Roxy bolts ahead before I can even open my mouth, charging straight toward the trees like a warhorse. Damn it, I know I hyped this up, but we still need a plan!
"Hey, wait up, Roxy!" My voice cracks out, but she’s already too far, axe swinging in anticipation. A guttural "OINK" bellows from the forest, the kind that rattles your bones. Great. The boar noticed.
"Shit! Let’s go, no ti to waste!" I shout, legs pumping, scythe in hand. "Powder! Get that sword ready! Slice that giant pig in two—we’re eating good tonight!"
"Yes, sir!" Powder answers with a grin, running surprisingly fast for a farr. Or maybe I’m just slower than all of them...
"Amara! Use your powers—whatever you’ve got! Just don’t hit the others recklessly, alright? Keep the beast away from us if you can!"
She winks, already sprinting past . "You don’t need to tell twice, love. I’ve got this."
...Why is everyone faster than ?!
"Anna, you—?!" I start, but the words stick in my throat. Her hands blaze with so weird energy, glowing like ethereal gauntlets wrapping her fists.
"I’ll cook you to death, you filthy pig!" she yells, leaping sky-high with reckless fury.
A healer on offense. Of course. This party will never work. What was I thinking picking them?!
And why the hell am I the one stuck in the back now?!
I grit my teeth, forcing my legs to carry faster. My scythe hums in my grip, pulsing with the rune’s glow, chains itching to be unleashed. My heart hamrs against my ribs, every beat louder than the last.
I can do this. We can do this. I just need to coordinate them—command them—like Glorius does.
Only difference is... my party is completely insane.
I skid to a halt.
The giant boar towers before us, tusks like spears gleaming in the sunlight. With one savage swipe, it catches Roxy clean and sends her flying through the trees. My stomach twists—but thank the gods I made it here in ti.
I whip my quill through the air, scribbling before anyone else can react.
{Roxy lands safely, steadier than before. Her mind sharpens, defense over reckless attack.}
The words burn into reality and fade. At the sa ti, I swing my scythe, and four crystal serpents lash out from the blade, coiling tight around the beast’s legs. Not much, just five percent slower, but even a giant falls if you stack the cuts.
"Powder, I’ll take it from here!" Roxy shouts, staggering back into the fray. Sweat runs down her body, muscles gleaming like molten bronze as she plants her axe in a guarded stance. This ti she’s calr, less wild.
Powder, anwhile, has the boar’s attention. He ducks under each tusk swipe, his sword ready—but his hands tremble like brittle branches in a storm. Not good enough. Not now.
At least Anna is pulling her weight—sort of. She’s clinging to the boar’s back, fists blazing with crimson light, hamring blows onto its skull. They don’t hurt much, but judging by the beast’s contorted face, they annoy the hell out of it. And sotis, annoyance is enough.
Amara is off doing her own thing—gigging softly as she twirls her umbrella, spilling waves of ice-cold mist that slam straight into the boar’s face. The beast thrashes, snorting and squealing in fury, blinded and irritated to the point of madness. I hope it’s enough to finish it...
Nobody listens to . Nobody cares about the so-called leader. Typical.
Fine. I scrawl again.
{Powder finds courage. He sees the beast not as a monster, but as his rival. If he fails here, he’ll never have the guts to chase a farr’s girl again.}
Not the noblest motivation—but for him, perfect.
And it works. His trembling stops. He grips his blade with both hands and unleashes a wild strike, cleaving deep into the boar’s flank. Blood sprays.
"Good job, Powder!" I yell, trying to convince myself I have a handle on this.
"Roxy, look out!" Powder shouts suddenly.
She doesn’t move. She just plants her feet, back broad and unflinching, axe braced in both hands.
Shit. She’s not ready. She can’t take that hit!
I scramble for my quill, but I’m too slow.
The boar lunges, tusk piercing clean through her side. Blood explodes in a violent spray as her body is hoisted into the air like a rag doll, then flung aside.
"NO!" My scream tears out of as I sprint after her, heart pounding so hard it feels like it might rip apart. Please be okay... please!
"ANNA!" I shout, and for once her smugness vanishes. She leaps from the beast, landing hard beside Roxy, her fists already burning. Crimson energy floods her hands as she presses down on Roxy’s torn side, sealing the wound as fast as it gushes.
"She’s losing too much blood! I can stop it, but she won’t be able to fight again... why would she do sothing so reckless? She might be a vanguard, but that doesn’t an she can take on a D-rank beast and pin it down with her current strength... stupid... please, just live..." Anna’s voice trembles as crimson light surges between her hands, pressing against Roxy’s torn side.
Her words terrify . I glance back. Powder is barely holding on, struggling against the boar’s thrashing bulk. The beast doesn’t run. No—it wants us dead. It wants to end this here.
"I understand. I’ll handle it with Powder. You—focus on Roxy. Don’t let her die." My voice cracks, my eyes locking with Anna’s. "Please."
While Anna pressed crimson light into Roxy’s wound, Amara swung her umbrella, the fra trembling subtly as a curtain of mist unfurled, wrapping us all in its cold embrace.
"I’ll cover you, Quill. I can’t strike it down, but I’ll mask you—and them—in the mist. The beast won’t see clearly, won’t think clearly. Do what you have to." Her voice is steady, calm, like she was born to seize command when the rest of us falter.
"Thanks... I owe you," I mutter, before spinning away—quill in one hand, scythe in the other. The letters blaze into the air as I carve them faster than my heart can beat, every stroke burning with desperation.
Pain lances through . My body screams in protest. But I don’t care. I’ll kill this bastard if it costs everything.
Power floods my limbs. My legs surge forward with the speed of the wind, muscles tearing as my scythe ignites in crimson fire. My arm feels ready to explode.
"Powder! DUCK!"
He doesn’t hesitate. He trusts and drops instantly.
I swing.
The scythe howls, hurling a crimson crescent wave attack through the air. It slams toward the boar’s face like a storm wind given form. The beast twists its head at the last mont, but too late. The strike rips a deep gash under its eye, and one of its massive tusks explodes into the air—the very sa tusk that had impaled Roxy.
"NOW! ATTACK!" I roar.
Powder stares for a heartbeat, wide-eyed. But then his grip tightens. He surges up from the dirt, sword blazing with desperation.
With a scream, he carves upward. His blade rips clean through the boar’s thick neck. Blood erupts in a crimson flood, washing over him, and the beast crashes down with a thunderous thud.
The forest falls silent.
I rush past the fallen carcass without sparing it another glance, dropping to my knees at Roxy’s side. Powder’s empty eyes haunt the edge of my vision, but all I can see is her pale face, her body soaked in blood.
Shit... please. Please live, Roxy.
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