Amala ordered the two of them to stay back. She started to stalk the beast that was preoccupied with eating its prey. Amala used her divine power to create a rock arrow out of thin air.

Rufus was surprised that Amala had such a skill. The arrow looked tough and durable and could penetrate easily even the toughest of plate armors.

Amala readied her bow. She was taking aim at the rukh. Just before Amala was about to release the arrow the rukh sensed something was wrong. It spotted Amala and rose in the air before Amala could hit it. Amala tried to hit it again in the air, but the rukh was just too fast. It flew behind the mountain.

"Shit! Run! We have to get away from the mountain now!" Amala yelled.

"Wha…Why?" Rufus stumbled.

"Rukh. Hunt in mountains. When hunt. Mountain dangerous," Pema explained.

The rukh then appeared behind them. It had flown around the entire mountain at an astounding speed. It lashed with its hands at them. Pema blocked the attack by turning his hands into some kind of black tough material. The rukh then slapped them with its wings making Amala fall down the edge of the mountain.

Rufus jumped off the edge. He was trying to save Amala. He grabbed onto her and tried to grab onto the side of the mountain. He was unable to get a grip but was at least able to slow down the fall enough for both of them to survive the fall.

"That was close," said Rufus when they landed safely on a lower ledge on the mountain.

"Why the hell you did that?!" yelled Amala.

"Did what?" asked Rudus

"Save me," Amala asked looking confused at Rufus.

"I mean. I don't know why. I just don't want anyone to get hurt," Rufus explained.

The rukh then flew down trying to attack the two of them. Rufus threw a divine sphere at the beast, but it dodged it. Amala also tried to shoot it with her stone arrows but missed every time. Rufus then had an idea. He touched the side of the mountain. He used his divine power to cause the side of the mountain to collapse.

The rukh stopped it attacked so it wouldn't get buried under the landslide.

"Oh shit…." said Rufus who realized they had to know dodge the landslide and rocks.

Pema then jumped like a mountain goat through the side of the mountain and was able to push away the two of them before they were buried. Pema instead was buried himself. After the landslide was over Rufus ran to the pile of rocks and started to dig.

"Amala! Why aren't you helping?!" yelled Rufus at her who didn't come and help.

"No worries. Pema doesn't die that easily," said Amala all relaxed.

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Pema then rose from the rubble. He looked completely unfazed and didn't have a scratch on him. Just some dust on him.

"I am fine. Worry not Rufus," Pema said.

Rufus looked stunned.

"We have to get off this mountain. It is dangerous now that the rukh knows we are here," explained Amala

~~

They started to descend the mountain. They all looked up to the sky for the beast. It looked like they would be able to get off the mountain without even getting badly hurt.

Amala looked up straight at the sun. She saw the sunlight getting less bright. It was the rukh using the sun as a way to hide from them.

Amala started to shoot it with her stone arrows, but the rukh was an expert flyer and was able to dodge all the arrows. The Rufus also tried to throw his divine spheres at it, but couldn't hit it and just got tired.

Pema then jumped to the air and grabbed onto the rukh. It started to strangle it from behind. Pema's hands turned into again to the tough black substance.

Pema had a divine power to create a layer of nearly impenetrable carbon on top of his skin like it was armor. With his divine power, he could almost withstand any kind of attack.

Pema was just about to choke out the beast but was slashed off the back of the beast. Amala and Rufus looked in horror. There were two rukhs now.

"Shit. More have come. We now have to kill them or there will be a flock of these here soon," Amala cursed.

They attacked and it looked like the two rukhs worked together. Amala wasn't able to land a single arrow on a single rukh. One of them was able to even land a scratch on the thigh of Amala. She fell to the ground. Before she could be killed by one of the rukhs Pema and Rufus saved her.

"Let's kill some chickens," said Rufus having his back on Pema.

"Yes," said a smiling Pema.

The two rukhs circled them in the sky. They couldn't start running down anymore unless they wanted to be attacked. One of them started to attack from the sky.

"Pema throw me at it," Rufus yelled.

Pema looked confused.

"YOU! THROW!" Rufus yelled and pointed at the rukh.

Pema threw Rufus at the rukh. The rukh immediately grabbed on Rufus from his side with its talons. Rufus yelled in agony as its talons ripped into its flesh. Rufus then pushed through the pain and grabbed its leg with his hand. He then made the leg explode making the rukh release him. Before falling, Rufus threw a divine sphere at it. It tried to dodge it, but it expanded and destroyed one of its wings making it fall to its death.

The last attacked tried to kill the falling Rufus mid-air, but Amala was able to finally hit it with her arrow. It still desperately flew down and almost got an attack land Amala, but Pema stopped it. He crushed its beaks and choked it out so hard its neck snapped killing the second rukh too.

Rufus fell to the ground hard. He was badly wounded having his sides being punctured by the rukhs talons and having fallen. Amala ran to him.

"Rufus. RUFUS!" Amana yelled.

Amala got to the wounded, but still conscious Rufus.

"Rufus! Are you okay?" Amala asked Rufus.

Rufus then pushed Amala away. A third yet unseen rukh attacked from behind Amala trying to kill her while she wasn't looking. Rufus then touched its beak and made the entire creature explode with its guts and blood splattering everywhere.

"Are you okay?" asked a wounded Rufus from Amala.

Amala looked flabbergasted.

~ ~

Rufus was taken down the mountain. His wounds were stitched by Amala with some simple medical thread. Amala looked a bit awkward when stitching Rufus.

"Why did you save me," asked Amala.

Rufus looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

"You saved me. Two times. I am your enemy. You had no obligation to save me," asked Amala.

"Well do I need a reason and don't really have I guess enemies. Well yeah I don't like the people who run the Jacob kingdom, but truly don't have an actual enemy," Rufus explained.

Amala looked confused. She walked away after stitching Rufus. She looked a bit blushed. Pema then came to talk with Rufus.

"You are strong. You save my sister. She will respect you now," explained Pema.

Rufus smiled at Pema.

"Hey we both saved her right," said Rufus.