"My health isn’t the problem…" Cyrus grunted, using an aetheric sword to keep him standing upright. "It’s my mana. You didn’t happen to bring any mana potions, did you?" Discover stories with Freewebnovel
"I don’t use mana so I have no use for one… but how did you use so much? I doubt you have a small mana core so how did you both end up draining so much of your mana?" Sylus questioned.
The Winter Deers didn’t give them a second to catch their breath. In one fluid motion, they surged forward from the shadows, their lithe, muscled forms gliding across the forest floor with unnatural speed. Their mouths gaped open, stretching impossibly wide, revealing rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth glinting under the faint moonlight. Flickering tongues snaked out, tasting the air, almost as if savoring the fear radiating from their prey.
With a collective snarl, the Deers lunged in unison, their jaws snapping shut with eerie precision. Their sleek, icy-blue pelts shimmered as they darted between trees, evading even the faintest glimmer of Sylus’s aetheric aura. The air grew colder with their approach, thick with the scent of frost and decay, as they circled, relentless and calculating, each Deer seeking an opening to tear into them.
"Sylus… you’re gonna have to take the lead on this one. We’re both useless right now. We’re on the brink of mana poisoning so buy us some time," Cyrus grunted, Athena barely conscious as her eyes had a glazed look over them.
Cyrus and Athena braced themselves as the wave of Winter Deers closed in. The creatures moved as a single, predatory unit, their limbs bending and twisting unnaturally as they lunged, fangs bared, with an unquenchable hunger in their eyes.
Cyrus sidestepped the first Deer’s strike, twisting his body just enough for its snapping jaws to skim past his shoulder. He pivoted sharply, his foot digging into the soft earth as he swung his aetheric sword in a tight, controlled arc. The blade sliced through the creature’s flank, leaving a trail of shimmering light before he spun low, dodging another Deer’s swipe. His movements were calculated, his posture balanced, avoiding any unnecessary gestures to conserve what little energy he had left.
Athena, just behind him, had her own tactics. She conjured a brief shield of mana, timing it perfectly as a Deer lunged for her throat. The creature’s fangs clanged against the shield, and before it could recover, she twisted her wrist and released a burst of energy that propelled it backward. As it reeled, she dashed forward, ducking under a Deer’s swinging antlers, and drove her knee up into its stomach, the impact cracking through the otherwise silent forest.
Sylus, meanwhile, was a beacon of deadly precision at the center of the fray. With fluid motions, he parried an incoming Deer’s lunge, sidestepping as he drove his blade through its chest. His body was a constant, moving shield for Cyrus and Athena. Each time a Deer closed in on them from behind, Sylus’s blade flashed, cleaving through its body with swift efficiency.
Two more Deers advanced on Cyrus from either side. Cyrus, aware of their encroaching presence, shifted his stance, his sword held low, ready to deflect. As the Deers pounced, he ducked and swung his blade in a powerful upward arc, catching both in a single, brutal slash. Their bodies crumpled to the ground, but before he could regain his footing, a third Deer lunged from behind. Athena, quick to react, thrust her hand forward and conjured a beam of concentrated mana that struck the creature in mid-air, hurling it backward with a searing burn across its chest.
But the Winter Deers didn’t relent. They surrounded them, their predatory instincts honed to a razor’s edge. Athena and Cyrus found themselves pressed back to back, a strategy that allowed them to cover each other’s blind spots as the Deers attacked in pairs, testing their defenses.
A Deer lunged for Athena’s legs, its jaws inches from her calf. She brought her heel down sharply on its skull, the impact staggering it just long enough for her to swing her arm down and send a pulse of mana straight into its head, crushing it against the ground. Cyrus took advantage of her maneuver, pressing forward with a sweeping horizontal slash that cleared the immediate space in front of them.
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Sylus, a few steps away, fought with an almost mechanical precision. His strikes were relentless, each movement perfectly timed, his expression one of icy calm. He used his blade like an extension of himself, slicing through a Deer’s spine before whirling around, disarming another with a brutal downward chop that split its jaws in half. When the Deers shifted to try and encircle him, he released a controlled pulse of aether, forcing them back long enough to adjust his stance and regain control of the battlefield.
As more Deers emerged, Cyrus and Athena began coordinating on the fly, wordlessly falling into a rhythm. Cyrus struck low while Athena aimed high, their strikes synchronized, each clearing a path for the other. Athena would shield them with brief pulses of mana, blocking the worst of the Deers’ bites and allowing Cyrus to deliver rapid, powerful blows to drive them back.
The Deers, sensing the unity in their opponents, shifted their tactics as well. Two leaped toward Cyrus in unison, forcing him to dodge to the side, but as he moved, another lunged from his blind spot. Reacting on instinct, he twisted mid-step, one hand on the ground to steady himself as he lashed out with his foot, catching the Deer in the side and sending it sprawling. Athena was there in an instant, releasing a blast of mana that engulfed it in a blaze of light.
Despite the chaos, they maintained control by staying one step ahead, predicting the Deers’ movements, and adjusting their stance and positioning to keep from being overwhelmed. Their arms and legs burned from the constant motion, their breathing heavy, but they pushed forward, gritting their teeth against the exhaustion threatening to pull them under.
Cyrus’s aetheric sword thrummed with energy as he slashed down another Deer, the blade’s light casting a harsh glow over the blood-soaked forest floor. But there were more still, creeping forward from every shadow, relentless in their pursuit.
The forest roared with the ceaseless clash between Cyrus, Athena, Sylus, and the ravenous Winter Deers as their chaotic dance of survival continued. Every inch of the ground was contested each movement fluid but precise, every strike executed to preserve their strength against the relentless creatures.
A pair of Winter Deers lunged at Cyrus, their movements synchronized with deadly intent. He sidestepped the first, twisting his body just as the other tried to bite into his shoulder. Cyrus brought his aetheric sword up in a sweeping diagonal arc, cleaving into the side of the creature’s neck. Before it could crumple, he released a pulse of aether, the force enough to hurl the fallen Deer into the one behind it, buying himself a fraction of a second to breathe.
Athena, moving close by, reacted to another Deer lunging at her. She pivoted on her heel, her momentum flowing smoothly as she drove her knee into the creature’s side. The impact was brutal, a sickening crack filling the air as its ribs gave way. Using the creature’s weight against it, she pushed it back, simultaneously swinging her hand to release a mana-infused wave that ricocheted off the ground, slamming into a Deer that had attempted to flank her from behind. The mana erupted on contact, leaving scorch marks as it tore through the Deer’s flesh.
The Deers regrouped, their numbers seemingly infinite as they surrounded them, sensing weakness. Sylus moved to intercept, his body a blur as he flowed between the creatures with deadly precision. He parried one bite with the flat of his blade, then shifted his stance and pivoted backward, slashing through another creature’s hind leg. His movements formed a web of defense around Cyrus and Athena, holding the line against the horde.
"Back-to-back," Cyrus barked, seeing the gap created by Sylus’s swift maneuvers. He and Athena moved instantly, pressing their backs together, each covering the other’s blind spots. It was a shield formation they could maintain while using each other’s movements to enhance their reach.
As another wave surged forward, Athena conjured a barrier of mana in front of them, absorbing the impact of the first few Deers before it shattered under the sheer force of their assault. Taking advantage of the momentary reprieve, Cyrus brought his sword up, energy flickering as he focused his strength into a single, sweeping arc. The blade cut through the air, ripping into the front line of Deers and sending a cascade of ethereal light through the darkness.
Athena didn’t waste a second. She crouched low, ducking beneath Cyrus’s blade, and extended her palm. She whispered a spell, releasing a concentrated stream of mana that tore through the Deers charging toward her. They flinched back, bodies crumpling as her magic exploded upon impact, but the brief opening was soon swallowed by the next wave of attackers.