AN: Ah, sacrifice. I decided not to kill Ulrick in the last chapter, but maybe this one? Who knows? Again, read, review, and enjoy!
After taking another shot from a hornet, Odd was able to destroy it, leaving him with 100 life points. Ulrick, too, destroyed his hornet and the boys split up. Odd headed for the tower while Ulrick ran to Yumi. A few stabs later, the hornet was destroyed, leaving six more guarding the tower, along with two crabs.
"Stay back," Ulrick pleaded.
"You're in as much danger as I am," Yumi reasoned, "I don't want to spend my last four minutes waiting with Aelita."
The was no more room for discussion as the remaining monsters focused their attention on Odd. The hornets ringed around him and the crabs were charging up more lasers. At the moment, Odd was trying to dodge a barrage of beams.
"Odd, 60 life points left," Jeremy cautioned after four of the beams struck home. As the pair ran to help Odd, Yumi threw her fan, bringing down one of the hornets. When the hornets recognized another threat, three of them detached from the group to destroy the warriors.
Catching her fan, Yumi set up another throw. Before the warriors could attack, the hornets began to fire their lasers rapidly, causing Yumi and Ulrick to take cover behind some trees. Edging around the tree, Yumi spotted a hornet searching for them and whipped her fan at it, striking the target dead on. As one passed by his tree, Ulrick was able to stab it. The third hornet, however, was not to be destroyed so easily. Opting for an attack from above, it entered the leaves of the tree above Yumi.
"Three and a half minutes left," Jeremy stated solemnly.
"Not much time left," Ulrick said grimly, grabbing Yumi's hand and pulling her forward into a run.
While they had been fighting the hornets, Odd had dispatched two of the flying monsters, leaving two crabs guarding the tower.
"I'm almost out of arrows," Odd told the two as he dodged another laser.
"You're also down to 50 life points," Jeremy reminded him.
"I'll take care of these crabs then," Ulrick said, "I still have 80 left."
Grudgingly, Yumi stepped back and Odd with her. With a last glance back at Yumi, Ulrick advanced on the tower.