170 Ava’s struggle (3)
Boom...
Sweat ran down Ava’s forehead as she defeated another monster with red tentacles. The monster’s skin was purple and black blood was seeping out of its wounds.
She felt her wings, screaming under the pressure as she had been flying for the past half an hour. The numbness in her wings was spreading to her back, causing discomfort. However, Ava didn’t have time to complain and forced her black wings to move towards two figures fighting in the distance.
As Ava approached the battle, she saw blood flowing from Eli’s shoulder and felt guilty for not defeating the monster sooner. She quickly cast a fireball and threw it towards the stranger, who’s hand was back to its normal color, but black blood kept gushing out from his lips.
Swish...
This time, the stranger was prepared for Ava’s attack, but his reaction was slightly delayed. Ava’s fireball found its mark, striking the stranger’s back and eliciting a shriek of pain.
His blood-red eyes turned towards Ava and she noticed a hint of disparity within them. For a moment, Ava thought they had won, but in the next instant, she was forced to use her ‘Lightning Step’ to dodge the stranger’s sharp claws, which had extended from his nails.
Ava’s eyes widened in shock as she witnessed this new aspect of the stranger and Eli bitterly nodded her head.
“He’s a crafty bastard... As soon as you left to battle the tentacle thing, he even used his blood to momentarily blind me!”
.....
Upon hearing Eli’s complaints, Ava immediately understood the full extent of the stranger’s abilities. Not only was he strong, but he also possessed the cunningness of a fox. Ava clenched her jaw as she watched the man raise his nails to his lips, coating them with his blood.
Since Eli had already been in contact with the stranger’s blood, Ava was somewhat confident that it held no corrosive or poisonous properties. The only reason for the stranger to coat his sharp claws in his blood, was to intimidate them.
She conjured a blazing fireball, waiting for the man to make his move, but the stranger stood motionless, his piercing gaze fixed upon the ground beneath Ava and Eli’s feet.
‘Please... Not another one!’
Ava inwardly groaned, biting her lower lip in frustration. If another monster were to emerge from the ground, she silently vowed to immediately teleport herself and Eli to safety, even if it meant using a great deal of mana and wasting some MP potions.
Fortunately, the ground remained still and no new monsters emerged, causing both Eli and Ava to let out a sigh of relief. The stranger, on the other hand, grimaced as more blood flowed from his lips.
The stranger’s body suddenly transformed into a red fog that approached Eli and Ava. Ava tried to stop the fog with a fireball, but it was ineffective. She was ready to teleport them both away when the fog suddenly solidified, revealing the man and his blood-covered claws reaching towards them.
Clank...
Eli’s scythe clashed with the stranger’s claws, and Ava seized the opportunity to strike with a fireball. The fire hit the man’s face, turning half of it a deep purple and depriving him of the use of one of his eyes.
The stranger was unable to utter a scream as Eli spun her scythe, enchanting its silver blade with ‘Fiery Strike’ and sliced it into his abdomen.
The man’s eye widened as he stumbled backwards, falling to his knees. Blood flowed freely from his abdominal wound, staining the purple skin and darkening it with his black blood.
Ava and Eli cautiously observed the wounded stranger, his head hanging low and chest rising and falling with shallow breaths, indicating that he was still alive.
The pair was aware that the man could have been acting and Ava summoned a fireball, throwing it at the stranger, expecting the man to suddenly dodge or transform into the red fog. Surprisingly, the spell hit its mark, sending the man crashing down to the ground and creating a spreading pool of black blood.
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~~~~
Ava and Eli looked at each other with a sense of relief mixed with exhaustion and fell to the ground, feeling tiredness spreading through their body.
“I don’t ever want to face an enemy like that again!”
Eli let out a weary sigh as she reached for the Intermediate-grade health potion that Ava had given her earlier. She drank it down eagerly, feeling her tired muscles begin to relax and her body slowly return to its pre-fight state.
“Seriously, where did you get this potion?”
Eli asked as she raised the empty potion bottle, only to see Ava simply shook her head, signaling her unwillingness to reveal the information.
“Since you don’t want to tell me, I’ll just assume you’ve gotten them from Leo...”
Eli tried to provoke Ava, but it didn’t happen, since Ava’s face remained as cold as an ice, no change in emotions visible.
Rumble...
The ground suddenly rumbled, causing Ava and Eli to fall to their butts with the force of the quake. Their eyes widened as they noticed a massive figure illuminated by the moonlight in the distance.
“It’s probably the third wave boss!”
Eli declared, whilst Ava grabbed her hand and teleported the two of them onto the roof of a nearby house for a better view.
From their high vantage point, they were able to see the full form of the monster, and they were left in awe by its sheer size. The giant’s body was made entirely of bones and was easily withstanding the barrage of spells being thrown its way, showing no signs of weakness. Its health bar was also larger than any monster Ava and Eli had ever encountered.
...
Both went silent for a minute, before Ava turned towards Eli.
“Let’s go kill it!”
***
As Eli and Ava approached the wall, they noticed that nearly a fourth of the golem’s health had already been depleted by the combined efforts of their fellow players.
Ava was quick to react, summoning a crackling Lightning Spear with a flick of her wrist. With practiced precision, she hurled the spell towards the monster, confident in its ability to deliver a significant blow.
However, just as the Lightning Spear was about to make contact, another mage’s projectile collided with it, causing the spell to veer off course and head towards the corner of the battlefield.
Ava didn’t let this setback discourage her. She was well aware that she couldn’t harm any of the players. So, she pushed aside any concerns and continued to unleash her spells, not worrying about accidentally killing an ally.
Eli also wanted to join the fight, but she noticed a group of melee fighters approaching the golem. She observed as the group tried to use their weapons to damage the monster’s legs, but soon met their demise, because the golem stomped them.
Eli, was also eager to join the battle and do her part. Casting her gaze towards the melee fighters who were approaching the Bone Golem she watched with a mixture of admiration and trepidation as they fearlessly swung their weapons at the monster’s legs, determined to bring it down.
However, their bravery was soon met with a brutal reality. The Bone Golem, with a single stomp of its massive feet, obliterated the group of fighters, leaving behind only scattered pieces of armor and weapons.
Eli was momentarily stunned by the unexpected turn of events on the battlefield. She stood frozen, watching as the melee fighters met their demise at the feet of the Bone Golem. However, just as she was about to come to terms with what had just happened, her eyes caught a fleeting silhouette, a shadow moving at an incredible speed, darting across the battlefield.
She couldn’t quite make out what it was, but she could tell that it was moving with purpose and speed, darting in and out of the shadows, unnoticed by both the massive monster and the players standing on the wall.
Eli’s heart began to race as she realized the potential danger of this unknown entity. She quickly scanned the battlefield, searching for any signs of the shadow, but it had vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
Just as she was about to dismiss it as a trick of the light, the shadow reappeared, this time further away, running behind the massive golem.
Since Ava was an angel and her eyesight was better Eli nudged her gently and pointed towards the last location where the shadow had disappeared.
“Do you see anyone moving?”
Ava, focused her attention on the spot where Eli had pointed. Her eyes were sharp, her vision far superior to that of a normal orc, but even with her enhanced abilities, she couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
“It’s just the shadows from the clouds, don’t worry”
She spoke, redirecting her attention back to the Golem’s who’s health bar was fast approaching the half.
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