The werewolf growling, showing off the bloody razors it called teeth, Its hackles rising as it faced down Aria.
Aria sprung forth, the dirt exploding where her pushed off. The girl exploded forward like a missile, her flame clad fist drilling into the werewolf’s face. Pain rushed through Aris’s leg as her knee exploded, her leg bones shattering into the flesh of her leg.
A scream tore from Aria as the beast was laughed back. Aria crashed onto the ground hard, the pain in her leg like a thousands little gnomes were stabbing her flesh. She rolled ungracefully, gritting her teeth against the pain before the white flames washed it away. Aria propped her knee under her, breathing deep.
Aria threw her body to the side, flipping on a hand to land on her feet, her head all the while following the lance-like tree branch that had just separated the air where her head had just been.
Aria’s feet skidded through the packed dirt as she spun back to the werewolf. The beast seemed slightly more wary, its beastial eyes glaring into Aria’s own.
“Well? Come on!” Aria screamed, the flames snaking over hands flaring in threat.
The werewolf seemed to falter, but only for a split moment. Finding its courage, the werewolf launched forward, falling onto all fours as it closed the distance. When the beast reached Aria, it extended up, slashing out with a claw like a feral boxer.
Aria dodged the claw by a hair, the claws crossing milimeters in front of her eyes, even clipping a few hairs. But Aria didn’t counter, instead a pain exploded in her mind as the world went red, then black. She screamed in agony, falling back, off-balance.
A force like a truck hit her in the stomach and Aria was airborn. She didn’t need her eyes to understand that she was flying, especially when she impacted harshly into the trunk of a large tree.
The beast roared, as the tree groaned. With a snap, the battered tree gave in, falling straight toward where Aria lay. Aria’s sight received just enough to see the tree crashing down on top of her.
…
Senna looked back just in timme to see the tree falling. She saw the form of the young girl who’d helped her. She looked so young, so small as the tree crashed over her with a lud bang.
Senna turned away beginning to run before she faltered. What was she doing? That girl had risked her life to save her. She’d pulling Senna back from death. She’d saved and protected her. And Senna was running.
But, to go back, was to die. Why should she die for a stranger? Why did she have to repay the girl’s bravery, her kindness? WHY DID SHE HAVE TO DIE FOR HER?
“Because it’s the right thing to do.”
Her father’s voice echoed in her ears. Senna gripped her sword tightly, her thumb findinge where the engraving rest on the pommel.
“To live is to fight, and what better reason to fight than protecting others?”
Tears came to Senna’s eyes as she decided. She pushed away the tears with the back of her hand, sprinting forward as fast as she could.
The werewolf turned to face her, but it wasn’t rushing forward to meet her. It seemed slightly wary after the other girl’s ambush. But the werewolf was never Senna’s target.
“WIND SLASH!” Senna screamed as she slid to halt, swinging her sword with all the momentum of her run. An invisible blade launched out from the blade, Flying forth and slashing the massive tree, severing the trunk close to the base.
The werewolf looked and then turned back to Senna and began making some weird yipping noise. A noise that sent a shiver down Senna’s spine. Was it, laughing.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Senna stealed herschelf, even though the legs were shaking. “I wasn’t aiming for you.”
Almost as if waiting for her que, Senna’s saviour rolled the now much smaller log off of her, the girl’s crushed face reforming right in front of Senna’s eyes as she stood.
…
Aria faced the werewolf, blood dripping from her face as her shattered noise was reformed.
A devilish smile spread across Aria’s face as a most welcome message appeared before her.
New Skill Gained, Impact Resistance.
A special action has been performed.
Determination has increased. Determination > 20.
Determination has reached a milestone. New Passive Gained, Indomitable.
Indomitable, Passive: Increase all attributes by 10. This passive can be upgraded.
Aria’s grin turned feral as she felt the power rushing into her veins. She’d completely forgotten that the first time she had opened her menu, there had been a determination stat. She hardly remember any of that fever dream.
But now? Now, she very much felt those effects. Ecstasy replaced the ache in her body, energy brimmed, coursing through her veins like nitrous. The werewolf seemed somewhat stunned in place, and Aria didn’t hesitate.
She once more felt the energy in her veins, pushing power into her legs as she blew away from the dirt with a bang. She’d learned enough to not explode her legs, but with her new power, she’d still blown some muscles. But, she didn’t care.
Aria spun through the air, her leg lashing out the a whip. Her shin shattered as it impacted the werewolf. But she could feel its face cave in beneath the overwhelming blow.
The creature’s head snapped back, as it was thrown back, crashing into the brush. Aria landed on her shattered leg and promptly fell over with a small yelp. She was tired, so so tired. It felt like she’d just run a thousand marathons. Everything in her body ached and she felt empty, completely drained, drained… oh.
“Whoops.” Aria managed to mumble before the world went black.
…
Senna stared incredulously at the girl before her, her disbelief doudbing when she used inspect.
Mage, Level 9
“Mage? Level 9?” Senna screamed aloud, immediately clapping her hands over her mouth and crouching. Her sharp gaze searched around, looking for anything that heard her stupid proclamation. But, the werewolf didn’t return. Did she kill it? Senna looked from the bushes to the naked girl sleeping a dozen yards from her.
Senna gut wrenched into knots at the girl’s state. Her leg gore, like a stone mage had hit her with a stone blast. Blood seeped out from the wound, flowing and staining the ground red. Why isn’t she healing? Senna panicked, then mentally slapped herself. It all clicked, the healing, the mage tag, her explosive speed, this girl was an augmentor.
But, she could move her healing out of her body. Senna, shook her head. This girl was an anomaly. I could turn her in. She’s clearly an anomaly. But, whate was so bad about that? This girl wasn’t the monster that all the priests preached of. She had risked her life to save Senna, she now lay in her own blood becasue she risked it all to savbe Senna, a stranger.
Taht wasn’t a demon. “Just another lie.” Senna spat. Her hesitation vanishing as she kneeled beside the girl and hooked her hands around the girl’s armpits. She dragged her backward, pulling the two of them ut of the clearing and into the thick underbrush. Something determined could follow the blood, but with how much blood was everywhere, Senna hoped it would be enough. Her heart pounded as she thought of the werewolf, what if it wasn’t dead? What if it was just unconcious? What idf it wokle up?
Senna looked down at the sleeping girl, up close she was almost blown away. The girl was stunning, her face the perfect blend of angled and round, her features dainty yuet fierce, the laugh lines blending perfectly. Her hair was a mess of knots and tangles, matted with blood and grime, split down the middle in two different colors.
Senna couldn’t keep her eyes off the girl’s sleeping form, letting her eyes roam down the girl’s nude form. The bloody mess that was her leg had stemmed, the many scrapes and cuts scabbing over. Even without mana, Senna could see the girl’s natural regeneration at work.
“Monster.” Senna murmured softly. Not for the first time, Senna debated leaving the girl to her slumber and leaving, washing her hands of the whole situation, but, she knew she couldn’t. This stranger had risked her life for Senna. As much as her instincts screamed at her to leave, Senna stayed, waiting for the odd girl to awake.