Bladewarriors Book 1: Refresh

"As if I'd let you!"

Anger swirling in The Serpent's eyes, the beast turned toward the two fleeing women, unleashing her wrath. Throwing her nearest hand toward the pair, the beast let loose a massive wave of aquatic energy as a chaotic pulse of water.

"As if you've got a say in it!" Frost bellowed in response, taking a single step forward as he swung his sword toward the offending blast of water. A chilling wave of energy emanated outward from the blade, intercepting the snake's attack before it could reach Myst or Ivy, stopping the water dead in its tracks.

"Irksome pest!" The Serpent spun her head toward the arctic warrior, glaring down at the child. That was the second time he had interrupted her with that damn blade.

"It's time you learned your place!" The Serpent hissed, raising a hand towards the white-haired boy. The response to her power was so quick, the child had no chance to dodge or flee as the liquid lying within the confines of the spongy floor rose up, forming a dense pillar around the warrior. In a last ditch effort, the Arctican took in a deep breath, able to think of only one escape from the closing clutches of this monstrous beast. As the water overtook him, encasing him, Frost shot a glance backwards, hoping he wasn't about to do something too foolish, then tightened his grip on the Artic Blade grasped in his palm and released its energy.

The watery column surrounding the arctic warrior quickly froze, as if the frigid cold of a thousand winters took hold of it all at once, leaving nothing by a shimmering chaotic column of ice. The Serpent blinked, almost unable to believe what she saw, allowing an amused chuckle to escape from her lips as she stared at the frozen fool. What sort of idiot turned their own power against themselves? But before she could begin to ponder the answer, the frigid pillar shattered, almost exploding as a resonating clang echoed through the large room. A cloud of icy dust kicked out as the pillar collapsed, almost obscuring the vibrant red hair and eyes of the Flamian standing beside the collapsing crystal.

"Thanks for that." Frost sighed, pushing himself up as he shook the chunks of ice from his clothing, brushing the flakes from his arms and shoulders. "Wasn't sure if you'd figure it out quick enough."

"Come on, now, Frost." Flare smiled, bringing his sword back up, staring at the ice covered edge that had just freed his friend. "Did you forget which one of us is the fool?"

"You're both fools!"

With a snarling roar, The Serpent flung an arm toward the two chattering warriors, the levity of their voices somehow infuriating her beyond belief. Facing her, how could they dare to sound so light-hearted! From the simple motion of her arm, a massive wave quickly rose, pulling water from the strange floor upon which they all stood, the massive mound of liquid crashing towards the two targets with incredible speed.

Frost and Flare couldn't bother to ignore the shout or the attack, turning their focus to the wave as it rushed forward, quickly rising to block anything beyond it from view as it churned itself into a chaotic, frothy mess. The arctic child pushed himself to his feet, swinging his blade in the same moment. An arc of frigid power rippled out, slicing through the air before crashing into the wave, freezing the mound solid.

As the tumultuous wave transformed into a small, icy hill, an ominous shiver ran down Flare's spine. The Flamian's muscles tensed as his instincts screamed at him, alerting him to an unseen danger. Reacting based solely upon this portentous feeling, the redhead spun around, dragging his sword with him in a powerful slash. Flare gritted his teeth, clenching tight to his still dormant blade as his eyes found the form of the Serpent slowly rising from the floor behind him, the beast already poised to attack. He wasted no time, unleashing his strength as he swung his blade at the snake, his sword's edge finding its way straight through the monster's torso.

Flare gasped, his eyes widening, staring at the sight as it played out before him. The drab blade slashed through the air – through the beast – but no blood came. No, from the attack, all Flare managed to cause was a ripple. A strange distortion spread out from his sword as the Flamian dragged it through The Serpent's body, shimmering and distorting the beast's form only momentarily – as if the creature were made of nothing but water.

"As if you had the power…"

The Serpent sneered, almost grinning as she watched the shock spread out over the boy's face – the look of pure disbelief. The fool had no idea who he was messing with. The Creature of the Gods stretched her arm out, placing the tip of her fingers gently against the redhead's chest. As she felt that tactile response, the flow of every ounce of liquid in the boy's body became apparent to – and fell under her control. With a wicked grin, The Serpent pulled her hand back, pulling away the hydration that fueled the boy. But… he didn't fall.

The Serpent gasped, watching as the boy staggered a moment, then righted himself, lifting his head to reveal a set of arrogant eyes and a devious grin. The boy was surely feeling it – the effects of the instant dehydration she had cast, but he quickly returned to his original pose, seeming as if nothing had happened.

"That won't work on me." Flare stated, understanding quite well the power this monster had just used on him, even without having it explained. The sensation hat rushed through his body – it was an almost daily occurrence for him back home. "I'm used to being thirsty."

"Is that so?" Snarling, The Serpent let her annoyance grow. "Then allow me to give you a drink!"

With a swing of The Serpent's arm, a massive burst of water erupted from the floor beneath the redheaded child, flinging the brat a few dozen feet into the air in less than a second. The monster's sneer quickly transformed into a malicious grin as she followed the gnat's ascent, her arm moving to target him once more. It was all too easy.

"I don't think so!"

With a scream and another pointless swing, the second fool made himself known once more.

The Serpent lowered her gaze as the translucent edge of the Arctic Blade slashed through her arm. The same ripple began to spread out before an icy wave passed down the limb. The monstrous woman let out a shout, the chill sending daggers of pain through the limb as the arm became nothing more than a chunk of ice weighing her down. The creature howled, her eyes turning down to her shoulder as the ice continued to spread, threatening to engulf her whole form.

"Do me a favor and freeze to death!"

The Serpent raised her eyes as the white-haired boy yelled out, poising his blade for another attack. Grimacing, the beast prepared herself as the icy blade was thrust forward, slamming into her chest.

Frost grinned, plunging his weapon into the beast, watching as the wave of ice quickly spread across the monster, turning the creature into a life-size ice sculpture in but a few seconds. In the back of his mind, the fool knew it couldn't possibly be that easy, but in those few seconds, he still managed to let himself believe he had done it – he had beaten The Serpent.

Those glorious moments, though, were quickly fleeting. Not more than a few ticks of the clock later, the arctic fool was quickly reminded what kind of monster he was fighting as something wet slapped itself around his ankle, wrapping tight to him. Frost threw his head down, staring at his lower leg, managing only a second too late to realize what was gripping him: a tentacle of water.

"Aw, sh—"

Frost was cut short as the tentacle suddenly whipped away, dragging his feet from under him. The Arctican grunted and hollered as he toppled forward, his head smacking against the spongy floor for only a brief moment as the aquatic tendril ripped his body from the air.

"Son of a—"

Yet again, the fool was unable to finish his exclamation as the liquid tendril whipped about in the air. The Arctican grunted as the tentacle roughly switched direction, feeling the incredible jolt of pain all through his body as it snapped him violently the opposite way. He felt the strand tug him brutally through the air a moment more before it slipped from around his ankle, sending the fool spiraling chaotically across the room. Tumbling through the space, soaring above the floor as he spun about himself, the arctic child barely caught a glimpse of his ally as the flame-haired teen quickly leapt out of his path, barely avoiding being Frost's landing point.

Flare crashed to the ground, quickly spinning his head back to watch as Frost continued his spontaneous flight away. He gritted his teeth, spinning his gaze back to The Serpent as the wretch turned an arrogant smile to the flying fool, pleased with herself.

The redhead cursed inwardly, narrowing his eyes at the creature. His last attack – despite connecting – hadn't done a thing. The edge of his blade had passed harmlessly through the monster as if he were slicing through a pool of water. It was true he had expected the beast to pull off at least a few tricks he hadn't seen before, but something like that… how was he supposed to fight her like that!

Flare turned his eyes down, staring longingly at the still recovering blade clasped in his hand. The Mystic Blade's color and form had now returned to half of the weapon, the normal flaming edge and fiery hues continuing to creep slowly up the length of the sword. At this rate, though, he wasn't sure if the blade would recover in time. And without it, forget defeating the monster – he wasn't even sure how much longer he could keep the beast at bay.

The Flamian swung his gaze back to the Serpent, eying the beast as she, too, turned to look at him. Sword or no sword, he didn't have the luxury of sitting and waiting. He had to act. Quickly leaping to his feet, the redhead burst forward, rushing toward the creature, his eyes studying the monster as her smug grin grew further. He hadn't a clue what he was going to do, but he had to somehow last at least long enough for Frost to recover.

The Serpent let a dry chuckle escape her throat as the Flamian rushed toward her. It was true her Dehydration had failed on the boy – his Flamian blood somehow providing the resistance, she was sure – but that was only one of her godly powers. She had many ways that she could happily grant the boy's death wish with. Raising a single hand, extending a single finger, the monster gently flicked her wrist to the side. In response, a massive burst of water exploded from beside the redhead, spewing toward the boy with incredible force.

Flare gritted his teeth, leaping forward and rolling back to his feet as he hit the ground, barely avoiding the blast directed toward him. He had at least figured out one weakness of this divine monster's powers: they required some sort of gesture. It wasn't much, but it would certainly help him survive. The Flamian continued to push forward, watching for the telltale cues from The Serpent. Each time she moved her arm, the redhead dodged appropriately, slowly closing the distance between them. Though, in truth, he had no idea what he would do when he finally reached her.

The Serpent seethed, swinging her wrist wildly, trying to catch the boy as he dodged from side to side, stopping and leaping to avoid each of her strikes. Even without the power of his blade, the flame warrior's abilities were irritably impressive. The child's reflexes were commendable… for a human, anyhow. But even as the redhead managed to narrowly dodge each attack, he continued to force himself forward – striving toward his own end. The beast hid her smile as the swordsman grew ever closer, putting himself into an inescapable situation. When he was finally close enough, the beast acted.

The Serpent flung up her other arm, bringing her arms into position to center her vision of the redhead between her hands. She saw the child skid to a stop, cautious of the sudden and fresh movement. She could see his eyes studying her – trying to determine what she had planned and how to react. But escape was already impossible as she crushed her hands together. All around the boy, water rose up like phantoms, crashing toward him. The flame-haired warrior attempted to leap back, away from what he could see, but found his escape blocked in that direction as well. A moment later, the water encased the boy, surging up from below to form a massive sphere of liquid that enclosed the child. The serpentine beast let out a pompous laugh, elated with herself as she saw the child attempt to push his way free from the sphere. The harder he fought, though, the tighter the water held to him, moving with him, gripping to him. Slowly, the beast began to squeeze her hands together ever tighter, forcing the liquid to crush in around the child. She wouldn't leave this to chance – she couldn't be bothered to wait for him to drown. She would crush him.

A shiver ran down The Serpent's back as she watched the boy, a sudden chill gripping the air. The beast let out a startled gasp as she spun around, barely spotting the wave of ice that was rushing across the floor toward her in time. Reacting quickly, the beast let herself fall away, her body cascading into water and crashing against the floor. An instant later, she pulled herself from the inundated ground, retaking her transient form nearly two dozen feet away, on the opposite side of her bubble. The beast tsked, watching as her perfect prison became engulfed by the ice as well. Beyond it, she could see the faire-haired warrior rushing back to his friend, dashing across the now frozen floor on that half of the room. She had nearly forgotten.

The arctic fool skidded to a stop, nearly slipping on the frozen surface that now covered everything nearby. Breathing heavily, the swordsman spun his eyes to the perfectly formed globe of ice that rested beside him, finding the carefully contained redhead still trapped inside. The warrior swung his blade up, slicing through the ice as if it were nothing. A moment later, the sphere shattered into hundreds of tiny particles, falling to the ground like a mound of snow, the flame head cascading down with them.

"I suppose this means I owe you…" Flare pushed himself off the ground, taking in deep breaths, glad to have the air back. There had never before been a moment when he had detested water like the one that had just occurred. For a brief second, he had thought that was it.

"Nah, we're even now." Frost huffed, still catching his breath as he stared across the way at the aquatic form of The Serpent as she pulled herself from the floor.

"Word of advice?" Flare took in quick breaths, glad to have the air to fill his lungs once more. "Watch out if she tries to touch you."

Frost smiled, his mind too busy to pay full attention to what his friend was telling him, his thoughts focused on something else.

"She ran awful quick from my ice, don't you think?"

"I think you might be right." The fiery youth pulled himself to his feet, brushing off flakes of frost as he turned his eyes to his sword once more. Its recovery had barely progressed at all. He needed more time. "Let's see if we can—"

Flare's eyes widened as he raised his head once more, gasping as he spied a tendril of water whipping through the air towards him. The Flamian grunted, pushing up, leaping into the air as he curled his body above the slashing liquid. As he tumbled over himself, his vision turned to his ally – suddenly realizing he was not the target.

Frost cursed to himself as he ducked beneath one tentacle, only to turn around and find another swinging towards him as well. He tried to push away – leaping back – but the strand of lethal liquid was too quick. Still in the air, the tentacle slammed into the fool's side, wrapping its length around him, gripping him tight as it halted his escape and gruffly yanked him in the opposing direction, lifting him into the air.

The arctic warrior gritted his teeth as the air rushed passed him, crashing into his face so quickly it almost felt like it was solid. The fool squinted his eyes reflexively, but kept his vision ahead of him – eyeing the luminescent red wall that marked the barrier of the realm and the edge of the room. Before he could even contemplate the pain he was about the experience, the tendril of water slammed him into the surface.

Frost cried out, the pain from the impact enough to bring a few tears to his eyes. But it was not the force of the collision that caused him to scream – it was the power of the barrier. The energy of that mystical wall coursed through him like a lightning bolt, energy surging through his entire body – a pain he vaguely remembered from the idiocy of his childhood. Despite learning that lesson – one of the few he had taken to heart – somehow, he still hadn't managed to avoid never experiencing it again. What seemed like hours passed for the child before he finally bounced away from the barrier, falling to the ground below. In reality, though, little less than a second had elapsed.

"Frost!"

The fool could hear the flame head call out to him as he struck the ground, bouncing off the spongy surface. Despite its soft nature, hitting that floor still seemed to send a wave of agony through his body.

"It seems I no longer have time to play with you."

The fool grunted, twisting his head around to stare up at the beguiling beauty of The Serpent as the beast appeared before him, rising once again from the watery floor. The fool's eyes focused in the beast's arm, her hand stretching out toward him – her finger's reaching out to press against his forehead. Though he hadn't really bothered to pay full attention to the flame head, Frost still remembered he had something about letting the beast try and touch – something about it being bad. He had no idea what to expect, so rather than try to avoid it, he decided to give her a nasty surprise.

The Serpent reached out quickly, even as she was still forming, gently pressing her fingertips to the boy. Once more, she could feel the flow of the water in the child, but as she tried to command it, another sensation overtook her. The snake screamed, pulling her hand back as her fingers turned to blocks of ice, instantly frozen upon touching the Arctican's skin.

Frost smiled as the beast pulled away, the shock on the monster's face apparent. Seeing the surprise that had captured the creature, Frost knew he had to take advantage. He had no time to lie there – he had no time to bother with recovery. He had to strike.

Frost swung his arm out at the monster's ankles, having – through sheer willpower – forced himself to maintain his grip upon his sword. While the blade once again passed harmlessly through the beast without cutting her, the after effect followed as well: a wave of ice quickly rising up The Serpent's length. For a brief instant, Frost could see the annoyance in the creature's eyes before her head fell away, crashing down like water before it too was overtaken by his sword's power. The Arctican stared up at his newest icy sculpture, yet somehow knew it still wasn't over. As if to confirm it for him, the fool felt something wet wrap around him once more.

The next moment, Frost felt himself rise into the air, pulled upward by another strand of liquid. He moaned, staring down at the icy patch on the ground that he had just created, lamenting the attack as he suddenly felt the tentacle reverse direction, bringing him right back down with a powerful crash, straight into his own frigid floor.

"You're beginning to be a nuisance."

Frost coughed, trying to catch his breath and bide through the pain as he lifted his head once more, finding The Serpent standing nearby. The beast seemed to learn quicker than he did, having chosen to rise up just outside his reach this time.

"Oh, I've been a nuisance for a while now." Frost spat out between coughs, grinning as he met the divine beast's gaze. "You're just a little late to the party."

"Bothersome oaf…" The Serpent stretched out a hand toward the faire-haired warrior, summoning up another sodden tentacle to wrap around the child. Frost cursed to himself as the magical tendril once more lifted him into the air, swinging him around in preparation for another agonizing flight.

Frost gritted his teeth, turning his pupils down to the aquatic whip that gripped him once more. He was growing slightly annoyed by it – as fun as he had always thought it might be to fly through the air, the tentacle was going about it all wrong – or, at least, with far too much pain being involved. It was time to try something new. He had to figure out a way to counter this attack, or that beast would just keep pounding away at him with it. Or at least she'd keep pounding away at the floor with him. Unfortunately, the fool had never been known for clever plots or wise decisions, so he'd have to settle for a stupid idea this time as well.

Mustering his strength as the tentacle dragged him into the air with all the force of a cannon, Frost swung his blade out, slashing through the sodden rope. The fool had hoped it might sever the connection, freeing him, but wasn't blessed with such luck. Instead, the blade's edge passed harmlessly through the tendril, sending out a chilling wave of icy magic as it did. While it wasn't his original intention, the arctic energy still somehow brought about the same result, the frigid whip cracking and shattering as it tried to bend and whip him back toward the ground. Instead of a rough plummet to the frozen floor, Frost was gifted with a brief moment of freedom in the air as the water pulled away, leaving only the frozen ring of ice around his stomach. A second later, though, the faire-haired warrior was greeted by an all too familiar pain as he slammed into the realm's edge once more.

The arctic child screamed out as pain coursed through him yet again, before he once more rebounded away from the magical wall and crashed back to the floor – striking the ground with only slightly less force than the tendril would have slammed him into it with, had the warrior let it.

"You really are quite the fool…"

Frost took in shallow breaths, lying prone on the floor, his tolerance for pain having been fully exhausted in those last few moments. All the arctic warrior could do was twist his head to look up at the beastly guise of The Serpent as the Divine Beast stared down at him, a wicked grin painted across her face.

"Do you think you're akin to a god, or something? It would have been much easier for you if you had just let me break you with my own power."

The frigid child blinked, still taking slow breaths as he stared at the beast, watching her lips flap up and down, hearing but somehow not fully comprehending the words she was saying.

"You're little display helped me realize something, though." The Serpent raised her arms, crossing them in front of her chest as she looked down upon the pathetic lout sprawled out before her. This one, too, had built up a defense to her draining touch. But even without her most powerful ability, the child was still easily beaten. Watching him had shown her just how to do it. "You helped me figure out what your weakness is. In fact, I think I've figured out the weakness of every single one of you Bladesmen."

Frost blinked again, eyes lowering from The Serpent's face to stare at her ankles, wondering if the beast realized the same thing he did. Had she really been that foolish? Was she maybe thinking he was too weak? Did she think he couldn't move? Or had he maybe finally been blessed with a kernel of luck in this one-sided fight?

"Do you know what that weakness is, child?"

The arctic warrior ignored the beast, his fingers – still wrapped around the handle of his sword – drawing his focus. He knew it wouldn't give him much, but a few seconds would be better than nothing. Gritting his teeth, the fool swung out, the tip of his sword arcing toward The Serpent – toward her feet that were just barely close enough for him to reach. But his frigid edge never met its target as the boy's arms suddenly met an unexpected and powerful resistance. Frost swung his eyes toward it, eyeing his arm as an aquatic tendril wrapped about it, holding it in place as even more stretched up, surrounding his limb.

"That's right." The Serpent stated mockingly. "It's your blade. Without your sword, you're just an idiotic child. So if you can't use it, you're of absolutely no concern to me."

Frost grunted, tugging on his arm, but the water held tight to his limb, not allowing it to budge more than a few millimeters. Worst of all, the aquatic tendrils were out of reach of his sword's blade. The arctic warrior struggled to touch his weapon's edge to the constricting liquid, but with his arm held tight, it was impossible to bend his wrist that way. Trying to act quickly, the frigid fool attempted to retrieve his sword with his other hand, but found that movement met with the same restrictive force. Spinning his head, the fair-haired child spied the tentacles wrapping around that arm as well, binding it to the floor.

He was trapped.

"Now if you would do me a favor…"

The arctic warrior flicked his eyes upward, spying the malicious grin that tugged at the corner of the Divine beast's lips and the overflowing bloodlust that spilled from The Serpent's eyes as she stared back down.

"I would appreciate it if you would just—"

The Serpent was cut off as the tip of a blade jutted from her stomach, sending a familiar ripple across her body. The arctic warrior blinked, staring up at the dull gray tip that protruded from the beast, relieved, and yet – at the same time – not at all put at ease by its appearance.

Flare grunted, attempting to draw back his sword from its place in the monster's body, but found the weapon stuck tight in the watery form. He wasn't sure what he had expected to accomplish with the act – with his sword still recovering – but he hadn't seen any other choice. Not if he wanted to save Frost.

"I'm sorry, you're right."

Flare grimaced as The Serpent's watery form shimmered, rippling gently for a moment before the beast was suddenly facing him, his blade still lodged firmly in her.

"I did promise to kill you first, didn't I?"

The redhead had no time to react as the same liquid surrounding his blade suddenly shot up its length, swirling around the sword and up his arm, holding him tight in place as a second stream of water burst from The Serpent's chest. What followed was the strangest sensation the flame warrior had ever experienced. A sharp, stabbing pain through his lower chest that was accompanied by a cool, comforting sweep through the wound. He blinked, absently lowering his head, spying the jet of water that pressed against his body as it was slowly dyed red by his own blood. A reflexive cough echoed from his throat, a shower of tiny red drops spraying from his mouth with it.

"It's been fun, but it's time for this to end."

The redhead cursed mentally, raising his head back up as a thin stream of blood escaped down the side of his cheek. His wavering pupils stared out as the Divine Beast raised an arm, the aquatic form shimmering and wavering a moment as it changed shape, becoming a liquid spear, hefted up as the monstrous beast took aim at his head. A depraved smirk twisted her expression as her malicious gaze bore into him. He gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to cough as he tightened the grip his hands held on the encased sword – the mystic blade still slumbering in his grip, its recovery still at least a few minutes away. Death staring him down, he wondered if this wench was really going to make a liar of him. He wondered if all his conviction might have actually just been pompous boasting. But only for a moment, as he then forced a confident smile to his face to meet the beast's own. He would not accept that this was the end, even if it was.

Spying the self-assured expression the flame warrior wore sent a wave of fury through her. Where did he get the hope to put on such a face? Who did this upstart think he was? But it was no matter. Funneling that rage to her arm, the beast thrust forward.

She would tear that look from his face in one blow.

Flare stared unblinkingly at The Serpent's arm as it flew toward his eyes, aimed toward the small area between them. He didn't blink – his determination still unwavering. He would not die there. It wasn't his time. He had to believe that, even as the wet tip of that weapon pressed lightly against top of his nose.

And it was there that it paused.

"What… What is this!"

The Serpent bellowed, her entire form shaking, rippling uncontrollably as she attempted to force her arm to respond – to continue on its path. But it was not just her arm that refused to obey her will. Her whole body fought against her, defying her. The water over which she was master was rebelling. An instant later, with a scream of frustration, the beast was thrown back, the water that composed her flying away from both the male warriors near her as her form was smashed into the barrier wall with a bright flash.

Instantly, Flare fell to his knees, collapsing on the ground as his wound was allowed to bleed freely. The flame warrior coughed, raising a hand to apply pressure to his chest, willing the blood to stop flowing.

"Flare, hold on!"

Frost rolled himself over, turning to look back as Ivy yelled out, rushing to the side of the redhead who had just saved him. He frowned, his eyes staring at the floor around the warrior – dyed red with the Flamian's blood. He spun his head around, watching as the water dripped to the ground, draining from the mystic wall that separated them from the next realm. That water was the only sign he could find of The Serpent, but he was sure that couldn't have ended it.

Spinning his head back around, Frost forced himself to his feet, his body screaming out in pain from all the abuse he had endured. He couldn't be sure of how many, but he could definitely tell he had a few broken ribs. The fool was pretty sure that wasn't the extent of his injuries, either, but as he stood, nothing else seemed to scream out quite as loudly to him.

"Are you alright?"

He turned his head slightly, finding the concerned gaze of the water nymph as Myst approached, trailing slightly behind Ivy as the bean sprout finally reached Flare, falling to her knees beside him.

"Peachy," Frost replied, forcing a grin, "'Cept for the excruciating pain."

"Give me a moment, and I'll heal you too."

The fair-haired warrior looked down, watching as the moss-headed girl rolled Flare onto him back, preparing to addresses the dangerous wound he had managed to acquire.

"Do you really think I'll allow you that sort of time!"

The Serpent found herself breathing heavily, the shock from the realm's wall still coursing through her as she rose from the sodden floor, a few dozen feet away from the reunited group of Bladesmen. Her gaze feel harshly upon the blue-haired nymph among them, cursing the witch as she finished reforming her body. With that wench around, she wouldn't be able to use Hydrophile any longer. She would be forced to take physical form, at least until she dealt with the sabress.

The girl's arctic companion hobbled forward, positioning himself behind the nymph and in front of his other allies as he shakily raised his sword. He still had the will to fight, but it wasn't hard to see that he wasn't going to be much of a threat anymore. He had taken too much damage from her attacks to be as large of a threat as he had been moments ago. The Divine Beast was glad she had taken the time to deal with him when she had – it made this easier.

"We'll try to hold her off…"

Ivy raised her head, looking toward Frost as he spoke. The boy's knees were shaking, his body barely able to support itself as he tried to act brave.

"Just heal him quickly…"

Myst frowned, glancing at Frost through the corner of her eye. He wasn't going to be much help, and neither was Flare. The truth was…

"No."

Flare coughed out a protest, nudging Ivy away as his companions spoke.

"Leave me be." The redhead all but ordered, meekly raising his sword to watch as the color continued to creep up its length. It wouldn't be much longer. "I'll be fine. You need to help them fight."

"What! But—"

"Just trust me!' Flare exclaimed as forcefully as he could manage, letting his arm fall back to the floor. "I'll be fine. As soon as my sword is recovered, I'll join you. But Myst won't stand a chance on her own."

"I don't appreciate being forgotten." Frost scoffed. Though, inwardly, he knew he really wasn't worth counting at the moment.

"Help them." Flare repeated, nodding toward the nymph and the fool. "They need you more than I do."

"But…" Ivy shook her head, eyeing the hole in the boy's chest. He'd be lucky if he lasted a minute like that.

"Ivy…" Myst spoke, not taking her eyes from The Serpent as the beast stared them all down. "Let's just… do as he says."

Before any of them could voice further protest, the nymph dashed forward, splashing across the floor as she rushed toward the beast. Frost and Ivy blinked, watching the girl, realizing that she had just made their decision for them. The arctic Warrior sighed, pausing only a moment before taking off after her, moving quite a bit slower, but still barreling toward the monster in front of him.

"Go." Flare stated, his voice almost pleading with Ivy as she watched Myst and Frost. "I'll be fine."

"… Damnit…"

Ivy rose, pushing away from the redhead as she rushed after her other two allies, fighting every instinct she had as she did. Not only was she probably running straight toward an early demise, but she was also leaving her friend to die. It didn't feel right at all, but… what choice did she really have? The fool would get himself killed too if he tried to fight and Myst couldn't do it alone.

The tomboy risked a quick glance back as she rushed forward, frowning at Flare as his bloodied form grew smaller.

You better not start breaking your promises now…