The morning sun filtered gently through the forest canopy, casting dappled shadows on the path ahead. As Seraphina and Nyrion continued their journey, the events of the previous night loomed over her like a heavy fog. The forest, once a sanctuary, now seemed to close in around them, amplifying her sense of unease.
Seraphina walked in silence, her gaze fixed on the ground. Each step felt heavier than the last, weighed down by the harsh reality of their situation.
She stole occasional glances at Nyrion, who strode ahead with a confidence that felt almost alien to her now.
His demeanor was as unflappable as ever, but Seraphina couldn't shake the turmoil within herr right now. His demeanor was as unflappable as ever, but Seraphina couldn't shake the turmoil within her.
What he did yesterday was a stark contrast to the joking and easygoing attitude he had maintained throughout their journey. The way he handled the situation, so cold and ruthless.
Back in the mine, there was a reason for it, a questionable one, but it was there. But not this time, at least not for Seraphina. It felt like the warmth of their earlier moments had been snuffed out.
Now she was left grappling with a heavy silence that made everything seem more complicated. The easy banter they once had felt like a distant memory, buried under the weight of what they'd just gone through.
"So, what's the plan today?" she finally asked, her voice barely concealing the conflict she felt. She was looking for a distraction from her thoughts even if she wouldn't admit it.
"Continue south. Hopefully, without any more interruptions," Nyrion replied flatly. "I'm thinking we'll skip camp tonight to make up for lost time. What do you think?"
Seraphina stared at him, her mind reeling. It felt surreal that he could talk so casually after what had happened. How could he be so composed after ending an innocent life so ruthlessly?
The contrast between his nonchalant demeanor and the gravity of their situation was jarring.
Seraphina was well aware of the hypocrisy in her thoughts, but she couldn't help feeling a deep sense of regret for the adventurers she had killed.
The weight of their deaths often pressed heavily on her conscience, and she found herself remembering their final moments quite often.
Nyrion on the other hand, seemed completely indifferent, showing no signs of remorse or concern for any of the lives he had taken.
Was this her future? If she kept chasing strength no matter the cost, would she end up cold and ruthless like Nyrion?
Seraphina was troubled by this thought. The remorse she felt for the lives she'd taken made her question if her quest for power would ultimately strip away her empathy, leaving her as indifferent to the lives of strangers as Nyrion wqs.
Nyrion didn't comment on her lack of an answer. He knew what she was going through, and decided it was best to leave her to it.
If she decided that power wasn't worth it, he couldn't force her into following him. Or at least he didn't want to. But if she managed to overcome her emotions, he was certain she would become a force to be reckoned with.
The day dragged on as they continued their march through the woods, the question of journeying through the night seemingly forgotten.
The forest was alive with the sounds of rustling leaves and distant bird calls, but Seraphina was lost in her thoughts, barely noticing the beauty around her. Nyrion's steady pace was a stark reminder of the path they had chosen, one she was now deeply questioning.
Seraphina looked up to see Nyrion suddenly slowing his pace, his eyes narrowing as he focused on something just beyond their line of sight. She followed his gaze and saw a massive, hulking figure standing not far ahead of them.
The creature before them was immense, standing on two powerful legs like a bear but covered in thick, shaggy fur. Its body was a rugged mix of dark brown and gray, blending seamlessly with the forest backdrop.
But what truly set it apart was its head: a peculiar amalgamation of a bear's face and an elk's. The creature's broad, flattened muzzle and sharp, dark eyes gave it a fierce, predatory look. Atop its head, a sprawling set of antlers branched out, twisted and gnarled, resembling the branches of an ancient tree.
The antlers were not just ornamental; they were sharp and imposing, each one ending in a wickedly sharp point.
Its claws, long and curved, reached out with a menacing grace, and its movements were both powerful and deliberate, reflecting the primal strength of its bear-like body. The creature let out a deep, resonant growl, a sound that sent a shiver down Seraphina's spine.
Seraphina's heart pounded as she stared at the creature. "What's that?" her voice tinged with a mix of awe and apprehension.
"It's an elk bear. Or bearelk, but if you call it that I'm gonna slap you." Nyrion said quietly. "And an adult ne from the looks of it. Average level for an adult is 15 to 20, a pain but we can take it."
Seraphina's gaze was locked on the creature, her mind racing. The elkbear, as Nyrion had called it, seemed to embody the wildness of the forest itself. She swallowed hard, her heart still thuddding from the sight of the enormous beast.
"So, what's the plan?" she asked, trying to steady her voice. "Are we just gonna… deal with it?"
Nyrion nodded, his voice cool and focused. "Yes. It's strong and durable but quite stupid."
Seraphina took a deep breath, trying to match Nyrion's calm demeanor. "Right. Just another day in the life, huh?" Her troubles while not forgotten have taken a backseat to the situation at hand.
"So, what do you want me to do?" Seraphina asked.
"I'm gonna distract it, hopefully dodge its charge, but if i can't ill block with my shield. When it's fully focused on me you jump out and slash at its neck. If you can't behead it in one strike retreat behind it while poking at it. The pain should make it forget about me and when it turns around to attack you i'm gonna smash it's leg. We'll figure it out from there." Nyrion said with a quiet voice, while they were talking the elk bear has moved closer but has not noticed them, at least not yet.
As Nyrion laid out the plan, Seraphina tried to absorb every detail. The bearelk was getting closer, its massive antlers swaying with each step. It was making low, rumbling noises, still unaware of their presence.
"Alright, so you distract it, i take a shot at its neck, then fall back if i can't get it in one go while annoying it as much a possible," Seraphina repeated, trying to steady her nerves.
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Nyrion gave a nod. "Yeah, that's the gist. It's a big, dumb brute. We just need to use that against it."
Seraphina unsheathed her blade her grip tightened as she watched the elkbear, feeling her heart pound in her chest. She glanced at Nyrion, who was already stepping into an open space next to them, while getting the creature's attention with a series of loud shouts and gestures.
The creature's gaze shifted towards Nyrion, its powerful frame tensing up. As Nyrion was preparing to face his enemy, Seraphina who was hiding in a nearby bush couldn't help but feel nervous.
Nyrion shifted his stance, preparing for the creature's inevitable charge. The ell bears focus remained solely on Nyrion as if the possibility of another foe didn't even cross its mind.
The elkbesrs massive frame tensed as it locked eyes with Nyrion, its dark, menacing gaze focusing on him with a predatory intensity. As the elkbear growl echoed through the forest, it suddenly sprang into action. Its enormous legs drove it forward with surprising speed, each thunderous step shaking the ground like an earthquake.
The trees quivered as the creature barreled towards the dwarf who was but a fourth if it's size..
"Shit," Nyrion said after realizing that he couldn't doge the creatures charge. He quickly adjusted his stance, his feet digging into the ground, if he couldn't dodge he would make sure the charge would hurt them both.
Finally the elkbears antlers collided with Nyrions shield, the impact resounding through the forest. The sound was followed by two screams and a smashing sound.
The first scream as well as the smashing belonged to Nyrion who, thanks to the force of the impact, flew into the air and then smashed into the ground.
The second scream belonged to the elkbear whose antlers had been shattered into pieces.
Bjt before either one could recover a sword slashed into the elkbears neck from a nearby bush, the odachi going it's own width into the neck before stopping on the creatures bone.
The elkbear screamed once more, while swiping one of it's claws at Seraphina.
She dodged, having expected such a reaction, and prroceded to make her way towards the elkbears back, leaving shallow cuts on it as she went.
The creature tried smashing it's antlers into Seraphina while turning around but was left in confusion as it's hit didn't seem to connect. It had forgotten about its antlers having been destroyed.
Seraphina meanwhile, seeing the oportunity presented by the elkbears confusion tried stabbing at its left eye.
Howeevr just as she plunged her sword the creature stood up on its back legs, causing her odachi to pierce into its belly.
The elkbear screamed once more, and swiped both it's claws at Seraphina who decided not to risk it and abandoned her sword. Now, with nothing I hand she stood before the bleeding creature, hoping that Nyrion would finally move his ass.
The elkbear roared louder than ever before, making Seraphina cover both of her ears. Right after finishing the its mighty roar it swiped at Seraphina with both claws. But before the attack could reach her a cracking sound suddenly covered the forest.
It was Nyrion who smashed his now fully extended warpick into the elkbears leg, breaking a bone.
The creature fell towards the ground, trying to break it's fall but with both of the elkbears paws in the middle of a swipe it, simply couldn't do it fast enough.
The massive elkbear crashed to the ground with a resounding thud, its body sprawled out and its breath coming in ragged, pained gasps, the odachi still stuck in its belly, with the help of the impact, fully entered the elkbears body.
Seraphina quickly scrambled away from the beast, her heart racing as she took in the scene. Nyrion stood, his warpick still embedded in the elkbear's leg, his breathing heavy and labored.
Seraphina's eyes darted to Nyrion. His armor was dented and his stance unsteady, his eyes unfocused. His shield nowhere to be seen. With some trouble pulled his weapon out of the creatures leg and proceeded to slowly walk towards its head.
"Is it still alive?" Seraphina called out.
Without so much as acknowledging her question with a look, Nyrion continued walking, until he stopped right next to the elkbears head.
He grabbed his warpick with both hands, and slammed it into the beast head with the hammerside. And then again, and again…
After a solid minute of nothing but silence only broken by the occasional smash and splat, he finally stopped when the elkbears head looked like a squashed pumpkin.
He dropped his weapon, and took off his helmet, only to reveal a bloody mess where his Dwarven head once was. With the amount of blood covering him one couldn't be blamed if they mistook him for an undead.
Nyrion muttered to himself while taking something out of his belt bag. It was a small glass bottle or at least the remains of one, with some blue liquid spilled everywhere.
Without batting an eye he put the whole fistful in his mouth. Then he lifted the bag and shook it, making even more glass enter his mouth alongside the liquid.
The sight disturbed Seraphina even more than when she looked at the adventurers corpses after killing them. It just looked so surreal.
As Nyrion opened his eyes, the only thing he could see was the moon in the sky partially obsucreed by the leaves.
"Aah, my fucking head," He said while grabbing bragging his forehead.
"Took you long enough." A voice said from his side.
Nyrion sat down and looked at Seraphina who was cooking some meat over a fire. "Heo long was I out?"
"One and a half days. Since you were out cold I already took the elkbears life energy, I didn't know when or if you were gonna wake up so I figured it's the best thin to do." She said neutrally.
"You did well," Nyrion answered, "But we have to move. We probably still have some leeway but for safety sake we should skip camping for at least two nights."
"Sure, but before that," Seraphina said. "What was that blue stuff you took earlier?"
Nyrion was already standing up, though his battered armor wasn't making it easy. "A healing potion, I bought it a year ago for what I thought was way too much st the time. And no I don't have another one so don't get injure like I did."
Her voice, the tone she was speaking in was… weird. But Nyrion ignored it for now, deciding that he could simply ask about it later. He had more important things to worry about.
Meanwhile Seraphina looked at Nyrion who was picking up his bags with sadness in her eyes. Someone had found them a bit over an hour ago. Someone who looked like a scout…