Ebonheim stood with her hands on her hips, trying to look confident and heroic as Lira and the miners retreated behind her. Hope it looked as awe-inspiring to them as it did when Hilda came and saved me.
"You're welcome!" she shouted after them while her legs trembled below.
She stared, wide-eyed at the abomination in front of her.
W…w...what madness of the forest is that?! That monster looked absolutely terrifying. Her Divine Sight made it look even worse as she saw the malevolent aura radiating out from its body.
[Divine Sight (Rank II) active]
[Target] Name: Qliphothic Remnant; Type: Dark; Threat Level: Very Difficult
Qliphoth. That name sounded dangerous and terrifying. Well, at least the Akashic System didn’t say that it was an impossible threat to her. That gave her a little bit of comfort. But she had no idea how she was going to defeat it. Where did this thing come from anyways? In the mines? Why was something like that in there? Were there more inside? Hope not.
Its putrid presence made her skin crawl and at this point, she would have rather fought against a dozen Kungwans instead of this monstrosity.
The aberration roiled towards her, faster than she thought was possible for its size.
“Uh oh!” She scampered away and headed towards the forest opposite to where her villagers fled to.
"Okay," she said to herself, "you've got this. Just lure it into the forest, and then... then... figure out what to do from there." She gulped and darted into the trees, hoping the creature would follow her.
The aberration hissed and snarled, its countless tendrils thrashing about as it gave chase. Ebonheim raced deeper into the woods, nimble and agile, leaping from tree to tree.
"Okay, so it's big and scary," Ebonheim muttered, clinging to a tree branch high above the ground. "But it's also slow and dumb, right? Maybe I can just keep my distance and take it down bit by bit?"
As she weighed her options, the aberration burst through the trees, its twisted form a nightmarish vision of writhing tendrils and unblinking eyes. The forest trembled under its approach.
“Woah! Maybe it’s not that slow.”
Taking a deep breath, she drew back her bowstring. Golden light coalesced into a radiant arrow. The arrow soared through the air, crackling with divine energy, and struck the vile creature square in its multitude of eyes.
[Attack Hit; 40 Divine Damage to Qliphothic Remnant (Damage Doubled); 4 Charges remaining]
The aberration roared in pain and anger. Ebonheim raced away, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Come on, you big, ugly beastie!" she taunted as she leapt through the trees, her lithe body easily navigating the dense foliage. "Let's play a little game of cat and mouse!"
The aberration pursued her, its tendrils whipping and slicing through the trees in its path.
She leaped between trees and fired off Enchanted Essence Bolts whenever she could, trying to keep the monster at a distance.
[Attack Missed; 3 Charges remaining]
[Attack Missed; 2 Charges remaining]
[Attack Hit; 40 Divine Damage to Qliphothic Remnant (Damage Doubled); 1 Charge remaining]
The aberration snarled and snapped at her, its tendrils reaching out for her like hungry snakes.
"Ha! Can't catch me!" Ebonheim taunted, though her voice trembled slightly. She knew she needed a strategy to win, but her mind felt like it was spinning in circles.
As she dodged another of its attacks, Ebonheim tried to think of a plan. She needed to use her powers to their full advantage, but she also needed to conserve her energy. Maybe if she could just wear the creature down, she could land a powerful hit to finish it off.
"Alright, you ugly blob," she muttered, "let's dance."
Ebonheim sprinted through the forest, ducking under branches and leaping over roots as the aberration roared behind her. She fired off another Enchanted Essence Bolt, and it struck the creature squarely in one of its many eyes. It howled in pain, but it didn't slow down.
[Attack Hit; 44 Divine Damage to Qliphothic Remnant (Damage Doubled); 0 Charges remaining]
"Just gotta keep it up," she panted, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "Just a little more."
She channeled her Essence to activate her ability once again. Five leaves comprised of ethereal golden light manifested behind her.
[Divine Ability: Enchanted Essence Bolt activated]
[Essence] 165 -> 150
[5 Charges remaining]
"Hey, ugly!" she yelled, taunting the aberration as she fired off another Enchanted Essence Bolt—One of the leaves floating behind her vanishing. "You're not so tough, are you? Bet you didn't think you'd be facing a goddess today, huh?"
[Attack Missed; 4 Charges remaining]
Crap!
The creature screeched in response, and Ebonheim couldn't help but shudder. "Okay, maybe that wasn't such a great idea," she thought.
With each step, Ebonheim grew more and more afraid. The aberration was relentless, and it seemed like her attacks were barely making a dent. Even when her attacks landed, its amorphous flesh regenerated at a steady pace.
"Alright, think!" she muttered to herself. "That thing is big and scary, sure, but you're a goddess. You've got powers and stuff. It's just a matter of figuring out how to use them to take this thing down."
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She glanced back at the aberration, which was crashing through the trees in pursuit, tendrils flailing wildly. Easier said than done.
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As the scene of the battle shifted deeper into the forest, Ebonheim could see the aberration tearing through trees and uprooting plants in its rage. She knew she couldn't keep running forever, but the thought of confronting the creature head-on terrified her.
"Okay," she whispered to herself, "time for a new plan."
Just as the aberration was about to reach her, Ebonheim darted behind a large tree and activated her Vines of the Bramble King.
[Divine Ability: Vines of the Bramble King (Rank I) activated]
[Essence] 150 -> 135
The vines shot out of the ground and wrapped around the creature's tendrils, holding it in place for a brief moment.
"Now's my chance!" Ebonheim thought, launching another barrage of Enchanted Essence Bolts at the aberration.
[Attack Hit; 41 Divine Damage to Qliphothic Remnant (Damage Doubled); 3 Charges remaining]
[Attack Hit; 40 Divine Damage to Qliphothic Remnant (Damage Doubled); 2 Charges remaining]
[Attack Hit; 43 Divine Damage to Qliphothic Remnant (Damage Doubled); 1 Charge remaining]
The aberration screeched in fury as Ebonheim's arrows found their mark.
With a surge of power, the creature broke free from the vines, its tendrils lashing out with renewed vigor.
[Vine Health] 25 -> 0
“Oh, come on! Why are my vines so weak?!”
A blast of dark energy spewed from the aberration’s central maw, hitting Ebonheim square on her stomach and sending her crashing to the ground.
[You’ve taken 35 Necrotic damage]
[Health] 190 -> 155
“Ugh!” She winced in pain as she got back up to her feet. The blast had eroded through the fabric of her dress and her flesh burned from beneath.
The aberration surged forward, its tendrils lashing out at Ebonheim whose back was against a tree.
She channeled her essence without thinking.
[Arboreal Stride activated]
[Essence] 135 -> 115
Before the tendrils could reach her, Ebonheim melded into the tree and emerged from another tree some distance away.
She gritted her teeth and pulled back her bowstring, sending another Enchanted Essence Bolt fly.
A barrier of dark energy swirled around the aberration. The divine arrow hit the barrier and exploded in a burst of blinding light. The barrier quivered and lost some of its intensity.
[Attack absorbed; 26 Divine damage to Umbral Shield; 0 Charges remaining]
“Damn it! I have to deal with its shield now?!” She activated her Enchanted Essence Bolt again.
[Divine Ability: Enchanted Essence Bolt activated]
[Essence] 115 -> 100
[5 Charges remaining]
She shot another essence bolt at it, and again her attack was absorbed.
[Attack absorbed; 25 Divine damage to Umbral Shield; 4 Charges remaining]
"Ugh, seriously?" Ebonheim huffed, frustrated by its new defense.
With a determined glare, she nocked another arrow and fired it at the shield. The arrow seemed to vanish as it struck the barrier, but Ebonheim wasn't deterred. She continued to fire, hoping to find a weak spot or somehow overwhelm the shield.
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The forest echoed with the sounds of their battle, Ebonheim's arrows and the aberration's dark blasts creating a chaotic ballet of destruction throughout the forest. Trees were shredded by the creature's tendrils, and the ground was scorched by the dark energy. Ebonheim gritted her teeth, knowing that she needed to end this before the entire forest was laid to waste.
She managed to break through its barrier after another direct hit.
For a moment, it seemed like Ebonheim was gaining the upper hand. Her continuous attacks were forcing the aberration to focus on defense, and she was managing to stay out of its reach. She felt a spark of hope, thinking that maybe she could actually do this.
But the aberration was nothing if not persistent. It continued to lash out with its tendrils and shoot dark blasts at Ebonheim, seemingly unfazed by the damage it was taking. "Come on, just give up already!" Ebonheim shouted in frustration, her anxiety mounting.
As Ebonheim continued to pepper the aberration with arrows, she couldn't help but feel a flicker of fear. What if she couldn't defeat it? She shook off the doubts and steeled herself, focusing on the task at hand.
"Just keep shooting," she told herself, nocking another arrow. "It has to come down eventually."
The battle raged on, and Ebonheim decided it was time to step up her offense. She was tired of playing the defensive game, and she knew she needed to hit the aberration harder.
"Alright, you disgusting pile of sludge," Ebonheim muttered, her eyes narrowing with determination. "Let's see how you handle some friends of mine!"
With a flourish of her hands, she invoked the Forest's Call, animating two nearby trees to join the battle.
[Divine Ability: Forest’s Call activated]
[Essence] 100 -> 75
The trees, now imbued with life and purpose, lumbered towards the aberration, their massive limbs swinging like clubs.
"Go get 'em, boys!" Ebonheim cheered, her fear momentarily forgotten in the thrill of the fight. "Show this monster what it means to mess with a goddess and her forest!"
The animated trees clashed with the Aberration, their powerful blows shaking the earth beneath them.
Ebonheim took advantage of the distraction, using her agility to position herself for the perfect shot. "Okay," she whispered to herself. "Just breathe, aim, and let it fly." Her enchanted bow hummed as she fired arrow after arrow, each one striking the creature with deadly precision.
[Attack Hit; 44 Divine Damage to Qliphothic Remnant (Damage Doubled); 1 Charge remaining]
The Aberration roared in fury, its tendrils lashing out at the animated trees with brutal force. The trees groaned and splintered under the onslaught, but they refused to back down, fighting with a primal rage that matched the aberration's own. Ebonheim couldn't help but feel a surge of pride at their tenacity.
"That's it!" she shouted, her voice filled with fierce encouragement. "Don't let up!"
As it fought the animated trees, its body began to regenerate, the vile mass of putrescent tissue knitting itself back together with sickening speed. Ebonheim's heart sank as she realized that her attacks weren't causing enough lasting damage.
"No, no, no!" she cried, her frustration mounting. "This can't be happening!"
As the battle intensified, the forest became a chaotic whirlwind of flying leaves, splintering wood, and dark energy. The trees managed to land a few solid hits on the aberration, but the creature was relentless. With every passing moment, it seemed to grow more and more enraged, its attacks growing wilder and more destructive.
Ebonheim watched the melee unfold, feeling a mixture of pride and fear. She knew she couldn't keep this up forever, but she had to find a way to bring the aberration down. Her fingers ached from drawing her bowstring, but she refused to give in to the pain.
"Come on, you big oaf," she muttered, firing another arrow. "Just... die already!"
[Attack Hit; 41 Divine Damage to Qliphothic Remnant (Damage Doubled); 0 Charges remaining]
The aberration shrieked and redoubled its efforts, its tendrils tearing through the trees with renewed savagery.
The animated trees, valiant to the end, finally succumbed to the onslaught, their broken forms crashing to the ground in a storm of splintered wood and crushed foliage.
With the trees defeated, the aberration turned its full attention back to Ebonheim, its countless eyes glowing with an unholy rage—and she suddenly felt very, very small.
[Divine Ability: Enchanted Essence Bolt activated]
[Essence] 75 -> 60
[5 Charges remaining]
"Uh-oh," she whispered, backing away from the rampaging monster. "This isn't good."