I sat myself back down against the tree, taking a deep breath. I had told my story before, once or twice, but it usually involved a whole lot of mead, and a lot of events being left out.
Now, I knew, was not the time for either of those things.
"I'll start by summing up my childhood. I was nothing special, just a low-born son of a miller. My father was killed by a pack of wolves when I was 8, and my ma took over the business. She was a strong woman, mourned for a night or two then got right back to work. Told me 'Torga, your father was never one to mope and the same goes for us, else we bring shame to his memory'. And that was that. I started helping out and that's how things went for about 7 years.
"Skyrim, my home, was in the middle of a civil war. The Imperial fuckers decided that Skyrim was to be part of their empire, while Ulfric Stormcloak and his rebels disagreed. There's a lot of reasons for that war but it's over now. Before it ended, I was captured by the Imperials under the excuse of me being a Stormcloak. In reality, I was simply looking for straight trees.
"I was knocked out, bound, and gagged. When I came to, I was in the back of a horse-cart with a stormcloak soldier and Ulfric, leader of the rebels. There were a couple of nameless prisoners as well, but those two were the ones I would remember. We were being sent to be executed."
Nora gasped. "You didn't do anything wrong, though!"
I grimaced. "Trust me, I told them that. I was in the cart, and so I had to die. Obviously I didn't, but one Stormcloak lost his life." I chuckled. "He was a loud-mouth too, insulted those Imperials until his head rolled. It was my turn when Alduin came."
"Alduin?" Ren quizzically raised an eyebrow.
"The Eater of Worlds, a dragon so powerful that many regarded him as a god. Ironically, he caused enough of a distraction for me to escape through the tunnels beneath Helgen, the city I was in. It was a good thing, too, because Helgen was wiped right off the map. I made my way back home to Riverwood, where my ma sent me to the Jarl of our region to ask for guards in case of a dragon attack.
"I made the trip, secured troops from the Jarl, and was sent on a mission by the court wizard to retrieve a map of dragon burial sites. The common idea was that the dragons were coming back to life, though we wouldn't learn the truth until much later. It was on that mission that I murdered my first man." I paused for effect.
"Bleak Falls Barrow. An old resting place for my ancestors. Not mine personally, but all Nords have a respect for the dead. Those that don't.. Well, a group of bandits had made the barrow their home. I nearly died trying to get through them. Stupid, I was, to walk right up the steps shouting 'Hello? Is this Bleak Falls Barrow?'
"The only thing I got for my manners was an arrow into the arm, and with nothing on me but my cheap leather armor and a chipped axe, I cut my way through them like a scythe through wheat. I picked up a battle-ax at some point, but the killing of the bandits was almost instinct.
"As I made my way further into the barrows, draugr emerged and challenged me for every foot of progress. With my axe it was not too difficult to put them down but there were so many and I was still wounded from the bandits. I eventually found the Dragonstone, and returned to the wizard."
"You mentioned… draugr. What is that?" Phyrra asked.
Right, these people have probably never seen one. "A draugr is a dead body that is re-animated for the purpose outlined by the magician who resurrects them."
"They brought people back to life?!" Phyrra exclaimed, eyes wide. I quickly shook my head at her to dispel any thoughts of conjuration magic from her mind.
"Not in any recognizable way. The draugr could not speak, could not reason, and would attack anything living on sight. They would lie in wait for centuries, guarding their burial places jealously for within most barrows were gems, sacred weapons, and gold galore. Regardless, as I brought the Dragonstone back, word arrived of a nearby dragon attack. Impressed with my actions, the Jarl gifted me a basic set of heavy armor and sent me to go help fend off this dragon. I borrowed a horse and rode.
"In the end, only his housecarl and myself were left alive. 12 men died to that beast before we got it to the ground, and I almost lost my own life before I separated its head from its body.
"That was when I learned of my power. As the dragon died, I absorbed its… well I guess you could say I absorbed its aura. I shouted a word in the dragon tongue, and knocked the housecarl into a crumbling wall. Not soon after I received a summons from the Greybeards, masters of the Voice, and hermits living atop a giant mountain. I made the journey alone, and received my first formal training. I learned that I was a prophesied hero known as The Dovahkiin, which translates roughly to Dragonborn. It meant that when I killed a dragon, I absorbed its soul and gained that dragon's power. It also meant that my Voice got stronger, and because I was the only one that could permanently kill a dragon, it got quite a lot more powerful. Before anybody asks, I have been unable to use this power here so far. Personally I believe that it will turn out to be my semblance, as my time as a hero was the most important part of my life so far."
"If what you say is true, then that is likely to be the case." Phyrra noted.
"What could you do?" Ren asked, and I grinned.
"The power was incredible. Incredibly tempting to use for evil purposes, but for the most part I used it when I needed to and no more. I could breath fire, breath ice, solidly freeze my enemies. I could decay their armor, enhance my own hitting power, and become ethereal to avoid blows. I could see the auras of living things, I could rally animals to fight by my side, even disarm my opponents. I could call down lightning, bring dragons to the ground and call upon the spirits of Sovngarde to fight by my side. I could do plenty more, but I won't exhaust you with that many descriptions." The faces around me were amazed.
"That's… a lot of power." Phyrra mentioned.
"Can you make yourself super strong?" Nora asked hopefully.
I chuckled. "Something like that. Once I had killed many dragons, I gained the ability to call upon my dragon aspect. I would essentially transform into a dragon-like version of myself, gaining incredible strength and near-impenetrable armor. My shouts also all got stronger. I myself was also very strong, I had went from swinging an axe all day to running across the province in heavy armor swinging around a bigger axe. There was no time to become soft. That's part of the reason I'm having difficulties with combat, I'm using a smaller and weaker body than I am used to."
"That must be strange." Ren said, to which I nodded.
"You have no idea. Regardless, my adventure continued. I met friends and enemies, quelled a civil war, stopped the vampire uprising-"
"Actual vampires? The ones that glitter in the sun?" Nora asked, excited.
"Ha! As if. Actual vampires burn in the sun, with rare exceptions. They were exceedingly fast and on par with my strength under the Dragon Aspect. I kept a mercenary nearby and lent him Dawnbreaker, a sword gifted to me by the Daedric Prince Meridia. It was enchanted to have powerful effects against undead, as well as set living foes aflame at a touch. Bastard ran off with the sword the first night, saw him drained of blood later the next day. Throughout all of my adventures, I came across an orphanage run by a miserable bitch of a woman. At first I thought she was just rude and mean to the children there, but I explored the orphanages cellar and what I found there sickened me. I won't recount it, but I killed the keeper of the orphanage. That was my first murder in cold blood. Aye, she drew her dagger to protect herself but against a warrior of my caliber in full plate and with an axe out of legend, she had no chance."
"It must have been horrible."
"I pray you never have to know." I shuddered, the image of a small boy split vertically in two, entrails of various woodland creatures strewn between the halves over a ritual circle. "Little did I know, the remnants of the Dark Brotherhood had just received a contract for the very woman I had killed, and as such they kidnapped me in my sleep. Their… leader, Astrid, attempted to recruit me with a terrible mind game. Instead, I set her captives free, shouted the wall of the shack down, and held her off long enough for the prisoners to escape. I succumbed to either poison or magic, and awoke once more in a dark pit full of Frostbite Spiders. I escaped by the skin of my teeth.
"The Brotherhood never forgot though. None of the higher circle came themselves, but mercenary after mercenary was sent after me. It severely hampered my travels. I located and retrieved an Elder Scroll from a subterranean city, and used it atop the highest mountain in Skyrim to go back, to when the old heroes banished Alduin. I learned that their shout did not work against Alduin, though it did force the quasi-god to land. They had to resort to banishing him outside of time, for the next generation to deal with. I was the only hero of that generation, and so the burden fell right onto my shoulders. This knowledge in hand, I returned to the present to find my ally Paarthurnax in battle with the World-Eater himself, who had come to attempt to defeat me before I could defeat him.
"I talk down about Alduin, as if he was not a worthy opponent. In reality, the only time I found myself truly fearing for my soul was against him. I had the power of dozens of dragons, the knowledge of shouts long-forgotten by the dragons, and the advantage of having an equally ancient dragon on my side. We still almost lost. He had scales harder than diamond, breath that could melt stone, and could call meteors down from the heavens to smite his enemies. One glance by any of those rocks and I would have been flattened." The three were riveted to my every word, eyes wide, and in Phyrra's case, respect.
"We fought for hours. I used the ancient shout to force him to land, and Paarthurnax battled viciously when he took flight again. I had thought him defeated, but the cowardly wyrm fled to lick his wounds, using his power to travel to Sovngarde."
"You said Sovngarde was your afterlife?" Phyrra asked quietly.
I nodded. "Aye. Those who are warriors of great merit and skill, who die in battle, go to Sovngarde. There, we will fight on a great field every day and drink in the great mead hall at night. This will go on until the end of eternity, where the warriors of Sovngarde will finally battle against the forces of the Daedra for the rights to Nirn, our world."
"That can't be true. Nobody knows what happens when you die. How could you?" Ren looked skeptical.
I grinned. "Because I freed one of his slaves, flew atop him to Alduin's mountainside fortress, fought my way through it and followed him to Sovngarde."
"I don't believe you." Phyrra again. The other two seem content to listen most of the time, but it was as if Phyrra was analyzing every word.
I shrugged. "You don't have to. It makes no difference to me and there's no way I can prove it until I unlock my semblance."
"You can prove it then?"
"I'll call upon the warriors of Sovngarde that fought the beast with me to tell the story themselves. Would that suffice?" She shut her mouth, and I continued.
"I fought with the three I had seen when I had gone back in time. Alduin was devouring the souls of those who got lost on their way to Sovngarde, and we had to do something else our forces would be ill-prepared for our final battle. I could not tell you how long it was until Alduin fell, as time did not work as normal there. I couldn't tell you who struck the true final blow, but I absorbed Alduin's soul like all the rest. It did some-" A roar came from the forest, followed by a chorus of howling.
Ren narrowed his eyes and pulled two small -pistols, I believe- guns out of seemingly nowhere. Phyrra tensed, and Nora spun her hammer in a complicated series of twirls that I had trouble keeping up with. I pulled my Zweihander out of my back sheath, and set it into a ready position. As I did so, I realized I would have to adapt my style. I was great at fighting against other armed opponents, but against the Grimm, did it matter where I could block a sword from? Or did it matter if I could kill it first?
An Ursa barreled through the woods towards us. I quickly spotted two more, and still wasn't worried. All four of us in one spot, we could take on almost any enemy, I believed.
Then the howling came from behind us, and to the sides, and to the front. I knew wolves, Skyrim was full of them. We were utterly surrounded by more than 20 of them, and my confidence faltered. Clearly, so did that of my team-mates.
I heard a loud screech, and instinctively ducked down as a midnight-black feather whistled through the air and impaled the tree. Phyrra caught one on her shield, while Ren and Nora took cover, eyes scanning the treetops. I knew what it was.
That gods-damned bird.
"Fucker came back for another round eh?"
"It's a different one, Ruby killed the one that hit you!" Noa shouted.
"We need to find some open ground!" I shouted back. "We need room to maneuver!"
With what looked like a practiced motion, Nora leaped up into the tree, flipping to catch a branches with her legs so she was hanging upside down. Ren jumped up and grabbed her dangling hammer, and with a burst of inhuman strength, was launched up through the treetops.
I saw a Beowolf darting through trees at her unsuspecting back, and launched my harpoon at it. It struck the creatures haunch, the rope getting caught on a tree and stopping it mid-leap. I yanked back on the sword as I activated the winch, launching it back the way it came. Fortunately, it hit another Beowolf I hadn't seen and the two went soaring back.
I readied my weapon and turned to see how Phyrra was faring. She stood stock still, bullet after bullet leaving her rifle and every single one striking with purpose and power. Ren crashed through the tree-tops on top of one of the Ursae, crushing it beneath his weight and concentrated Aura.
Observe has gained a level!
I honestly forget about my ability sometimes. "What way, Ren?"
He pointed off into the forest. "That way, a clearing!"
"Phyrra, take Nora and clear us a path. We'll be right behind you."
"No!" Phyrra spoke up as she continued her volley. More Grimm kept popping up by the second, and she was cutting them down almost as fast. It wouldn't be fast enough, though. "We're a team, we stick together!"
"We will!" I returned. "No time to explain it, just go damnit!" She glances at me out of the corner of her eye, huffed, then transformed her rifle into a spear and went after Nora.
"You just sent our heavy-hitters away as we're being swarmed by a literal horde of Grimm. Can I ask why?" Ren said as he reloaded his pistols. I set my feet and felt very nervous, but at the same time… it felt good. Outnumbered, but not outarmed. It was familiar, and I knew how to deal with these kinds of things.
Due to a special action, the perk Small Team Tactics (Beginner) has been acquired!
From experience, you know the capabilities of your immediate allies and know how to utilize them to maximum potential.
Grants 25% extra chance of success to plans against enemies of equal or lesser tactical skill.
"You can."
"Why?"
"Because we need them to kill as many Grimm as they can without worrying about us, and clear us a path to the clearing."
"Okay. So who's gonna worry about us?"
"We are, Ren."
"Thought you might say that. How long until we follow?"
"First to 5?"
"You want to make this into a game?" He asked, incredulous for the first time during our brief back and forth.
"My whole life is a game, why not?"
He shrugged, and charged one of the two Ursa still coming at us. I followed him at a notably slower speed. He leaped into the air as he peppered his foe with bullets. I took a more straightforward approach, meeting the leaping bear in the air with a mighty slash of my sword.
I took the full weight of the creature to the chest, though grinned as I saw it wasn't the full weight - one of its arms had been lopped off. As soon as we landed, I rolled back, noting my HP had gone down. The beast attempted to charge me again but finally realized it was missing a limb and fell. I fired my harpoon, scoring a shot to the mouth as it roared in pain, or anger.
Detect Bloodlust has gained a level!
Probably anger. It started dissolving, so I rewound my harpoon just in time to get smashed in the head by a Beowolf. I rolled back to my feet, briefly wondering if I could get a skill to stop me from getting knocked over, and hit the wolf with an upwards cut that sheared through half of it's skull.
"That's five, let's go." True to his word, Lie Ren stood among five decaying black corpses.
"Damnit, I only got two." I replied as I set off running. Ren kept up with me, though I could tell he wasn't running his fastest. To be fair, neither was I. we wouldn't be able to outrun the Beowolves, so we just had to keep moving at a speed we could comfortably fight from. For me, that was a slow walk, so it was a bit difficult, but at this point it was do-or-die.
A quick check showed that I had fully regained my pitiful AP from the tree incident, while my HP sat at 98. That would have to last me until I could sleep again, but considering this was a 24-hour test, I had no idea when that would be. We just ran, following the path of destruction left by the explosive hammer. I still wanted one of those, just maybe not in pink.
Ren shot over his shoulder, keeping the monsters at bay, while I focused on the trail in front of me. I didn't get tired anymore, not in the traditional sense, so fatigue wouldn't hinder me. My issue was obstacles. Ren still looked as calm and serene as ever, but I could tell he was following me by sound or something. He wasn't even looking forward, but was matching me step for step. Could he be sensing Aura, maybe? Who knows.
A loud trumpeting sound was heard from up ahead, one that shook the bones in my body and the ground below me equally. I stumbled slightly, but quickly regained my footing. That sounded like a mammoth.
This place better not have fucking mammoth Grimm. I was in no shape to fight something of that caliber.
Black feathers pierced through the forest canopy, impaling the ground around us but we still ran on. There was no options other than run. I had no doubts that Phyrra and Nora would be able to defeat the majority of the Grimm but with that wanna-be dragon flying around shooting feathers, it would be too dangerous to do without one of us ending up dead. I ducked under another branch to find myself in a large clearing, where a horde of Grimm were crowded near the opposite edge. Pink explosions came from the center as the lifeless bodies of the beasts flew off in erratic directions. Nora was keeping busy, it seemed.
With a screech, the Giant Nevermore flew over top of the clearing, giving me a chance to Observe it.
Giant Nevermore
LVL. 42
HP 4200/4200
MP 2000/2100
I was surprised at being able to see its HP, but even more surprised at the sheer amount of health that it possessed. Through quick calculations I found myself only able to deal 36 damage maximum, that would take over 100 strikes before my opponent would be dead. I couldn't kill it, not easily. I needed something more.
Then a crash and the sound of splintering wood as a gigantic mammoth crashed through the border of the clearing. I observed that as well.
Baby Goliath
LVL. ?
HP?/?
MP?/?
"Divines…" I muttered, in awe of this things supposed power. The only other being that I've seen that powerful was Ozpin, and I don't even know if the two can compare. I started running towards the rapidly thinning group of Grimm, but so too was the Goliath. Ren was still behind me, covering my back as I pushed every ounce of speed I could out of my legs.
In the distance I saw the Nevermore wheel around, coming straight for Phyrra and Nora. I grit my teeth, our only shot at living was to run, and we couldn't outrun that bird, it was much too fast. We could probably keep ahead of the Goliath, but we would still have to fight off the Beowolves in our retreat, and they would not stop pursuing us.
I was out of ideas. "Ren, we need a plan!" I shouted over my shoulder.
"Can you distract the bird?" He said, still calm.
"If I can get to it, yes!" I had barely finished speaking when I was grabbed from the back and thrown through the air towards our team-mates. Nora saw me, jumped up, and grabbed my arm. With a mid-air spin she altered my course, and I had barely enough time to align myself before firing off the harpoon. The weapon sank into the Nevermore's chest as its HP fell a pitiful amount, but I was connected. The momentum launched me around and I slammed into the Nevermore's back. I quickly grabbed some of the feathers and tried to ignore the fact that I was now riding a hostile creature. Similar principles to dragon riding applied, though there were no spines to hold onto and no common ground to bond over.
I detached my harpoon from the front of the beast and launched it into it's back, anchoring myself in case it attempted to flip me off. With the harpoon attached, I stabbed the sword into it's back repeatedly. That got its attention. It rolled in the air, yet my weapon held and I was held upside down briefly before again landing on the Nevermore.
Due to previous experience, you have obtained the skill "Beast Riding"!
Beast Riding (LVL. 8)
You dominate a creature of nature to become your mount, allowing you to traverse the world faster and further than on foot.
50% chance to dominate mount completely, -2% for every level above you, +5% for every level in the skill
+5% defense to mount (per level)
+15% attack to rider (per level)
Current Domination Time: 2 Minutes
With a grin I activated the skill. With this, every strike I did would cause 80 damage, cutting the time I would need to attack in half. If I was lucky, I'd be able to dominate this over-sized bird as if I'd used the evil Bend Will shout, one that I'd never gotten used to. Quickly calculating, I realized that I had a pitiful 18% chance of pulling off the domination, but I watched my foe's hp count as I stabbed once more, confirming that the attack bonus didn't require full domination, just for me to be riding. As I continued stabbing the creature amidst its attempts to throw me off, I glanced downwards.
The mammoth was wreaking havoc on any plans that Ren had come up with. He was mostly focused on keeping the smaller Grimm at bay while Phyrra distracted the Goliath and Nora hit it with all she had. They weren't making a scratch even with all of their combined efforts. I was wrenched violently back to my own battle as the bird barrel rolled in mid air, trying and failing to shake me off.
Suddenly a pink blur shot past me into the sky, and the bird tumbled backwards. I saw a part of it's beak had been chipped off, and its HP fell dramatically.
Giant Nevermore
LVL. 42
HP 2640/4200
AP 1940/2100
Nora let out a giggle as she reached the apex of her… jump, I think? She began to fall back to earth, staring at me, and with a grin I detached my harpoon.
What was that old saying? The nail that sticks out….
I lunged up the monsters back, right as it tucked its wings in to dive. I found myself flying through the air as the mass of black fell beneath me. I lined up the shot as best I could, and fired my harpoon.
Thunk
It suck in, slightly off center but still in the neck where I wanted it to be. Nora came down like a boulder dropped from the heavens and spinning like a pinwheel. With both apprehension and fear being suppressed by my Gamer's Mind, I hit the toggle to retract the harpoon, and let go of my sword.
I fell, and as I fell, I watched. Nora nailed my sword right on the hilt as it sunk into the Nevermore, propelling it through the neck as an explosion ripped half of the flesh off from the inside. It would have been gruesome, had not the gore been purest of black. As it was it was a small symbol of hope.
As I felt that hope flutter to existence in my heart, it was soon also suppressed by my Gamer's Mind. Instead, I was forced to live with the fact that I was falling at an ever-increasing speed. Afterwards, some will tell you that I screamed. Another would tell you that she just knew. I'm going with my own story. I simply called for help.
"PHYRRAA!"
I may have called slightly loudly and in a high pitched voice, but that is no fault of mine. That's the fault of the puberty ridden body I was given. She heard me, somehow, over the sounds of growling and snarling from the throng around her, over the foreboding trumpeting of the Goliath. Over the rush of blood in her ears and the panting of breath in her throat, she heard me, and she threw out a hand towards my sword.
My weapon reversed direction mid-air and came speeding back at me, covered in smoking black gore. I grabbed it, and just managed to deploy the harpoon again and swing off of a tree before crashing. I retracted the harpoon, soard from the tree towards the clearing, and landed with a tumble that looked like it would go a lot smoother in my head.
I got to my feet, checking on my HP and AP. I had literally 1 AP left, which in hindsight shouldn't have been possible. I had been using abilities like they were nobodies business. With a crash that rumbled through the ground and the loud splintering of trees, the Nevermore fell to the earth. I was suddenly assaulted by blue boxes.
You have gained a level!
You have gained a level!
You have gained a level!
You have gained a level!
You have gained a level!
You have gained a level!
You have gained a level!
You have gained a level!
You have gained a level!
You have passed level 10, unlocking your Semblance!
Semblance: Dragon Tongue (PERMANENT)
You have the soul of a dragon, and the body of a man. The power of the Thu'um is available for you to use, a mighty and awesome power, but one that is restricted. For every level, you now gain 5 status points and 1 shout point. Shout points can be used to unlock a single word of a shout.
You have gained the title "Dragonborn"!
Title: Dragonborn
You have the soul of a dragon, and the body of a man. Through training, you have learned to use the power of the Thu'um like none else can, save for the mightiest and most ancient of the dragons.
+50% intensity to shouts
-20s recharge time
With a few swipes and taps, I dismissed all the menus and equipped my new title with a huge smile. As I equipped it, a rush came over me, a rush of strength and power and… knowledge. I felt much better about our situation, in fact. "Status."
Torga
Age: 17
LVL: 15
Race: Human
Title: Dragonborn
Status: Healthy
XP: 16%
HP: 405
AP: 397
STR: 7 (34)
VIT: 6 (29)
AGI: 8 (39)
INT: 9
WIS: 12
LUK: 4
STAT: 45
SP: 5
I immediately tapped the shout points and a menu popped up, listing all of my shouts I had known in Skyrim, ones that I still knew but had been cut off from. I placed the points in a hurry, closing the menu, then dismissing my status menu. I now had the full capabilities of aura, I would need to test it before I determined where to place all of those points I noted that I had gotten a couple points in luck already, but I'm not complaining.
I took off at a sprint, and couldn't help but let out a whoop as I took off. The world was speeding right past me! I felt like I was running as fast as a horse, and that was in armour.
These Grimm had nothing that they could do to stop me, and with my AP so high, I felt like being a little bit reckless. So, the first Grimm I came across, which happened to be an Ursa, got its head cut clean off by a Power Strike. I felt little to no resistance, and a grin spread across my face. If I ever had any doubt about this Gamer ability, it was now gone. I felt stronger, faster, altogether better. This power was like nothing I had ever felt in my life, if aura granted abilities like these to everyone who chose to unlock it, why, just 100 Hunters could likely conquer the entire Empire on their own!
With my small yet powerful arsenal of Shouts, I was free to assist in a way I never could have before.
"WULD!"
I found myself in the melee fighting alongside Phyrra and Ren. For every Grimm we killed, more rose to take their place. With the Goliath stomping around and waving its massive tusks, it would not be an easy escape.
"Where's Nora?" I yelled, swinging my sword to parry a claw attack from Beowolf before cutting both of its forelimbs right off.
Phyrra cartwheeled over me to block another attack as I fired my harpoon into a boarbatusk that was charging. "Clearing a path out of here, we're going to make for the cliff and hope Glynda can take care of this thing!"
"What about the city? We can't bring this horde to the gates." Ren added as he peppered the horde in question with bullets from his guns.
I knew he was right, but our lives were more important in my eyes. If a trained Huntress couldn't take care of this group, then they had no business sending us here in the first place and we couldn't be blamed. If she could, we would look pretty bad but I would still rather look bad and live then go out heroically for no cause other than proving myself. Yes, I do have my honour, but I also have a survival instinct. The same one that lead to the eradication of the werewolves in Whiterun was now telling me to get us to the cliff as fast as I could. "Which direction is Nora?"
I didn't have to ask, as with more terrible cracks and splintering I saw a tree go down in a pink explosion. "There she is." Ren said. "We can't follow until these Grimm are dealt with though!"
Phyrra fought with renewed vigor, dodging and parrying as if it was in her blood. I take back what I said about Delphine, Phyrra was easily the most skilled combatant I had ever seen. The way she moved with a liquid grace, every step with purpose and every movement setting herself up for a block or strike or in some cases both, subtle usage of her Semblance to pull off feats I hadn't thought possible. She was a goddess of battle among creatures of slaughter, except in this case they were the sheep and she was the butcher. An especially deadly butcher.
"Go!" I shouted at them. "I'll distract them, then catch up!"
"You're the slowest one of us, Torga. I'll have the best odds." Phyrra replied as if she wasn't in the middle of a fight. Rather than explain, I simply opened my arms wide to prevent self-damage, and unleashed the dragon power in the most basic yet potent way possible.
"YOL!"
A burst of dragonfire exploded from my mouth, instantly killing the ones closer to us and setting the ones after ablaze. I coughed, the fire scratched this throat that was unaccustomed to the Voice. "I've got this, now stop arguing and go! The longer we wait, the more Grimm arrive!"
"Torga, we are not leavin- Ren!" Phyrra called out but it was too late. The green-clad, strangely effeminate boy was struck from the back by a huge tusk, sending him into the tree line on the opposite side of the clearing from Nora's path of destruction.
"Go get him, now!" I yelled at her, and with a pained look on her face, she sprinted away.
I turned to the Goliath as I felt whole once more. The charging of the Thu'um is a strange feeling indeed. As I use my shouts I feel… empty, but that word does not do it justice. I feel like I had lost everything I loved and cared for, everything I had done in my life and all of the ambitions I had for the future. Using the power of the Voice used my soul as its fuel, and though it did come back, the first few times I attempted it were catastrophic. Since then, I had gotten used to it. I knew that every time I cast out my soul in a physical form, it would again return to me regardless of what happened.
I darted backwards a few steps, lowered myself and planted my feet, and unleashed my fury.
"FUS RO DAH!"
Even I was not prepared for the explosion of unrelenting force that poured out of me. Grimm flew, literally flew away from me, and as the shout hit the Goliath, it was briefly raised off the ground. For a brief second I could have sworn I saw it look surprised, but then it toppled onto its side with a mighty crash as other Grimm slammed into it. Phyrra emerged from the trees with Ren across her shoulders, and her weapon in rifle form in her hands. Lie Ren didn't look too good, he was bleeding which was a sure sign of his aura being depleted. He was in good hands, as Phyrra picked off any enemies in her path with the rifle, leaving nothing behind her but decaying corpses with neat little holes drilled into their eyes and necks. I raced off after her, slicing Grimm left and right as I went.
We soon caught up to Nora who was literally playing with a boarbatusk. The creature had formed itself into a ball and she was bouncing it up and down with her hammer. I grabbed it out of the air and shoved it into my inventory, breathing a sigh of relief as it slid through the plane of light and appeared in one of the small boxes. I was fairly certain nobody saw it, though if anyone did it would have been Phyrra and she knew about my powers anyways. Nora was too busy making sure Ren was okay and Phyrra had her rifle up and ready scanning the area so I figured we'd be okay.
"Torga, light the woods behind us. Get as much of the path as you can, the lesser Grimm can't stand fire. We should be able to keep in front of them long enough to reach the cliff." Phyrra told me. I waited 3 seconds, felt myself whole once more, and unleashed the fire of demons upon the poor trees.
Pitiful shrubs never stood a chance.
...sup.
I've been busy. Also procrastinating, that fight scene was difficult to write. But mostly busy. I go to school to make video games so I kind of got pre-occupied.
Anyways, here, have a chapter.
~HHR
