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"Hold, lads, hold!" Old Thane's shout resonated through the burning forest battlefield, rising far above the raging crackle of flas, the heavy thudding of fire giant steps, and the clash of giant fla swords against wood.
The shout had no reason to belong to a man as aged as Old Thane, and yet, the way the blind man moved, it was difficult to tell he was far past his pri.
He shoulder slamd into the knee of a fire giant, catching the giant off balance and forcing the slamming trajectory of his fla sword away from turning Mason into a smidgeon of burnt blood.
"Asala!" Old Thane shouted again as the fire giant reared its attention on him, burning eyes of pure flaming light flickering in annoyance.
The giant slamd a crushing hand down on to Old Thane, but he raised his arms up and caught the attack.
A surge of fire and heat wave distorted winds burst out from Old Thane stopping the impact, and the palms of his hands singed as his muscles rippled and bulged, surging with a red aura that indicated he had activated [Berserker's Rage], a staple of the Berserker subclass to boost strength, speed, and damage resistance.
Yet, fire giants were ever the formidable foe, and though their great size ant their agility stat was low, making their accuracy and movent speed unimpressive, they more than made up for it with their prodigious natural strength, easily surpassing pure brawlers like Old Thane in single combat.
But this was not single combat.
"Reprieve shalt co to thee soon," said Asala, calm in her voice for as situations beca tenser, she only ever beca more focused, more calm.
Her yellow eyes glinted as her pupils slit into narrow lines as she pointed her wooden staff at the fire giant.
Wreaths of golden light swirled around the staff in flowing patterns, causing sands to arise from around the fire giant's locking into a solidified mound around his legs.
The giant grunted as it saw this sudden developnt, and instead of trying to break free, aid its fla sword against Old Thane while he was pinned by the giant's hand.
"Tis' brutish but predictable," said Asala as she pointed her staff down.
The [Sand Tomb] around the fire giant's legs sunk under the ground as if parted by quicksand, and the giant lost its balance again.
Old Thane took this mont to get out from under the giant's grip and side step back, and as the giant crashed face first into the ground, Old Thane charged up a [Painkiller], a powerful Berserker class blow that dealt more damage based on how much the user had taken.
Old Thane's wooden, gauntleted fist smashed into the side of the fire giant's head with resounding impact, causing it to snap back and disorient the monster.
"Now!" growled Old Thane. "Converge!"
From stealth erged rcer with his twin blades and Sheela with her short sword.
They were not too coordinated, both of them circling in front of the fire giant to try and cut its eyes out, but Sheela was more experienced, allowing rcer freedom to act as she broke off, leaping onto the giant's head and using it as a platform to flip to its back exposed back which she stabbed into with no hesitation.
rcer grunted as he slamd twin daggers into both the giant's eyes.
The critical damage caused the fire giant to roar in pain, fire bellowing out from its body and causing rcer to imdiately scramble backwards.
Mason grabbed his brother's cloak from the back and pulled him back to aid his escape, leaving them both with just lava singed hairs for their trouble.
Sheela, however, smiled and continued forwards, letting the lava spatter around her skin and burn it. She used the damage to channel her blood shamanism, and with it, cast [Bleeding Edge], coating her wooden sword in a rapidly rotating layer of sharpened blood ant for inflicting as much bleeding damage as possible.
With [Blood Boost] pumping through her body, lighting all her veins up with a crimson red visible through her skin in grotesque fashion, Sheela sped around the giant, slashing everywhere she could, so of her attacks sinking into critical spots and causing veins of fiery blood to burst, gushing out molten rock and fla everywhere.
"Gods, we really are weak," comnted Mason as he and his brother stood shoulder to shoulder, supporting each other through panting breaths and watching as Sheela wreaked bloody havoc on the fire giant.
"You've got that right-," began rcer before his sharper senses caused his blue eyes to widen. "Watch out!"
A fireball flew their way before Vilga erged alight with flas from having managed to defeat a fire giant in single combat.
Cauterized sword wounds littered her muscular body, but she still had more than enough energy to snarl and punch the fireball with a [Iron Fist], the Qi wreathing her hand in a layer of blue aura that let her interact with projectiles.
The fireball shattered apart into tiny specks that Mason managed to block with his shield.
"No ti for chatter, lads!" said Old Thane as he retreated back, staying near Mason, rcer, and Vilga. Sheela had co back too, having executed the fire giant. Asala stood back further behind them as their mage and support.
In front of them, more giants were closing in.
Li had created a massive wall of wood to separate the fire giant army, leaving just two giants for the party to deal with, but now, the giants had scaled the wall, leaping down from it with solid thumps as their hefty weights settled on the forest floor, their every step burning foliage.
Many, many giants. Almost ten of them, it seed, and probably more coming.
Vilga spat out so blood and exhaled a strong breath through her burnt and parched lips. Patches of burns lined her face and her thick silver mane was singed black at its tips. However, she just smiled, baring her fangs, her gleaming yellow eyes wide with adrenaline and battle hunger.
She slamd her gauntleted fists together.
"Co!" she roared, her once quiet deanor completely gone now that her blood had started to flow, bringing her back to how she had been bred to be through decades fighting every single day, three hundred and sixty-five days of the year for fifteen years: a veteran of the Republic Arenas once feared as the Savage Fist.
"Y-yes!" shouted rcer rather weakly, raising his dagger to support Vilga, though he was evidently much, much more worried about losing his life than she was.
Mason watched as the ten giants began to charge forwards now, their huge bodies causing quakes. He raised his wooden shield and peered through the visor of his oaken helm with worry.
"Where is the seer!?" said Mason. "I thought he would have dealt with these foul beasts yet!"
"It is difficult to sense him," said Asala. "His magical energy flows strong, yet none of it do I now perceive."
Old Thane stood beside Vilga at the front and smiled just as broadly as the Lupi warrior.
The Savage Fist and the Blood Fist together. A union that would never have been known had not the all welcoming nature of Li's presence made its mark on this world.
Yet, a union that would not be enough.
"Is what she says true?" said Old Thane as he rolled his shoulders, feeling the blood trickle from burns and wounds littering his body. "Zagan."
A brief pause. The fire giants approached ever the closer, but everyone's attention, everyone except Old Thane, stared back at Zagan, the unassuming black dog that followed them everywhere.
Old Thane kept his fists clenched and stared straight ahead. "I know ye were to keep yourself hidden, but if the lad is gone, now is no ti for it."
"The Serpi is correct in her arcane judgent," said Zagan, his deep voice projecting outwards, an infernal rattle underlining it. Mason and rcer, unused to demonic influence of this caliber, felt shivers rattling across their bodies.
"Aye." Old Thane nodded to himself. "I worry little of the lad and the girl. They are mighty. But we will need so help."
"This personage understands the situation." Zagan trotted forwards, his black fur swaying like flas comprising a royal cloak as he stood in front of Old Thane.
Old Thane's smile broadened even more. "Then shall we? I am quite greedy for battle self."
Zagan's crimson eyes blazed. "It shall be so."
Zagan's form turned into a cloud of black fla for a mont before funneling into Old Thane.
Old Thane sighed as he felt power flow into him, the effects of his aging completely reversing. His wrinkles faded. The fat gathered around his belly lted away. His muscles filled into his skin, veins bulging and old scars popping through taut, youthful skin.
His usual hunch disappeared, and he grew taller, noticeably taller until he was just a few heads shorter than the smallest three-ter-tall giants.
The loose skins that wrapped around his shoulders and legs, skins of mighty beasts such as Dire Crusher Boars, Frostbears, Yeti, and even the scales of Glacial Serpents began to fill out, worn by the younger body they truly belonged to.
No more did Old Thane look like he was out of place wearing his gear. He was ferocity incarnate, his teeth tapering into near bestial points. Many of his veins bulged through his skin, and they were black, flowing with demonic energy.
"Aye," said Old Thane as he cracked his neck and clenched his fists. "Aye. This be the might I had. The violence I held down."
On Old Thane's exposed chest, where his heart was under his plate like pectoral muscle, two red eyes popped out, and from them, Zagan's voice erged.
"This personage grants you power to fulfill the safety of this party as the 'Seer' wishes. Waste no more ti in completing this objective, mortal."
"Hehe, aye, aye," said Old Thane. He looked back at Vilga, and she stared at him with surprise now. "Yer a lot like , lass. I know how much ye wanted the fight. So I'll be sure to leave ye so scraps."
With that, Old Thane looked forwards, at a fire giant that now was within ten ters of him, and charged forwards, his speed so explosive that he was a blur. He tackled the fire giant's leg and took the giant's multi-ton weight clean off the ground as if it was as light as a feather.
Roaring like a wild beast, Old Thane swung the giant around like a ragdoll, building up speed before tossing the giant as a projectile right into a group of three other giants.
The thrown giant crashed into the group and scattered them backwards, causing them to tumble several tis on the dirt, disoriented.
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