his face spoke volumes about the amount of pain he was in.
Ava's hands continued to move with the same level of composure, even though the situation had become extremely urgent.
The wound on Marcus's head was quite severe, and the surrounding skin was already beginning to turn a vibrant shade of purple and blue on his otherwise white complexion. Marcus groaned as he attempted to sit up, and the sound came out of his mouth as he did so.
Ava quickly assisted, placing a hand under his armpit and helping him sit down. The sudden opening of his eyes was followed by a brief period of bewilderment, during which he failed to recognize her.
"Easy, Marcus," she said, her voice gentle yet firm. "You've taken quite a hit. We need to get you patched up."
She could see him struggling against the oncoming wave of disorientation, his brows furrowing as he attempted to concentrate on her face despite his difficulty.
However, the effort proved too much for him, and his body sagged to the ground, his eyes darting right and left, trying to assess where he was.
Ava perceived shortness of breath in her chest. They were smack dab in the middle of a battle, and their most powerful member had been taken out. The situation was extremely precarious, and the immediate threat was in no way eliminated.
"How is he?!" Erik asked with urgency in his voice. Without him, killing the monster was simply impossible.
"He has a wound on his head, Erik," Ava responded, her voice shaking. Her hands never stopped moving as she spoke, quickly working to clean the wound on Marcus's forehead with a damp cloth.
"The hit was hard. He's got a deep cut on his forehead, and he's likely concussed," she continued, her brow furrowed with concentration. "He will need some time to recover."
After hearing her words, Erik's chest tightened, and his gaze shifted from Ava to the form of Marcus, who was unconscious, and then to the Ursus Glacialis, which was rampaging.
Marcus regained his footing by leaning heavily on Ava. Even though his brain vehemently resisted the effort, Marcus regained his footing.
Even though the blood was trickling down from his wound, he still found the strength to stand up, despite his head spinning.
He mumbled, "I'm... fine," between labored breaths, a wan smile plastered on his face. His voice was frail and shaky, but a note of determination was in the background.
He tried to move forward, tightening his hold on Ava to use her to support his weight as he moved forward.
Nevertheless, everybody there was aware that he was not well. His complexion was pale, beads of sweat were scattered across his forehead, and his breath came out in ragged gasps.
Even though his mana shield had taken the brunt of the attack, it was clear that the force had affected him somehow; the shockwave was sufficient to cause significant damage.
As she fixed her gaze on Marcus, Ava couldn't help but frown and furrow her brows in concern. Her worry was shared by Erik and the others as well. It was unsettling to see Marcus in such a state.
"Erik," Marcus started, "We have a fight to focus on," he said firmly, straightening up with visible effort, his knuckles whitening as he clung to his trusty Axe. "Worry about that beast, not me."
Yet, it was clear that Marcus was nowhere near his usual strength. The beast before them was ferocious, and his current state would limit his abilities. Would they be able to overcome the Ursus Glacialis in their current condition?
The monstrous Ursus Glacialis then let out a roar, and the ground beneath them seemed to shake violently due to the force of its scream.
The waning sunlight was reflected in a plethora of colors by the ice shards that were scattered all around, giving the appearance of a crystalline mirage.
Their adversary was formidable, its sapphire fur glistening with fresh wounds and crimson color where Garrett's swift strikes and Alexia's precision shots had found their mark and caused them to bleed out.
However, it was not at all defeated, and despite being restrained, it used the power of his brain crystal to attack, which resulted in a significant reduction in the number of strikes that Alexia and Garret could land.
Erik struggled to resist the enormous force that the creature was exerting, so he was depleting mana at an incredible rate.
The physical manifestation of his dwindling strength was a sweat trickling down his forehead and staining his shirt.
His brows furrowed in concentration as he commanded the vines to maintain their hold on the beast, the flora shuddering and creaking under the strain of their duty to continue their hold.
Erik muttered under his breath, "Dammit," while he kept his gaze fixed on the ice beast the entire time. The creature's weight was causing the vines to snap; their color began to darken as they worked harder to hold the creature in check.
Erik was forced to create them back from scratch, further decreasing his mana reserves, but Erik knew that that advantage situation was bound to be short-lived.
Erik's labored breathing contrasted with the eerie stillness that had descended upon the battlefield.
He glanced over his shoulder at Ava and Marcus while his mind was going a million miles per hour.
His gaze hardened, decision flashing in his eyes. "Ava," he said, his voice rough but determined, "pick Marcus up and get out of here." His eyes flitted back to the trapped beast, its massive form struggling against the vines, "I'll keep this thing trapped as long as I can."
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